 The Navy now drove steadily across the Pacific . On 30 January 1944 , Massachusetts bombarded Kwajalein , and she covered the landings there on 1 February . With a carrier group she struck against the Japanese stronghold at Truk on 17 February . That raid not only inflicted heavy damage on Japanese aircraft and naval forces , but also proved to be a stunning blow to enemy morale . On 21 – 22 February , Massachusetts helped fight off a heavy air attack on her task group while it made raids on Saipan , Tinian , and Guam . She took part in the attack on the Caroline Islands in late March and participated in the landing of US troops at Hollandia on 22 April . Upon retiring from Hollandia , Massachusetts and the other ships of Task Force 38 ( TF 38 ) staged another attack on Truk . 
