USS Wilkes-Barre

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For the earlier cruiser ordered as USS Wilkes-Barre, see USS Astoria (CL-90).

USS Wilkes-Barre
USS Wilkes-Barre (circa January 1946)
History
United States
NameWilkes-Barre
NamesakeCity of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Laid down14 December 1942
Launched24 December 1943
Commissioned1 July 1944
Decommissioned9 October 1947
Stricken15 January 1971
FateSunk in testing 13 May 1972
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
  • 4 × steam turbines
  • 4 × screw propellers
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
  • Belt: 3.5–5 in (89–127 mm)
  • Deck: 2 in (51 mm)
  • Barbettes: 6 in (152 mm)
  • Turrets: 6 in (152 mm)
  • Conning Tower: 5 in (127 mm)
Aircraft carried4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities2 × stern catapults

USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy that served during the last year of World War II. She was named after the city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Design[]

Main article: Cleveland-class cruiser

Wilkes-Barre 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.[1]

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.[1]

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. Wilkes-Barre's conning tower had 5-inch sides.[1]

Service history[]

Wilkes-Barre underway in 1944

The keel for Wilkes-Barre was laid down at New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey, on 14 December 1942. She was launched on 24 December 1943, and was commissioned on 1 July 1944.[2] The ship embarked on her shakedown cruise, first in Chesapeake Bay, and later into the Atlantic, as far south as the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad in the British West Indies. After returning to Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre departed on 23 October, bound for the Pacific. She passed through the Panama Canal four days later and then sailed north to San Diego, California, where she took on ammunition and other supplies. While there, she conducted shooting practice off San Clemente Island, and then got underway for Hawaii on 10 November. She arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, a week later and took part in training exercises in the area into early December.[3]

On 14 December, Wilkes-Barre left Pearl Harbor to join the rest of the American fleet, which was then at its forward anchorage at Ulithi in the Caroline Islands. On arrival, she was assigned to Cruiser Division 17, part of Task Force 38 (TF 38), otherwise known as the Fast Carrier Task Force, which was at that time assigned to 3rd Fleet. The fleet sortied on 30 December to conduct the South China Sea raid. The fleet's aircraft carriers launched a series of strikes against targets on Japanese-occupied Formosa and in the southern Ryuku Islands to neutralize Japanese airfields that might otherwise interfere with the imminent invasion of Luzon in the Philippines. The task force then turned to strike Japanese positions on Luzon itself. A further round of attacks on Formosa followed on 9 January 1945 and then moved to cover the flank of the force carrying out the invasion of Lingayen Gulf to block a possible attack by elements of the Japanese Navy.[3]

Reports of Japanese warships off Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, on 12 January prompted the American command to detach Wilkes-Barre and the rest of Cruiser Division 17 to form Task Group 34.5 (TG 34.5). They were sent to sweep for Japanese vessels, but the cruisers' floatplanes were unable to locate any, and the division returned to TF 38 later that day. Wilkes-Barre and the rest of the fleet encountered severe weather on 13 and 14 January, temporarily pausing offensive operations. The carriers resumed attacks along the coast of occupied China on 15 January, shifted to Formosa on 21 January, and concluded with a final round of attacks on Okinawa in the Ryukus the following day. TF 38 then returned to Ulithi, arriving there on 26 January for repairs and to replenish ammunition and stores. While there, command of the unit passed to 5th Fleet and it was accordingly renumbered Task Force 58.[3]

Task Force 58: Tokyo, Iwo Jima and Okinawa[]

Wilkes-Barre off Okinawa

Wilkes-Barre and the rest of Cruiser Division 17 were transferred to TG 58.3, commanded by Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman. The fleet then sortied to carry out strikes on the Japanese capital, Tokyo, beginning on 16 February and lasting for two days. These attacks were intended to distract Japanese attention from the invasion of Iwo Jima. The fleet then sailed south to support the invasion directly, launching raids on the neighboring islands of Chichi Jima and Haha Jima while en route. On 19 February, the amphibious assault on Iwo Jima began. Wilkes-Barre was detached from the carrier screen two days later to provide gunfire support to the marines fighting ashore. The ship's fire was directed by her OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes, and she was credited with destroying numerous defensive positions and ammunition dumps. Her guns also broke up an attempted counterattack from the Japanese defenders.[3]

