View source for USS Cleveland (CL-55)

{{short description|Cleveland class light cruiser}}
{{Other ships|USS Cleveland}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Cleveland (CL-55) underway at sea in late 1942 (NH 55173).jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Cleveland'' (CL-55), underway at sea in late 1942.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1947}}
| Ship name = ''Cleveland''
| Ship namesake = City of [[Cleveland, Ohio]]
| Ship ordered = 17 May 1938
| Ship builder = [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Camden, New Jersey]]
| Ship laid down = 1 July 1940
| Ship launched = 1 November 1941
| Ship commissioned = 15 June 1942
| Ship decommissioned = 7 February 1947
| Ship struck = 1 March 1959
| Ship fate = Sold for scrap 18 February 1960
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Ship class={{sclass|Cleveland|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=
*[[Standard displacement|Standard]]: {{convert|11744|LT|t|lk=on}}
*[[Full load]]: {{convert|14131|LT|t}}
|Ship length={{convert|610|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|66|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|24|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*4 × [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s 
*{{cvt|100000|shp|kW|lk=in}}
|Ship propulsion=
*4 × [[steam turbines]]
*4 × [[Propeller|screw propellers]]
|Ship speed={{convert|32.5|kn|lk=in}} 
|Ship range={{cvt|11000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{cvt|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=1,285 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
* 12 × [[6"/47 caliber Mark 16 gun|{{cvt|6|in|0}} Mark 16 guns]]
* 12 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{cvt|5|in|0}}/38 caliber]] guns
* 8 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{cvt|40|mm}} Bofors]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]]
* 13 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{cvt|20|mm}} Oerlikon]] anti-aircraft guns
|Ship armor=
*[[Armor belt|Belt]]: {{cvt|3.5|-|5|in}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{cvt|2|in}}
*[[Barbette]]s: {{cvt|6|in|0}}
*[[Gun turret|Turret]]s: {{cvt|6|in|0}}
*[[Conning tower|Conning Tower]]: {{cvt|5|in|0}}
|Ship aircraft=4 × [[floatplane]]s
|Ship aircraft facilities=2 × [[stern]] [[Aircraft catapult|catapults]] 
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

{{USS|Cleveland|CL-55}} was the [[lead ship]] of the {{sclass|Cleveland|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]] of the [[United States Navy]], which were built during [[World War II]]. The [[ship class|class]] was designed as a development of the earlier {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser|1}}s, the size of which had been limited by the [[First London Naval Treaty]]. The start of the war led to the dissolution of the treaty system, but the dramatic need for new vessels precluded a new design, so the ''Cleveland''s used the same [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] as their predecessors, but were significantly heavier. The ''Cleveland''s carried a [[main battery]] of twelve [[6"/47 caliber gun|{{convert|6|in|adj=on|0}} guns]] in four three-gun [[gun turret|turrets]], along with a [[secondary armament]] of twelve [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{cvt|5|in|0}}]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s. They had a top speed of {{convert|32.5|kn|lk=in}}.

''Cleveland'' was commissioned in June 1942, and saw extensive service in the war, briefly in the Atlantic, and then in the Pacific theater. Like almost all of her sister ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, and never saw active service again. ''Cleveland'' was scrapped in the early 1960s.

==Design==
{{main|Cleveland-class cruiser}}
[[File:80-G-165992 Cleveland class camouflage measure 33.jpg|thumb|left|Depiction of the ''Cleveland'' class, showing the plan and profile]]

The ''Cleveland''-class [[light cruiser]]s traced their origin to design work done in the late 1930s; at the time, light cruiser [[displacement (ship)|displacement]] was limited to {{cvt|8000|LT|lk=in}} by the [[Second London Naval Treaty]]. Following the start of [[World War II]] in September 1939, Britain announced it would suspend the treaty for the duration of the conflict, a decision the [[US Navy]] quickly followed. Though still neutral, the United States recognized that war was likely and the urgent need for additional ships ruled out an entirely new design, so the ''Cleveland''s were a close development of the earlier {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser|1}}s, the chief difference being the substitution of a two-gun {{cvt|5|in|0}} [[dual-purpose gun]] mount for one of the [[main battery]] {{cvt|6|in|0}} [[gun turret]]s.{{sfn|Friedman 1984|pp=245–247}}

''Cleveland'' was {{convert|610|ft|1|in|0}} [[length overall|long overall]] and had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|66|ft|4|in|abbr=on}} and a [[draft (nautical)|draft]] of {{convert|24|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}. Her [[standard displacement]] amounted to {{convert|11744|LT|t|abbr=on|0}} and increased to {{convert|14131|LT|t|abbr=on}} at [[Full-load displacement|full load]]. The ship was powered by four General Electric [[steam turbines]], each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four oil-fired [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s. Rated at {{convert|100000|shp|lk=on}}, the turbines were intended to give a top speed of {{convert|32.5|kn|lk=in}}. Her crew numbered 1285&nbsp;officers and enlisted men.{{sfn|Friedman 1980|p=119}}

