_in_Panama_Canal_1938.jpg) USSVincennes, passing through thePanama Canal on 6 January 1938, while en route to join the U.S. Fleet in the Pacific | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Vincennes |
| Namesake | City ofVincennes, Indiana |
| Ordered | 16 June 1933 |
| Awarded | 3 August 1933 |
| Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation'sFore River Shipyard,Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Cost | $11,720,000 (contract price) |
| Laid down | 2 January 1934 |
| Launched | 21 May 1936 |
| Sponsored by | Miss Harriet Virginia Kimmell |
| Commissioned | 24 February 1937 |
| Identification | Hull symbol: CA-44 |
| Honors & awards |  2 ×battle stars |
| Fate | Sunk,Battle of Savo Island, 9 August 1942 |
| General characteristics (as built)[1] | |
| Class & type | New Orleans-classcruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 61 ft 10 in (18.85 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32.7 kn (60.6 km/h; 37.6 mph) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Capacity | Fuel oil: 1,650 tons |
| Complement | 103 officers 763 enlisted |
| Armament | |
| Armor |
|
| Aircraft carried | 4 ×floatplanes |
| Aviation facilities | 2 ×Amidshipcatapults |
| General characteristics (1942)[2][3] | |
| Armament |
|
USSVincennes (CL/CA-44) was aUnited States NavyNew Orleans-classcruiser, sunk at theBattle of Savo Island in 1942. She was the second ship to bear the name.
She was laid down on 2 January 1934 atQuincy, Massachusetts, by theBethlehem Shipbuilding Company'sFore River plant, launched on 21 May 1936, sponsored by Miss Harriet Virginia Kimmell (daughter ofJoseph Kimmell, mayor ofVincennes, Indiana), and commissioned on 24 February 1937,CaptainBurton H. Green in command.[4]
TheNew Orleans-class cruisers were the last U.S. cruisers built to the specifications and standards of theWashington Naval Treaty of 1922. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement and 8-inch caliber main guns may be referred to as "treaty cruisers." Originally classified alight cruiser when she was authorized, because of her thin armor,Vincennes was reclassified aheavy cruiser, because of her 8-inch guns. The term "heavy cruiser" was not defined until theLondon Naval Treaty in 1930. This ship andQuincy were a slightly improved version of theNew Orleans-class design.
The new cruiser departed fromBoston on 19 April 1937 for her shakedown cruise which took her toStockholm,Sweden;Helsinki,Finland;Le Havre, France; andPortsmouth, England.[4]
Early in January 1938,Vincennes was assigned toCruiser Division 7 (CruDiv 7),Scouting Force, and steamed through thePanama Canal toSan Diego, California. In March, the ship participated inFleet Problem XIX in theHawaiian area before returning toSan Pedro, California, for operations off the west coast for the remainder of the year.[4]
Following an overhaul at theMare Island Navy Yard which lasted through April 1939, the cruiser returned east, transited the Panama Canal on 6 June, in company withQuincy,Tuscaloosa, andSan Francisco and anchored inHampton Roads on the 13th. For the next two months, she operated out of Norfolk in the vicinity of theChesapeake lightship and the southern drill grounds. On 1 September 1939, the day on whichAdolf Hitler's legions marched intoPoland and commenced hostilities in Europe,Vincennes lay at anchor offTompkinsville, New York. She then began conductingNeutrality Patrols off the east coast, ranging into theCaribbean Sea and theYucatán Channel, and continued these duties through the spring of 1940.[4]
Late in May, as German troops were smashing Allied defenses in France,Vincennes received orders to immediately transit to theAzores and then, receive further direction. However, the cryptologic code machine failed onceVincennes arrived atPonta Delgada. Unable to receive follow-on orders, theVincennes remained in port from 4–6 June 1940 until the code machine was repaired by an enlisted sailor, Lewis Lee Edwards, using an emory board file to remove corrosion from the code machine's electrical contacts. For his actions, Edwards was offered a naval officer's commission.
