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USS Pensacola (CA-24)
Encyclopedia
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 on 27 October 1926, launched on 25 April 1929, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph L. Seligman, and commissioned on 6 February 1930, Captain
Alfred G. Howe in command.
to Callao
, Peru
, and Valparaíso
, Chile
, before returning to New York on 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 on 15 January 1935 to join the Pacific Fleet
arriving San Diego, her new home port, on 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 on 5 October 1939 to base at Pearl Harbor
, arriving on the 12th. Pensacola was one of six ships to receive the new RCA
CXAM
RADAR
in 1940. Maneuvers frequently found the cruiser off Midway
and French Frigate Shoals
, and she made one voyage to Guam
.
", bound for Manila
, in the Philippines. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
, the convoy was diverted to Australia, entering Brisbane
harbor on 22 December. Pensacola returned to Pearl Harbor on 19 January 1942, and put to sea on 5 February to patrol the approaches to the Samoan Islands
. On 17 February 1942, she rendezvoused off Samoa with Carrier Task Force 11
(TF 11), built around .
Near Bougainville Island
, Pensacolas gunners helped repel two waves of Japanese bombers on 20 February. No ships were damaged. Anti-aircraft fire and Lexington Combat Air Patrol
planes shot down 17 of the 18 attackers.
Pensacola continued to help guard Lexington on offensive patrol in the Coral Sea
until joined the task force on 6 March. The American ships steamed for the Gulf of Papua
where—on 10 March—Lexington launched planes for a surprise strike over the Owen Stanley Mountains at Japanese shipping and installations at Salamaua
and Lae
. A complete surprise, the raid caused heavy damage. The task force then turned toward Nouméa
, New Caledonia
, to replenish. Pensacola patrolled with Yorktowns task force until 8 April, then headed, via Samoa, for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 21 April. She carried Marine Fighting Squadron 212 (VMF-212) to Efate
in the New Hebrides
Islands and returned to Pearl Harbor with on 26 May.
Pensacola departed Pearl Harbor on 28 May with the Enterprise task force for a rendezvous on 2 June northeast of Midway with units of TF 17. Two days later, when the Japanese armada came within range of the American carriers, the battle of Midway
commenced.
Admiral Spruance's torpedo planes and dive-bombers attacked the Japanese carriers. and went up in flames, and was badly damaged. A fourth enemy carrier—, 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, Yorktown—hit by three bombs—was fighting for her life. Pensacola raced from Enterprise′s screen to aid the stricken carrier. While trying to assist 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 on 13 June and—with Enterprise—again put to sea on 22 June, carrying 1,157 marines of Marine Aircraft Group 22 (MAG 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 , and to support the leathernecks in that bitter campaign. In submarine-infested waters, torpedoes damaged Saratoga on 31 August and sank Wasp on 15 September.
Pensacola arrived at Nouméa, New Caledonia on 26 September, and departed with Hornet on 2 October to strike the enemy in the Santa Isabel
–Guadalcanal
area. On 24 October, Hornet′s task group joined Enterprise and the combined force steamed to intercept enemy warships approaching the Guadalcanal-Tulagi
area.
On 26 October, search planes located a Japanese carrier and battleship formation, beginning the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
which was fought without contact being made between surface ships of the opposing forces. Air strikes inflicted severe bomb damage to and , and sank . Bomb hits damaged and other enemy ships.
Pensacola helped fight off a coordinated dive bombing and torpedo plane raid which damaged Hornet so severely that she had to be abandoned. Within minutes of the attack on Hornet, 24 dive bombers dropped 23 bombs in a run on Enterprise. Despite damage, the famed "Fighting Lady" launched a large number of planes from Hornet besides her own.
Pensacola received 188 survivors from Hornet, whom she debarked at Nouméa on 30 October 1942. The task force had turned back a Japanese attempt to regain Guadalcanal, sunk Yura, and damaged a number of enemy capital ships. Japanese carriers lost 123 planes.
Pensacola departed Nouméa on 2 November to guard transports landing Marine reinforcements, and supplies, at Aola Bay, Guadalcanal. She helped guard Enterprise during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 12–13 November. Planes from Enterprise assisted in the sinking of , one cruiser, three destroyers, and eleven auxiliaries, and the damaging of four cruisers and four destroyers.
