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USS Reno (CL-96)
Encyclopedia
USS Reno (CL-96) was an updated Atlanta-class
light cruiser
- sometimes referred to as the "Oakland-class" - designed and built to specialize in antiaircraft warfare. She was the first warship
to be named for the city of Reno, Nevada
. The one other USS Reno
was a destroyer
named for Lt. Commander Walter E. Reno
.
The Reno was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co., at San Francisco, California
on 1 August 1941. She was launched on 23 December 1942, and commissioned on 28 December 1943, with Captain
Ralph C. Alexander in command. The USS Reno spent her entire service life in the War in the Pacific
, and its immediate aftermath, during 1944 though 1946.
. As an active unit in Vice Admiral
Marc Mitscher
's Fast Carrier Task Force
(Task Force 58), the sharp spearpoint of the 5th Fleet, the Reno first came in contact with the enemy while supporting minor air raid
s against Marcus Island on 19–20 May. Three days later, she also supported air strikes on Japanese-held Wake Island
.
During the months of June to July 1944, the Reno joined the fast aircraft carrier
s in sudden air attack
s against Saipan
on 11 June, Pagan Island
on 12–13 June, and against the Volcano Islands
and the Bonin Islands - namely Iwo Jima
, Haha Jima, and Chichi Jima on 15 – 16 June. Three days later, the Reno aided in repelling a large-scale Japanese Navy aircraft carrier task force
attempt to defeat the American invasion of the Marianas Islands (including Guam
, Saipan
, and Tinian
, during the huge Battle of the Philippine Sea
- the world's largest carrier vs. carrier battle of all time, and an overwhelming victory by the U.S. Navy.
From 20 June to 8 July, the Reno joined in the operations covering the conquest of Saipan. Then She covered amphibious landings on Guam
from 17 to 24 July, and two days later, she took part in air strikes against the Palau Islands from 26 to 29 July. The 5th Fleet then became the 3rd Fleet, as Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., rotated in to command this fleet. Doubling back northward again, one more series of air strikes were made on the Bonin Islands on 4–5 August. Then on 7 September, TF 38 (formerly TF 58) returned south to hit the Palaus again.
After steaming west across the Philippine Sea
, the Reno and TF 38 carried out some of the first American air raids against the Philippines hitting the southern island of Mindanao
, and its adjacent islands, from 9 to 13 September. TF 58 supported the amphibious landings on two of the Palau from 15 to 20 September, and then on 21–22 September, it carrier out air strikes against the Manila area
of Luzon
in the northern Philippines. While striking the island of Nansei Shoto on 8 October, the Reno and TF 38 came closer to the Japanese Home Islands than any other major units of the U.S. Navy had been during World War II
.
During a huge series of air strikes by TF 38 on Japanese airfields on the previously-touched island of Formosa
from 12 to 14 October - which brought out large counterattacks of Japanese warplanes, the USS Reno shot down at least six enemy warplanes. At the height of this aerial battle, one Imperial Japanese Navy
torpedo plane crashed and exploded on the Reno's fantail. The Reno's turret number six was partially incapacitated by the explosion, but that turret's officer in charge succeeded in maintaining his defensive fire against the attacking Japanese planes.
On 24 October, four days after the amphibious invasion of Leyte, while supporting air strikes against Japanese airfields on Luzon, TF 38 was subjected to a large-scale air attack by land-based warplanes from Clark Field, Luzon. The light aircraft carrier took the brunt of the attack; she was hit by aerial bomb
and forced to withdraw from the Task Force. The USS Reno was assigned to help fight the fires on board the Princeton by bringing her fire hoses to bear, and also to rescue her crewmen. The Reno drew alongside the Princeton five times but she could not remain on station because of the intense heat and smoke from the burning carrier.
While the Reno was assisting Princeton, the carrier began listing and her flight deck struck the Reno, crushing one of her 40 mm cannon mounts. The efforts to save the aircraft carrier continued, but when the Princeton's torpedo
warhead magazine exploded, the effort became hopeless. The Reno was ordered to sink the Princeton with her own torpedoes. The Princeton was the last major U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ever to be sunk by an enemy attack.