With her communications reestablished, theVincennes received urgent orders to proceed toFrench Morocco to receive a shipment ofgold from the French Currency Gold Reserves for transport to the United States preventing it from being captured by Nazi Germany a few days later. While at anchor atCasablanca, the ship received word ofItaly's declaration of war upon France, the "stab in the back" condemned byPresidentFranklin Roosevelt soon thereafter.Vincennes' commanding officer — CaptainJohn R. Beardall (later to becomeNaval Aide to the President) — noted subsequently in his official report of the cruise that "it was apparent that the French bitterly resented this [the declaration of war] and despised Italy for her actions." After departingNorth African waters on 10 June, the cruiser returned to the United States to offload her precious metallic cargo and return to the drudgery of Neutrality Patrols.[4]
Overhauling atNorfolk Navy Yard,Portsmouth, Virginia, into the first week of January 1941,Vincennes departed Hampton Roads on 7 January, in company withWichita,New York, andTexas, bound forGuantánamo Bay,Cuba. Operating once again in the Caribbean, the heavy cruiser fired battle practice and gunnery exercises in company withWichita through 18 January, when the two cruisers proceeded forPortland Bight,Jamaica. Conducting Neutrality Patrols from this port,Vincennes patrolled in company with other ships safeguarding neutral waters and America's recently acquired Caribbean bases.[4]
Vincennes joined other Fleet units for landing exercises atCulebra,Puerto Rico, on 4 February 1941 and sent her 50 ft (15 m) boats to assist in unloading and troop debarkation drills. She assisted transportsMcCawley andWharton in landing men and material before taking station with Fire Support Group II. The cruiser then fired simulated gunfire support operations with her main and secondary batteries in exercises which foreshadowed her future combat role in theSouth Pacific.[4]
For the remainder of February, the ship continued her landing support operations with Transport Divisions 2 and 7 (TransDivs 2 and 7), anchoring on occasion atMayagüez orGuayanilla, Puerto Rico. Conducting operations out of Puerto Rican waters,Vincennes called atPernambuco,Brazil, on 17 March and got underway forCape Town,South Africa, on the 20th. Arriving to a warm welcome nine days later, the ship took on a large shipment of gold bullion to pay for arms purchased in the United States by theUnited Kingdom and then headed home on the 30th.En route to New York, she conducted exercises. After a brief post-voyage period of repairs, the heavy cruiser sailed for theVirginia Capes, where she rendezvoused withRanger andSampson, proceeded on toBermuda, and dropped anchor inGrassy Bay on 30 April. She patrolled in the Caribbean and off the Atlantic coast of the United States through June.[4]
After continuing her duties with the Neutrality Patrol into the autumn as American naval forces in the North Atlantic found themselves engaged in ade facto war with Germany,Vincennes undertook another mission to South African waters. She left the east coast late in November withConvoy WS-12, American transports carrying British troops. On 7 December 1941, the cruiser fought its way through heavy seas. Walls of water mercilessly pounded the ships of the convoy, and waves batteredVincennes, smashing a motor whaleboat to pieces and ripping aSOC Seagullfloatplane from its "moorings" on the storm-lashed well-deck amidships. The plane was battered against thecatapult silos and into the hangar doors before it was swept over the ship's side. By that evening, however, the ship learned that she was not only at war with the elements but with Japan as well. Japanese naval air forces had struckPearl Harbor and plunged the United States into war.[4]
After having safely convoyed her charges toCape Town, where she arrived on 9 December,Vincennes departed South African waters on the 16th, bound, viaTrinidad, for Hampton Roads. Following her arrival at Norfolk on 4 January 1942, she shifted to New York four days later to be outfitted for war. Late in the month, she joinedHornet as the carrier conducted her shakedown training off the east coast of the United States.[4]
Vincennes sailed from New York on 4 March, bound for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal on 11 March, and proceeded toSan Francisco.[4]
The heavy cruiser, now a part ofTF 18, built aroundHornet, departed San Francisco on 2 April. The carrier bore a strange deck cargo: 16 ArmyB-25 Mitchellmedium bombers slated to strike at Japan's heart. TF 18 rendezvoused with TF 16, built aroundEnterprise, and with the combined might of the two task forces, struck out westward across the Pacific, headed toward Japanese home waters.[4]
On the morning of 18 April, when the American warships were still some 150 mi (240 km) from the planned launch point, an unexpected hitch developed. Japanese trawlers sighted and reported the task force.Vice AdmiralWilliam Halsey decided to fly off the bombers immediately. Accordingly, all 16 of the heavily loaded Mitchells, laden with bombs and extra fuel, rose fromHornet's spray-slickedflight deck and climbed unsteadily into the leaden gray skies. Although the raid inflicted only minimal materiel damage upon the Japanese homeland, it nevertheless packed a powerful morale building "punch". When queried as to the base from whence the bombers had come, President Roosevelt said "fromShangri-La".[4]
The combinedEnterprise andHornet task force retired eastward and made Pearl Harbor on 25 April. Departing again five days later, the ships, still screened byVincennes, bent on speed toward theCoral Sea. However, they were too late to take part in theBattle of the Coral Sea.[4]
Vincennes' task force returned to Pearl Harbor on 26 May but got underway again on the 29th, bound for waters offMidway Island, which, according to American intelligence reports, a Japanese invasion force was approaching. By 4 June, the heavy cruiser had joined TF16 and was steaming north of Midway.[4]
After American air attacks had crippled three of the four Japanese carriers theVincennes, together with the cruiserPensacola and destroyersBenham andBalch, was sent over to TF17 to reinforce the carrier Yorktown after it had suffered damage in a dive bombing attack.
