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USS Savannah (CL-42)
Encyclopedia
USS Savannah (CL-42) was a light cruiser
of the Brooklyn-class
. She was laid down on 31 May 1934 by the New York Shipbuilding Association in Camden, New Jersey
; launched on 8 May 1937; sponsored by Miss Jayne Maye Bowden, the niece of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., of Georgia
; and commissioned in the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 10 March 1938, with Captain
Robert C. Griffin in command.
and Haiti
in the spring, the USS Savannah returned to Philadelphia on 3 June for alterations followed by final trials off Rockland, Maine
. This cruiser, prepared to protect American nationals should war break out in Europe
, steamed out from Philadelphia bound for England
on 26 September, and she reached Portsmouth
on 4 October. However, the Munich agreement
had postponed the war, so the Savannah returned to Norfolk on 18 October. Following winter maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea
, the Savannah visited her namesake city, Savannah, Georgia
, from 12 to 20 April 1939. She got underway from Norfolk on 26 May; transited the Panama Canal
on 1 June; and arrived at San Diego on the 17th. Her homeport was soon shifted to Long Beach, California
.
The Savannah arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 21 May 1940, and then she conducted battle readiness and training operations in Hawaii
an waters until 8 November. The Savannah returned to Long Beach on 14 November, and soon thereafter, she was overhauled at the Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco Bay
. The Savannah steamed back into Pearl Harbor on 27 January 1941 and remained there on the U.S. Navy's Hawaiian Sea Frontier
until 19 May, when she set course back to the Panama Canal
and voyaged to Boston
via Cuba, arriving on 17 June.
s in waters ranging south to Cuba and back up the seaboard to the Virginia Capes
. On 25 August, she got underway from Norfolk to patrol in the South Atlantic as far as Trindade and Martim Vaz
in the screen of . The task group then swept north from Bermuda
to NS Argentia
, Newfoundland
, where Savannah arrived on 23 September. During the next eight weeks, the cruiser helped cover British merchantmen and Allied convoys to within a few hundred miles of the British Isles
, replenishing at Casco Bay, Maine, or at New York
.
ese Attack on Pearl Harbor
occurred on 7 December. She steamed that same day toward Casco Bay, Maine, and from there she steamed via Bermuda
to Brazil
, arriving at Recife
on 12 January 1942. She joined the screen of the aircraft carrier
USS (CV-4), in patrolling the Atlantic Ocean
north of Bermuda. This island became the cruiser's temporary base while she watched over Vichy French
warships based at Martinique
and Guadeloupe
in the French West Indies
. The Savannah departed from Shelly Bay
, Bermuda
, on 7 June, and entered the Boston Navy Yard
two days later for an overhaul. This was completed by 15 August. The Savannah next steamed to readiness exercises in Chesapeake Bay
that would prepare her for the invasion of North Africa
.
H. Kent Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force which would land some 35,000 Army troops and 250 tanks at three different points on the Atlantic coast of French Morocco
. As part of the Northern Attack Group, commanded by Rear Admiral
Monroe Kelly, the Savannah departed from Norfolk on 24 October, and then rendezvoused with the Western Naval Task Force four days later at a point about 450 mi (720 km) south southeast of Cape Race
. The Task Force, including the outer screen, covered an area approximately 20-30 mi (30–50 km), making it the greatest warship fleet to be sent out by the United States
up to that time. Shortly before midnight on the night of 7 – 8 November, three separate task groups closed in on three different points on the Moroccan coast to begin Operation Torch
.
The Savannah's Northern Attack Group was to land Brigadier General
Lucian K. Truscott's 9,099 officers and men, including 65 light tank
s, on five widely separated beaches on either side of Mehedia
. Their objectives were the Port Lyautey
city and its all-weather airfield, the Wadi Sebou, and the Salé
airfield.
On the morning of the 8th, the Savannah commenced firing against Vichy guns near the Kasba, which had been firing on the Army troop's landing boats. She also temporarily silenced a battery which had opened up on the USS Roe, enabling that destroyer
to avoid a disaster. By the next morning, the Savannah's 6 in (152.4 mm) guns had scored a direct hit on one of the two 5.4 in (137.2 mm) artillery guns in the fortress of Kasba and had silenced the other.
