USS Canberra (CA-70)
_underway_at_sea_on_9_January_1961_(KN-1526).jpg) The Canberra in January 1961 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | July 1, 1940 |
| Keel laying | September 3, 1941 |
| Launch | April 19, 1943 |
| 1. Period of service |
|
| Commissioning | October 14, 1943 |
| Decommissioning | 2nd February 1970 |
| Whereabouts | Broken down in 1980 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
13,600 tons |
| length |
205.26 meters |
| width |
21.59 meters |
| Draft |
6.25 meters |
| crew |
1,142 |
| drive |
4 propellers, driven by 4 steam turbines; 89,000 kW |
| speed |
33 knots |
| Armament |
|
The USS Canberra (CA-70 / CAG-2) was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser that entered service in October 1943. The ship was used in the Pacific War before it had to end active service in October 1944 after a torpedo hit in fighting off Formosa . Between March 1947 and June 1956, the Canberra was in the reserve fleet before it was reactivated as a guided missile cruiser after modifications and remained in service until February 1970. After being deleted from the Naval Vessel Register in July 1978, the ship was scrapped in August 1980.
Planning and construction
The Canberra was commissioned on July 1, 1940, laid down in the Fore River Shipyard on September 3, 1941 , and launched on April 19, 1943. Originally the ship was to be named Pittsburgh , but after the sinking of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra (D33) on August 9, 1942, the name was changed as a tribute. The Canberra was commissioned on October 14, 1943.
period of service
Second World War
Accompanied by the destroyer USS Norman Scott (DD-690) , the ship began its voyage to Pearl Harbor in January 1944 , where it joined Task Force 58 in February. That same month, Canberra gave fire support during Operation Catchpole . During March and April she served as part of an escort for the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) on a number of missions, including during Operation Reckless . The ship was then part of the escort of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) from April to May . Later Canberra missions included the Battle of the Mariana Islands and the Battle of the Philippine Sea .
In early October 1944, the ship joined the Fast Carrier Task Force to take part in attacks on Okinawa and Formosa. This was in preparation for the Battle of Leyte . On October 13, the Canberra was hit by a torpedo dropped by a Japanese plane. In the resulting explosion, 23 crew members died and the ship suffered severe damage. The Canberra was towed by the tug USS Munsee (ATF-107) , whose crew also undertook temporary repairs. During this work, a Munsee officer who had been in flooded areas of the Canberra died . After further repair work by the workshop ship USS Ajax (AR-6) , the damaged ship arrived at the Navy Yard in Boston . The repairs dragged on until October 1945.
Reserve fleet and conversion
On March 7, 1947, the Canberra was retired and placed in the reserve fleet of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard . Together with her sister ship the USS Boston (CA-69) , she received a conversion to a guided missile cruiser from January 1952. This greatly changed the external appearance of the ship. Parts of the old guns were replaced by devices for RIM-2 Terriers . In addition, there were radar systems and other technical modernizations. The work of the now under the identification number of CAG-2 registered Canberra was completed in June 1956th The second commissioning took place on June 15.
Second term of service
On 14 March 1957, the upgraded Canberra to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a meeting with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to Bermuda . In September of the same year, the ship took part in the NATO mission Operation Strikeback. In the following years, the Canberra completed mostly training missions and several world trips.
In October the ship was part of the blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis . Between 1965 and 1969, the Canberra set out for Vietnam on missions five times . Here she was damaged again on March 2, 1967 by two shells fired from the mainland, five crew members were injured. During 1968, the ship took part in fighting in the course of the Tet Offensive and gave fire support there. In total, it fired more than 35,000 volleys.
On May 1, 1968, the Canberra was restored to its original designation CA-70 after its guided missiles had proven to be unprofitable. Nevertheless, they remained installed in operational condition until the ship was decommissioned. On February 2, 1970, the Canberra ended its active service time and switched again to the reserve fleet. The deletion from the Naval Vessel Register took place eight years later on July 31, 1978. After a further two years berth, the ship went to National Metal for demolition in August 1980.
One of the Canberra's propellers can be viewed at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum today. The ship's bell has been on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbor since September 2001 .
Web links
- Entry on Canberra on navsource.org (English)
- Website about Canberra (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Paul R. Yarnall: USS CANBERRA (CA 70 / CAG 2). In: NavSource. Accessed November 28, 2019 .
- ↑ USS CANBERRA CA 70. In: usscanberra.com. Accessed November 28, 2019 .