Portland-class cruiser

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The Portland class of heavy cruisers was a class of ships designed and constructed by the United States Navy in 1930. The two ships of the class, Template:USS and Template:USS, saw extensive service during the Pacific War in World War II.

Designed as a modification over the previous Template:Sclass, the Portland class displaced just under Template:Convert and featured heavier armor and armament than previous cruisers. Featuring 8"/55 caliber guns and designed to function as fleet flagships, the Portland 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 following Template:Sclass, to which six intended Portland cruisers were converted, three of which were already mid-construction.

Portland served in many engagements including the Battle of Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway and the Guadalcanal Campaign, where she was severely damaged but nonetheless able to return to service. She later fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Okinawa. Indianapolis served as a fleet flagship for much of the war and fought in the Battle of Philippine Sea and the Battle of Iwo Jima. On 30 July 1945, after transporting components for the nuclear weapons Little Boy and Fat Man from the United States, she was torpedoed by the Template:Jsub. 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.

BackgroundEdit

The Portland class was the third class of heavy cruiser to be constructed by the United States Navy following the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. The first "treaty cruisers" were the two of the Template:Sclass ordered in 1926, which emphasized armament and speed at the expense of protection. These ships were followed by the six vessels of the Northampton 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. The Portland class was a modification of both the Pensacola and Northampton designs.Template:Sfn

Portland was the first ship constructed under the provision of the 13 February 1929 "Cruiser Act"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> of the United States Congress, which authorized one aircraft carrier and 15 "light cruisers" to be built. Template:USS had been assigned the first hull number in this group, but was eventually laid down later.Template:Fact

Ordered for the U.S. Navy in fiscal year 1930, the Portland class was originally designated as a light cruiser, and given the hull classification symbol CL, being re-designated a heavy cruiser with the symbol CA on 1 July 1931,Template:Sfn due to their armament, in accordance with the London Naval Treaty. Originally, eight cruisers were envisioned as modified Northampton-class vessels, but eventually two of these became the Portland class, with the remaining six eventually being further modified into the succeeding Template:Sclass.Template:Sfn The first three New Orleans-class cruisers, New Orleans, Astoria, and Minneapolis, were initially ordered as Portland-class vessels, but were reordered to the design of Template:USS.Template:Fact

DesignEdit

As built, the Portland-class cruisers were to be Template:Convert in length overall, Template:Convert long at the waterline,Template:Sfn Template:Convert abeam,Template:Sfn and with a draft of Template:Convert, and Template:Convert maximum. They were designed for a standard displacement of Template:Convert, and a full-load displacement of Template:Convert.Template:Sfn However, neither completed ship reached this weight, displacing Template:Convert and Template:Convert, respectively.Template:Sfn The ships featured two distinctive raked funnels, a tripod foremast, and a small tower and pole mast aft. In 1943, light tripods were added forward of the second funnel on each ship, and a prominent Naval director was installed aft.Template:Sfn

File:USS Portland (CA-33) in a drydock at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, circa in late 1942 (NH 81992).jpg

Portland in drydock in Sydney, Australia, in 1942

The ships were equipped with four propeller shafts and four Parsons GT geared turbines and eight Yarrow boilers. The power plant of the ships generated Template:Convert and the ships had a design speed of Template:Convert The ships were designed for a range of Template:Convert at Template:Convert.Template:Sfn Both completed ships rolled badly until fitted with bilge keels.Template:Sfn

The cruisers were armed with a main battery of nine Mark 9 8"/55 caliber guns arrayed in three triple mounts, a superfiring pair fore and one aft. For anti-aircraft defense, they were armed with eight 5"/25 caliber guns as well as two QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss guns. By 1945, the anti-aircraft defenses of both ships had repeatedly been upgraded, with each eventually receiving twenty four Bofors 40 mm guns. On Template:USS these were arranged in four quad mounts and four twin mounts, and on Template:USS they were arrayed in six quad mounts. Both ships were also upgraded with twelve Oerlikon 20 mm cannons.Template:Sfn No torpedo tubes were fitted on either ship of the class.Template:Sfn The ships were outfitted with Mk. 8 rangekeepers and Mk. 27 directors which also housed auxiliary Mk. VII rangekeepers.Template:Sfn

The Portland class was originally designed with Template:Convert of deck protection and Template:Convert of side protection, but during construction they were substantially up-armored.Template:Sfn The ships were completed with belt armor Template:Convert thick over the magazines and Template:Convert elsewhere.Template:Sfn Armored bulkheads were between Template:Convert and Template:Convert, deck armor was Template:Convert, the barbettes were Template:Convert, the gunhouses were Template:Convert, and the conning tower was Template:Convert.Template:Sfn

