Chaplain reads service for U.S. Marines buried at sea. A U.S.

Chaplain reads service for U.S. Marines buried at sea. A U.S. Marine chaplain reads a funeral service over the flag-draped bodies of Marines killed on Saipan, while their comrades, acting as pall-bearers, stand at attention. The dead Marines were given a sea burial from a troop transport. Since landing on Saipan in the Marianas group of the Central Pacific, on June 14, 1944, the U.S. had lost 1,474 killed by June 30. In the same period the U.S. forces had buried 6,015 Japanese. By July 4th, U.S. troops had liberated most of the island including the port of Garapano. Saipan, a key base in Japan's inner defense system, is less than 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the enemy homeland.