The ship returned to her position in the carrier screen in TG 58.3 on 23 February before the fleet departed to carry out another round of attacks of Tokyo on 25 February, followed by a raid on Okinawa on 1 March. The ships then returned to Ulithi to refuel and take on additional ammunition and stores. The fleet remained there from 5 to 14 March Wilkes-Barre took part in training exercises with other elements of the fleet, designated Task Force 59, on 14 and 15 March, before returning to TG 58.3 later on the 15th. The fast carrier task force then sortied for an attack on Japan, which began on 18 March and targeted the southernmost island of Kyushu. The following day, Wilkes-Barre shot down a Yokosuka D4Y "Judy" dive bomber. The Japanese nevertheless scored a pair of hits on the carrier Franklin, inflicting serious damage and forcing TG 58.3 to temporarily disengage to cover the crippled Franklin as she withdrew.[3]

TG 58.3 resumed strikes on 23 March, targeting Okinawa through the next day to prepare for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. Wilkes-Barre launched one of her Kingfishers to rescue two pilots who had been shot down off Minami Daito Shima on the 24th. Wilkes-Barre and the rest of Cruiser Division 17 bombarded a Japanese airfield on Minami Daito Shima on 27 March. Two days later, the fleet turned back north for additional strikes on Kyushu. Wilkes-Barre launched one of her Kingfishers to recover another pair of pilots from the carrier Bunker Hill who had been shot down off Yakushima during the attacks. American forces began to go ashore on Okinawa on 1 April, and TF 58 continued to support the operation, carrying out strikes on Japanese airfields in the region, including on Kyushu, Shikoku, and southern Honshu. The Japanese launched heavy air attacks in response, with a particular emphasis on kamikaze tactics. On 11 April, Wilkes-Barre's anti-aircraft gunners claimed three Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters and an Aichi D3A "Val" dive bomber, along with partial credit for a further two Zeroes.[3]

When TF 58 moved north to launch strikes against the airfields on southern Kyushu, thought to be the source of the ongoing Japanese air raids against ground forces on Okinawa, Wilkes-Barre shot down a bomber on 16 April and a "Zeke" on 17 April.[4] On 26 April, Wilkes-Barre's Kingfishers rescued two downed Navy fliers some 30 miles (48 km) east of Okinawa.

Transfer of wounded from USS Bunker Hill to Wilkes-Barre

On 10 May, CruDiv 17, with escorting destroyers, was temporarily detached from TG 58.3 for another night shelling of Minami Daito Shima, returning to TG by 11 May. That morning, two kamikazes crashed into Bunker Hill. Captain Porter brought Wilkes-Barre alongside Bunker Hill, placing her bow hard against the carrier's starboard quarter. Wilkes-Barre, along with three destroyers, aimed multiple fire hoses on the persistent fires, while 40 men, trapped astern in Bunker Hill scrambled to safety. Wilkes-Barre then transferred fire-fighting gear, rescue breathing apparatus and handy-billies to Bunker Hill, while taking the carrier's injured and dying. At 1534, after four hours of effort, Wilkes-Barre finally cleared the blackened flattop.[4]

On 12 May, Wilkes-Barre held burial services on board for the 13 men from the carrier who had succumbed to their wounds and transferred their surviving shipmates to Bountiful. That day, TF 58 traveled to Kyushu to launch strikes on 13 May against the network of airfields there. On 14 May, falling shell fragments, possibly from "friendly" guns, hit Wilkes-Barre, wounding nine men on the after signal bridge. That same day, the cruiser claimed an assist in shooting down a "Zeke".[4]

Task Force 38: Repairs, Japan and VJ Day[]

On 28 May, fleet and task force designations were changed to reflect the switch in command when Vice Admiral John S. McCain relieved Vice Admiral Mitscher. Wilkes-Barre, her tour off Okinawa and the Japanese home islands completed, left the renamed TG 38.3 on 29 May and headed for San Pedro Bay in the Philippines. She received repairs, upkeep, and replenishment at San Pedro Bay from 1–20 June, then conducted gunnery and tactical exercises off Samar from 20 to 23 June, returning to anchorage for the remainder of the month.[4]

For the final attack administered against Japan's main islands, TF 38 sortied from Leyte Gulf on 1 July. Wilkes-Barre and CruDiv 17, as part of TG 38.3, spent the first week of July, the ships engaged in intensive aircraft patrol and firing practice. On 10 July, TG 38.3 provided screening and rescue services while the carrier planes struck Hokkaido and Honshū on 10 July. Four days later, Wilkes-Barre and CruDiv 17 were dispatched to conduct antishipping sweeps off northern Honshū and across Kii Suido. On the night of 24–25 July, Wilkes-Barre and other bombardment ships departed the task group and, at 1210, opened fire with their main batteries on the Kushimoto seaplane base and on the Shionomisaki landing field on the south coast of Honshū. The fleet remained off Japan until the end of the war, in mid-August.[4]

