Ewa to the Essex
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Window 3 · VMF‑213, Second Posting · Leg 2

Ewa to the Essex

Capt. Haskell “Hack” Tarman retraces the same Central Pacific island chain outbound — Johnston, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Guam — then one leg further, to Ulithi and a carrier waiting at anchor.

6legs
22days
~4,210n. miles
140°E 160°E 180° 160°W 20°N 10°N International Date Line (military zone-time convention) N Peleliu (Window 3, Leg 1) Saipan · Tinian · Rota Majuro Wotje Kauaʻi Hawaiʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi 1 · R5D · 717 nm 2 · R5D · ~1,450 nm 3 · R5D · 380 nm 4 · R5D · ~1,300 nm 5 · ~360 nm 6 · ship's boat, across the lagoon EWA, OʻAHU depart Wed Dec 6, 1944 JOHNSTON IS. revisited · Dec 6 KWAJALEIN held over, Dec 8–14 ENIWETOK refuel, Dec 15 GUAM held over, Dec 17–25 ULITHI Falalop strip · Dec 26 USS ESSEX reports aboard, Dec 28
Schematic route map, not to navigational scale — the same Central Pacific waypoints from the earlier Peleliu-to-Pearl-Harbor crossing (marked faintly at left for reference), now retraced outbound in the opposite direction, one leg further, to a carrier at anchor. Tap or hover any marker for details. Drawn from the itinerary locked in 01_Hack_Timeline.md (Window 3, Leg 2) and the National Naval Aviation Museum's "Leathernecks on Essex."
Flight (R5D Skymaster)
Ship's boat, across the lagoon
Waypoint
USS Essex, at anchor

Full itinerary

LegRouteModeDateDistanceGround time
1 Ewa → Johnston Island R5D Skymaster Wed Dec 6, 1944 717 nm Brief — onward same day
2 Johnston Island → Kwajalein R5D Skymaster Dec 6–7, 1944 ~1,450 nm Held over 7 days (Dec 8–14) — scarce westbound seats
3 Kwajalein → Eniwetok R5D Skymaster Fri Dec 15, 1944 380 nm Refuel only
4 Eniwetok → Guam R5D Skymaster Dec 15–16, 1944 ~1,300 nm Held over 9 days (Dec 17–25) — B-29 buildup congestion
5 Guam → Ulithi (Falalop strip) R5D Skymaster Tue Dec 26, 1944 ~360 nm Journey's last flight
6 Falalop → USS Essex, at anchor Ship's boat Wed Dec 27, 1944 <5 nm Processing/check-in; formally reports aboard Dec 28