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STORIES OF THE SHIP
USS San Francisco
Saga Continued
From the “Dictionary of
American Naval Fighting Ships,”
(1976) Vol. 6, pp.291-295.
SAN FRANCISCO
CA-38
Displacement: 9,950 t.
Length: 588’2”
Beam: 62’9”
Draft: 19’5”
Speed: 32.7 k.
Complement: 708
Armament: 9 8”; 8 5”; 8 .50 cal. MG
Class: NEW ORLEANS
The second SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) was laid
down on 9
September 1931 at the Mare Island Navy Yard,
Vallejo,
Calif.; launched on 9 March 1933; sponsored by
Miss Barbara
M. Bailly; and commissioned on 10 February 1934,
Capt. Royal
E. Ingersoll in command.
After an extensive shakedown cruise--which
included operations off Mexico, in Hawaiian
waters, off Washington and British Columbia, and
a voyage to the Panama Canal Zone--the cruiser
returned to the Mare Island Navy Yard.
Gunnery installation and conversion to a
flagship took her into the new year, 1935.
In February, she joined her division, Cruiser
Division (CruDiv) 6 at San Diego. In May,
she moved north, participated in Fleet Problem
XVI; then returned to southern California.
A few weeks later, she was
back off the northwest coast for fleet tactics,
and, in July, she steamed farther north to
Alaska. In August, she
returned to California and, through the end of
1938, SAN FRANCISCO continued to range the
eastern Pacific, cruising from the state of
Washington to Peru and from California to
Hawaii.
In January 1939, she departed the west coast to
participate in Fleet Problem XX conducted in the
Atlantic
east of the Lesser Antilles. In March, she
became flagship of CruDiv 7 and commenced a
goodwill tour of South American ports.
Departing Guantanamo Bay in early April, she
called at ports on the east coast of that
continent, moved through the Strait of Magellan;
visited west coast ports; and, in early June,
transited the Panama Canal to complete her
voyage around the continent.
On 1 September, World War II started, and, on
the 14th, SAN FRANCISCO moved south from Norfolk
to join the Neutrality Patrol. The cruiser
carried freight and passengers to San Juan,
thence sailed for a patrol of the West Indies as
far south as Trinidad. On 14 October, she
completed her patrol back at San Juan and headed
for Norfolk, where she remained into January
1940. On the 11th, she headed for
Guantanamo Bay, where she was relieved of
flagship duties by WICHITA (CA-45), and whence
she returned to the Pacific.
Transiting the Panama Canal in late February,
she called at San Pedro and, in March, continued
on to her new
home port, Pearl Harbor, where she rejoined
CruDiv 6. In May, she steamed northwest to
the Puget Sound Navy Yard for an overhaul,
during which she also received four 3-inch guns.
On 29 September, she returned to Pearl Harbor.
In early May 1941, she became flagship of CruDiv
6, and, at the end of July, she moved east for a
cruise to Long Beach, returning to Hawaii on 27
August. In September, the flag of
ComCruDiv 6 was hauled down, and, on 11 October,
SAN FRANCISCO entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard
for an overhaul which was scheduled for
completion on 25 December.
On 7 December, SAN FRANCISCO was awaiting
docking and the cleaning of her heavily fouled
bottom. Her engineering plant was largely
broken down for overhaul. Ammunition for
her 5-inch and 8-inch guns had been placed in
storage. Her 3-inch guns had been removed
to permit installation of four 1.1-inch
quadruple mounts. The 1.1-inch mounts had
not been installed. Her .50 caliber
machine guns were being overhauled. Only
small arms and two .30 caliber machine guns were
available. Moreover, a number of SAN
FRANCISCO's officers and men were absent.
At 0755, Japanese planes began bombing dives on
Ford Island, and by 0800, the surprise air
attack was well underway. The men in SAN
FRANCISCO had secured the ship for water
tightness and had begun looking for
opportunities to fight back. Some crossed
to NEW ORLEANS (CA-32) to man antiaircraft
batteries. Others began using available
rifles and machine guns. Fifty caliber
machine gun ammunition was transferred to TRACY
(DM-19) for use.
