- USS Quincy (CA-39)
USS "Quincy" (CA-39) was a
United States Navy "New Orleans"-classheavy cruiser sunk at theBattle of Savo Island in 1942. She was laid down by theBethlehem Shipbuilding Company ,Quincy, Massachusetts ,15 November 1933 , launched19 June 1935 , sponsored byMrs. Henry S. Morgan , and commissioned atBoston 9 June 1936 , CaptainWilliam Faulkner Amsden in command.Pre-war service
Soon after being assigned to
Cruiser Division 8 ,U.S. Atlantic Fleet , "Quincy" was ordered toMediterranean waters20 July 1936 , to protect American interests inSpain during the height of theSpanish Civil War . "Quincy" passed through theStraits of Gibraltar 26 July and arrived atMálaga , Spain,27 July to assume her duties. While in Spanish waters, she operated with an international rescue fleet that included the German pocket battleships "Deutschland", "Admiral Graf Spee", and "Admiral Scheer". "Quincy" evacuated 490 refugees toMarseille andVillefranche ,France , before being relieved by "Raleigh" (CL-7)27 September ."Quincy" returned to the
Boston Navy Yard 5 October for refit preparatory to final acceptance trials which were held15 March –18 March 1937 . She got underway for thePacific 12 April to joinCruiser Division 7 , transited thePanama Canal 23 April –27 April and arrived atPearl Harbor 10 May ."Quincy" sortied with Cruiser Divisions, Pacific Fleet,
20 May on a tactical exercise which was the first of many such maneuvers that she participated in during 1937 and 1938. From15 March –28 April , she engaged in important battle practice offHawaii with the Pacific Fleet inFleet Problem XIX . After an overhaul atMare Island Navy Yard , "Quincy" resumed tactical operations with her division offSan Clemente, California , until her redeployment to the Atlantic4 January 1939 ."Quincy" transited the Panama Canal
13 January bound for Guantanamo Bay where she engaged in gunnery practice and amphibious exercises. She also took part inFleet Problem XX with the Atlantic Fleet13 February –26 February . "Quincy" later made aSouth America n goodwill tour10 April –12 June , and upon returning to Norfolk, embarked reservists for three training cruises9 July –24 August . She spent the remainder of 1939 on patrol in theNorth Atlantic due to the outbreak ofWorld War II .After overhaul at Norfolk until
4 May 1940 , "Quincy" again visitedBrazil ,Uruguay andArgentina , returning to Norfolk22 September . She completed three more reserve training cruises1 October –20 December ."Quincy" was occupied in Atlantic Fleet maneuvers and landing force exercises off
Culebra Island,Puerto Rico 3 February –1 April 1941 . With the growth of hostilities in Europe, she was ordered toTask Force 2 and operated with "Wasp" (CV-7) in the mid-Atlantic, preserving U.S. neutrality26 April –6 June . Later, she operated with "Yorktown" (CV-5) andTask Force 28 until sailing for home14 July .World War II
On
28 July 1941 , "Quincy" sailed withTask Force 16 forIceland on neutrality duty which included a patrol in theDenmark Straits 21 September –24 September . She returned to Newfoundland with aconvoy 31 October . "Quincy" then proceeded toCape Town ,South Africa , viaTrinidad , where she met a convoy which she escorted back to Trinidad29 December 1941 ."Quincy" returned
25 January 1942 to Icelandic waters on convoy duty withTask Force 15 and made a patrol in the Denmark Straits8 March –11 March . She departed14 March for the U.S. and an overhaul at theNew York Navy Yard that lasted until the end of May."Quincy" sailed for
San Diego 5 June via the Panama Canal and arrived19 June . She was then assigned toTask Force 18 as theflagship ofRear Admiral Norman R. Scott , Commander, Cruisers."Quincy" got underway for the South Pacific in July with other vessels assembling for the invasion of
Guadalcanal .Prior to the Marine assault on Guadalcanal
7 August , "Quincy" destroyed severalJapan ese installations and an oil depot during her bombardment ofLunga Point . She later provided close fire support for the Marines during the landing.Loss at the Battle of Savo Island
While on patrol in the channel between
Florida Island andSavo Island , in the early hours of9 August 1942 , "Quincy" was attacked by a large Japanese naval force during theBattle of Savo Island and sustained many direct hits, with all guns out of action, which killed 370 men including the captain and 167 men wounded. She sank at an area which was later known as Ironbottom Sound.Awards
"Quincy" earned one
battle star during World War II.See also
* See USS "Quincy" for other Navy ships of the same name.
* SeeList of U.S. Navy losses in World War II for other Navy ships lost in WWII.External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-q/ca39.htm Navy photographs of "Quincy" (CA-39)]
Notes
References
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