USS Alaska (CB-1)
_off_the_Philadelphia_Navy_Yard_on_30_July_1944.jpg) USS Alaska (CB-1) |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Keel laying | December 17, 1941 |
| Launch | August 15, 1943 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | June 17, 1944 |
| Decommissioning | February 17, 1947 |
| Whereabouts | scrapped |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
31,500 ts (standard) |
| length |
246.43 m (LüA) |
| width |
27.67 m |
| Draft |
9.57 m |
| crew |
around 2250 |
| drive |
|
| speed |
32.72 kn |
| Range |
12,000 nm at 15 kn |
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
| radar |
|
| Planes |
4 × SC-1 Seahawk |
The USS Alaska (CB-1) was the lead ship of the Alaska class , which was classified as a Large Cruiser by the US Navy . She was a fast cruiser (ran more than 30 knots) with very powerful main artillery for a cruiser. The Alaska participated in several operations during the Pacific War, was retired in 1947 and remained in the reserve fleet until 1960.
technology
For a detailed overview of the technical data, see Alaska class
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As an Alaska- class unit , the Alaska was 246 meters long and up to 27.7 meters wide. The deployment displacement was over 34,000 ts .
The hull had a very slim shape (length / width ratio = 9.0) and was electrically welded. There were five decks, the citadel was 137 meters long and 18.7 meters wide. The Alaska had a double bottom over the entire length of the keel. There was also a curling keel around 90 meters long on both sides .
The main armament of the ship consisted of three triple turrets with guns of 30.5 cm caliber , two of them in front of the superstructure and one on the quarterdeck . In addition, the Alaska had six twin towers with 12.7 cm guns and numerous small-caliber guns for air defense .
Amidships were two pivoting catapults of 20.67 meters in length, which were propelled by a powder charge. Four SC-1 Seahawk reconnaissance aircraft were carried.
The equipment with location radar consisted of an SK and a SG on the pole above the command tower. Another SG antenna was on a boom on the front edge of the chimney. The fire control radar (FLR) was Mk 8 Mod. 1 for the sea target artillery and Mk 4 for the air defense.
The machinery consisted of four sets of General Electric geared turbines , each with 37,500 WPS power, which each acted on a shaft with a four-bladed propeller 4.52 meters in diameter. This allowed the Alaska to reach speeds of up to 33 knots. Eight oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers, divided into two groups, supplied the steam for the propulsion system. The electrical system, which supplied 450 volts AC voltage, consisted of four turbo generators with 1000 kilowatts and four diesel generators with 1062 kilowatts each (a total of 8248 kilowatts).
history
Construction and commissioning
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The Alaska was laid on December 17, 1941 at New York Shipbuilding in Camden (New Jersey) . After the baptism on August 15, 1943 by the wife of Ernest Gruening , the governor of the Alaska Territory (from 1959 US state ), it was launched. The commissioning was on June 17, 1944 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard with Captain Peter K. Fischer as the commanding officer.
After the Alaska was finally equipped after her commissioning, she moved on August 6, 1944 down the Delaware River to Hampton Roads , accompanied by the destroyers Simpson (DD-221) and Brome (DD-210) . She completed very extensive and intensive test drives, first in the Chesapeake Bay , later in the Gulf of Paria, in the West Indies near Trinidad . She was accompanied by the destroyers Bainbridge (DD-246) and Decatur (DD-341) . After this trial period, the Alaska drove back to the Philadelphia Navy Yard so that the deficiencies found could be remedied. This included the improvement of the fire control of their 12.7 cm batteries with fire control stations of the type Mark 57.
Combat training
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The Alaska left Philadelphia on November 12, 1944 for the Caribbean Sea, accompanied by the Thomas E. Fraser (DM-24) . She completed two weeks of intensive combat training in the waters of Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . On December 2, she set a course for the Pacific , which she reached on December 4 after a transit through the Panama Canal . The Alaska then moved to San Francisco , which it reached on December 12, 1944. Here the Alaska completed combat exercises in land target fire and air defense before it could report operational readiness.
In the Pacific
On January 8, 1945, the Alaska set course for Hawaii , which it reached on January 13. During this stopover, Captain Kenneth M. Noble took over from Captain Fischer as commander, as he had meanwhile become a flag officer . During this time, further tests of the ship and the training of the crew were on the plan. After that, the Alaska became part of Task Group 12.2 (TG for short), with which it reached Ulithi , the fleet anchorage at the Caroline Islands, on January 29th . Here on February 6th she became part of TG 58.5, a task force within Task Force 58 (TF for short).