During that same day, the Savannah's scout planes started a new phase of warfare by successfully bombing some tank columns with their depth charge
s, whose fuses had been set to detonate on impact. The scout planes, maintaining about eight hours of flight time daily, struck at other shore targets, and they also kept up antisubmarine patrols. The Savannah's warplanes located an enemy battery that had been firing on the destroyer USS , and they eliminated it with two well-placed depth charges.
This action aided the USS Dallas in winning the Presidential Unit Citation for safely landing a U.S. Army Raider Battalion on the obstacle-strewn Wadi Sebou, just off the airport near Port Lyautey.
The Savannah's scout planes again bombed and strafed enemy tanks on the Rabat Road on the morning of 10 November. Throughout this day, her gunfire aided the Army's advance. Hostilities fittingly ended on Armistice Day, 11 November 1942. Four days later, the Savannah headed for home, and she reached Norfolk on 30 November. After brief repairs following her combat missions, at New York City
, the Savannah steamed on 25 December to join the U.S. Navy's South Atlantic Patrol, arriving at Recife, Brazil, on 7 January 1943.
s spotted in the South Atlantic Ocean. Teamed with the new U.S. Navy escort carrier USS , plus a screen of destroyer, the Savannah put to sea on 12 January on a long patrol that resulted in no combat with the enemy. The Savannah went back into Recife Harbor on 15 February, and next, she steamed out again to search for blockade runners on the 21st. On 11 March, she left the task group along with the USS to investigate a ship that had been sighted by an aircraft from the USS Santee.
The Kota Tjandi, a former Dutch ship called the Karin by her Kriegsmarine
crew, was brought to a halt by shots fired across her bow by the two American warships. Just as a boarding party from the Eberle arrived alongside, powerful time bombs, planted just before Karin's lifeboats got underway, exploded. Eleven sailors of the boarding party were killed, but one of the Savannah's boat rescued three men from the water. The Savannah also took 72 German sailors on board, and quartered them below decks as prisoners-of-war
. The Savannah returned to New York Harbor
on 28 March, where she was overhauled in preparation for her next assignment in the Mediterranean Sea
.
, Algeria
. She arrived there on 23 May, and then began preparing for Operation Husky, the amphibious landing
s on the southern coast of Sicily
near Gela
. The cliffy coast there was topped by heavy coastal defense batteries, and no landing place could be found besides a 5,000 yd (4,600 m) stretch of shore about 1 mi (2 km) east of the mouth of the Gela River
. Poised on the plateau above the beach was the Wehrmacht
's Hermann Göring
Panzer
Division, ready to strike back against any amphibious landing, along with other German and Italian troops.
The Savannah provided naval gunfire support to the American 1st Infantry Division's "Rangers" before dawn on 10 July. As soon as the first light of dawn appeared, the Savannah launched two scout planes. Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf-109s intercepted them, with fatal results. Lieutenant
C. A. Anderson was killed in flight, although his radioman, Edward J. True, was able to land the riddled plane on the sea. He got picked up shortly after their airplane sank into the sea. Three of the Savannah's four spotter planes were shot down on that day.
On the morning of 11 July, the Savannah was the first warship to respond to a call for naval gunfire at two points on a road leading into Gela. She knocked out several tanks before shifting her fire to the Butera road to aid advancing American infantry
soldiers. Soon friend and foe became so enmeshed in the battle, that her naval gunfire could no longer intervene. The Savannah destroyed more tanks later in the afternoon, however, and next she finished out the remaining hours of daylight by helping the Army Rangers in repelling an Italian infantry attack.
The next morning, the Savannah supported the Army troops with more than 500 rounds of six-inch shells as they advanced toward Butera. That day, the Savannah's doctors and hospital corpsmen also gave medical care to 41 wounded infantrymen, while the warship bombarded enemy troop concentrations far inland, and also shelled their artillery batteries high in the hills. On 13 July, the Savannah had but one call for naval gunfire support. She answered by hurling several salvos on the hill town of Butera
. Before the 1st Infantry Division pressed on into the interior, it thanked the Savannah for crushing three infantry attacks and silencing four artillery batteries, as well as for demoralizing the Italian troops by the effect of her fire. On the next day, the Savannah steamed towards Algiers.
