The Atlantic ocean was the lifeline between Britain and America, as well as millions of tons of raw materials, GIs were also transported over in all manor of hastily converted liners. Protecting the troops from marauding u-boats and German surface ships was of paramount importance to the allied fleets. Although USS New York spent a good deal of the war in the Atlantic, she also participated in the Torch landings off North Africa and took part in the Pacific campaign, seeing action at both Iwo Jima and Okinowa.