By 1000, the Japanese had left; and work to
ready SAN FRANCISCO for action was begun.
On 14 December, the cruiser left the yard;
scaling had been postponed in favor of more
necessary repairs on other ships. On 16
December, she sortied with Task Force (TF) 14 to
relieve Wake Island. The force moved west
with a Marine Corps fighter squadron on board
SARATOGA (CV-3) and a Marine battalion embarked
in TANGIER (AV-8). But, when Wake fell to
the Japanese on the 23d, TF 14 was diverted to
Midway
which it reinforced. On the 29th, the
force returned to Pearl Harbor.
On 8 January 1942, SAN FRANCISCO again moved
west. In TF 8, she steamed toward Samoa to
rendezvous with, and cover the offloading of,
transports carrying reinforcements to Tutuila.
Thence it joined TF 17 for raids on Japanese
installations in the Gilberts and Marshalls.
SAN FRANCISCO arrived in the Samoan area on the
18th and, on the 24th, was detached to continue
coverage for the transports while the remainder
of the task force and TF 17 conducted offensive
operations to the northwest.
On 8 February, SAN FRANCISCO departed Tutuila.
On the 10th, she rejoined CruDiv 6, then in TF
11, and set a course for an area northeast of
the Solomons to strike Rabaul. However,
the American force was sighted and attacked by
two waves of twin-engined Japanese bombers.
Sixteen of the planes were destroyed, but the
element of surprise had been lost. TF 11
retired eastward.
During the next few days, TF 11, centered on
LEXINGTON (CV-2), conducted operations in the
South Pacific, then headed for New Guinea to
participate with TF 17 in a raid against
Japanese shipping and installations.
On 7 March, one of SAN FRANCISCO's scout planes
was reported missing and could not be found.
On the night of 9 and 10 March, TF's l1 and 17
entered the Gulf of Papua, whence, at dawn,
LEXINGTON and YORKTOWN (CV-5) launched their
aircraft to cross the Owen Stanley range and
attack the Japanese at Salamaua and Lae.
The next day, the missing plane was sighted by
MINNEAPOLIS (CA-36) and recovered by SAN
FRANCISCO. It had landed on the water, but
had been unable to communicate. The pilot,
Lt. J. A. Thomas, and the radioman RM3 O. J.
Gannan, had headed for Australia, sailing the
plane backwards as it tended to head into the
prevailing east wind. In five days and 21
hours, they had covered approximately 385 miles
on a course within 5% of that intended.
SAN FRANCISCO returned to Pearl Harbor on the
26th. On 22 April, the cruiser departed
Oahu for San Francisco in the escort of convoy
4093. At the end of May, she headed west,
escorting convoy PW 2076, made up of transports
carrying the 37th Army Division, destined for
Suva, and special troops bound for Australia.
The cruiser remained in the escort force as far
as Auckland; thence steamed for Hawaii, arriving
at Pearl Harbor on 29 June.
SAN FRANCISCO steamed west with destroyer LAFFEY
(DD-459) and seaplane tender BALLARD (AVD-10) to
escort convoy 4120 to the Fiji Islands.
From there, she got underway to rendezvous with
the Solomon Islands Expeditionary Force.
Operation "Watchtower," the Guadalcanal-Tulagi
offensive, opened on the morning of 7 August.
Through that
day and the remainder of the month, SAN
FRANCISCO helped to cover the American forces in
the area. The flag of Rear Admiral Norman
Scott, commanding the cruisers attached to TF
18, was shifted to SAN FRANCISCO.
On 3 September, SAN FRANCISCO's force put into
Noumea, New Caledonia, for fuel and provisions.
On the 8th, the ships departed that island to
cover reinforcements moving up to Guadalcanal.
On the 11th, SAN FRANCISCO's force, TF 18,
rendezvoused with TF 17, the HORNET (CV-8)
group, and, the next day both groups refueled at
sea. On the 14th, the reinforcement convoy
departed the New Hebrides. TF 61 commenced
covering operations with TF 17 operating to the
eastward of TF 18 and conforming to the
movements of TF 18.