Iwo Jima campaign
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The first task the Alaska participated in with the TF 58 was protecting the aircraft carriers during operations against Iwo Jima . Here the crew of the Alaska was able to gain a lot of experience, which they could later bring to the operations against Okinawa . During the first operations, bad weather did not make it necessary to demonstrate their air defense skills. During the operation she was assigned to TG 58.4, which had to secure the landing operations against Iwo Jima. Here, too, their air defense strength was not put to the test. After 19 days, the Alaska was ordered back to Ulithi, where she replenished her supplies and carried out minor repairs.
Okinawa, the preparations
With the decision to take Okinawa at the beginning of April 1945, it was clear that the Japanese Navy would try with all their might to prevent this. It was also clear that the American units had to reckon with increased air attacks. In order to weaken the enemy beforehand, the airfields on the Japanese main islands of Kyushu , Shikoku and Honshū were to be attacked. The aim of the operation was to destroy as many enemy machines as possible on the ground and in the air so that they could no longer fight the invasion fleet that arrived later.
The Alaska was part of the defensive shield around the aircraft carriers Yorktown (CV-10) , Intrepid (CV-11) , Independence (CVL-22) and Langley (CVL-27) , with the task of protecting the aircraft carriers from enemy attacks . The mission order stipulated that the Alaska should follow the TF 58 on March 14, which was cruising northwest of the Caroline Islands. A supply was carried out at sea on March 16. The TF 58 reached Kyushu in the early morning hours of March 18th. On that day, the Usa, Oita and Saeki airfields were to be attacked. Three other task groups were involved in this action, 58.1, 58.2 and 58.3. 107 aircraft were destroyed on the ground and 77 of 142 in the air.
_recovering_SC-1_recce_plane.jpg)
The Alaska's first enemy contact was an air strike on the ship, which was successfully repulsed. Shortly afterwards, an airplane was sighted approaching directly ahead at low altitude. Fire opened immediately, and hits were also scored. However, it was an F6F Hellcat , which in this case had come under friendly fire . The pilot was able to submerge the damaged machine and was picked up unharmed by another ship that was cruising nearby.
The fighting continued throughout the day as the Japanese suicide flights did not want to end. Dozens of Japanese aircraft with inexperienced pilots were shot down by the CAP (Combat Air Patrol) of the American carrier aircraft. Further aircraft kills were achieved by anti-aircraft fire from the escort ships.
On the morning of March 19, aerial reconnaissance photographs revealed a large number of surface units in the inland waters of Japan. Then air operations against these units were started, in Kobe , Kure and Hiroshima . Heavy anti-aircraft fire by the Japanese made the successes meager.
The Japanese counterattack was not long in coming. This attack hit TG 58.2, which was crossing 20 nautical miles north of the TF-58 formation. The two carriers Franklin (CV-13) and Wasp (CV-18) were bombed. When viewed from the Alaska , lightning was registered, followed by a huge column of smoke. In the afternoon, the TF 58 withdrew to the south-west, protecting the badly damaged Franklin , while air strikes continued on the airfields of Kyushu in order to put the Japanese under pressure so that they in turn could no longer fly counter-attacks.
To further protect the Franklin which was Task Unit 58.2.9 (short: TU) is formed. This unit consisted of the Alaska itself, her sister ship Guam (CB-2) , the light cruiser Santa Fe (CL-60) and three destroyer divisions. This force was to accompany “Big Ben”, as the Franklin was nicknamed , at the highest possible speed to Guam, partly still protected by the remaining units of TG 58.2. The beginning of this return journey was uneventful, occasionally interrupted by bogy sightings (unidentified aircraft), which however turned out to be American reconnaissance aircraft of the type PB4Y Privateer .
The next morning, a bogy was spotted 35 miles away. The Alaska led a Hancock (CV-19) aerial reconnaissance patrol (CAP) , which was able to locate and shoot down the unknown aircraft.
On March 22nd the voyage with the damaged Franklin came to an end, and the Alaska became part of TG 58.4 . Her fuel was replenished by Chicopee (AO-34) on the same day . During the night, the destroyer Haggard (DD-555) reported a submarine 22 kilometers away. The Haggard and the destroyer Uhlmann (DD-687) were tasked with the reconnaissance and destruction. This job was successfully carried out the next morning with a ramming blow from the Haggard , with the Haggard being so badly damaged that she was ordered back to the base with the Uhlmann as an escort.
