The crew of the light cruiser USS Birmingham uses hoses to battle fire aboard the fast carrier USS Princeton, set ablaze by a Japanese dive bomber during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Perhaps the largest naval battle of all time, it saw Japan introduce kamikazes and throw nearly every naval vessel it had at the U.S., which was trying to cut Japan off from its vital resources. The result: The Japanese navy, which suffered its greatest loss in nearly 100 years, effectively ceased to exist.
Photo: Time Life Pictures./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
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