BB60
16-01-2008, 02:31
USS Salt Lake City CA-25, Pensacola class cruiser, known as Old Swayback Maru, had the unofficial distinction of having been involved in more engagements than any other US ship in WWII. She was in the Pacific, escorting the Enterprise on Dec 7, and then later escorted the Hornet for Doolittle's Raid, and the carriers at Coral Sea and Midway. She provided muscle during the entire Guadalcanal campaign and was heavily involved it the Battle of Cape Esperance. She participated in the Marshall Islands campiagn, the retaking of Wake Island, the Battle of the Philipines Sea, and was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, bombarding those islands. She was also involved in several other "side-show" operations. Awarded the Unit Commendation, she conducted two Magic Carpet cruises and was a target ship in the Operation Crossroad atomic bomb test at the Bikini Atoll in 1946. She was sunk as a target hull in 1948.
Displacement:10,826 tons (11,000 metric tons)
Length:585 ft 6 in (178.46 m)
Beam:65 ft 3 in (19.89 m)
Draft:17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)
Speed:32.7 knots (60.6 km)
Complement:612 officers and enlisted
Armament:10 × 8 in, 4 × 5 in, 2 × 3 pdr guns
6 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: 4
Laid Down: 9 Jun 1927
Launched: 23 Jan 1929
Commissioned: 11 Dec 1929
Decommissioned: 29 Aug 1947
This old girl is well known for her role in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, in the North Pacific. This is the last purely gunnery battle of the US Navy, as no aircraft or submarine were involved. The battle saw the SLC dead in the water for a short time and the rest of the time "chasing shot" to avoid being hit, the US forces being out-numbered 2:1 in capital ships. The Japanese withdrew, not realizing the damage to the SLC, running low on ammunition and fearing the arrival of additional US ships.
The Japanese commander, VAdm Hosogaya was retired after the battle
Displacement:10,826 tons (11,000 metric tons)
Length:585 ft 6 in (178.46 m)
Beam:65 ft 3 in (19.89 m)
Draft:17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)
Speed:32.7 knots (60.6 km)
Complement:612 officers and enlisted
Armament:10 × 8 in, 4 × 5 in, 2 × 3 pdr guns
6 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: 4
Laid Down: 9 Jun 1927
Launched: 23 Jan 1929
Commissioned: 11 Dec 1929
Decommissioned: 29 Aug 1947
This old girl is well known for her role in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, in the North Pacific. This is the last purely gunnery battle of the US Navy, as no aircraft or submarine were involved. The battle saw the SLC dead in the water for a short time and the rest of the time "chasing shot" to avoid being hit, the US forces being out-numbered 2:1 in capital ships. The Japanese withdrew, not realizing the damage to the SLC, running low on ammunition and fearing the arrival of additional US ships.
The Japanese commander, VAdm Hosogaya was retired after the battle