Cleveland (cruiser)
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| Cleveland (cruiser) | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | USS Cleveland (CL-55) |
| Caption | USS Cleveland underway in 1944 |
| Namesake | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Ordered | 1936 |
| Builder | New York Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down | 6 September 1939 |
| Launched | 30 June 1941 |
| Commissioned | 20 June 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 22 February 1947 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1960 |
| Class and type | Cleveland-class light cruiser |
| Displacement | 11,744 long tons (standard) |
| Length | 610 ft (186 m) |
| Beam | 66 ft 6 in (20.3 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft 6 in (7.5 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 × Westinghouse steam turbines, 4 shafts, 100,000 shp |
| Speed | 32.5 kn (60.2 km/h) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi at 15 kn |
| Complement | 1,255 officers and enlisted |
Cleveland (cruiser) was the lead ship of the Cleveland-class light cruisers of the United States Navy built before and during World War II. She served extensively in the Pacific Ocean campaign, earning multiple battle stars for actions supporting Guadalcanal Campaign, carrier strikes, and amphibious operations across the Solomon Islands, Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and Philippines operations. The ship combined rapid-fire main batteries with substantial anti-aircraft defenses and wartime modifications that reflected evolving Naval warfare requirements.
Design and Development
Cleveland was ordered under the 1938 fiscal program and designed as a development of the Brooklyn-class concept constrained by the Washington Naval Treaty era displacement expectations, later adjusted by wartime exigencies. Designers at New York Shipbuilding Corporation and the Bureau of Ships emphasized beam stability, high speed to escort fast carrier task forces, and increased dual-purpose armament to counter threats posed by Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft and surface units. Naval architects incorporated improved machinery derived from battleship practice and a light armor scheme influenced by studies from General Board analyses. The Cleveland-class hull form and machinery produced 32–33 knots, enabling integration with Fast Carrier Task Force operations under commanders such as Chester W. Nimitz and William F. Halsey Jr..
Operational History
Commissioned in June 1942 under Captain G. S. F. S.],? Cleveland joined Task Force 16 for North Pacific and Pacific operations, providing screening and shore bombardment duties for Carrier Task Group operations. She took part in escort and fire support sorties during the Solomon Islands campaign, supporting amphibious landings during the Battle of Guadalcanal and subsequent operations at New Georgia and Bougainville. During the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign Cleveland supported carrier raids against Tarawa and Kwajalein, then screened fast carriers in strikes on Truk and Saipan, contributing to the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign. In late 1944 and early 1945 she was engaged in the Philippine Sea operations, Leyte Gulf support missions, and provided anti-aircraft protection during kamikaze attacks. Postwar she participated in occupation duties in the Yellow Sea and off Korean Peninsula ports before returning to the United States for decommissioning.
Armament and Equipment
Original armament featured twelve 6 in/47 caliber guns in four triple turrets derived from earlier designs, optimized for surface action and shore bombardment. Secondary batteries consisted of twelve 5 in/38 caliber dual-purpose guns in twin mounts—standardized after tests by the United States Naval Academy and Naval Ordnance Laboratory—providing effective anti-aircraft and surface fire. Anti-aircraft fit expanded through wartime refits to include multiple 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon mounts sourced from Bethlehem Steel-produced installations and coastal anti-aircraft doctrine influenced by Battle of Santa Cruz Islands lessons. Sensors and fire control evolved with installation of SG radar, Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System, and SC radar variants to improve surface search, air warning, and gunnery accuracy under guidance from Naval Research Laboratory and Office of Scientific Research and Development coordination.
Variants and Conversions
As the Cleveland-class was produced in significant numbers, several follow-on ships and conversions exhibited different superstructure arrangements, radar fits, and aircraft facilities influenced by wartime experience and directives from the Chief of Naval Operations. While Cleveland remained largely within the standard light cruiser configuration, sister-ships underwent conversions to anti-aircraft cruisers and test platforms that informed later designs such as Worcester-class and postwar Des Moines-class developments. Modifications during refits aboard yards like Puget Sound Navy Yard and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard included enhanced anti-aircraft magazines, additional radar, and improved damage control systems reflecting lessons from the Battle of Midway through Battle of Okinawa.
Service Record by Fleet and Theater
Cleveland primarily operated with the Pacific Fleet and detachments of Third Fleet and Fifth Fleet carrier task forces under admirals such as William Halsey Jr. and William F. Halsey (see Fast Carrier Task Force command rotations). In the South Pacific she supported Operation Watchtower logistics and fire missions; in the Central Pacific she screened carriers during Operation Flintlock and Operation Galvanic. During the Philippines campaign she protected carrier Lexington-type groups and participated in bombardments supporting Leyte and Mindoro operations. Post-VE, Cleveland served in the Occupation of Japan area before decommissioning into reserve with Atlantic Reserve Fleet custody.
Preservation and Legacy
Decommissioned in 1947, Cleveland was struck in the late 1950s and sold for scrap in 1960, unlike preserved contemporaries such as USS Cleveland (older) which provide historical exhibits. Her wartime service influenced cruiser doctrine and informed United States Navy postwar cruiser development programs, contributing to design lessons applied in the Cold War-era fleet. Artifacts, plans, and photographs of Cleveland are held in collections at institutions including the Naval History and Heritage Command, Smithsonian Institution, and regional archives in Cleveland, Ohio and naval museums that document World War II surface combatant operations and the evolution of 20th-century United States Navy ship design.