USS Boise (CL-47)

USS Boise (CL-47)
U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-19153 · Public domain · source
Ship name	USS Boise
Ship class	Brooklyn-class light cruiser
Hull number	CL-47
Namesake	Boise, Idaho
Builder	Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard
Laid down	6 January 1935
Launched	2 March 1936
Commissioned	12 June 1938
Decommissioned	12 December 1949
Fate	Transferred to Argentine Navy as Nueve de Julio (C-5); scrapped 1978
Displacement	9,767 long tons (standard)
Length	608 ft
Beam	61 ft
Draft	20 ft
Propulsion	4 geared steam turbines, 4 shafts
Speed	32.5 knots
Complement	~868 officers and enlisted
Armament	15 × 6 in/47 cal guns, 8 × 5 in/25 cal AA, 16 × .50 cal MGs (as built)

USS Boise (CL-47) was a Brooklyn-class light cruiser of the United States Navy commissioned in 1938. Built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, she served in the Atlantic and Pacific, seeing extensive action during World War II in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Boise earned multiple battle stars before being decommissioned and transferred to the Argentine Navy as ARA Nueve de Julio.

Design and construction

Boise was one of nine Brooklyn-class light cruisers ordered under the naval construction programs of the mid-1930s designed to comply with the London Naval Treaty. Designed for rapid-fire surface action, the class emphasized fifteen 6-inch/47 caliber guns in five triple turrets, heavy torpedo armament, and a high top speed intended to counter contemporary Japanese cruiser designs. Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard laid her keel on 6 January 1935, and she was launched on 2 March 1936, sponsored by civic leaders from Boise, Idaho. Her engineering plant of four geared steam turbines powered four shafts to produce speeds exceeding 30 knots, and her armor scheme reflected the treaty-era compromise between protection and displacement.

Pre-war service

Following commissioning on 12 June 1938 under Captain Frederick L. Riefkohl (note: example), Boise conducted shakedown and training cruises along the United States East Coast and in the Caribbean Sea, visiting ports such as Norfolk, Virginia, New York City, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Assigned to the Scouting Force and later to Cruiser Divisions operating from Pearl Harbor and West Coast bases, she participated in fleet exercises and Fleet Problem maneuvers that involved confrontation scenarios with units representing Imperial Japanese Navy forces. Boise's pre-war deployments also included goodwill visits to South American ports that strengthened ties with Argentina and Chile under the Good Neighbor policy.

World War II service

At the outbreak of World War II for the United States, Boise was operating in the Atlantic before being reassigned to the Pacific Fleet in 1942. During the Java Sea campaign and operations in the Indian Ocean, Boise escorted convoys between Australia, Sri Lanka, and India and supported carrier task forces in strikes against Japanese positions. In the Battle of the Mediterranean context—notably unrelated—Boise's wartime highlights included action in the Solomon Islands campaign and the New Guinea campaign, where she provided naval gunfire support for amphibious landings and anti-aircraft defense for escorting carriers such as USS Saratoga (CV-3) and USS Enterprise (CV-6).

Boise survived multiple air attacks, including raids by aircraft from Rabaul and land-based Imperial Japanese Army Air Service units, and underwent repairs after battle damage sustained during surface engagements and air raids. Notably, during operations around Kavieng and the Bismarck Archipelago, Boise engaged enemy destroyers and provided shore bombardment to neutralize Japanese airfields and supply points. Her armament and crew adaptations over the war saw increased anti-aircraft fit, incorporating additional 40 mm and 20 mm batteries to counter the kamikaze and dive-bomber threat encountered during late-war operations near Philippines and Okinawa.

Post-war service and transfer

After V-J Day, Boise performed occupation duties, escorting transports and supporting Operation Magic Carpet repatriation missions from Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific to the United States. She returned to the continental United States and was decommissioned on 12 December 1949. Under postwar reduction and foreign military assistance programs, the cruiser was transferred to the Argentine Navy on loan in 1951, renamed ARA Nueve de Julio, serving as a flagship and training ship for the Armada de la República Argentina. During Argentine service she underwent refits including modernized fire-control systems and anti-aircraft upgrades before being stricken and sold for scrap in 1978, concluding her naval career.

Awards and honors

Boise received multiple awards for her wartime service, including several battle star recognitions for participation in major operations across the Pacific Theater and the Indian Ocean. Her crew members were eligible for campaign medals such as the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. The ship’s legacy is preserved in naval histories and at museums in Boise, Idaho where artifacts and records commemorate her service.

Category:Brooklyn-class cruisers Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts Category:1936 ships Category:World War II cruisers of the United States Navy