USS Milwaukee (CL-5)

USS "Milwaukee" (CL-5) was an "Omaha"-class light cruiser in the United States Navy. She was the third Navy ship named for the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Late in World War II, she was temporarily transferred to the Soviet Navy and commissioned as "Murmansk".

"Milwaukee" was laid down 13 December 1918 by Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company, Seattle, Washington, launched by Todd Dry Dock & Construction Company, Seattle, 24 March 1921; sponsored by Mrs. Rudolph Pfeil; and commissioned 20 June 1923, Captain William C. Asserson in command.

Inter-war service

Shakedown took the new cruiser to Australia via Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji Islands, and New Caledonia, for the Pan-Pacific Scientific Congress which opened in Sydney 23 August 1923. Fitted with the finest sonic depth–finding equipment, "Milwaukee" gathered knowledge of the Pacific on route. The Milwaukee Seamounts in the Northern Pacific are named after a set of soundings taken by USS Milwaukee in 1929.

Although she served primarily in the Pacific during the decades between the world wars, the highlights of her peacetime service came in the Caribbean. On 24 October 1926, "Milwaukee" and "Goff" arrived at the Isle of Pines from Guantanamo Bay to assist victims of a fierce hurricane which had devastated the island 4 days before. The American ships established a medical center at the city hall in Nueva Gerone, furnished the stricken area over 50 tons of food, replaced telephone lines which had been swept away, and maintained wireless communication with the outside world. The efficient and tireless labors of the crews won the respect and gratitude of everyone in the area.

Over a decade later while steaming north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico 14 February 1939, "Milwaukee" recorded the greatest depth yet discovered in the Atlantic. The spot, which has a depth of 30,246 feet (9219 m), has thenceforth been designated as the Milwaukee Deep.

The United States' presence in the Orient had, at this time, been being challenged. The Japanese military had bombed U.S. gunboat USS|Panay|PR-5|2 in the Yangtze River near Hankow, China, 12 December 1937, testing American determination to remain in the Orient. "Milwaukee", as part of the U.S. Navy's response to the challenge, got underway from San Diego 3 January 1938 on a cruise to the Far Fast, which took her to Hawaii, Samoa, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Guam. As tension abated she returned home 27 April.

World War II

Late in the summer of 1939, Hitler invaded Poland plunging Europe into war. Somewhat over 2 years later Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States decided to enter into the conflict.

outh Atlantic

"Milwaukee", Capt. Forrest B. Royal commanding, was in New York Navy Yard for overhaul when Japan struck. Departing New York 31 December 1941, "Milwaukee" escorted a convoy to the Caribbean and arrived at Balboa, Panama, on 31 January 1942, transited the Panama Canal, and escorted eight troop transports to the Society Islands. Returning to the Atlantic through the canal 7 March, she stopped at Trinidad en route to Recife, Brazil, where she joined the South Atlantic Patrol Force.

For the next 2 years "Milwaukee" made repeated patrols from ports of Brazil, steaming from the border of French Guiana down to Rio do Janeiro, and across the Atlantic Narrows almost to the African coast. On 19 May 1942 while steaming from Ascension Island toward Brazil, she received SOS signals from SS "Commandante Lyra", and sped to the assistance of the Brazilian merchantman, torpedoed by an Italian submarine off the coast of Brazil. On reaching the scene that morning, "Milwaukee" found "Commandante Lyra" abandoned, burning forward and aft, and listing to port.

Destroyer USS|Moffett|DD-362|2 picked up 16 survivors and "Milwaukee" rescued 25 others, including the ship's master. Cruiser USS|Omaha|CL-4|2 and destroyer USS|McDougal|DD-358|2 were soon on the rescue scene. While "Milwaukee" refueled at Recife, "Omaha's" salvage party jettisoned deck cargo and ready ammunition for deck guns from the burning Brazilian merchantman. "Milwaukee" immediately returned to the scene. Her salvage party also jettisoned cargo to lighten the Brazilian. The fires were brought under control as Commandante Lyra was towed towards Fortaleza, Brazil, arriving 24 May.

"Milwaukee" put out of Recife 8 November 1942 in company with the cruiser USS|Cincinnati|CL-6|2 and the destroyer USS|Somers|DD-381|2 seeking German blockade runners. On 21 November 1942 the task force encountered a strange ship which turned out to be the German blockade runner "Annaliese Essenberger". "Milwaukee" challenged the unidentified ship who replied with the call letters L-J-P-Y, the international call of Norwegian freighter "Sjhflbred". The Allied secret identification signal brought no reply. The two American cruisers maneuvered to cover the "Somers", chasing the enemy into a small rain squall. At 0651, when "Somers" had closed to 4 miles, smoke and flames poured from the enemy, who lowered boats. Minutes later the first of three tremendous explosions hurled wreckage hundreds of feet in the air and the freighter settled by the stern. Then the Norwegian flag was hauled down and the German merchant swastika flag was raised at the main. The German motorship heeled over to port and sank by the stern. "Milwaukee" took aboard 62 prisoners from four liferafts.

On the morning of 2 May 1943 while "Milwaukee" was under repairs at Recife, her crew showed great initiative and skill fighting a fire on tanker SS "Livingston Roe" which threatened the harbor.

"Milwaukee" continued her South Atlantic patrols until 8 February 1944 when she departed Bahia, Brazil, for the New York Navy Yard. She stood out from New York 27 February as a unit of the ocean escort for a convoy which reached Belfast, Northern Ireland, 8 March 1944.

Arctic convoy

On 29 March 1944 "Milwaukee" put to sea from Belfast, en route to Murmansk, northwest Russia, with allied convoy JW58. A German submarine was sunk during the night.{U-355 lost 1 April 1944 from Narvik?} The following day enemy planes shadowing the convoy were shot down by fighter planes launched from HMS "Activity". A wolfpack of German submarines tried to penetrate the convoy screen during the night of 31 March 1944 but was driven off. The following night seven German submarines shadowed the convoy but they, too, were driven off with the possible loss of one enemy submarine.{U-360 lost 2 April 1944 from Trondheim?} That morning carrier-based planes reported sinking a German submarine 10 miles astern. {U-288 lost 3 April 1944 from Narvik?}

Transfer to Soviet Navy

On 4 April four escorts of the Soviet Navy joined the convoy now headed for Archangelsk. A few hours later "Milwaukee" left the convoy and headed for Murmansk and the Kola Inlet. There on 20 April 1944 the ship was transferred on loan to the Soviet Union Northern Fleet under Lend-Lease. She commissioned in the Soviet Navy as "Murmansk" and performed convoy and patrol duty along the Atlantic sealanes throughout the remainder of the war.

Transferred back to the United States 16 March 1949, "Milwaukee", the first of 15 American warships returned by the USSR, entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 18 March 1949, and was sold for scrapping 10 December 1949 to the American Shipbreakers, Inc., Wilmington, Del.

External links

1. For a note on the history of Milwaukee Seamounts http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/0ACUFH-M.doc