This is the vivid story of men at all levels-from the captain to the seamen-and the Japanese they faced in battle, first at the Marianas in June 1944 and finally on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In that engagement, the Navy bloodied the Japanese sorely, but at a grim price: The Gambier Bay became the only U.S. aircraft carrier in World War II to be sunk by naval gunfire. The story of the Gambier Bay is a tale of uncommon courage under fire.