Wilkes-Barre received four battle stars for her World War II service.[4]

Japanese demilitarization duties[]

CruDiv 17 was detached from TG 38.3 on 23 August and, on 27 August, after 59 days at sea, formed part of the 3rd Fleet that anchored at the entrance to Tokyo Bay. On 3 September, the day after the official surrender of Japan, Wilkes-Barre moved into Tokyo Bay proper, over 103,000 miles after her commissioning.[4]

Wilkes-Barre was flagship for Task Unit (TU) 35.7.2, a demilitarization group, leaving Tokyo Bay on 9 September for Tateyama Wan, anchoring there that same day. On 10 September, she covered the seizure of the former midget submarine and suicide boat base there, before she returned to Tokyo Bay.[4]

Subsequent operations in connection with the occupation of Japan kept Wilkes-Barre busy. She anchored off Koajiro Ko, Sagami Wan, 12–14 September, to demilitarize the Aburatsubo and Kurihama midget submarine bases on the Sagami peninsula. She took on fuel and provisions in Tokyo Bay on 14 September before shifting to Onagawa Wan between 15 and 17 September. She then covered the occupation at Katsuura Wan before turning to Tokyo on 24 September.[4]

From 24 September to 4 October, Wilkes-Barre anchored within sight of Mount Fuji, and held gunnery and tactical exercises from 24 to 28 October. Detached from the 5th Fleet on 5 November, Wilkes-Barre set out on 9 November for Korea, reaching Jinsen on 13 November.[4]

On 16 November, Wilkes-Barre, in company with the destroyers Hart and Bell, shifted to Tsingtao, China. Further occupation duties kept her at that port until 19 November; but, over the ensuing weeks, she steamed twice to Taku and Chinwangtao, China, before returning to Tsingtao where she spent the remainder of the year 1945.[4]

Postwar career and fate[]

Wilkes-Barre sinking off Key West, 12 May 1972

Finally sailing for the United States on 13 January 1946, Wilkes-Barre proceeded, via Pearl Harbor, and reached San Pedro, Los Angeles, on the last day of January. Wilkes-Barre got underway on 4 March, bound for the east coast of the United States. Transiting the Panama Canal from 12 to 14 March, the light cruiser put into Philadelphia on 18 March and remained there through the spring and summer of 1946. She got underway for the Gulf of Mexico on 20 October and reached New Orleans in time to celebrate Navy Day on 27 October.[4]

From New Orleans, Wilkes-Barre sailed for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a period of refresher training in company with Dayton and Providence. After returning to Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 December, Wilkes-Barre made a goodwill cruise to England and Norway; underway on 17 February 1947, she reached Plymouth, England, on 27 February. She then operated in the waters of the British Isles throughout March and April and made one trip to Bergen, Norway, before returning to the United States for eventual assignment to the United States Reserve Fleet.[4]

Decommissioned on 9 October 1947, Wilkes-Barre was simultaneously placed in reserve at Philadelphia. She remained in "mothballs" at Philadelphia until struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 January 1971, the last light cruiser on the Register list.

Wilkes-Barre provided one last service to the US Navy, when she was subjected to underwater explosive tests off the Florida Keys on 12 May 1972. Her battered hulk broke in two, with the after section sinking of its own accord, while the forward section sank on 13 May, as a result of a scuttling charge.[4]

The two sections of Wilkes-Barre have developed into artificial reefs, and are a popular deep wreck diving site. The bow rests on the starboard side with the gun turrets resting at 253 feet (77 m). The stern rests upright with the deck at 200 feet (61 m).[5][6] Visibility on the wreck can range from 20 feet (6.1 m) to over 100 feet (30 m) though it is normally only 40 feet (12 m).[6]

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 Friedman 1980, p. 119.
  2. ^ Friedman 1980, p. 120.
  3. ^ a b c d e f DANFS.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Wilkes-Barre (CL-103)". Naval History and Heritage Command. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  5. ^ Barnette, Michael C. "USS Wilkes-Barre". Association of Underwater Explorers. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  6. ^ a b Barnette, Michael C. (2003). Shipwrecks of the sunshine state: Florida's submerged history. Association of Underwater Explorers. ISBN 0-9743036-0-7.

References[]

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

  • Friedman, Norman (1980). "United States of America". In Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922–1946. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 86–166. ISBN 978-0-87021-913-9.
  • Friedman, Norman (1984). U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-739-5.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8.
  • "Wilkes-Barre (CL-103)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2022.

External links[]

Coordinates: 24°36′36″N 81°45′47″W / 24.6101°N 81.7630°W / 24.6101; -81.7630

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