USS Des Moines (CA-134)

The second USS "Des Moines" (CA-134) was the lead ship of the "Des Moines"-class heavy cruisers in the United States Navy.

"Des Moines" was launched 27 September 1946 by Bethlehem Steel Company, Fore River, Quincy, Massachusetts; sponsored by Mrs. E. T. Meredith, Jr.; and commissioned 16 November 1948, Captain A. D. Chandler in command.

In a varied operating schedule designed to maintain the readiness of the Navy to meet the constant demands of defense and foreign policy, "Des Moines" cruised from her home port at Newport, and after 1950, from Norfolk, on exercises of every type in the Caribbean, along the east coast, in the Mediterranean, and in North Atlantic waters. Annually between 1949 and 1957 she deployed to the Mediterranean, during the first 7 years serving as flagship for the 6th Task Fleet (known as the 6th Fleet from 1950). In 1952, and each year from 1954 to 1957, she carried midshipmen for summer training cruises, crossing to Northern European ports on the first four cruises. She also sailed to Northern Europe on NATO exercises in 1952, 1953, and 1955. On 18 February 1958, she cleared Norfolk for the Mediterranean once more, this time to remain as flagship for the 6th Fleet until July 1961 when was placed out of commission in reserve.

Through her Mediterranean services "Des Moines" contributed significantly to the success of the 6th Fleet in representing American power and interests in the countries of Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and the Near East. She made this contribution through such activities as her participation in NATO Mediterranean exercises; her call to seldom-visited Rijeka, Yugoslavia, in December 1950 and Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, in May 1960, and to many other ports as a regular feature of her schedule; her cruising in the eastern Atlantic during the wake of the Suez Crisis of 1956; and service on patrol and as control center for American forces in the Lebanon crisis of 1958.

After decommissioning in 1961 she was mothballed in the South Boston Naval Annex and eventually laid up in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Philadelphia, where she remained until 2006. After an attempt to turn her into a museum ship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, failed, she was towed to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping, and arrived there September 7. By July 2007, she had been completely broken up. Her status officially changed to "disposed of by scrapping, dismantling" on August 16, 2007. Sister ship USS "Newport News" was scrapped in New Orleans in 1993. The third Des Moines class ship, USS "Salem" is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.

References

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/134/04134.htm NavSource photos of "Des Moines"]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?z=19&ll=39.893561,-75.187608&spn=0.001848,0.002615&t=k&om=1 ex-"Des Moines" in mothballs at Philadelphia NISMF]
* [http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=340227 ex-"Des Moines" being scrapped in Brownsville, Texas, January 2007]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&t=k&ll=25.964946509728215,-97.36539959907532&z=18 Google Map picture of the "Des Moines" in Brownsville]