Pensacola returned to Espiritu Santo to join TF 67
under Rear Admiral
Carleton H. Wright
. On 29 November, TF 67 sailed to intercept a Japanese destroyer-transport force expected off Guadalcanal the next night. Just before midnight of the 30th, the American ships transited Lengo Channel and headed past Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as the Japanese task group steamed on a southerly course west of Savo Island
to enter "Ironbottom Sound
".
The two opposing task forces clashed in the Battle of Tassafaronga
. American destroyers launched torpedoes as the enemy range came within 5 mi (4.3 nmi; 8 km) of Pensacola′s cruiser formation. Now gun flashes, tracers, and star shell candles stained the inky darkness. —hit many times—was afire and exploding. 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. closed on 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, maneuvered radically at 30 kn (36.5 mph; 58.8 km/h), her guns continuing their rapid fire as she escaped the trap. The last American cruiser in column——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 toward Tulagi. She arrived there still aflame. After 12 hours the last fire was quenched. Her dead numbered seven officers and 118 men. One officer and 67 men were injured.
On 8 November, Pensacola sailed from Pearl Harbor in the screen of Southern Attack Force aircraft carriers. On 19 November, Pensacola made bombardment runs on Betio and Tarawa. She rained 600 projectiles to put coast defense guns out of action, and destroyed enemy beach defenses and numerous buildings. As troops stormed ashore on Tarawa on 20 November, the cruiser screened carriers launching air strikes supporting the landings. That night, she fought off Japanese torpedo bombers and assisted into Funafuti, Ellice Islands. For the next two months, she ranged out of that base to screen carriers covering the movement of reinforcements and supplies to the Gilberts. On 29 January 1944, she began strikes and bombardments to destroy Japanese air power and shipping in the Marshall Islands
. That night, Pensacola helped bombard Tarao in the Eastern Marshalls. She then slammed shells into airfield runways, seaplane ramps, ammunition stowage areas and buildings on Wotje. She continued pounding these targets as Marines and Army troops landed on 31 January to seize Kwajalein
and Majuro
Atolls. The invasion of the Marshall Islands continued on 1 February as Marines occupied Roi and Namur Islands. Pensacola continued to hit hard at Tarao, Maloelap Atoll through 18 February, destroying coastal defenses and air bases of the enemy in the eastern Marshalls. Operating from Majuro and Kwajalein, she continued to patrol in approaches of the Marshalls. She again served in the screen of fast carriers conducting raids in the Caroline Islands
(30 March–1 April), against Japanese defenses at Palau
, Yap
, Ulithi
and Woleai
.
Pensacola departed Majuro on 25 April sailing via Pearl Harbor and Mare Island for duty in the Northern Pacific, arriving in Kulak Bay on 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 on 28 June. Pensacola continued patrol in Alaskan waters until departing Kulak Bay on 8 August for Hawaii.
Pensacola arrived Pearl Harbor on 13 August and put to sea on the 29th. En route to the Marianas on 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, Adm. 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 escorting and to Ulithi, she joined a Fast Carrier Task Group—including Wasp—on 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 on 20 October. She raced north to aid in the destruction of the enemy carrier force in the battle off Cape Engaño on 25 October, then turned south as the fast carriers launched planes to aid the gallant escort carriers.
Pensacola bombarded Iwo Jima
on the night of 11/12 November and returned to Ulithi the 14th. As she was about to depart for Saipan
on 20 November, she spotted a periscope about 1200 yd (1,097.3 m) to starboard. As she maneuvered clear, rammed the enemy. Four minutes later, her men witnessed the flaming explosion that destroyed , victim of a Japanese kaiten
midget submarine.
Pensacola arrived Saipan on 22 November to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Five nights later, she helped splash several attacking Japanese aircraft. She departed Saipan on 6 December, plastering Iwo Jima with 500 8-inch projectiles on the 8th. She returned to Iwo Jima on the 24th and 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 on 27 January, Pensacola formed with a battleship-cruiser-destroyer gunstrike task force under RAdm. B. J. Rodgers. Six battleships, four cruisers and a destroyer screen comprised the bombardment force which sailed on 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 Pensacolas floatplane
s—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 amidships. After helping Terry′s wounded, she resumed direct bombardment support to advancing Marines that continued into 3 March.
