Pontoon derrick shifts Peleliu supplies in open sea.

Pontoon derrick shifts Peleliu supplies in open sea. Called into service when landing barges were blocked by coral reefs in the shallow surf off this part of Peleliu Island, a pontoon derrick transfers supplies to amphibious tractors which can crawl over the barriers. The maneuver was completed successfully despite heavy Japanese mortar fire, which had not yet been silenced by U.S. Marines fighting inland. The island, hub of enemy defenses in the central Pacific Palaus, with eight others in the group was in American hands loss than a fortnight after the landings on September 14, 1944.