The Savannah returned to Sicily on 19 July to support the American 7th Army's drive along the eastern and northern coasts of Sicily. On 30 July, carrying the pennant of Rear Admiral Lyal A. Davidson, the USS Savannah arrived at Palermo
Harbor to provide daily fire support. Her guns helped to repel enemy aircraft raiding the harbor from the first to the fourth of August. On the 8th, her task force supported the landing of the 30th Regimental Combat Team
, including army artillery and tanks, on a beach nine miles east of "Monte Fratello".
to be made at Salerno, Italy. Leaving Mers-el-Kebir Harbor on 5 September, her Southern Attack Force entered Salerno Bay a few hours before midnight of the 8th.
The Savannah was the first American ship to open fire against the German shore defenses in Salerno Bay. She silenced a railroad artillery
battery with 57 rounds, forced the retirement of enemy tanks, and completed eight more fire support missions that day. She continued her valuable support until the morning of 11 September, when she was put out of action.
_is_hit_by_a_german_guided_bomb,_off_salerno,_11_september_1943.jpg)
A radio-controlled Fritz X
glide-bomb had been released at a safe distance by a high-flying German warplane and it exploded 49 ft (15 m) distance from the USS . The Savannah increased her speed to 20 kn (23 mph, 37 km/h) as a Dornier Do 217
K-2 bomber approached from out of the sun. The USAAF's P-38 Lightning
s and the Savannah's anti-aircraft gunners, tracking this warplane at 18,700 ft (5,700 m), failed to stop the Fritz X bomb, trailing a stream of smoke. The missile pierced right through the armored turret roof of the No. 3 Gun Turret of the Savannah, passed through three decks into the lower ammunition
-handling room, where it exploded, blowing a gaping hole in her keel, and also tearing open a seam in the cruiser's port side. For at least 30 minutes, secondary explosions in the turret and its ammunition-supply rooms hampered any fire-fighting efforts.
Working quickly, the officers and sailors of the Savannah's crew sealed off flooded and burned compartments, and then corrected her list. With some assistance from the USS and the USS , the Savannah got underway on her own steam by 1757 hours, and steamed for the seaport at Malta
.
The USS Savannah lost 197 crewmen in this German counterattack. 15 other sailors were seriously wounded, and four more were trapped in a watertight compartment for about 60 hours. These four sailors were not rescued until the Savannah had already arrived at Grand Harbor, Valletta, Malta on the 12th of September.
After having emergency repairs carried out at Malta, the USS Savannah departed on the 7th of December, bound for the Philadelphia Naval Yard by way of Tunis
, Algiers
, and Bermuda
. She arrived at the Naval Yard on the 23rd of December, just before Christmas, and she remained there, undergoing heavy repair work for the next eight months. While the Savannah's battle damage was being repaired, an additional secondary battery of five-inch naval guns and a new set of up-to-date antiaircraft guns were installed.
USS , which was carrying President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
to the Mediterranean Sea, en route to Yalta
, Crimea
, of the Soviet Union
for a conference with Prime Minister Winston Churchill
and the Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin
.
The Savannah entered Grand Harbor, Valletta, Malta, on 2 February. At that island, the President and his party debarked, and they continued on to Yalta by airplane. A memorial service was held at the graves of the USS Savannah's sailors and Marines killed in her bombing off Salerno. Next, the Savannah departed from Malta on 9 February and steamed to Alexandria
, Egypt
, to await the President when he returned to the USS Quincy on the 12th. The Presidential convoy departed from Alexandria on the 15th, and it arrived back home at Hampton Roads, Virginia on the 27th of February. The Savannah was underway on the next day, and she steamed towards a new homeport, Newport, Rhode Island
, on 8 March. Until 24 May, the Savannah was used as a school ship for the nucleus of crews of warships that had not yet been commissioned.
's training squadron under Rear Admiral Frank E. Beatty
. The Savannah departed from Annapolis on 7 June for training at sea with over 400 midshipmen embarked. After two such cruises to Cuba
and back, the Savannah debarked the midshipmen at Annapolis on 30 September, took on others, and steamed on 1 October towards Pensacola, Florida
. She spent the Navy Day celebrations from the 25th to the 30th of October 1945 in her namesake city of Savannah, Georgia
. She then returned to Norfolk on 1 November to prepare for service in the huge "Operation Magic Carpet" naval fleet which was returning hundreds of thousands of overseas war veterans home to the United States
The Savannah departed from Norfolk on 13 November, and she reached Le Havre
, France
, on 20 November. The following day, she put to sea with 1,370 enlisted men and 67 officer passengers, bringing them to New York Harbor on 28 November. She completed another similar voyage on 17 December.