The ship was armed with a main battery of twelve [[6"/47 caliber gun|6 in /47-caliber Mark 16 guns]]{{efn|/47 refers to the length of the gun in terms of [[Caliber (artillery)|calibers]]. A /47 gun is 47 times long as it is in bore diameter.}} in four 3-gun turrets on the centerline. Two were placed forward in a [[superfire|superfiring pair]]; the other two turrets were placed aft of the [[superstructure]] in another superfiring pair. The secondary battery consisted of twelve [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{cvt|5|in|0}} /38-caliber]] dual-purpose guns mounted in twin turrets. Two of these were placed on the centerline, one directly behind the forward main turrets and the other just forward of the aft turrets. Two more were placed abreast of the [[conning tower]] and the other pair on either side of the aft superstructure. Anti-aircraft defense consisted of eight [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors {{cvt|40|mm}} guns]] in two quadruple mounts and thirteen [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon {{cvt|20|mm}} guns]] in single mounts.{{sfn|Friedman 1980|p=119}}

The ship's [[belt armor]] ranged in thickness from {{cvt|3.5|to|5|in}}, with the thicker section [[amidships]] where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces. Her deck armor was {{cvt|2|in}} thick. The main battery turrets were protected with {{cvt|6.5|in}} faces and {{cvt|3|in}} sides and tops, and they were supported by [[barbette]]s 6&nbsp;inches thick. ''Cleveland''{{'}}s conning tower had 5-inch sides.{{sfn|Friedman 1980|p=119}}

==Service history==
On 1 November 1941, Hull No. 423 was launched and christened ''Cleveland''. Built by [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]] of [[Camden, New Jersey]], and sponsored by Mrs. H. Burton, ''Cleveland'' was commissioned on 15 June 1942, with [[Captain (United States O-6)#U.S. Navy|Captain]] E. W. Burrough in command. Clearing [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk's]] [[Chesapeake Bay]] on 10 October 1942, ''Cleveland'' joined a task force off [[Bermuda]] (on 29 October) bound for the invasion of [[North Africa]]. Her firepower supported the landings at [[Fedhala]], [[French Morocco]] on 8 November, and she remained on patrol until 12 November, returning to Norfolk on 24 November.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite web | url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cleveland-ii.html | title=Cleveland II (CL-55) | publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command | date=30 June 2015 | access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref>

''Cleveland'' sailed for the Pacific on 5 December 1942, and arrived at [[Efate Island]] on 16 January. Her first mission in the consolidation of the [[Solomon Islands]] was with Task Force 18 (TF 18) to guard a troop [[convoy]] to [[Guadalcanal]] from 27 to 31 January, ''Cleveland'' fired on the enemy as she came under heavy air attack in the [[Battle of Rennell Island]] on 29–30 January.<ref name="DANFS" />

Joining TF 68, ''Cleveland'' steamed up "[[New Georgia Sound#WWII—The Slot|the Slot]]" on 6 March 1943 to bombard Japanese airfields at [[Vila, Solomon Islands|Vila]] on [[Kolombangara]], then joined in the night action which sank<ref name="DANFS" /> the [[destroyer]]s {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Minegumo|1937|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Murasame|1935|2}} in the [[battle of Blackett Strait]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

Command of ''Cleveland'' passed to Captain Andrew G. Shepard in June. Still with TF 68, "Merrill's Marauders", ''Cleveland'' fired in the bombardment of the [[Shortland Islands]] on 30 June and provided gun support for the invasion landings at [[Munda (Solomon Islands)|Munda]], [[New Georgia]] on 12 July. Following a short repair period at [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], ''Cleveland'' sailed for the preinvasion bombardment of the [[Treasury Islands]] on 26–27 October. Her task force steamed to blast [[Buka Island]] and [[Bonis Airfield|Bonis]] on 1 November in support of the troops invading [[Bougainville campaign (1944-45)|Bougainville]], dashed south the same day to neutralize bases in the Shortlands, and that night intercepted a Japanese force in the [[Battle of Empress Augusta Bay]] which was to win her a [[Navy Unit Commendation]]. ''Cleveland'' poured her radar-controlled fire into the four Japanese cruisers for over an hour, aiding in sinking {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Sendai||2}}, then chased the fleeing ships until daybreak. An air attack followed and one stick of bombs severely rocked ''Cleveland'', who answered by splashing several of the enemy planes. She returned to Buka for another bombardment on 23 December, then patrolled between [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] and [[Green Island, Papua New Guinea]] from 13 to 18 February 1944 while American forces captured the latter.<ref name="DANFS" />