On 25 October, having rejoined the TF 38, the Reno and the other warships steamed northwards to engage the Jananese Northern Force, setting off the Battle off Cape Engaño, which was the final engagement of the huge, multipart Battle for Leyte Gulf.
On the night of 3 November, well east of the San Bernardino Strait
, the Reno was torpedoed in her port side by . The Reno was towed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to the major American base at Ulithi Atoll for some temporary repairs, and she then she steamed under her own power across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal
, and then to the Navy Base at Charleston, S.C., where she steamed to the Charleston Navy Yard on 22 March for heavy repairs. She only emerged seven months later, and then she was orderd to the Texas
coast, and then back to Charleston for the addition of hundreds of bunk spaces. She reported for "Operation Magic Carpet", in which she steamed twice to Le Havre
, France
, and back with U.S. Army troops.
In early 1946, the Reno steamed to Port Angeles, Washington
, where she was decommissioned on 4 November 1946, and then entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthed at Bremerton, Washington
. Reclassified CLAA-96 on 18 March 1949, she remained at Bremerton until her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 March 1959, and then her hulk was sold on 22 March 1962 to the Coal Export Co., of New York City
, for scrapping.
One of the USS Renos 5 inch gun turrets was kept for display at the U.S. Navy Museum
, in eastern Washington, D.C.
.
Atlanta class cruiser
The Atlanta-class cruisers were United States Navy light cruisers originally designed as fast scout cruisers or flotilla leaders, but later proved to be effective anti-aircraft cruisers during World War II. They were also known as the Atlanta-Oakland class. The lead ship Atlanta was sunk in action...
light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
- sometimes referred to as the "Oakland-class" - designed and built to specialize in antiaircraft warfare. She was the first warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
to be named for the city of Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. The one other USS Reno
USS Reno (DD-303)
The first USS Reno was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was named for Walter E...
was a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
named for Lt. Commander Walter E. Reno
Walter E. Reno
Walter Elsworth Reno was an officer in the United States Navy. He died while on convoy duty in World War I, when his ship was accidentally rammed by a British vessel.-Biography:...
.
The Reno was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co., at San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 1 August 1941. She was launched on 23 December 1942, and commissioned on 28 December 1943, with 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....
Ralph C. Alexander in command. The USS Reno spent her entire service life in the War in the Pacific
War In The Pacific
War in the Pacific is a 2004 two-player turn-based computer war game published by Matrix games. It is a very large, complex, and detailed simulation of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, at both the operational and strategic level....
, and its immediate aftermath, during 1944 though 1946.
Service history
Following a shakedown cruise off the coast of San Diego, the USS Reno departed from San Francisco on 14 April 1944, steaming west to join the 5th Fleet, under the command of Admiral Raymond A. SpruanceRaymond A. Spruance
Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea...
. As an active unit in Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Marc Mitscher
Marc Mitscher
Admiral Marc Andrew "Pete" Mitscher was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific in the latter half of World War II.-Early life and career:...
's Fast Carrier Task Force
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
(Task Force 58), the sharp spearpoint of the 5th Fleet, the Reno first came in contact with the enemy while supporting minor air raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
s against Marcus Island on 19–20 May. Three days later, she also supported air strikes on Japanese-held Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
.
During the months of June to July 1944, the Reno joined the fast aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s in sudden air attack
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
s against 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 11 June, Pagan Island
Pagan Island
Pagan is an island of the Northern Mariana Islands chain,located at , approximately 320 kilometers northof Saipan.Pagan has an area of 47.23 km² , making it the fourth largest island of the Northern Marianas, and consists of two stratovolcanoes joined by a narrow strip of land.The...
on 12–13 June, and against the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
and the Bonin Islands - namely 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...
, Haha Jima, and Chichi Jima on 15 – 16 June. Three days later, the Reno aided in repelling a large-scale Japanese Navy aircraft carrier task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
attempt to defeat the American invasion of the Marianas Islands (including 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...
, 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...
, and 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....
, during the huge Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
- the world's largest carrier vs. carrier battle of all time, and an overwhelming victory by the U.S. Navy.