The USS Savannah's home base was shifted to the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 19 December for her deactivation overhaul. She was placed in commission in reserve on 22 April 1946, and was finally decommissioned on 3 February 1947. Unlike many of her sister who were transferred to the navies of Brazil, Chile and Argentina in 1951, the damage she sustained off of Salerno, while repaired, precluded her from being considered for foreign transfer. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 March 1959, and she was sold for scrapping on 25 January 1966 to the Bethlehem Steel Company.
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...
of the Brooklyn-class
Brooklyn class cruiser
The Brooklyn-class cruisers were seven light cruisers of the United States Navy which served during World War II. Armed with 5 triple turrets mounting 6-inch guns, they and their near sisters of the St. Louis class mounted more heavy-caliber guns than any other US cruisers...
. She was laid down on 31 May 1934 by the New York Shipbuilding Association in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
; launched on 8 May 1937; sponsored by Miss Jayne Maye Bowden, the niece of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
; and commissioned in the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 10 March 1938, 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....
Robert C. Griffin in command.
Inter-war period
Following a shakedown cruise to CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in the spring, the USS Savannah returned to Philadelphia on 3 June for alterations followed by final trials off Rockland, Maine
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
. This cruiser, prepared to protect American nationals should war break out in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, steamed out from Philadelphia bound for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 26 September, and she reached Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 4 October. However, the Munich agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
had postponed the war, so the Savannah returned to Norfolk on 18 October. Following winter maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, the Savannah visited her namesake city, Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, from 12 to 20 April 1939. She got underway from Norfolk on 26 May; transited 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...
on 1 June; and arrived at San Diego on the 17th. Her homeport was soon shifted to Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
The Savannah arrived 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...
on 21 May 1940, and then she conducted battle readiness and training operations in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an waters until 8 November. The Savannah returned to Long Beach on 14 November, and soon thereafter, she was overhauled at the Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The Savannah steamed back into Pearl Harbor on 27 January 1941 and remained there on the U.S. Navy's Hawaiian Sea Frontier
Hawaiian Sea Frontier
The Hawaiian Sea Frontier was a formation of the United States Navy established during World War II. It was organized to defend the island of Oahu. Vice Admiral David W. Bagley served as COMHAWSEAFRON from 4 April 1942 until July 1943....
until 19 May, when she set course back to 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 voyaged to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
via Cuba, arriving on 17 June.
The Neutrality Patrol
As the flagship of Cruiser Division 8 (CruDiv 8), Savannah conducted Neutrality PatrolNeutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
s in waters ranging south to Cuba and back up the seaboard to the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
. On 25 August, she got underway from Norfolk to patrol in the South Atlantic as far as Trindade and Martim Vaz
Trindade and Martim Vaz
Trindade and Martim Vaz is an archipelago located about 1,200 kilometers east of Vitória in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, belonging to the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The archipelago has a total area of 10.4 km² and a population of 32...
in the screen of . The task group then swept north from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
to NS Argentia
Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
, Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
, where Savannah arrived on 23 September. During the next eight weeks, the cruiser helped cover British merchantmen and Allied convoys to within a few hundred miles of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, replenishing at Casco Bay, Maine, or at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
North Atlantic operations
The Savannah was in New York Harbor when the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese 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...
occurred on 7 December. She steamed that same day toward Casco Bay, Maine, and from there she steamed via Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, arriving at Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
on 12 January 1942. She joined the screen of the 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...
USS (CV-4), in patrolling the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
north of Bermuda. This island became the cruiser's temporary base while she watched over Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
warships based at Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
and Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
in the French West Indies
French West Indies
The term French West Indies or French Antilles refers to the seven territories currently under French sovereignty in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: the two overseas departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the two overseas collectivities of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, plus...
