Turkey Shoot Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Since the folks on Guam seem to have enjoyed my "Earn Your Dolphins" cache, I decided to place one here in the same style. But this one is about the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
The Mariana Islands were a vital location to both sides during World War Two. To the Japanese, they represented an "inner ring of defense" that they used to protect the sealanes to Japan. To the US, they could be used as a major supply hub, and as a base for the new B-29 bombers that could reach Japan from the Marianas. This set the stage for one of the most complex, and vital, campaigns of the war. Japan believed the war would be decided by a Kantai Kessen, or large, decisive naval battle, particularly between the battleships. This idea had led to the Japanese Navy engaging in several battles in the Pacific, with mixed success. However, they believed that a strike near their "inner ring" would be to their advantage because they could use land based aircraft in the battle, and the wind would be in their favor.
The Mariana Campaign began on June 15, 1944 with the invasion of Saipan. With The US Navy's Task Force 58 supporting the invasion, the Japanese moved several battleships and aircraft carriers west of the island, with plans to surprise the American fleet. On the morning of June 19, the American fleet was spotted, and several attacks followed over the course of the day. But the Japanese had not counted on two major factors: Over the course of the war, they had lost almost all of their experienced pilots in battle, and US aircraft technology had now surpassed the Japanese technology. The results were devastating. The next day, the US fleet steamed west and found the Japanese fleet. Although only one attack was made by the Americans, it was an unquestionable success. The Japanese fleet retreated the following day. The battle between the outmanned, outgunned, and inexperienced Japanese, and their American counterparts, was so one-sided, that it became known as the "Great Mariana's Turkey Shoot." When all was done, Japan had lost three carriers, two oilers, and around 600 aircraft. The Americans had one battleship damaged, and lost 123 aircraft, most of which were lost landing on their carriers in the dark.
The final cache location is in a place where you can look out to the Philippine Sea, and imagine the massive air battle that happened there. To find it, answer the following questions about the ship's involved in the battle. Every US ship has designation letters, followed by a number. For example, the USS Missouri was BB (battleship) 63 and the USS Yorktown was CV (carrier) 5. Substitute the designation numbers to find the answer.
What ship was Vice Admiral Mitscher's flagship during the battle? CV-(IJ)
What was the only US ship damaged during the battle? BB-(DC)
What ship sunk the Japanese carrier Taiho? SS-(FIH)
What US ship launched aircraft that sunk the Japanese carrier Hiyo? CV-(FE)
On which ship did future President Bush (Sr.) serve? CVL-(GA)
How many TOTAL Aircraft Carriers did the Japanese fleet have in the battle? B
N 15 AB.CDD E 145 EF.GBH
Small note on cache maintenance: ellysto has graciously offered to assist. Thanks!
***Congrats to blygoat and Wandahfoh for FTF!!!***
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jurer gur gerr fcyvgf