After supporting the [[Landing on Emirau|capture of Emirau Island]] from 17 to 23 March, ''Cleveland'' sailed for replenishment and repairs at Sydney, Australia, then returned to the Solomons on 21 April to prepare for the [[Marianas]] operation. One practice bombardment on 20 May brought return fire unexpectedly which straddled the ship, but unharmed, she quickly silenced the shore batteries.<ref name="DANFS" />

From 8 June to 12 August, ''Cleveland'' participated in the Marianas operation. On 24 July, during the invasion of Tinian, ''Cleveland'' came to the aid of the destroyer {{USS|Norman Scott|DD-690|2}}. ''Norman Scott'' was hit six times within a few seconds by shore batteries. ''Cleveland'' maneuvered between ''Norman Scott'' and the shore batteries, preventing her from taking any more hits. She conducted softening-up bombardments and then gave fire support for invading troops until she joined TF 58 for the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]] on 19–20 June. Although few enemy aircraft penetrated the screen of American carrier planes, ''Cleveland'' was credited with splashing at least one enemy aircraft and assisting in downing another of the few which did get through.<ref name="DANFS" />

From 12 to 29 September, ''Cleveland'' participated in the invasion of the [[Palaus]], then sailed from [[Manus Island]] on 5 October for a stateside overhaul. She arrived in [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay]] on 9 February 1945, and sailed on to bombard [[Corregidor]] on 13–14 February, effectively neutralizing the fortress before the landings there. Continuing to support the consolidation of the [[Philippines]], she covered the landings at [[Puerto Princesa]], the [[Visayas]], [[Panay]], and the [[Malabang]]-[[Parang]] area on [[Mindanao]].<ref name="DANFS" />

''Cleveland'' put out from Subic Bay on 7 June to act as part of the covering force and provide fire support for the invasion landings at [[Brunei Bay]], [[Borneo]] on 10 June. She returned to Subic Bay on 15 June, then sailed to [[Manila]] to embark [[General of the Army (United States)|General of the Army]] [[Douglas MacArthur]] and his staff as observers of the assault on [[Balikpapan]]. Arriving on 30 June, she fired in a pre-landing bombardment the next morning, and after General MacArthur had made an inspection tour of the landing area, got underway for Manila, arriving on 3 July.<ref name="DANFS" />

With a new cruiser task force, ''Cleveland'' sailed on 13 July to [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], arriving on 16 July. From this base [[Task Force 95]] made a series of sweeps against Japanese shipping until 7 August to insure [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] control of the [[East China Sea]]. ''Cleveland'' got underway from Okinawa on 9 September to support the occupation of [[Japan]] by covering the evacuation of Allied prisoners of war from [[Wakayama, Wakayama|Wakayama]], then serving as part of a naval occupation group until the [[Sixth United States Army|6th Army]] made its landings on [[Honshū]]. After a short stay in [[Tokyo Bay]] (28 October – 1 November), ''Cleveland'' sailed for [[Pearl Harbor]], [[San Diego]], the [[Panama Canal]], and [[Boston]], arriving on 5 December for overhaul. She operated out of Newport on various training exercises, including a Naval Reserve training cruise to Bermuda in April 1946 and [[City of Halifax|Halifax, Nova Scotia]], and [[Quebec]] in June 1946, before reporting to [[Philadelphia]] for inactivation. ''Cleveland'' was placed out of commission in reserve there on 7 February 1947, until sold for scrap, 18 February 1960.

==Awards==
In addition to her Navy Unit Commendation, ''Cleveland'' received 13 [[battle star]]s for [[World War II]] service.<ref name="DANFS" />

==Footnotes==
===Notes===

{{notes}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cleveland-ii.html}}
* {{cite book
  | last=Friedman
  | first=Norman
  | chapter=United States of America
  | pages=86–166
  | editor1-last = Gardiner
  | editor1-first = Robert
  | editor2-last = Chesneau
  | editor2-first = Roger
  | year = 1980
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946
  | location = Annapolis
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-913-9
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Friedman 1980}}
  |name-list-style=amp
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last=Friedman
  | first=Norman
  | year=1984
  | title=U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History
  | location=Annapolis
  | publisher=Naval Institute Press
  | isbn=978-0-87021-739-5
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Friedman 1984}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Rohwer
  | first = Jürgen
  | author-link = Jürgen Rohwer
  | year = 2005
  | title = Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-1-59114-119-8
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Rohwer}}
  }}
* {{cite DANFS
  | last = Woodford
  | first = Shawn Robert 
  | title = Cleveland II (CL-55)
  | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/cleveland-ii.html
  | date= 27 August 2019
  | access-date = 30 January 2022
  | ref={{sfnref|Woodford}}
  }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Cleveland (CL-55)}}
*[http://www.cl55.org/ ''USS Cleveland CL-55'' Reunion Association]
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/cl55.htm ''USS Cleveland'' at The Naval Historical Center]
*{{navsource|04/055/04055|USS Cleveland}}

{{Cleveland class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland (CL-55)}}
[[Category:Cleveland-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation]]
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States]]