. The Savannah departed from Shelly Bay
Hamilton Parish, Bermuda
Hamilton Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It was renamed for Scottish aristocrat James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton when he purchased the shares originally held in the Virginia Company by Lucy, Countess of Bedford.It is located in the northwest of the island chain, and is...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, on 7 June, and entered the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
two days later for an overhaul. This was completed by 15 August. The Savannah next steamed to readiness exercises in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
that would prepare her for the invasion of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
Invasion of North Africa
The Savannah became a unit of AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
H. Kent Hewitt's Western Naval Task Force which would land some 35,000 Army troops and 250 tanks at three different points on the Atlantic coast of French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
. As part of the Northern Attack Group, commanded by Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Monroe Kelly, the Savannah departed from Norfolk on 24 October, and then rendezvoused with the Western Naval Task Force four days later at a point about 450 mi (720 km) south southeast of Cape Race
Cape Race
Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"...
. The Task Force, including the outer screen, covered an area approximately 20-30 mi (30–50 km), making it the greatest warship fleet to be sent out by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
up to that time. Shortly before midnight on the night of 7 – 8 November, three separate task groups closed in on three different points on the Moroccan coast to begin Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
.
The Savannah's Northern Attack Group was to land Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Lucian K. Truscott's 9,099 officers and men, including 65 light tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s, on five widely separated beaches on either side of Mehedia
Mahdia
Mahdia is a provincial centre north of Sfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as weaving. It is the capital of Mahdia Governorate.- History :...
. Their objectives were the Port Lyautey
Kenitra
Kenitra is a city in Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. It is a port on the Sebou River, has a population in 2004 of 359,142 and is the capital of the Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen region. During the Cold War Kenitra's U.S...
city and its all-weather airfield, the Wadi Sebou, and the Salé
Salé
Salé is a city in north-western Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town...
airfield.
On the morning of the 8th, the Savannah commenced firing against Vichy guns near the Kasba, which had been firing on the Army troop's landing boats. She also temporarily silenced a battery which had opened up on the USS Roe, enabling that 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...
to avoid a disaster. By the next morning, the Savannah's 6 in (152.4 mm) guns had scored a direct hit on one of the two 5.4 in (137.2 mm) artillery guns in the fortress of Kasba and had silenced the other.
During that same day, the Savannah's scout planes started a new phase of warfare by successfully bombing some tank columns with their depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s, whose fuses had been set to detonate on impact. The scout planes, maintaining about eight hours of flight time daily, struck at other shore targets, and they also kept up antisubmarine patrols. The Savannah's warplanes located an enemy battery that had been firing on the destroyer USS , and they eliminated it with two well-placed depth charges.
This action aided the USS Dallas in winning the Presidential Unit Citation for safely landing a U.S. Army Raider Battalion on the obstacle-strewn Wadi Sebou, just off the airport near Port Lyautey.
The Savannah's scout planes again bombed and strafed enemy tanks on the Rabat Road on the morning of 10 November. Throughout this day, her gunfire aided the Army's advance. Hostilities fittingly ended on Armistice Day, 11 November 1942. Four days later, the Savannah headed for home, and she reached Norfolk on 30 November. After brief repairs following her combat missions, at 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...
, the Savannah steamed on 25 December to join the U.S. Navy's South Atlantic Patrol, arriving at Recife, Brazil, on 7 January 1943.
South Atlantic Patrol
The Savannah's primary mission off Brazil was the destruction of any Nazi German blockade runnerBlockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
s spotted in the South Atlantic Ocean. Teamed with the new U.S. Navy escort carrier USS , plus a screen of destroyer, the Savannah put to sea on 12 January on a long patrol that resulted in no combat with the enemy. The Savannah went back into Recife Harbor on 15 February, and next, she steamed out again to search for blockade runners on the 21st. On 11 March, she left the task group along with the USS to investigate a ship that had been sighted by an aircraft from the USS Santee.
The Kota Tjandi, a former Dutch ship called the Karin by her Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
crew, was brought to a halt by shots fired across her bow by the two American warships. Just as a boarding party from the Eberle arrived alongside, powerful time bombs, planted just before Karin's lifeboats got underway, exploded. Eleven sailors of the boarding party were killed, but one of the Savannah's boat rescued three men from the water. The Savannah also took 72 German sailors on board, and quartered them below decks as prisoners-of-war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. The Savannah returned to New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
on 28 March, where she was overhauled in preparation for her next assignment in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
The Invasion of Sicily
The USS Savannah departed from Norfolk on 10 May to protect Army troop transports en route to OranOran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. She arrived there on 23 May, and then began preparing for Operation Husky, the amphibious landing
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
s on the southern coast of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
near Gela
Gela
Gela is a town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily, Italy. The city is at about 84 kilometers distance from the city of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a larger population than the provincial capital, and ranks second in land area.Gela is an...
