USS Portland (CA-33)

USS Portland (CA-33) was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers built for the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1933, she served extensively in the Pacific Theater during World War II, participating in nearly every major naval campaign. The cruiser earned 16 battle stars for her service, surviving severe damage at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal to continue fighting until the end of the war.

Design and description

The Portland-class design was a modification of the preceding Northampton-class cruiser, featuring a fuller hull form and increased armor protection, particularly to the belt armor and gun turrets. As built, her main battery consisted of nine 8"/55 caliber guns mounted in three triple gun turrets, with a secondary armament of eight 5"/25 caliber guns for anti-aircraft warfare. Propulsion was provided by eight White-Forster boilers driving four Parsons geared steam turbines, which gave her a top speed of over 32 knots. She carried four floatplanes for aerial reconnaissance, launched by two aircraft catapults mounted amidships.

Construction and career

USS Portland was laid down on 17 February 1930 at the Fore River Shipyard of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 21 May 1932, sponsored by Mrs. Ralph D. Brewster, wife of the Senator from Maine, and was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 23 February 1933 under the command of Captain H. F. Leary. Following shakedown cruises in the Atlantic Ocean and off South America, she transferred to her namesake city of Portland, Maine, for a ceremonial visit before joining the Scouting Force of the United States Fleet. In 1935, she transited the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet, based at San Pedro, and participated in routine fleet exercises and goodwill visits to ports like Pearl Harbor and Panama City.

World War II

When the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on 7 December 1941, Portland was at sea with Task Force 12 en route to Midway Atoll and immediately began anti-submarine warfare patrols. Her first major combat action was at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, where she screened the aircraft carriers USS ''Lexington'' and USS ''Yorktown''. The following month, she played a crucial role in the Battle of Midway, providing anti-aircraft fire for the carrier USS ''Enterprise''. She then supported the Guadalcanal campaign, seeing action at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. During the intense Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942, Portland was struck by a Type 93 torpedo from the Japanese destroyer ''Yudachi'', which blew off her stern and jammed her rudder. Despite this, her crew fought on, contributing to the sinking of the Japanese battleship ''Hiei''.

After extensive repairs at Sydney and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Portland returned to combat in late 1943. She provided naval gunfire support for the Aleutian Islands campaign, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, and the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, including the Battle of Saipan and the Battle of Tinian. In 1944, she participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, engaging Japanese forces in the Battle of Surigao Strait. The following year, she supported the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf and the Battle of Iwo Jima. Her final major operation was the Battle of Okinawa, where she endured numerous kamikaze attacks while bombarding Japanese positions. She was present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender aboard the USS ''Missouri'' in September 1945.

Awards and legacy

For her extensive wartime service, USS Portland was awarded 16 battle stars, placing her among the most decorated U.S. warships of World War II. After transporting Allied personnel home in Operation Magic Carpet, she was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 12 July 1946. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959 and sold for scrap on 6 October 1959. Her legacy is preserved by the Naval History and Heritage Command, and her name was later carried by the amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD-27).

Category:Portland-class cruisers of the United States Navy