USN · CL
SunkCleveland-class light cruiser, CL-103, the name reused after CL-90 was renamed Astoria before completion. New York Shipbuilding launched her at Camden on 24 December 1943 and the Navy commissioned her at Philadelphia on 1 July 1944. She screened the fast carriers from the South China Sea to Japan, bombarded Iwo Jima, fought off Okinawa, and lay alongside the burning carrier Bunker Hill. She was not sunk in the war. The hulk sank off the Florida Keys on 12 and 13 May 1972.
| Class | Cleveland class |
|---|---|
| Type | Light cruiser (CL) |
| Hull | CL-103 |
| Builder | New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden |
| Launched | 1943-12-24 |
| Commissioned | 1944-07-01 |
| Fate | Sunk. Decommissioned and placed in reserve at Philadelphia on 9 October 1947. Struck on 15 January 1971, the last light cruiser then on the Navy list. Used in underwater explosive tests. On 12 May 1972 the hulk broke in two; the after section sank that day and the forward section sank on 13 May after a scuttling charge. She lies off the Florida Keys as an artificial reef. Four battle stars. Not lost in combat. |
| Armament (class) | Four triple 6-inch turrets and two funnels. |
| Command |
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Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.
The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.
USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) underway on 10 July 1944, ten days after she was placed in commission. Her camouflage is Measure 33, Design 24D. Naval Historical Center Public domain.
The pictures on this page are the originals.
No color version yet. Colored pictures and film will be added here.
Command
Iwo Jima
1945-02-19 · Called in on 21 February 1945 and bombarded gun positions, pillboxes, caves, and an ammunition dump, and broke up a counterattack with call-fire. Not sunk.
Okinawa
1945-04-01 · With the fast carriers off Okinawa from 1 April 1945, shot down aircraft, shelled Minami Daito, and went alongside the burning Bunker Hill on 11 May. Not sunk.
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