Trait: Friend of the Marines - Increased damage to shore installations when accompanied by landing craft - Reduces veterancy loss in allied landing craft - Goes berserk when she's the only thing between a powerful SCTF and allied transport ships that are unloading
Trait: Friend of the Marines - Increased damage to shore installations when accompanied by landing craft - Reduces veterancy loss in allied landing craft - Goes berserk when she's the only thing between a powerful SCTF and allied transport ships that are unloading
Johnston's history in general. She tended to get close to contested shorelines to provide fire support as well as medical support to any wounded marines going back up the pipe. The last descriptor basically tries to give a motive for Johnston's actions at the Battle off Samar, she did it to protect the marines unloading behind her.
At close range the Johnston’s entire chorus of weaponry came to bear on the island. There was the sharp, earringing bark of the fiveinchers, the rhythmic thumping of the twin-mounted forty-millimeter machine guns, and the faster metallic chatter of the single-barreled twenties. Men from a damage-control party broke out rifles and made like Davy Crockett from the main deck. Lt. (jg) Ellsworth Welch took out his. 45-caliber pistol, outstretched his arm, and enfiladed the distant enemy with the handgun.
From his perch in the gun director, Hagen spied a Japanese officer on the beach, waving a saber, rallying his troops to the fight, and thought, Why not? He put the officer in the sights of his slewing device. The fire-control computer clicked and whirred and zipped coordinates to the Johnston’s five main gun turrets. When Hagen closed the firing key, they all barked as one. The technology lived up to its brutal promise. The five-shell salvo obliterated the man.
“Mr. Hagen, that was very good shooting,” called Captain Evans from the bridge. “But in the future, try not to waste so much ammunition on one individual.”
That passage describes Johnston's role in bombarding the island of Kwajalein in early February 1944. It comes from the book Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfishcer. As this shows, Johnston could really go all out in regards to shore bombardment.