At 1640, a group ofNakajima B5N "Kate"torpedo bombers fromHiryū approached from the north.TF 17's radar soon picked them up 15 mi (24 km) out, andYorktown launched planes to intercept as her screen deployed to bring an optimum concentration of anti-aircraft fire to bear upon the approaching enemy. Three minutes after the first plane was spotted,Grumman F4F Wildcats from the carrier hit a "Kate". The Japanese torpedo plane spiraled from the sky trailing a long streamer of smoke before crashing into the sea.[4]
Vincennes opened fire at 1644 with her5 in (130 mm)/25 cal, 20 mm, and 1.1 in (28 mm) anti-aircraft batteries. Increasing her speed to 25 kn (29 mph; 46 km/h) and slowly turning to starboard,Vincennes kept her port guns trained on the enemy. While combing torpedo tracks,Vincennes hit a "Kate" and it went into the sea 150 yd (140 m) off her port bow.[4]
The sharp, bitter action ended as quickly as it had begun. The Japanese had been driven off, but at a high cost for the Americans.Yorktown, mortally hit and listing to port, slowed to a halt.Vincennes followedAstoria around the carrier, screening from further air attacks. However, on 6 June,I-168 slipped through a screen of six destroyers and torpedoedYorktown andHammann, sinking the latter. The carrier went down early on the 7th.[4]
Returning to Pearl Harbor,Vincennes entered the navy yard for repairs and alterations which lasted until early July. She then conducted tactical exercises off the island of Hawaii with other ships of TF 11 before departing Hawaiian waters on 14 July to rendezvous with TFs 16, 18, and 62.[4]
_in_the_Solomons_1942.jpg)
_bombards_Guadalcanal.jpg)
Screening for transport squadron "X-ray", slated to participate in theGuadalcanal landings,Vincennes, in company withSan Juan andQuincy, joined TF 62 on 26 July. On the 27th, the cruiser conducted approach exercises for landing practice and simulated bombardment drills offKoro Island in theFiji group. As flagship forTask Group 62.3 (TG 62.3),Vincennes remained on station in the covering force in the transport area before undertaking further approach and landing exercise support drills.[4]
Following replenishing, the heavy cruiser formed up with the American armada making its way to theSolomon Islands.Vincennes, screening transport division "Yoke", arrived off Guadalcanal on 7 August. At daybreak, beneath overcast skies, the ship catapulted herscout planes and then unlimbered her main and secondary batteries to commence shore bombardment. While the thunder of the supporting ships' gunfire reverberated across the waters, Marines disembarked from their landing craft and stormed ashore to meet initially light resistance on the island.[4]
Shortly after 1320, Japanese planes launched a counterstrike. To sunward of the transports,Vincennes found herself in a favorable position to combat the attack and tracked the opposing planes, being among the first ships to open fire on the attackers. Forced to jettison their deadly loads prematurely, the Japanese retired without doing any damage, but not beforeVincennes had bagged two of them. After sunset,Vincennes,Quincy, andAstoria, in company withHelm andJarvis, retired to conduct screening patrols.[4]
Returning to her covering duties at daylight,Vincennes arrived at transport area "X-ray", off Guadalcanal by daybreak. Two minutes before noon, Japanese bombers, intent on avenging their losses of the day before and disrupting the American landing, swooped down fromRabaul. 27Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers swept in, in a low-level torpedo attack and ran a gauntlet of gunfire from the transports and their escorting cruisers and destroyers. 3,000 yd (2,700 m) from the transports,Vincennes, as in the previous day's action, was again in favorable firing position and opened up with every gun in her battery, from 8 in (200 mm) to 20 mm, that could bear on the attackers.[4]
During the ensuing melee, the cruiser used her 8 in (200 mm) guns effectively, helping to down at least seven "Bettys" which flew at an altitude of only 25 to 50 ft (7.6 to 15.2 m). The shell splashes from the main battery caused Japanese pilots to fly into walls of water or forced them to drastically alter their approaches.Vincennes dodged one torpedo which passed beneath her stern and evaded a bomb which fell off her port quarter.Jarvis, adjacent to the cruiser, took one torpedo hit which ultimately proved fatal to the ship.[4]