Additionally, the Portland-class cruisers were designed with space to be outfitted as fleet flagships, with space for a flag officer and his staff to operate. The class also featured an aircraft catapult amidships.Template:Sfn They could carry four aircraft. The total crew complement varied, with a regular designed crew complement of 807,Template:Sfn a wartime complement of 952, which could increase to 1,229 when the cruiser was operating as a fleet flagship.Template:Sfn

Comparison with previous cruiser designsEdit

The Portland class was generally longer than the Northampton class by about Template:Convert and featured a revised bow shape. They were otherwise generally similar to the Northampton class, with an extended forecastle to improve sea-keeping abilities.Template:Sfn Their masts were reduced as compared to the Northampton class in order to reduce top weight.Template:Sfn

When completed, the Pensacola class displaced less than expected, at Template:Convert,Template:Sfn which was Template:Convert less than expected, and were found to be greatly deficient in their protection.Template:Sfn For the following Northampton class, the armor protection was increased to Template:Convert with Template:Convert of armor along the main belt.Template:Sfn Still, these ships only displaced between Template:Convert and Template:Convert Template:Sfn While the Portland-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, the New Orleans class. Several of the Portland hulls were then converted to New Orleans hulls during construction.Template:Sfn

The Portland 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 the Imperial Japanese Navy, which until that point out-ranged U.S. cruisers with their firepower.Template:Sfn The New Orleans class was designed with these lessons in mind, intended to create a better balance between protection, armament and speed.Template:Sfn

ConstructionEdit

Five ships were ordered in fiscal year 1930, to be constructed by three builders. In 1931, CA-32, CA-34, and CA-36, all ordered with Westinghouse machinery, were converted to the New Orleans class.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Portland was laid down by Bethlehem Steel at Quincy Shipyard on 17 February 1930, and Indianapolis was laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation on 31 March 1930.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The hull and machinery of both ships was provided by their respective builders.Template:Sfn Indianapolis was launched first, on 7 November 1931 and commissioned on 15 November 1932. Portland was launched on 21 May 1932 and commissioned on 23 February 1933.Template:Sfn

Ships in classEdit

Construction data
Ship name	Template:Abbr	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Fate
Template:USS	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
Template:USS	CA-35	New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey	31 Mar 1930	7 Nov 1931	15 Nov 1932	Template:N/a	Torpedoed and sunk by Template:Jsub, 30 Jul 1945

USS Portland (CA-33)Edit

File:USS Portland (CA-33) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 30 July 1944 (19-N-70346).jpg

Portland off California in 1944

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Portland was the first ship on the scene when the airship Template:USS went down in 1933, and coordinated efforts to retrieve survivors. She conducted a number of fleet maneuvers and goodwill missions throughout the Pacific Ocean. After the start of World War II, Portland took part in the Battle of Coral Sea, there rescuing 722 survivors from the sunk aircraft carrier Template:USS. She then fought at the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons,Template:Sfn and in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, where she was hit by three dud air-launched torpedoes.Template:Sfn She then supported U.S. Marine landings during the Battle of Guadalcanal.Template:Sfn During the naval battle there in late 1942, she was struck and severely damaged by a torpedo from a Japanese destroyer,Template:Sfn a hit which required interim repairs in Australia followed by extensive repairs at Mare Island Navy Yard.Template:Sfn In spite of this damage, she was still able to inflict damage on the Template:Ship.Template:Sfn

Returning to the war, she bombarded Kiska as part of the Aleutian Islands campaign, played a supporting role in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, covered landings during the New Guinea campaign, and Pelelieu. She then participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, covered landings in the Philippines, and supported the Battle of Okinawa.Template:Sfn At the end of the war she was decommissioned and remained in the United States Reserve Fleet until 1959, when she was broken up for scrap.Template:Sfn

USS Indianapolis (CA-35)Edit

File:USS Indianapolis CA-35.jpg

Indianapolis off Pearl Harbor in 1937

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Indianapolis served as flagship of Scouting 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 the Caroline Islands. Later in the war she fought in the Battle of Philippine Sea and later the Battle of Iwo Jima and participating in the Battle of Okinawa.Template:Sfn

In mid-1945, she sailed from the United States to Tinian Island carrying components of Little Boy and Fat Man, the two nuclear weapons which would later be used to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sailing for Leyte unescorted under Captain Charles B. McVay III, she was sunk by Template:Jsub on 30 July 1945, sinking in just 12 minutes. Many sailors were killed by sharks after the wreck. An estimated 900 of her 1,197 crew survived the initial sinking, but her SOS 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 a court martial and reprimand but retired in 1949 as rear-admiral, committing suicide in 1968.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>