_off_the_Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard_on_10_July_1945_(19-N-86911).jpg) USSIndianapolis (CA-35) off theMare Island Naval Shipyard on 10 July 1945 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Portland class |
| Builders | |
| Operators | .svg) United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Northampton class |
| Succeeded by | New Orleans class |
| In commission | 1932-1946 |
| Planned | 5 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement | 9,950–9,800 long tons (10,110–9,960 t) |
| Length | |
| Beam | 66 ft 3 in (20.19 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft (6.4 m) (mean); 23 ft (7.0 m) (maximum) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h) |
| Range | 13,000 nmi (14,960 mi; 24,080 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Capacity | Fuel oil: 1,500 tons |
| Complement | 807 (peacetime) |
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
| Aircraft carried | 3 ×SOC Seagull scout-observationseaplanes |
| Aviation facilities | 2 ×catapults |
ThePortland class ofheavy cruisers was aclass of ships designed and constructed by theUnited States Navy in 1930. The two ships of the class,Portland andIndianapolis, saw extensive service during thePacific War inWorld War II.
Designed as a modification over the previousNorthampton-class cruiser, thePortland classdisplaced just under 10,000 long tons (10,000 t) and featured heavier armor and armament than previous cruisers. Featuring8"/55 caliber guns and designed to function as fleet flagships, thePortland class were intended to fix problems with armament and armor that had been a weakness of preceding U.S. cruisers. These designs were carried over to the followingNew Orleans class, to which six intendedPortland cruisers were converted, three of which were already mid-construction.
Portland served in many engagements including theBattle of Coral Sea, theBattle of Midway and theGuadalcanal Campaign, where she was severely damaged but nonetheless able to return to service. She later fought in theBattle of Leyte Gulf and theBattle of Okinawa.Indianapolis served as a fleet flagship for much of the war and fought in theBattle of Philippine Sea and theBattle of Iwo Jima. On 30 July 1945, after transporting components for thenuclear weaponsLittle Boy andFat Man from the United States, she was torpedoed by theJapanese submarine I-58. Due to a series of errors and miscommunications her loss was not discovered for several days, and only 316 of her 1,195 crew survived – the greatest single loss of life at sea, from a single ship, in the history of the U.S. Navy.
ThePortland class was the third class of heavy cruiser to be constructed by the United States Navy following theWashington Naval Treaty of 1922. The first "treaty cruisers" were the two of thePensacola class ordered in 1926, which emphasized armament and speed at the expense of protection. These ships were followed by the six vessels of theNorthampton class ordered in 1927 with slightly better armor, and introduced the configuration of three triple turrets which would become standard on U.S. Navy heavy cruisers. ThePortland class was a modification of both thePensacola andNorthampton designs.[1]
Portland was the first ship constructed under the provision of the 13 February 1929 "Cruiser Act"[2] of theUnited States Congress, which authorizedone aircraft carrier and 15 "light cruisers" to be built.New Orleans (CA-32) had been assigned the first hull number in this group, but was eventually laid down later.[citation needed]
Ordered for the U.S. Navy in fiscal year 1930, thePortland class was originally designated as alight cruiser, and given thehull classification symbol CL, being re-designated aheavy cruiser with the symbol CA on 1 July 1931,[3] due to their armament, in accordance with theLondon Naval Treaty. Originally, eight cruisers were envisioned as modifiedNorthampton-class vessels, but eventually two of these became thePortland class, with the remaining six eventually being further modified into the succeedingNew Orleans class.[4] The first threeNew Orleans-class cruisers,New Orleans,Astoria, andMinneapolis, were initially ordered asPortland-class vessels, but were reordered to the design ofUSS Tuscaloosa (CA-37).[citation needed]