At about 1450, on the 15th, WASP (CV-7) was
torpedoed on the starboard side. Fires
broke out on the carrier. Explosions
multiplied the fires. Rear Admiral Scott
took command of TF 18. SAN FRANCISCO and
SALT LAKE CITY (CA-25) prepared to take the
carrier in tow; but, by 1520, the fires were out
of control and destroyers began taking on
survivors. LANSDOWNE (DD-486) torpedoed
the burning hulk. TF 18 headed for
Espiritu Santo.
On the morning of 17 September, SAN FRANCISCO,
JUNEAU (CL-52), and five destroyers put back to
sea to rendezvous with TF 17 and resume coverage
of reinforcement convoys. Other units of
TF 18 had headed for Noumea with WASP survivors.
On 23 September, SAN FRANCISCO, SALT LAKE CITY,
BOISE (CL-47), HELENA (CL-50), MINNEAPOLIS,
CHESTER (CA-27), and Destroyer Squadron 12
became TF 64, a surface screening and
attack force under the command of Rear Admiral
Scott in SAN FRANCISCO. On the 24th, the
force headed to the New Hebrides.
On 7 October, TF 64 departed Espiritu Santo and
moved back into the Solomons to cover Allied
reinforcements and to intercept similar
operations by the Japanese. On the 11th,
at about 1615, the ships commenced a run
northward from Rennel Island, to intercept an
enemy force of two cruisers and six destroyers
reported heading for Guadalcanal from the
Buin-Faisi area. The force continued
north, to approach Savo Island from the
southwest.
By 2330, when the ships were approximately six
miles northwest of Savo, they turned to make a
further search of the area. A few minutes
after setting the new course, radar indicated
unidentified ships to the west, several thousand
yards distant. At about 2345, the Battle
of Cape Esperance began.
Initial confusion caused both sides to
momentarily check their fire in fear of hitting
their own ships. Then, the battle was
reopened and continued until 0020 on the 12th,
when surviving Japanese ships retired toward
Shortland. Two American cruisers, SALT
LAKE CITY and BOISE, and two destroyers, DUNCAN
(DD-485) and FARENHOLT (DD-491), had been
damaged. Later, DUNCAN went down. A
Japanese cruiser and a destroyer had been sunk
during the surface action. Two more enemy
destroyers were sunk on the 12th by planes from
Henderson Field. After the engagement, TF
64, having shown the United States Navy to be
the equal of the Imperial Japanese Navy in night
fighting, retired to Espiritu Santo.
On 15 October, SAN FRANCISCO resumed operations
in support of the Guadalcanal campaign. On
the evening of the 20th, her group was ordered
back to Espiritu Santo. At 2119, torpedoes
were reported. CHESTER was hit amidships
on the starboard side but continued under her
own power. Three other torpedoes exploded:
one off HELENA’s starboard quarter; a second
between HELENA and SAN FRANCISCO; and the third
about 1,200 yards off SAN FRANCISCO's port beam.
Two others were sighted running on the surface.
SAN FRANCISCO reached Espiritu Santo on the
night of the 21st, but departed again on the 22d
to intercept any enemy surface units approaching
Guadalcanal from the north and to cover friendly
reinforcements. On the 28th, Rear Admiral
Scott transferred to ATLANTA (CL-51). On
the 29th, SAN FRANCISCO returned to Espiritu
Santo; and, on the 30th, Rear Admiral D. J.
Callaghan commanding officer of SAN FRANCISCO
when the United States entered the war, returned
to the ship and raised his flag as CTG 64.4 and
prospective
CTF 65.
On 31 October, the newly-designated TF 65
departed Espiritu Santo, the ships again headed
into the Solomons to cover troop landings on
Guadalcanal. Bombardment missions in the
Kokumbona and Koli Point areas followed.
