USS Houston (CA-30)

USS Houston (CA-30) was a heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, the second vessel to bear the name for the city of Houston, Texas. Commissioned in 1930, she served as the flagship for the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and later saw extensive service in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The cruiser was famously lost in the Battle of Sunda Strait in early 1942, with a significant portion of her crew becoming prisoners of war of the Empire of Japan.

Design and description

The Houston was part of the six-ship ''Northampton'' class, designed within the constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty. These vessels were classified as treaty cruisers, limiting their standard displacement to 10,000 long tons. Her main battery consisted of nine 8-inch 55-caliber guns mounted in three triple gun turrets, with a secondary armament of four 5-inch 25-caliber anti-aircraft guns. Propulsion was provided by four Parsons geared steam turbines driven by eight White-Forster boilers, generating 107,000 shaft horsepower for a top speed of 32.7 knots. Her protection included a 3-inch thick armored belt and 1-inch thick armored deck.

Construction and commissioning

The contract for the cruiser's construction was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia on 13 December 1924. Her keel was laid down on 1 May 1928, and she was launched on 7 September 1929, sponsored by Elizabeth Holcombe, daughter of the then-mayor of Houston, Oscar Holcombe. The vessel was commissioned into the United States Navy on 17 June 1930 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, with Captain Jesse B. Gay assuming command as her first commanding officer.

Service history

Following shakedown cruise in the Atlantic Ocean, Houston initially served as flagship for the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, Admiral Jehu V. Chase. In 1931, she transported President Herbert Hoover on a Goodwill tour of Latin America. From 1933 to 1934, she was the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet, based in Manila and Shanghai. In 1935, she returned to Pearl Harbor as flagship for the Hawaiian Detachment. A notable peacetime duty was serving as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's favorite naval vessel for several cruises, including fishing trips in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Northwest. At the outbreak of World War II, she was operating with the ABDA Command fleet in the Dutch East Indies, participating in early actions like the Battle of Makassar Strait and the Battle of the Java Sea.

Loss and legacy

Houston was lost during the Battle of Sunda Strait on the night of 28 February–1 March 1942. While attempting to escape the Java Sea with the Australian light cruiser HMAS ''Perth'', the Allied force encountered a major Imperial Japanese Navy invasion convoy for Java. In a fierce night engagement against overwhelming forces, including the heavy cruisers ''Mikuma'' and ''Mogami'', both Houston and Perth were sunk by naval gunfire and torpedoes. Of Houston’s crew of 1,061, approximately 368 survived the sinking, only to be captured by the Japanese. These men endured brutal conditions as prisoners of war, with many forced into slave labor on projects like the Burma Railway; only 291 survived the war. The wreck of the Houston was located in 2014 in the Java Sea.

Awards and commemorations

For her World War II service, USS Houston (CA-30) was awarded two battle stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. The ship and her crew's ordeal are memorialized at the USS Houston (CA-30) Memorial in Houston. The United States Navy has named two subsequent vessels in her honor: the ''Cleveland''-class light cruiser USS Houston (CL-81) and the ''Los Angeles''-class attack submarine USS Houston (SSN-713). The story of her crew's captivity is a central subject in historical works like Gavan Daws' Prisoners of the Japanese. Category:Northampton-class cruisers Category:Ships built in Virginia Category:World War II cruisers of the United States Category:Maritime incidents in March 1942