USS Pensacola (CA-24)

USS "Pensacola" (CL/CA-24) of the United States Navy was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruiser. The third Navy ship to be named after the city of Pensacola, Florida, she was nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" by Tokyo Rose.She received 13 battle stars for her service

She was laid down by the New York Navy Yard 27 October 1926, launched 25 April 1929, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph L. Seligman, and commissioned 6 February 1930, Captain Alfred G. Howe in command.

Operational history

1930-1940

"Pensacola" departed New York 24 March 1930, and transited the Panama Canal to Callao, Peru, and Valparaíso, Chile, before returning to New York 5 June. For the next four years she operated along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean Sea, several times transiting the Panama Canal for combined Fleet battle practice ranging from California to Hawaii.

"Pensacola" departed Norfolk 15 January 1935 to join the Pacific Fleet arriving San Diego, her new home port, 30 January. Fleet problems ranged to Hawaii, one cruise took her to Alaska, and combined fleet maneuvers returned her briefly to the Caribbean Sea before she sailed 5 October 1939 to base at Pearl Harbor, arriving the 12th. "Pensacola" was one of six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM RADAR in 1940. was badly damaged. A fourth enemy carrier, "Hiryū", still at large, launched strikes at "Yorktown" and the American flattops struck back, leaving the enemy carrier hit many times, in a mass of flames. Meanwhile, gallant "Yorktown", hit by three bombs, was fighting for her life. "Pensacola" raced from the "Enterprise" screen to aid the stricken carrier. While trying to aid the "Yorktown," the ship was struck with a torpedo and hit in the galley. "Yorktown" was dead in the water when "Pensacola" arrived, and the cruiser assisted in shooting down four enemy torpedo bombers during a second attack.

Despite all that could be done, "Yorktown" received two torpedo hits amidships and had to be abandoned. "Pensacola" rejoined the screen of "Enterprise" to pursue the retiring Japanese.

"Pensacola" returned to Pearl Harbor 13 June and, with "Enterprise", again put to sea 22 June carrying 1,157 marines of Marine Aircraft Group 22 to Midway. She patrolled and trained in Hawaiian waters until 7 August. As Marines stormed the shores of Guadalcanal, the cruiser set course for the Solomons in the screen of carriers . Bomb hits damaged battleship , hit many times, was afire and exploding. American flagship USS|Minneapolis|CA-36|2 took two torpedo hits that blasted her bow downward like an immense scoop and left her forecastle deck awash, but she continued to fight on. USS|New Orleans|CA-32|2, next astern, closed the disabled "Minneapolis" and ran into the track of a torpedo that ripped off the forward part of the warship.

"Pensacola" turned left to prevent collision with two damaged American ships ahead of her. Silhouetted by the burning American cruisers, she came in the Japanese line of fire. One of 18 torpedoes launched by Japanese destroyers hit her below the mainmast on the portside. Her engine room flooded, three gun turrets went out of commission, and her oil tanks ruptured to make a soaked torch of her mast. Meantime, USS|Honolulu|CL-48|2 maneuvered radically at 30 knots, her guns continuing their rapid fire as she escaped the trap. But the last American cruiser in column, USS|Northampton|CA-26|2, took two torpedo hits to duplicate on a larger scale the havoc inflicted on "Pensacola".

The oil-fed flames engulfed "Pensacola's" main deck aft where torpedoes and machine gun ammunition exploded. Only supreme effort and skillful damage control by her gallant men saved the ship. The fire, punctuated by the frightful explosion of 8 inch projectiles in her Number 3 turret, gradually subsided. "Pensacola" made steady progress towards Tulagi. She arrived there still aflame. After twelve hours the last fire was quenched. Her dead numbered 7 officers and 118 men. One officer and 67 men were injured.

1943-1945

Camouflaged as part of the island, "Pensacola" made repairs in Tulagi Harbor that enabled her to steam to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Island. She arrived there 6 December for emergency repairs by repair ship USS|Vestal|AR-4|2 until she sailed 7 January 1943 via Samoa to Pearl Harbor, arriving 27 January.

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"Pensacola" departed Majuro 25 April sailing via Pearl Harbor and Mare Island for duty in the Northern Pacific, arriving in Kulak Bay 27 May. On 13 June, she joined her cruiser-destroyer task force in raining destruction on the airfields of Matsuwa, Kuriles. In the early morning of 26 June, she fired 300 8 inch projectiles to destroy shipping, airfields and installations at Kurabu Zaki, Paramushiru To, Kuriles, returning to Kulak Bay 28 June. "Pensacola" continued patrol in Alaskan waters until departing Kulak Bay 8 August for Hawaii.

"Pensacola" arrived Pearl Harbor 13 August and put to sea the 29th. En route to the Marianas 3 September, she joined an air-sea bombardment of Wake Island. On 9 October, she pounded the main radio station and installations on Marcus Island. She and her sister cruisers and destroyers stirred up a fire melee in their "impersonation" of Halsey's 3rd Fleet to lead the Japanese into thinking the ladder of islands to the Bonins was next on the American timetable for invasion. Meanwhile, Admiral Halsey's units advanced on the Philippines while Fast Carriers rained destruction on the enemy air and Fleet bases at Okinawa and Formosa.