From 20 June to 8 July, the Reno joined in the operations covering the conquest of Saipan. Then She covered amphibious landings on 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...
from 17 to 24 July, and two days later, she took part in air strikes against the Palau Islands from 26 to 29 July. The 5th Fleet then became the 3rd Fleet, as Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., rotated in to command this fleet. Doubling back northward again, one more series of air strikes were made on the Bonin Islands on 4–5 August. Then on 7 September, TF 38 (formerly TF 58) returned south to hit the Palaus again.
After steaming west across the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
, the Reno and TF 38 carried out some of the first American air raids against the Philippines hitting the southern island of Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, and its adjacent islands, from 9 to 13 September. TF 58 supported the amphibious landings on two of the Palau from 15 to 20 September, and then on 21–22 September, it carrier out air strikes against the Manila area
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,...
of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
in the northern Philippines. While striking the island of Nansei Shoto on 8 October, the Reno and TF 38 came closer to the Japanese Home Islands than any other major units of the U.S. Navy had been during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
During a huge series of air strikes by TF 38 on Japanese airfields on the previously-touched island of 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...
from 12 to 14 October - which brought out large counterattacks of Japanese warplanes, the USS Reno shot down at least six enemy warplanes. At the height of this aerial battle, one Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
torpedo plane crashed and exploded on the Reno's fantail. The Reno's turret number six was partially incapacitated by the explosion, but that turret's officer in charge succeeded in maintaining his defensive fire against the attacking Japanese planes.
On 24 October, four days after the amphibious invasion of Leyte, while supporting air strikes against Japanese airfields on Luzon, TF 38 was subjected to a large-scale air attack by land-based warplanes from Clark Field, Luzon. The light aircraft carrier took the brunt of the attack; she was hit by aerial bomb
Aerial bomb
An aerial bomb is a type of explosive weapon intended to travel through the air with predictable trajectories, usually designed to be dropped from an aircraft...
and forced to withdraw from the Task Force. The USS Reno was assigned to help fight the fires on board the Princeton by bringing her fire hoses to bear, and also to rescue her crewmen. The Reno drew alongside the Princeton five times but she could not remain on station because of the intense heat and smoke from the burning carrier.
While the Reno was assisting Princeton, the carrier began listing and her flight deck struck the Reno, crushing one of her 40 mm cannon mounts. The efforts to save the aircraft carrier continued, but when the Princeton's torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
warhead magazine exploded, the effort became hopeless. The Reno was ordered to sink the Princeton with her own torpedoes. The Princeton was the last major U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ever to be sunk by an enemy attack.
On 25 October, having rejoined the TF 38, the Reno and the other warships steamed northwards to engage the Jananese Northern Force, setting off the Battle off Cape Engaño, which was the final engagement of the huge, multipart Battle for Leyte Gulf.
On the night of 3 November, well east of the San Bernardino Strait
San Bernardino Strait
The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south.-Filipinos and San Bernardino Strait:...
, the Reno was torpedoed in her port side by . The Reno was towed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to the major American base at Ulithi Atoll for some temporary repairs, and she then she steamed under her own power across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal
Panama 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...
, and then to the Navy Base at Charleston, S.C., where she steamed to the Charleston Navy Yard on 22 March for heavy repairs. She only emerged seven months later, and then she was orderd to the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
coast, and then back to Charleston for the addition of hundreds of bunk spaces. She reported for "Operation Magic Carpet", in which she steamed twice to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and back with U.S. Army troops.
In early 1946, the Reno steamed to Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
, where she was decommissioned on 4 November 1946, and then entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthed at Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
. Reclassified CLAA-96 on 18 March 1949, she remained at Bremerton until her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 March 1959, and then her hulk was sold on 22 March 1962 to the Coal Export Co., of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, for scrapping.
One of the USS Renos 5 inch gun turrets was kept for display at the U.S. Navy Museum
U.S. Navy Museum
The National Museum of the United States Navy, or U.S. Navy Museum for short, is the flagship museum of the United States Navy and is located in the former Breech Mechanism Shop of the old Naval Gun Factory on the grounds of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., USA.The U.S...
, in eastern Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.