She arrived in Ulithi on 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 toward 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 20 ft (6.1 m). The second passed some 20 yd (18.3 m) 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 on 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 on 7 May for overhaul.
She sailed on 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 on 8 September.
, the atomic bomb experiments at Bikini Atoll
. She stood out of Pearl Harbor on 20 May, and reached Bikini on the 29th to serve as a target ship. She survived the tests of 1 July and 25 July. On 24 August, she was taken in tow for Kwajalein where she decommissioned on 26 August. 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 on 10 November 1948 off the Washington coast.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
was the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her class
Pensacola class cruiser
The Pensacola class of United States Navy heavy cruisers were the first "treaty cruisers", designed under the limitations set by the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited cruisers to a maximum of 10,000 tons displacement and a maximum main battery caliber of 8 inches.-Description:In an effort to...
of heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
. The third Navy ship to be named after the city of Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, she was nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" by Tokyo Rose
Tokyo Rose
Tokyo Rose was a generic name given by Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II to any of approximately a dozen English-speaking female broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The intent of these broadcasts was to disrupt the morale of Allied forces listening to the broadcast...
. She received 13 battle stars for her service.
She was laid down by the New York Navy Yard on 27 October 1926, launched on 25 April 1929, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph L. Seligman, and commissioned on 6 February 1930, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Alfred G. Howe in command.
Inter-war period
Pensacola departed New York on 24 March 1930, and transited the Panama CanalPanama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
to Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, before returning to New York on 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 on 15 January 1935 to join the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
arriving San Diego, her new home port, on 30 January. Fleet problems ranged to Hawaii, one cruise took her to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and combined fleet maneuvers returned her briefly to the Caribbean Sea before she sailed on 5 October 1939 to base at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, arriving on the 12th. Pensacola was one of six ships to receive the new RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
CXAM
CXAM radar
The CXAM radar system was the first production radar system deployed on United States Navy ships. It followed several earlier prototype systems, such as the NRL radar installed in April 1937 on the destroyer ; its successor, the XAF, installed in December 1938 on the battleship ; and the first...
RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
in 1940. Maneuvers frequently found the cruiser off Midway
Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
and French Frigate Shoals
French Frigate Shoals
The French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
, and she made one voyage to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
1941-1942
Pensacola departed Pearl Harbor on 29 November 1941 with the so-called "Pensacola ConvoyPensacola Convoy
The Pensacola Convoy is a colloquialism for a United States military shipping convoy that took place in late 1941 as the Pacific War began. The name was derived from that of its primary escort ship, the heavy cruiser . It was intended that the convoy, dispatched in peacetime, would reinforce the...
", bound for Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, in the Philippines. After the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, the convoy was diverted to Australia, entering Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
harbor on 22 December. Pensacola returned to Pearl Harbor on 19 January 1942, and put to sea on 5 February to patrol the approaches to the Samoan Islands
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands or Samoa Islands is an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and the wider region of Oceania...
. On 17 February 1942, she rendezvoused off Samoa with Carrier Task Force 11
Task Force 11
-World War II:During World War II, Task Force 11 was a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Pacific theater.TF 11 was originally formed around , then her sister ship until she was disabled by a Japanese torpedo in January 1942, then Lexington again for the Battle of the Coral...
(TF 11), built around .
Near Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, Pensacolas gunners helped repel two waves of Japanese bombers on 20 February. No ships were damaged. Anti-aircraft fire and Lexington Combat Air Patrol
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
planes shot down 17 of the 18 attackers.
Pensacola continued to help guard Lexington on offensive patrol in the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
until joined the task force on 6 March. The American ships steamed for the Gulf of Papua
Gulf of Papua
The Gulf of Papua is a 400 kilometer wide region on the south shore of New Guinea. Some of New Guinea's largest rivers, such as the Fly River, Turama River, Kikori River and Purari River, flow into the gulf, making it a large delta. While the western coast is characterized by swampy tidal...
where—on 10 March—Lexington launched planes for a surprise strike over the Owen Stanley Mountains at Japanese shipping and installations at Salamaua
Salamaua
Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
and Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
. A complete surprise, the raid caused heavy damage. The task force then turned toward Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, to replenish. Pensacola patrolled with Yorktowns task force until 8 April, then headed, via Samoa, for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 21 April. She carried Marine Fighting Squadron 212 (VMF-212) to Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
in the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
Islands and returned to Pearl Harbor with on 26 May.
