USS Atlanta (CL-104)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Atlanta.

USS Atlanta (CL-104) leaves Seattle on 27 June 1948 (NH 98878).jpg
USS Atlanta, Seattle, June 1948
History
United States
NameAtlanta
NamesakeCity of Atlanta, Georgia
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Laid down25 January 1943
Launched6 February 1944
Sponsored byMargaret Mitchell
Commissioned3 December 1944
Stricken1 October 1962
Decommissioned31 August 1965
Stricken1 April 1970
Reinstated15 May 1964
FateSunk as a target ship, 1 October 1970
General characteristics
Class and type Cleveland-class light cruiser
Displacement
  • Standard: 11,744 long tons (11,932 t)
  • Full load: 14,131 long tons (14,358 t)
Length610 ft 1 in (185.95 m)
Beam66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed32.5 kn (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range11,000 nmi (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement1,285 officers and enlisted
Armament
Armor
Aircraft carried4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities2 × stern catapults

USS Atlanta (CL-104) of the United States Navy was a Cleveland-class light cruiser during World War II. She was the fourth Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

The ship was laid down on 25 January 1943 at Camden, New Jersey, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, launched on 6 February 1944, sponsored by Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone with the Wind, who also sponsored the previous USS Atlanta), and commissioned on 3 December 1944, Captain B. H. Colyear in command.[1]

Design[]

Main article: Cleveland-class cruiser

Atlanta was 610 feet 1 inch (186 m) long overall and had a beam of 66 ft 4 in (20.22 m) and a draft of 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m). Her standard displacement amounted to 11,744 long tons (11,932 t) and increased to 14,131 long tons (14,358 t) at full load. The ship was powered by four General Electric steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Rated at 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW), the turbines were intended to give a top speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). Her crew numbered 1285 officers and enlisted men.[2]

The ship was armed with a main battery of twelve 6 in /47 caliber Mark 16 guns[a] in four 3-gun turrets on the centerline. Two were placed forward in a superfiring pair; the other two turrets were placed aft of the superstructure in another superfiring pair. The secondary battery consisted of twelve 5 in (127 mm) /38 caliber dual purpose guns mounted in twin turrets. Two of these were placed on the centerline, one directly behind the forward main turrets and the other just forward of the aft turrets. Two more were placed abreast of the conning tower and the other pair on either side of the aft superstructure. Anti-aircraft defense consisted of twenty-eight Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in) guns in four quadruple and six double mounts and ten Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) guns in single mounts.[2]

The ship's belt armor ranged in thickness from 3.5 to 5 in (89 to 127 mm), with the thicker section amidships where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces. Her deck armor was 2 in (51 mm) thick. The main battery turrets were protected with 6.5 in (170 mm) faces and 3 in (76 mm) sides and tops, and they were supported by barbettes 6 inches thick. Atlanta's conning tower had 5-inch sides.[2]

Service history[]

Construction and World War II[]

Atlanta during fitting out in November 1944

Atlanta was laid down at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, on 25 January 1943. She was launched 6 February 1944,[3] and at the launching ceremony, she was christened by Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone with the Wind.[4] The ship was commissioned on 3 December that year.[3] Atlanta embarked on a shakedown cruise on 5 January 1945 in Chesapeake Bay and later south to the Caribbean Sea. She concluded her initial training cruise at Norfolk, Virginia, on 14 February. She then sailed north to Philadelphia for maintenance before departing on 27 March to join the US fleet in the Pacific. Atlanta passed through Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, while en route, transited the Panama Canal, and arrived in Pearl Harbor on 18 April. She carried out training exercises in the area through 1 May, before departing on 12 May to join Task Force 58 at Ulithi.[4]