. The cliffy coast there was topped by heavy coastal defense batteries, and no landing place could be found besides a 5,000 yd (4,600 m) stretch of shore about 1 mi (2 km) east of the mouth of the Gela River
Gela (river)
The Gela river is located in Sicily. It originates from the Disueri lake and, after about 59 kilometers, flows into the Strait of Sicily of the Mediterranean Sea, near the homonymous town.-Overview:...
. Poised on the plateau above the beach was the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
's Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
Panzer
Panzer
A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
Division, ready to strike back against any amphibious landing, along with other German and Italian troops.
The Savannah provided naval gunfire support to the American 1st Infantry Division's "Rangers" before dawn on 10 July. As soon as the first light of dawn appeared, the Savannah launched two scout planes. Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf-109s intercepted them, with fatal results. 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...
C. A. Anderson was killed in flight, although his radioman, Edward J. True, was able to land the riddled plane on the sea. He got picked up shortly after their airplane sank into the sea. Three of the Savannah's four spotter planes were shot down on that day.
On the morning of 11 July, the Savannah was the first warship to respond to a call for naval gunfire at two points on a road leading into Gela. She knocked out several tanks before shifting her fire to the Butera road to aid advancing American infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
soldiers. Soon friend and foe became so enmeshed in the battle, that her naval gunfire could no longer intervene. The Savannah destroyed more tanks later in the afternoon, however, and next she finished out the remaining hours of daylight by helping the Army Rangers in repelling an Italian infantry attack.
The next morning, the Savannah supported the Army troops with more than 500 rounds of six-inch shells as they advanced toward Butera. That day, the Savannah's doctors and hospital corpsmen also gave medical care to 41 wounded infantrymen, while the warship bombarded enemy troop concentrations far inland, and also shelled their artillery batteries high in the hills. On 13 July, the Savannah had but one call for naval gunfire support. She answered by hurling several salvos on the hill town of Butera
Butera
Butera is an Italian town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta, in the southwestern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the comuni of Gela, Licata, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It has population of 5,063 and is far from Caltanissetta, the province's capital....
. Before the 1st Infantry Division pressed on into the interior, it thanked the Savannah for crushing three infantry attacks and silencing four artillery batteries, as well as for demoralizing the Italian troops by the effect of her fire. On the next day, the Savannah steamed towards Algiers.
The Savannah returned to Sicily on 19 July to support the American 7th Army's drive along the eastern and northern coasts of Sicily. On 30 July, carrying the pennant of Rear Admiral Lyal A. Davidson, the USS Savannah arrived at Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
Harbor to provide daily fire support. Her guns helped to repel enemy aircraft raiding the harbor from the first to the fourth of August. On the 8th, her task force supported the landing of the 30th Regimental Combat Team
Regimental combat team
A regimental combat team was a provisional major infantry unit of the United States Army during the World War II and the Korean War, and of the U.S. Marine Corps to the present day...
, including army artillery and tanks, on a beach nine miles east of "Monte Fratello".
Invasion of Salerno
The USS Savannah returned to Algiers once again on 10 August in order to train with U.S. Army troops for the Operation Avalanche amphibious landingsAmphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
to be made at Salerno, Italy. Leaving Mers-el-Kebir Harbor on 5 September, her Southern Attack Force entered Salerno Bay a few hours before midnight of the 8th.
The Savannah was the first American ship to open fire against the German shore defenses in Salerno Bay. She silenced a railroad artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battery with 57 rounds, forced the retirement of enemy tanks, and completed eight more fire support missions that day. She continued her valuable support until the morning of 11 September, when she was put out of action.
Fritz X
Fritz X was the most common name for a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternate names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400...
glide-bomb had been released at a safe distance by a high-flying German warplane and it exploded 49 ft (15 m) distance from the USS . The Savannah increased her speed to 20 kn (23 mph, 37 km/h) as a Dornier Do 217
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
K-2 bomber approached from out of the sun. The USAAF's P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s and the Savannah's anti-aircraft gunners, tracking this warplane at 18,700 ft (5,700 m), failed to stop the Fritz X bomb, trailing a stream of smoke. The missile pierced right through the armored turret roof of the No. 3 Gun Turret of the Savannah, passed through three decks into the lower ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
-handling room, where it exploded, blowing a gaping hole in her keel, and also tearing open a seam in the cruiser's port side. For at least 30 minutes, secondary explosions in the turret and its ammunition-supply rooms hampered any fire-fighting efforts.
