USS Duluth (CL-87)

USS Duluth (CL-87) was a United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruiser.

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

USS Duluth (CL-87), near Hampton Roads, October 1944
History
United States
Name: Duluth
Namesake: City of Duluth, Minnesota
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Laid down: 9 November 1942
Launched: 13 January 1944
Sponsored by: Mrs. E. H. Hatch
Commissioned: 18 September 1944
Decommissioned: 25 June 1949
Identification:
Honors and
awards:		 2 × battle stars
Fate: Sold for scrap on 14 November 1960
General characteristics
Class and type: Cleveland-class Light cruiser
Displacement:
  • 11,744 long tons (11,932 t) (standard)
  • 14,131 long tons (14,358 t) (max)
Length:
  • 610 ft 1 in (185.95 m) oa
  • 608 ft (185 m)pp
Beam: 66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft:
  • 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) (mean)
  • 25 ft (7.6 m) (max)
Installed power:
Propulsion:
Speed: 32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)
Range: 11,000 nmi (20,000 km) @ 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement: 1,255 officers and enlisted
Armament:
Armor:
Aircraft carried: 4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities: 2 × stern catapults

She was launched 13 January 1944 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia; sponsored by Mrs. E. H. Hatch, wife of the Mayor of Duluth, Minnesota; and commissioned 18 September 1944, Captain Donald Roderick Osborn, Jr., US Naval Academy class of 1920, in command.[1]

Service history

From 14 December 1944 to 2 March 1945, Duluth served as a training cruiser at Newport, Rhode Island. After a brief overhaul at Norfolk, she sailed 7 April for the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor 29 April. On 8 May, she got underway to join the 5th Fleet and rendezvoused with the fast carriers on 27 May. Severe structural damage to her bow suffered in a typhoon 5 June forced her to return to Guam for repairs, but she rejoined TF 38 on 21 July to screen during the final air strikes on the Japanese homeland which continued until the end of the war.[1]

From 24 August 1945 until she entered Tokyo Bay 16 September, Duluth operated with TF 38 which was providing radar picket and combat air patrol for transport aircraft flying occupation forces into Japan. On 1 October, Duluth sailed for the United States, arriving at Seattle 19 October for Navy Day celebrations.[1]

Based at San Pedro, California, Duluth served a tour of duty in the Far East between 3 January and 27 September 1946, and on 24 February 1947 sailed for an extended visit at Pearl Harbor. Between May and July, she visited Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, Truk, Guam, and Manila. She served again in the Far East, patrolling the China coast, between 22 September 1947 and 19 May 1948, when she returned to her new home port, Long Beach, California. She carried NROTC midshipmen on a training cruise to British Columbia in the summer of 1948, and in February 1949 joined in cold-weather operations off Kodiak, Alaska. She was placed out of commission in reserve 25 June 1949, and sold on 14 November 1960.[1]

Duluth was on the cover of Life Magazine in 1947.[2]

Awards

Duluth received two battle stars for World War II service.[1][2]

References
  1. "Duluth I (CL-87)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  2. "U.S.S. Duluth organization". Retrieved 13 January 2018.

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



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