Atlanta served in the defensive screen for the task force's aircraft carriers, which operated off Okinawa from 22 to 27 May; the carriers repeatedly struck Japanese positions in the area to prepare for the imminent invasion of Okinawa. Atlanta was detached on 13 June and sent to San Pedro Bay in the Philippines for periodic maintenance. She arrived there the following day, and the work lasted through the end of the month. She got underway on 1 July to rejoin the task force, which had by that time passed to 3rd Fleet and had been re-numbered as Task Force 38. Atlanta was assigned to the subordinate unit, Task Group 38.1., once again serving in the screen for the carriers. The carriers conducted a series of strikes on the Japanese Home Islands over the following weeks, and Atlanta took part in several shore bombardments during this period.[4]

By mid-August, Atlanta was patrolling off the coast of Honshū when Japan announced on the 15th that it would surrender. She entered Tokyo Bay on 16 September during the initial occupation of Japan. On 30 September, she departed to return to the United States with more than 500 passengers. The ship passed through Guam on the way to Seattle, Washington, arriving there on 24 October. From there, she steamed south to Terminal Island, California, for extensive maintenance.[4]

Post-War[]

Atlanta on the way to Australia in 1947

On 3 January 1946, Atlanta departed California, bound for Sasebo, Japan. Over the following six months, she toured the Far East, visiting a number of ports including Manila, Philippines; Qingdao and Shanghai, China; Okinawa, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, and Yokosuka, Japan; and Saipan in the Mariana Islands. The ship returned to the San Pedro, California, on 27 June by way of Guam. She was moved to the San Francisco Naval Shipyard two days later for an overhaul. She got underway again on 8 October to conduct sea trials out of San Diego, California. Atlanta operated off California into February 1947, until she departed on the 23rd to take part in training exercises held off Hawaii. She thereafter joined Task Force 38 to visit Australia, departing Pearl Harbor on 1 May. The ships had a lengthy stay in Sydney, Australia, before departing on 27 May to return home. They stopped at Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Guam on the way back to San Pedro, which they reached on 28 July.[4]

Atlanta participated in a series of exercises held off California over the following weeks. On 28 September, she returned to Pearl Harbor in preparation for another tour of East Asia. The ship visited Yokosuka and Qingdao again, and also made stops in Keelung, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. She departed the Far East on 27 April 1948, stopping in Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Pearl Harbor on the way back to San Diego, arriving on 19 May. Atlanta thereafter resumed training maneuvers off San Diego, which included a cruise north to Juneau, Alaska, which lasted from 29 June to 6 July. Six days later, she stopped in Seattle for a lengthy overhaul. On 20 November, she departed for San Diego for another round of exercises.[4]

In early February 1949, the ship embarked naval reservists for a training cruise and operated between San Diego and San Francisco until 1 March, when she entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard to commence deactivation. Atlanta was decommissioned on 1 July 1949 and placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1962, and she was earmarked for disposal.[1]

Atlanta's career had not yet ended, however. She underwent an extensive modification at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard. Reinstated on the Navy list as IX-304 on 15 May 1964, the vessel was converted to a target ship for studies of the effects of high energy air explosions on naval ships. The changes included cutting her hull down to the main deck level and erecting various experimental superstructures, designed for guided missile frigates and guided missile destroyers, on her deck. In these configurations she was subjected to explosions to determine whether or not the experimental structures could satisfactorily combine essential lightness with equally essential strength and blast resistance. These three tests were conducted off the coast of Kahoolawe, Hawaii, in early 1965, known as Operation Sailor Hat. Atlanta was damaged, but not sunk, by the experiments. She was laid up at Stockton, California, sometime late in 1965. Her name was again struck from the Register on 1 April 1970, and she was sunk during an explosive test off San Clemente Island on 1 October 1970.[1]

Awards[]

Atlanta earned two battle stars for her World War II service.[1]

Footnotes[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ /47 refers to the length of the gun in terms of calibers. A /47 gun is 47 times long as it is in bore diameter.

Citations[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Atlanta IV (CL-104)". Naval History and Heritage Command. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Friedman, p. 119.
  3. ^ a b Friedman, p. 120.
  4. ^ a b c d e f DANFS.

References[]

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links[]

Coordinates: 32°52′47″N 118°30′29″W / 32.8796°N 118.5081°W / 32.8796; -118.5081

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