If there are superstars in naval battles, the USS Portland (CA-33) is one of them. The pre-World War II cruiser USS Portland leads the two-man Portland class, which includes its more famous sister ship, the ill-fated USS Indianapolis (CA-35).
USS Portland managed about 16 Battle Stars for her service in the war, making it one of the most lavishly decorated ships in U.S. Navy history.
The Portland was ordered pre-war on February 13, 1929 and built under the constraints of the Washington Naval Convention enacted after the end of World War I (1914-1918). On February 17, 1930, the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company (Front River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts) saw her keel laid, launched on May 21, 1932, and officially commissioned on February 23, 1933.
As USS Portland, she was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after the city of Portland, Maine. Her original pennant designation was "CL-33", but due to the terms of the London Naval Treaty, she was reclassified as a "heavy cruiser" and was renamed "CA-33".
Two catapults are mounted aft (behind the third main turret) and serve up to four seaplanes (retrievable using an onboard crane). These provide critical sight lines on the horizon, as well as artillery correction and reconnaissance capabilities.
The early riser of the USS Portland proved no different than the interwar warshipsshe was sent on friendship voyages to far-flung corners of the world, but it was her battle in WWII that Time careers apparently ultimately set them apart. Their first action was at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942), where combined American-Australian forces met Japanese forces. USS Portland was one of nine Allied cruisers participating in the battle, which ended with a tactical victory for Japan and a strategic victory for the Allies.
The USS Portland was deployed to defend the USS Yorktown and capture survivors from the doomed USS Lexington - the first carrier-to-carrier engagement in Navy history.
USS Portland was again called to defend Yorktown during the Battle of Midway (June 4-7 June 1942) and later at the Battle of Guadalcanal (August 7, 1942) to 9 February 1943) to escort the Enterprise until the end of the year. During the Battle of Guadalcanal (November 12-November 15, 1942), Portland suffered heavy damage from enemy torpedoes, but not before by sending 7,000 of its own troops ashore And use their artillery to strengthen American positions and help repel Japanese bombardment of enemy positions.
Her injuries kept her out of action for the next six months as repairs were carried out in both Sydney and San Diego.
In mid-1943, during the Aleutian, Gilbert, Marshall, Mariana, and New Guinea campaigns, the USS Portland was repaired, refitted, and returned to service while being forced into combat service. In October 1944, she participated in the Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf (23-26 October 1944), which resulted in a decisive Allied victory (again using combined US-Australian forces).
About 24 Allied cruisers participated in one of the largest naval battles in history. From there, she would bomb the coastal positions of Lingayen Bay and Corregidor.
Before her war career ended, USS Portland had her armament modified to include 4 x 40mm Bofors quadruple-armed turrets, 4 x 40mm double-armed turrets and 17 20mm single-gun Erin Kang Cannon - This is what the air threat attacked when facing the Japanese. She kept her primary and secondary batteries, as well as her salute.
Their final war effort supported the Allied landings on Okinawa, which helped end the Pacific War.
The USS Portland was used to accept the Japanese surrender in the Caroline Islands and to bring home veterans of long hard battles during Operation Magic Carpet. Her services were no longer required after the war, so she was officially retired on July 12, 1946, and retired on October 6, 1959.
- Blue Water Operations
- Fleet Support
- Hunter
- direct attack
610.2 ft (185.99 m)
66 feet (20.12 m)
17 feet (5.18 m)
10,000 tons
33 kn (38 mph)
10,428 nautical miles (12,000 miles; 19,312 km)
1933:
9 x 8" (200 mm) /55 cal main gun
8 x 5" (127 mm) /25 cal anti-aircraft gun (AA)
2 x 3lb (47mm) salute
8 x .50 cal Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)
1945:
9 x 8" (200 mm) /55 cal main gun
8 x 5" (127 mm) /25 cal anti-aircraft gun (AA)
2 x 3lb (47mm) salute
4 x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns mounted on quad mounts
4 x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun twin mounts
17 x 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun on single mount
4 x Seaplanes (reusable)