laststandonzombieisland

Some 100 years ago, caught in time.

Landing party, USS Arizona (Battleship No. 39), resting during a required 5-mile forced march with full pack near Bremerton, Washington, in 1925. The junior officer in the center leading the drill is newly minted Ensign (future CNO) Arleigh Albert “31 Knot” Burke (USNA 1923).

Landing party drill marches such as these were an annual requirement.

The battlewagon’s man crew was expected to provide a 201-man light infantry company reinforced with a machine gun detachment for service ashore if needed. Three such companies would form a battalion, such as in the Navy’s actions in Vera Cruz in 1914.

• A Naval Landing Party Battalion consisted of 28 officers and 636 men.
• A company, 6 officers, 195 men.
• A rifle platoon, 1 officer, 44 men.
• A machine gun platoon, 1 officer, 55 men.
• A rifle squad had one petty officer squad leader and 12 men divided into three fire teams.

According to her 1924 book of plans, seen below, Arizona’s small arms locker at the time included two .30 caliber machine guns (likely Lewis guns), 350 M1903 Springfield rifles with bayonets, 100 M1911 .45 ACP pistols, and 10 cutlasses, as well as an undefined quantity of older Krag rifles.

Most ships of the era also carried a few shotguns and rimfire pistols for recreational purposes. The battleship likewise stored full marching order sets of web gear, canteens, knapsacks, blanket rolls, and button-up canvas gaiters to gather the bellbottoms.

While few large naval landing parties were sent ashore after WWII, the Navy continued to issue a manual (OPNAV P 34-03) to cover such evolutions into 1960. Under its guidelines, even destroyers and destroyer escorts were expected to cough up a trained and properly equipped 13-man rifle squad for service ashore.