"Pensacola" made rendezvous with the units of the Fast Carrier Task Force retiring from the great air battles over Formosa. After protecting battle damaged cruisers HMAS|Canberra|1927|6 and USS|Houston|CL-81|6 to Ulithi, she joined a Fast Carrier Task Group, including "Wasp", 16 October. The following day, troops supported by the 7th Fleet, began the liberation of the Philippine Islands.

"Pensacola" screened fast aircraft carriers striking Luzon and directly supported the invasion of Leyte beginning 20 October. She raced north to aid in the destruction of the enemy carrier force in the battle off Cape Engaño 25 October, then turned south as the fast carriers launched planes to aid the gallant escort carriers.

"Pensacola" bombarded Iwo Jima the night of 11–12 November and returned to Ulithi the 14th. As she was about to depart for Saipan 20 November, she spotted a periscope about 1,200 yards to starboard. As she maneuvered clear, destroyer USS|Case|DD-370|2 rammed the enemy. Four minutes later, her men witnessed the flaming explosion that destroyed fleet oiler USS|Mississinewa|AO-59|2, victim of a Japanese midget submarine.

"Pensacola" arrived Saipan 22 November to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Five nights later, she helped splash several attacking Japanese aircraft. She departed Saipan 6 December, plastered Iwo Jima with 500 8 inch projectiles on the 8th. She returned to Iwo Jima on the 24th and the 27th, pounding mountain gun positions north of Suribachi Mountain. She hit defenses on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima as well as Iwo Jima on 5 January and 24 January 1945.

At Ulithi, 27 January, "Pensacola" formed with a battleship-cruiser-destroyer gunstrike task force under Rear Admiral B. J. Rodgers. Six battleships, four cruisers and a destroyer screen comprised the bombardment force which sailed 10 February via Tinian to Iwo Jima.

On 16 February, "Pensacola" opened fire on the northwest sector of Iwo Jima to prepare for the landings. That afternoon Lieutenant Douglas W. Gandy, USNR, piloting one of "Pensacola's" gun-spotter scout planes, shot down a Japanese fighter. The next morning, "Pensacola" took six hits from enemy shore batteries as her guns covered operations of the minesweepers close inshore. Three of her officers and 14 men were killed. Another five officers and 114 men were injured.

"Pensacola" fired back as she retired for temporary repairs then returned to her bombardment station. The morning of 19 February she commenced harassing and counter-battery fire in direct support of the invasion landings. Her deadly guns fought day and night into 1 March when she silenced enemy shore batteries which had hit destroyer USS|Terry|DD-513|2 amidships. After helping "Terry"&#39's wounded, she resumed direct bombardment support to advancing Marines that continued into 3 March.

She arrived in Ulithi 5 March and put to sea on the 20th to support the invasion and capture of Okinawa, the "last stepping stone" to Japan.

On 25 March, "Pensacola" bombarded enemy defenses and covered the operations of minesweepers preparing the way for the Okinawa invasion landings. On 27 March, she spotted a torpedo wake on her port quarter. A second "fish" streaked towards the ship from dead astern. As her 40 mm gunners opened fire on the torpedoes, "Pensacola" went hard left then hard right to parallel the deadly missiles. The first torpedo missed her starboard quarter by less than twenty feet. The second passed some twenty yards along the port side of the cruiser as her gunners opened with automatic weapons on a submarine periscope.

"Pensacola" gave direct bombardment support to the initial invasion of Okinawa 1 April and continued to blast at enemy targets until the 15th. She then sailed via Guam and Pearl Harbor for home. She arrived at Mare Island 7 May for overhaul.

She sailed 3 August for Adak, Alaska and was there when hostilities ended. On the 31st, she sailed with units of Cruiser Division Five en route to Ominato, Northern Honshū, Japan. She anchored in the outer harbor of Ominato 8 September.

=Operation Magic Carpet=

"Pensacola" departed Ominato 14 November to embark 200 veterans at Iwo Jima, then touched Pearl Harbor en route to San Francisco, California, arriving 3 December. Five days later, she put to sea for Apra Harbor, Guam, where she embarked nearly 700 veterans for transport to San Diego, arriving 9 January 1946.

Operation Crossroads

"Pensacola" departed San Pedro 29 April to stage with units of Joint Task Force One at Pearl Harbor in preparation for Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb experiments at Bikini Atoll. She stood out of Pearl Harbor 20 May and reached Bikini the 29th to serve as a target ship. She survived the tests of 1 July and 25 July 1946. On 24 August 1946 she was taken in tow for Kwajalein where she decommissioned 26 August 1946. Her hulk was turned over to the custody of Joint Task Force One for radiological and structural studies. On completion of these studies, her hulk was sunk 10 November 1948 off the Washington coast.

"Pensacola" received thirteen battle stars for World War II service.

References

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