Pensacola departed Pearl Harbor on 28 May with the Enterprise task force for a rendezvous on 2 June northeast of Midway with units of TF 17. Two days later, when the Japanese armada came within range of the American carriers, the battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
commenced.
Admiral Spruance's torpedo planes and dive-bombers attacked the Japanese carriers. and went up in flames, and was badly damaged. A fourth enemy carrier—, 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, Yorktown—hit by three bombs—was fighting for her life. Pensacola raced from Enterprise′s screen to aid the stricken carrier. While trying to assist 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 on 13 June and—with Enterprise—again put to sea on 22 June, carrying 1,157 marines of Marine Aircraft Group 22 (MAG 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 , and to support the leathernecks in that bitter campaign. In submarine-infested waters, torpedoes damaged Saratoga on 31 August and sank Wasp on 15 September.
Pensacola arrived at Nouméa, New Caledonia on 26 September, and departed with Hornet on 2 October to strike the enemy in the Santa Isabel
Santa Isabel Island
Santa Isabel Island is the longest in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific, and the largest in the group of islands in Isabel Province.-Location and geographic data:...
–Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
area. On 24 October, Hornet′s task group joined Enterprise and the combined force steamed to intercept enemy warships approaching the Guadalcanal-Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
area.
On 26 October, search planes located a Japanese carrier and battleship formation, beginning the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the , was the fourth carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the fourth major naval engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial...
which was fought without contact being made between surface ships of the opposing forces. Air strikes inflicted severe bomb damage to and , and sank . Bomb hits damaged and other enemy ships.
Pensacola helped fight off a coordinated dive bombing and torpedo plane raid which damaged Hornet so severely that she had to be abandoned. Within minutes of the attack on Hornet, 24 dive bombers dropped 23 bombs in a run on Enterprise. Despite damage, the famed "Fighting Lady" launched a large number of planes from Hornet besides her own.
Pensacola received 188 survivors from Hornet, whom she debarked at Nouméa on 30 October 1942. The task force had turned back a Japanese attempt to regain Guadalcanal, sunk Yura, and damaged a number of enemy capital ships. Japanese carriers lost 123 planes.
Pensacola departed Nouméa on 2 November to guard transports landing Marine reinforcements, and supplies, at Aola Bay, Guadalcanal. She helped guard Enterprise during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 12–13 November. Planes from Enterprise assisted in the sinking of , one cruiser, three destroyers, and eleven auxiliaries, and the damaging of four cruisers and four destroyers.
Battle of Tassafaronga
Pensacola returned to Espiritu Santo to join TF 67
Task Force 67
Task force 67 or Cactus Strike force was based at Guadalcanal during World War II and consisted of several destroyers: , , , and . They defended the waters off Guadalcanal from the Tokyo Express. These were some of the most contested waters in the early days of World War II...
under Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
Carleton H. Wright
Carleton H. Wright
-Notes:...
. On 29 November, TF 67 sailed to intercept a Japanese destroyer-transport force expected off Guadalcanal the next night. Just before midnight of the 30th, the American ships transited Lengo Channel and headed past Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as the Japanese task group steamed on a southerly course west of Savo Island
Savo Island
Savo Island is a volcanic island in the Solomon Islands group in the South Pacific ocean. It is located to the northeast of the northern tip of Guadalcanal Island at . Politically, Savo Island is a part of the Solomons' Central Province. The indigenous language of Savo is the Savosavo language.The...
to enter "Ironbottom Sound
Ironbottom Sound
"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...
".
The two opposing task forces clashed in the Battle of Tassafaronga
Battle of Tassafaronga
The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or, in Japanese sources, as the , was a nighttime naval battle that took place November 30, 1942 between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warships during the Guadalcanal campaign...