Later, during the afternoon, aerial reconnaissance reported a Japanese surface force coming down from the base at Rabaul. These flights noted what was thought to be three Japanese cruisers, three destroyers and two gunboats or seaplane tenders steaming south. WhileJarvis limped away fromLunga Point,Vincennes and her sistersQuincy andAstoria steamed, as the northern escort force, to a position offSavo Island to screen the vulnerable transports which were still unloading off the invasion beaches. CaptainFrederick Lois Riefkohl ofVincennes assumed that the enemy ships reportedly en route from Rabaul were going to launch and support another air attack early the following morning. He accordingly issued orders to be especially vigilant during the midwatch and fully expected an air attack at daybreak.[4]
At about midnight on 8 August, Riefkohl retired to his sea cabin, adjacent to the pilothouse, after having been on the bridge continuously since 0445 that morning. Turning in at 0050 on 9 August, he left his ship in the hands of the executive officer,CommanderW. E. A. Mullan.[4]
Nearly an hour later, at about 0145, lookouts spotted flares and star shells to the southward, accompanied by the low rumble of gunfire. The sound of the general quarters alarm soon rang throughout the ship and stirred her to action.Vincennes' lookouts were seeing the elimination of the southern escort group, based aroundHMAS Canberra andChicago. Unbeknownst to the men manning the ships to the northward, a powerful enemy force was heading in their direction. Six cruisers and one destroyer under the command ofVice AdmiralGunichi Mikawa had turned north and were steaming directly towardsVincennes and her two sisters.[4]
The first Japanese cruisersearchlight beams illuminatedVincennes shortly after 0155, and the American cruiser opened fire with her main battery at the troublesome lights. Within a minute, however, Japanese shells bracketed the ship andVincennes shuddered under the impact of Japanese eight-inch armor-piercing shells. The bridge, carpenter shop, "battle II," and radio antenna trunks all were hit by the first salvo.[4]
Altering course to port, Riefkohl, who had come to the bridge at the alarm, rang down for increased speed. With the ship and internal communications disrupted, it is doubtful that the order was received. Still moving at 19.5 kn (22.4 mph; 36.1 km/h), the heavy cruiser reeled under the impact of another group of direct hits.[4]
Some of the shells in this group set fire to the volatile aircraft inVincennes' hangar space, and the resultant flames became uncontrollable. A direct hit knocked the aft antiaircraft director overboard. At 0200,Vincennes heeled to starboard in an attempt to evade enemy gunfire, only to be hit by Japanese torpedoes. One or two "Long Lance" torpedoes ripped into the ship's number 4 fireroom and put it out of action.[4] In moments the report came "Both engine rooms are black and dead."[citation needed]
_memorial.jpg)
Having lost power and all steering control five minutes later,Vincennes was dead in the water within minutes. The glare of burning fires attracted additional incoming shells which quickly put the ship's own guns out of action.Vincennes shuddered to a halt. Hit at least 85 times by 8 and 5 in (200 and 130 mm) shells, the ship gradually began to list.
At 0210, the Japanese retired, leaving Savo Island and the burning hulks of three American cruisers in their wakes. AsVincennes' list increased to port, Riefkohl issued the order to abandon ship at 0230. Serviceable life jackets and rafts were broken out, and the crew began abandoning ship. At 0240, the captain went down to the main deck and jumped into the waters of what would come to be known asIronbottom Sound.[4] 322 crewmen were killed in action.[5]
Riefkohl subsequently wrote: "The magnificentVincennes, which we were all so proud of, and which I had the honor to command since 23 April 1941, rolled over and then sank at about 0250, 9 August 1942, about 2½ miles east of Savo Island … Solomons Group, in some 500 fathoms [910 m] of water."[4]
The wreck of USSVincennes was discovered in early 2015 during a sonar mapping project of Iron Bottom Sound led by Microsoft co-founderPaul Allen.[6]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
9°7′17″S159°52′48″E / 9.12139°S 159.88000°E /-9.12139; 159.88000