As built, thePortland-class cruisers were to be 610 feet 3 inches (186.00 m) inlength overall, 592 feet 0 inches (180.44 m) longat the waterline,[5] 64 feet 6 inches (19.66 m)abeam,[1] and with adraft of 21 feet 0 inches (6.40 m), and 24 feet 0 inches (7.32 m) maximum. They were designed for astandard displacement of 10,096 long tons (10,258 t), and afull-load displacement of 12,554 long tons (12,755 t).[6] However, neither completed ship reached this weight, displacing 9,800 long tons (10,000 t) and 9,950 long tons (10,110 t), respectively.[5] The ships featured two distinctive raked funnels, a tripodforemast, and a small tower and pole mast aft. In 1943, light tripods were added forward of the second funnel on each ship, and a prominentNaval director was installed aft.[5]
_in_a_drydock_at_the_Cockatoo_Island_Dockyard%2c_circa_in_late_1942_(NH_81992).jpg)
The ships were equipped with fourpropeller shafts and four Parsons GTgeared turbines and eightYarrow boilers. The power plant of the ships generated 107,000shaft horsepower (80,000 kW) and the ships had a design speed of 32knots (59 km/h) The ships were designed for a range of 10,000nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h).[5] Both completed ships rolled badly until fitted withbilge keels.[3]
The cruisers were armed with amain battery of nine Mark 98"/55 caliber guns arrayed in three triple mounts, asuperfiring pair fore and one aft. Foranti-aircraft defense, they were armed with eight5"/25 caliber guns as well as twoQF 3 pounder Hotchkiss guns. By 1945, the anti-aircraft defenses of both ships had repeatedly been upgraded, with each eventually receiving twenty fourBofors 40 mm guns. OnPortland these were arranged in four quad mounts and four twin mounts, and onIndianapolis they were arrayed in six quad mounts. Both ships were also upgraded with twelveOerlikon 20 mm cannons.[5] No torpedo tubes were fitted on either ship of the class.[7] The ships were outfitted with Mk. 8rangekeepers and Mk. 27 directors which also housed auxiliary Mk. VII rangekeepers.[8]
ThePortland class was originally designed with 1 inch (25 mm) of deck protection and 1 inch (25 mm) of side protection, but during construction they were substantially up-armored.[3] The ships were completed withbelt armor 5 inches (130 mm) thick over the magazines and 3.25 inches (83 mm) elsewhere.[7] Armoredbulkheads were between 2 inches (51 mm) and 5.75 inches (146 mm), deck armor was 2.5 inches (64 mm), thebarbettes were 1.5 inches (38 mm), thegunhouses were 2.5 inches (64 mm), and theconning tower was 1.25 inches (32 mm).[5]
Additionally, thePortland-class cruisers were designed with space to be outfitted asfleet flagships, with space for aflag officer and his staff to operate. The class also featured anaircraft catapult amidships.[5] They could carry four aircraft. The total crew complement varied, with a regular designed crew complement of 807,[6] a wartime complement of 952, which could increase to 1,229 when the cruiser was operating as a fleet flagship.[5]
ThePortland class was generally longer than theNorthampton class by about 10 feet (3.0 m) and featured a revisedbow shape. They were otherwise generally similar to theNorthampton class, with an extendedforecastle to improve sea-keeping abilities.[6] Their masts were reduced as compared to theNorthampton class in order to reduce top weight.[9]
When completed, thePensacola class displaced less than expected, at 9,000 long tons (9,100 t),[1] which was 980 long tons (1,000 t) less than expected, and were found to be greatly deficient in their protection.[3] For the followingNorthampton class, the armor protection was increased to 1,040 long tons (1,057 t) with 3 inches (76 mm) of armor along themain belt.[10] Still, these ships only displaced between 8,910 long tons (9,050 t) and 9,200 long tons (9,300 t)[1] While thePortland-class cruisers were more heavily armored than the preceding classes, this problem was found to be so significant that in fiscal year 1929, an entirely different design was formulated for a new class of cruisers, theNew Orleans class. Several of thePortland hulls were then converted toNew Orleans hulls during construction.[3]
ThePortland class were also designed with more advanced armament in mind. Their main guns were the first to be specially designed to fire long-point projectiles with a streamlined shape, which increased the guns' range when compared with older cruiser guns. Such projectiles were in use by ships of theImperial Japanese Navy, which until that point out-ranged U.S. cruisers with their firepower.[11] TheNew Orleans class was designed with these lessons in mind, intended to create a better balance between protection, armament and speed.[12]
