Pohnpei, when it was a district of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, initially contained the island of Kosrae, which was a municipality of the district but in 1977 became a separate district. During World War II the islands were bypassed in the American amphibious campaigns between 1943 and 1945. Military installations were attacked on several occasions, including the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and USS Iowa (BB-61) battle ship bombardments, as well as a USS Cowpens carrier air strike (CVL-25). At the end of the war, the Carolinas became part of the Pacific Islands Trust Territory.
