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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

"Magic Carpet" Press Release

UNITED STATES
PACIFIC FLEET and
PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
(For Immediate Release to
Press and Radio, Monday,
3 December 1945.)

Press Release No. 932

PEARL HARBOR, T.H. -- Nearly 100 vessels are sailing the Pacific, Stateside-bound in a race against time to bring back some 150,000 point-happy veterans before Christmas.

Involved in one of the largest east-bound ship movements since V-J Day are scores of vessels from the four principal Pacific embarkation areas in Okinawa-Japan, the Philippines, the Marianas and Hawaii. Joining them are other ships from such far-flung spots as Jinsen, Korea; Tsingtao, China; Peleliu, Kwajalein, Manus and Espiritu Santo.

150,000 returnees are virtually assured that they will spend Christmas in the United States, although some may not be able to actually reach their home cities by that date. They will join 1,189,739 others who have already been transported from the Pacific to the mainland since V-J Day.

Official figures covering the first three months since the surrender of Japan show that, as of 1 December, 452, 161 Army men have been returned to the United States on Navy ships. The comparable figure for the Navy is 453,663.

In addition, 165,465 members of ships' crews eligible for discharge or reassignment, have been detached from their ships at United States ports. The Marine Corps, which had 185,000 men in the Pacific on V-J Day, has returned 80,137 of them.

Movements of the 355 ships actively engaged in Rear Admiral Henry S. Kendall's "Magic Carpet" operation -- a "Magic Carpet" which would stretch for some 32 miles if each vessel were placed bow-to-stern -- have been coordinated so successfully with the flow of point -eligible veterans into staging centers that latest reports show that of more than 27,000 Naval, veterans now awaiting transportation less than 100 have been delayed over 10 days.

Provided the accelerated pace of demobilization does not force the laying-up of some of the ships in the transport Fleet through loss of essential crew members, it is expected that the well-geared shuttle service will continue to prevent/transportation delays of more than 10 days for Naval returnees.


28 Nov 2006