. American destroyers launched torpedoes as the enemy range came within 5 mi (4.3 nmi; 8 km) of Pensacola′s cruiser formation. Now gun flashes, tracers, and star shell candles stained the inky darkness. —hit many times—was afire and exploding. 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. closed on 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, maneuvered radically at 30 kn (36.5 mph; 58.8 km/h), her guns continuing their rapid fire as she escaped the trap. The last American cruiser in column——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 toward Tulagi. She arrived there still aflame. After 12 hours the last fire was quenched. Her dead numbered seven 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 on 6 December for emergency repairs by until she sailed on 7 January 1943 via Samoa to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 27 January.Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. That night, Pensacola helped bombard Tarao in the Eastern Marshalls. She then slammed shells into airfield runways, seaplane ramps, ammunition stowage areas and buildings on Wotje. She continued pounding these targets as Marines and Army troops landed on 31 January to seize Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
and Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
Atolls. The invasion of the Marshall Islands continued on 1 February as Marines occupied Roi and Namur Islands. Pensacola continued to hit hard at Tarao, Maloelap Atoll through 18 February, destroying coastal defenses and air bases of the enemy in the eastern Marshalls. Operating from Majuro and Kwajalein, she continued to patrol in approaches of the Marshalls. She again served in the screen of fast carriers conducting raids in the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
(30 March–1 April), against Japanese defenses at Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
and Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
.
Pensacola departed Majuro on 25 April sailing via Pearl Harbor and Mare Island for duty in the Northern Pacific, arriving in Kulak Bay on 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 on 28 June. Pensacola continued patrol in Alaskan waters until departing Kulak Bay on 8 August for Hawaii.
Pensacola arrived Pearl Harbor on 13 August and put to sea on the 29th. En route to the Marianas on 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, Adm. Halsey's units advanced on the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
while Fast Carriers rained destruction on the enemy air and Fleet bases at Okinawa and Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Pensacola made rendezvous with the units of the Fast Carrier Task Force retiring from the great air battles over Formosa. After escorting and to Ulithi, she joined a Fast Carrier Task Group—including Wasp—on 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 on 20 October. She raced north to aid in the destruction of the enemy carrier force in the battle off Cape Engaño on 25 October, then turned south as the fast carriers launched planes to aid the gallant escort carriers.
Pensacola bombarded Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
on the night of 11/12 November and returned to Ulithi the 14th. As she was about to depart for Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
on 20 November, she spotted a periscope about 1200 yd (1,097.3 m) to starboard. As she maneuvered clear, rammed the enemy. Four minutes later, her men witnessed the flaming explosion that destroyed , victim of a Japanese kaiten
Kaiten
The Kaiten were manned torpedos and suicide craft, they were used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II.-History:...
midget submarine.
Pensacola arrived Saipan on 22 November to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Five nights later, she helped splash several attacking Japanese aircraft. She departed Saipan on 6 December, plastering Iwo Jima with 500 8-inch projectiles on the 8th. She returned to Iwo Jima on the 24th and 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 on 27 January, Pensacola formed with a battleship-cruiser-destroyer gunstrike task force under RAdm. B. J. Rodgers. Six battleships, four cruisers and a destroyer screen comprised the bombardment force which sailed on 10 February via Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
to Iwo Jima.
On 16 February, Pensacola opened fire on the northwest sector of Iwo Jima to prepare for the landings. That afternoon, Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Douglas W. Gandy, USNR—piloting one of Pensacolas floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s—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 amidships. After helping Terry′s wounded, she resumed direct bombardment support to advancing Marines that continued into 3 March.
She arrived in Ulithi on 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 toward 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 20 ft (6.1 m). The second passed some 20 yd (18.3 m) 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 on 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 on 7 May for overhaul.
She sailed on 3 August for Adak, Alaska
Adak, Alaska
Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...
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 on 8 September.
Post-war
Pensacola departed Ominato on 14 November to embark 200 veterans at Iwo Jima, then touched Pearl Harbor en route to San Francisco, California, arriving on 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 on 9 January 1946.Operation Crossroads
Pensacola departed San Pedro on 29 April to stage with units of Joint Task Force One at Pearl Harbor in preparation for Operation CrossroadsOperation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
, the atomic bomb experiments at Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
. She stood out of Pearl Harbor on 20 May, and reached Bikini on the 29th to serve as a target ship. She survived the tests of 1 July and 25 July. On 24 August, she was taken in tow for Kwajalein where she decommissioned on 26 August. 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 on 10 November 1948 off the Washington coast.