USS Honolulu (CL-48)
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The USS Honolulu (ID: CL-48) was a light cruiser in the United States Navy . She was a Brooklyn- class ship and was used against Japan in the Pacific War . The second ship of the US Navy, named after the city of Honolulu , Hawaii , was launched on August 26, 1937 at the New York Naval Shipyard and entered service on June 15, 1938 under the command of Captain Oscar Smith.
After the test drive to England, the Honolulu was involved in exercises in the Caribbean. On May 24, 1939, she drove from New York to San Pedro, where she arrived on June 14 to join the Pacific Fleet. For the rest of the year she was involved in exercises along the west coast. She continued her operations off Long Beach during the first half of 1940 and, after an overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , sailed to Pearl Harbor on November 5th . It operated there throughout 1941 and was in port when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th . The Honolulu suffered only minor damage to the hull from a close-in hit. After the repair, she escorted a convoy to San Francisco on January 12, 1942 , where she arrived on January 21. The light cruiser continued to be used to protect convoys to Australia , Samoa and back to the United States.
As the Japanese pushed further north into Alaska , the Honolulu was relocated there on May 29 to reinforce the American forces stationed there. Initially, it was deployed off Kodiak Island for two months . On August 21, it covered the first American landing on Adak Island (a starting point for further landings in the Aleutian Islands ).
After a stay in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard near San Francisco, she accompanied a convoy to Nouméa . Then she ran from Espírito Santo to Guadalcanal to intercept a Japanese convoy that was supposed to bring reinforcements, which resulted in the battle of Tassafaronga .
In early 1943, Honolulu operated in Task Force 67, which fought the Tokyo Express , a Japanese supply line for the troops on Guadalcanal. She was also involved in the bombardment of New Georgia , another island in the Solomon Islands . After helping the Allied forces land on New Georgia, she opened fire on the Japanese ships in the Battle of the Kula Gulf , taking out one destroyer and being involved in the sinking of another.
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The now battle-tested cruiser had another mission in the battle of Kolombangara , where it was badly damaged by a torpedo hit on the bow. Shortly after midnight, she had contact with a Japanese force, consisting of cruisers and destroyers, which entered the strait between the island chains of the northern and southern Solomon Islands (called The Slot ). At 1:10 am, the Honolulu opened fire on a destroyer, which was quickly hit and then disappeared. At 2:11 a.m. the Honolulu was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side. The task force then returned to Tulagi . There the cruiser was repaired to the point that it could go to Pearl Harbor, where it arrived on August 16 to carry out extensive repairs.
After it was repaired, the Honolulu continued to be used in the war against Japan. It reached Espírito Santo on December 11th and continued its operations in the Solomon Islands . On the 27th of the month she was involved in the fight against launches, troops and supply trips of the Japanese at Bougainville . Before she left the combat area to take part in the operations near Saipan and Guam , she supported the landing on the Green Islands on February 13, 1944 . The Honolulu participated in the bombardment of the southeastern part of Saipan in early June when the American Pacific Fleet pushed forward. During the attack on Guam in mid-June, the Honolulu was used to intercept a Japanese force.
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Then she ran back to Eniwetok , a large American base, to take supplies before being used in the invasion of Guam. She stayed there for three weeks, where she was able to support the landing well with her precise fire. She was then used to support the landing on Palau , where she stayed until September.
On October 12th she left Manus to take part in the conquest of the Philippines . She began shelling the Leyte Gulf on October 19 , and covered the landings the next day. At 4:00 p.m. she sighted a torpedo bomber. Despite attempts to evade, she was hit by a torpedo. The next day she ran to Manus, where she arrived on October 19th. Temporary repairs were made there before being relocated to Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia .
The final repairs were carried out there, combined with modernization. This was not yet completed by the end of the war. So the Honolulu was no longer sent into battle.
After a test drive, she went to Newport, where she was used as a training ship. She arrived in Philadelphia on January 8, 1946 , was decommissioned and assigned to the reserve fleet. It was sold on November 17, 1949 and then scrapped.
The Honolulu received eight Battle Stars for service in World War II .