Working quickly, the officers and sailors of the Savannah's crew sealed off flooded and burned compartments, and then corrected her list. With some assistance from the USS and the USS , the Savannah got underway on her own steam by 1757 hours, and steamed for the seaport at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
The USS Savannah lost 197 crewmen in this German counterattack. 15 other sailors were seriously wounded, and four more were trapped in a watertight compartment for about 60 hours. These four sailors were not rescued until the Savannah had already arrived at Grand Harbor, Valletta, Malta on the 12th of September.
After having emergency repairs carried out at Malta, the USS Savannah departed on the 7th of December, bound for the Philadelphia Naval Yard by way of Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, and Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. She arrived at the Naval Yard on the 23rd of December, just before Christmas, and she remained there, undergoing heavy repair work for the next eight months. While the Savannah's battle damage was being repaired, an additional secondary battery of five-inch naval guns and a new set of up-to-date antiaircraft guns were installed.
Later wartime activities
The USS Savannah's Navy Yard repairs of combat damage, and the upgrading or her weapons, were completed on 4 September 1944. Nonetheless, she was never sent to a combat zone for the remainder of the war. She steamed out of Philadelphia Harbor on the next day, and then reported to the Commander, Fleet Operational Training Command on 10 September for a shakedown cruise and sailor's refresher training. She returned to Norfolk on 12 October for readiness training with CruDiv 8 and sailed on 21 January 1945 to rendezvous with the heavy cruiserHeavy 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...
USS , which was carrying President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to the Mediterranean Sea, en route to Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
for a conference with Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and the Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
.
The Savannah entered Grand Harbor, Valletta, Malta, on 2 February. At that island, the President and his party debarked, and they continued on to Yalta by airplane. A memorial service was held at the graves of the USS Savannah's sailors and Marines killed in her bombing off Salerno. Next, the Savannah departed from Malta on 9 February and steamed to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, to await the President when he returned to the USS Quincy on the 12th. The Presidential convoy departed from Alexandria on the 15th, and it arrived back home at Hampton Roads, Virginia on the 27th of February. The Savannah was underway on the next day, and she steamed towards a new homeport, Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, on 8 March. Until 24 May, the Savannah was used as a school ship for the nucleus of crews of warships that had not yet been commissioned.
Post-War
After a visit to New York and installation of radar-guided fire control equipment for her 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, the USS Savannah became the flagship of a midshipmenMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
's training squadron under Rear Admiral Frank E. Beatty
Frank E. Beatty
Rear Admiral Frank Edmund Beatty was an officer in the United States Navy.-Biography:Born in Aztalan, Wisconsin, Beatty graduated with the United States Naval Academy Class of 1875, and then served at sea in the wooden screw-sloop Tuscarora before receiving his ensign's commission in 1876...
. The Savannah departed from Annapolis on 7 June for training at sea with over 400 midshipmen embarked. After two such cruises to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and back, the Savannah debarked the midshipmen at Annapolis on 30 September, took on others, and steamed on 1 October towards 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 spent the Navy Day celebrations from the 25th to the 30th of October 1945 in her namesake city of Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. She then returned to Norfolk on 1 November to prepare for service in the huge "Operation Magic Carpet" naval fleet which was returning hundreds of thousands of overseas war veterans home to the United States
The Savannah departed from Norfolk on 13 November, and she reached 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...
, on 20 November. The following day, she put to sea with 1,370 enlisted men and 67 officer passengers, bringing them to New York Harbor on 28 November. She completed another similar voyage on 17 December.
The USS Savannah's home base was shifted to the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 19 December for her deactivation overhaul. She was placed in commission in reserve on 22 April 1946, and was finally decommissioned on 3 February 1947. Unlike many of her sister who were transferred to the navies of Brazil, Chile and Argentina in 1951, the damage she sustained off of Salerno, while repaired, precluded her from being considered for foreign transfer. 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 she was sold for scrapping on 25 January 1966 to the Bethlehem Steel Company.