USS Astoria (CA-34)

USS Astoria (CA-34) was a ''New Orleans''-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy that served during World War II. Named for the city of Astoria, Oregon, she was the second vessel to bear the name and was commissioned in 1934. The cruiser participated in several early Pacific campaigns before being sunk in the intense night surface action of the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942, a pivotal engagement in the Guadalcanal campaign.

Construction and commissioning

The ship's keel was laid down on 1 September 1930 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. She was launched on 16 December 1933, sponsored by Miss Leila C. McKay, and commissioned on 28 April 1934 under the command of Captain Edmund S. Root. As a member of the ''New Orleans'' class, her design incorporated lessons from the earlier London Naval Treaty limitations, featuring a powerful armament of nine 8-inch guns and significant belt armor protection. Following her shakedown cruise, she was assigned to Cruiser Division 6 of the Scouting Force operating in the Pacific Ocean.

Service history

Following initial operations along the West Coast of the United States, Astoria transported the remains of Ambassador Hiroshi Saito from the United States to Japan in early 1939, a diplomatic mission. She was later transferred to Pearl Harbor as part of the Hawaiian Detachment. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, she was at sea with Task Force 12 and thus avoided damage, immediately beginning patrol duties. In early 1942, she screened the aircraft carrier USS ''Lexington'' during raids in the South Pacific, including the Bougainville strike and the Battle of the Coral Sea. After repairs at Pearl Harbor, she was assigned to Task Force 16 centered on the carrier USS ''Enterprise'', supporting operations during the pivotal Battle of Midway.

Battle of Savo Island and loss

In August 1942, Astoria was assigned to the Allied naval forces supporting the amphibious landings on Guadalcanal. On the night of 8–9 August, a powerful Imperial Japanese Navy force of seven cruisers and one destroyer, under Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, surprised the Allied screening force in Ironbottom Sound. In the ensuing Battle of Savo Island, Astoria, part of the southern Allied group, was engaged by the Japanese cruisers ''Chōkai'' and ''Kinugasa''. She was hit repeatedly by 8-inch shellfire, which set the aircraft on her fantail ablaze and caused catastrophic damage to her superstructure and engineering spaces. Despite valiant efforts by her crew, including Captain William G. Greenman, to control the fires and flooding, the ship was lost. She sank in the early morning hours of 9 August 1942, with 219 sailors killed from her crew and the attached Vought OS2U Kingfisher aviation detachment.

Wreck discovery

The wreck of Astoria was located in 1992 by an expedition led by Robert Ballard, who had previously discovered the wreck of RMS ''Titanic''. The cruiser rests upright in approximately 900 meters of water near Savo Island, in the Solomon Islands. Surveys showed the ship's forward section was relatively intact, while the aft portion sustained severe damage from the fires that ultimately doomed her. The site is considered a war grave and is protected under international custom and Solomon Islands law, with the U.S. Navy retaining ownership of the vessel.

Awards and legacy

For her World War II service, USS Astoria was awarded three battle stars, for the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and the Guadalcanal campaign. Her loss at Savo Island, along with the cruisers USS ''Quincy'' and USS ''Vincennes'', was a severe tactical defeat for the Allies but did not prevent the consolidation of the Guadalcanal beachhead. The battle led to significant changes in U.S. Navy night-fighting doctrine and tactics. The name was carried on by a later ''Cleveland''-class light cruiser, USS ''Astoria'' (CL-90), which saw service later in the war. Category:New Orleans-class heavy cruisers Category:World War II cruisers of the United States Category:Ships sunk in the Solomon Islands