Five ships were ordered in fiscal year 1930, to be constructed by three builders. In 1931,CA-32,CA-34, andCA-36, all ordered with Westinghouse machinery, were converted to theNew Orleans class.[3][13]Portland was laid down byBethlehem Steel atQuincy Shipyard on 17 February 1930, andIndianapolis was laid down byNew York Shipbuilding Corporation on 31 March 1930.[5][14] The hull and machinery of both ships was provided by their respective builders.[3]Indianapolis was launched first, on 7 November 1931 andcommissioned on 15 November 1932.Portland was launched on 21 May 1932 and commissioned on 23 February 1933.[5]
| Ship name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comm. | Decomm. | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | CA-33 | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation,Fore River Shipyard,Quincy, Massachusetts | 17 Feb 1930 | 21 May 1932 | 23 Feb 1933 | 12 Jul 1946 | Struck 1 Mar 1959; Sold for scrap 6 Oct 1959 |
| Indianapolis | CA-35 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation,Camden, New Jersey | 31 Mar 1930 | 7 Nov 1931 | 15 Nov 1932 | — | Torpedoed and sunk byJapanese submarine I-58, 30 Jul 1945 |
_off_the_Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard_on_30_July_1944_(19-N-70346).jpg)
Portland was the first ship on the scene when theairshipAkron went down in 1933, and coordinated efforts to retrieve survivors. She conducted a number of fleet maneuvers and goodwill missions throughout thePacific Ocean. After the start of World War II,Portland took part in theBattle of Coral Sea, there rescuing 722 survivors from the sunkaircraft carrierLexington. She then fought at theBattle of Midway, theBattle of the Eastern Solomons,[15] and in theBattle of the Santa Cruz Islands, where she was hit by three dud air-launchedtorpedoes.[6] She then supportedU.S. Marine landings during theBattle of Guadalcanal.[15] During thenaval battle there in late 1942, she was struck and severely damaged by a torpedo from a Japanesedestroyer,[16] a hit which required interim repairs in Australia followed by extensive repairs atMare Island Navy Yard.[6] In spite of this damage, she was still able to inflict damage on theJapanese battleship Hiei.[17]
Returning to the war, she bombardedKiska as part of theAleutian Islands campaign, played a supporting role in theGilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, covered landings during theNew Guinea campaign, andPelelieu. She then participated in theBattle of Leyte Gulf, covered landings in thePhilippines, and supported theBattle of Okinawa.[15] At the end of the war she was decommissioned and remained in theUnited States Reserve Fleet until 1959, when she was broken up for scrap.[18]
_at_Pearl_Harbor%2c_circa_in_1937_(NH_53230).jpg)
Indianapolis served as flagship ofScouting Force 1 during World War II, and saw action in a number of campaigns in the Pacific theater. She supported the Gilbert and Marshall island campaigns as well as operations off theCaroline Islands. Later in the war she fought in theBattle of Philippine Sea and later theBattle of Iwo Jima and participating in the Battle of Okinawa.[19]
In mid-1945, she sailed from the United States toTinian Island carrying components ofLittle Boy andFat Man, the twonuclear weapons which would later be used tobomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sailing forLeyte unescorted underCaptainCharles B. McVay III, she was sunk byJapanese submarine I-58 on 30 July 1945, sinking in just 12 minutes. Many sailors were killed bysharks after the wreck. An estimated 900 of her 1,197 crew survived the initial sinking, but herSOS signal was not heard, and due to a series of errors and misunderstandings, her loss was not discovered until 2 August when her crew was spotted by reconnaissance plane. Only 320 men were recovered following the sinking, of whom 316 survived. McVay survived and faced acourt martial and reprimand but retired in 1949 as rear-admiral, committing suicide in 1968.[19][20] Following years of efforts by some survivors and others to clear his name, McVay was posthumously exonerated by the 106th United States Congress and President Bill Clinton on 30 October 2000.[21]