Okinawa Campaign
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Air operations against Okinawa were expanded over the next few days. The day for the planned landing operation on the island was set for Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945. The Alaska was used to secure the aircraft carrier. On March 27, she was assigned to bombard Minami Daito Shima, a small island 258 kilometers east of Okinawa, to bombard the land target. This objective entity, TU 58.4.9 , consisted of Alaska (CB-1), her sister ship Guam (CB-2) , the light cruisers San Diego (CL-53) and Flint (CL-97) and the Destroyer Squadron 47 together .
The association drove to the west side of the island. On the morning of March 28, the Alaska opened fire. Their main batteries fired 45 volleys inland and their 12.7 cm guns 352 volleys for anti-aircraft purposes. No resistance came from the land.
Back in TG 58.4, the Alaska replenished her fuel supply on the fleet tanker Tomahawk (AO 88) . It continued to be used to protect aircraft carriers that continued to conduct aerial operations in preparation for landing on Okinawa. The landing was carried out as planned on April 1, 1945. On April 7th, Japanese surface forces crossed the East China Sea heading for Okinawa to disrupt the landing operation. These units were destroyed by Admiral Mitscher's massive air raids by TF 58 . The battleship Yamato , the light cruiser Yahagi and four destroyers were sunk in these air strikes .
The Alaska was still very successful in the next few days: On April 11, it shot down a Japanese aircraft and a Japanese Yokosuka MXY-7 "Ohka" rocket bomb . On April 16, three enemy aircraft were shot down by the Alaska itself; she was involved in three other kills. During the night of April 21-22 and April 29-30, the Alaska shot down several enemy planes.
recreation
On May 14, 1945, the Alaska had returned to Ulithi so that her crew could recover, replenish supplies on board and carry out minor repairs. According to this, the Alaska was assigned to the 3rd Fleet in Task Force 38 of Task Group 38.4. The newcomers to this unit were the battleship Iowa (BB-61) and the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga (CV-14) . The Alaska was also used in this task group to protect the aircraft carriers.
Further missions
The TG 38.4 was ordered after two weeks to San Pedro Bay , Leyte , where it stayed for the next month, from June 13th to July 13th. After this period of operation, the Alaska was back in its base. After this break, the ship sailed in the newly formed Task Force 95 . This TF was ordered to the East China Sea. This sea was a popular hunting ground for American submarines and airplanes, but no American surface unit has penetrated this area since the attack on Pearl Harbor . Even so, there were no enemy units in this area. The Japanese air strikes were all repulsed by the aircraft carrier CAPs.
_off_the_Philadelphia_Naval_Shipyard_on_30_July_1944_(NH_92282).jpg)
End of war
After the war ended with the surrender of Japan on August 15 , the Alaska was incorporated into the 7th Fleet to participate in the fleet parade in the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of Chihli. On September 8, 1945, the Alaska reached Jinsen (later Incheon ), Korea , where she helped land troops on Jinsen. She stayed in this area until September 26th. She was then ordered to Tsingtao, where the ship remained until November 13th, to assist in the landing of the 6th Marine Division in that north Chinese port. She was posted to Jinsen again to pick up American soldiers and drive them back home. This operation became known as the Magic Carpet . On September 14, the Alaska drove home. After a stop in Pearl Harbor , she then drove to San Francisco .
Post-war period and end
On December 13, 1945, the Alaska was transferred back to the Atlantic through the Panama Canal , and on December 18, it reached the Boston naval shipyard . Here preparations were made for their inactivation. On February 1, 1946, the Alaska came to Bayonne, New Jersey, at her berth for inactivation. On August 13, she was inactivated and added to the reserve fleet . On February 17, 1947, she was decommissioned but left in reserve.
The Alaska never returned to active service. Her name was deleted from the list of names on June 1, 1960 and the ship was sold to the Lipserr Division of Luria Brothers on June 30, 1960 for scrapping.
The Alaska received three Battle Star awards for service in World War II .
Remarks
- ↑ The Americans gave the Yokosuka MXY-7 the code name "Baka", borrowed from the Japanese language, which means "stupid" or "fool" in German.
literature
- Siegfried Breyer: Battleships and battle cruisers 1921–1997 . Bernard & Graefe, ISBN 3-7637-6225-6
Web links
- USS Alaska Association (Engl.)
- Pictures of the Alaska at navsource.org (engl.)