On 6 November, the transport group completed
unloading, and the force retired, arriving at
Espiritu Santo on the 8th. On he 10th, SAN
FRANCISCO, now flagship for TG 67.4, got
underway again toward Guadalcanal.
Just before noon, a Japanese twin-float
reconnaissance plane began shadowing the
formation.
The force arrived off Lunga Point on the 12th,
and the ransports commenced unloading. By
mid-afternoon, an
approaching Japanese air group was reported.
At 1318, the ships got underway. At 1408,
21 enemy planes attacked.
At 1416, an already damaged torpedo plane
dropped its torpedo off SAN FRANCISCO's
starboard quarter. The torpedo passed
alongside, but the plane crashed into SAN
FRANCISCO's control aft, swung around that
structure, and plunged over the port side into
the sea. Fifteen men were killed, 29
wounded, and one missing. Control aft was
demolished. The ship's secondary command
post, Battle Two, was burned out but was
reestablished by dark. The after
antiaircraft director and radar were put out of
commission. Three 20 millimeter mounts
were destroyed.
The wounded were transferred to attack transport
PRESIDENT JACKSON (APA-18) just before the
approach of an enemy surface force was reported.
The covering force escorted the transports out
of the area, then reassembled and returned.
At about midnight, SAN FRANCISCO, in company
with one heavy cruiser, three light cruisers,
and eight destroyers, entered Lengo Channel.
At 0125 on the 13th, the enemy force was
discovered about 27,000 yards to the northwest.
Rear Admiral
Callaghan's task group maneuvered to intercept.
At 0148, SAN FRANCISCO opened fire on an enemy
cruiser 3,700 yards off her starboard beam.
At 0151, she trained her guns on a small cruiser
or large destroyer 3,300 yards off her starboard
bow. An enemy battleship was then sighted
and taken under fire, initial range 2,200 yards.
At about 0200, SAN FRANCISCO trained her guns on
a second battleship. At the same time, she
became the target of a cruiser off her starboard
bow and of a destroyer which had crossed her bow
and was passing down her port side. The
enemy battleship joined the cruiser and the
destroyer in firing on SAN FRANCISCO, whose port
5-inch battery engaged the destroyer but was put
out of action except for one mount. The
battleship put the starboard 5-inch battery out
of commission. SAN FRANCISCO swung left
while her main battery continued to fire on the
battleships which, with the cruiser and the
destroyer, continued to pound SAN FRANCISCO.
A direct hit on the navigation bridge killed or
badly wounded all officers except the
communications officer. Steering and
engine control were lost and shifted to Battle
Two. Battle Two was out of commission by a
direct hit from the port side. Control was
again lost.
Control was then established in the conning
tower which soon received a hit from the
starboard side. Steering and engine
control were temporarily lost, then regained.
All communications were dead.
Soon thereafter, the enemy ceased firing.
SAN FRANCISCO followed suit and withdrew
eastward along the
north coast of Guadalcanal.
Seventy-seven sailors, including Rear Admiral
Callaghan and Capt. Young, had been killed.
One Hundred and five had been wounded. Of
seven missing, three were subsequently rescued.
The ship had taken 45 hits. Structural
damage was extensive, but not serious. No
hits had been received below the waterline.
Twenty two fires had been started and
extinguished.
At about 0400, SAN FRANCISCO, all her compasses
out of commission, joined HELENA and followed
her through Sealark Channel.
At about 1000, JUNEAU’s medical personnel
transferred to SAN FRANCISCO to assist in
treating the numerous wounded. An hour
later, JUNEAU took a torpedo on the port side,
in the vicinity of the bridge. "The entire
ship seemed to explode in one mighty column of
brown and white smoke and flame which rose
easily a thousand feet in the air. The
JUNEAU literally disintegrated." SAN
FRANCISCO was hit by several large fragments
from JUNEAU.
One man was hit, both his
legs were broken.
(See footnote below)
Nothing was seen in the water after the
smoke lifted.
On the afternoon of 14 November, SAN FRANCISCO
returned to Espiritu Santo. For her
participation in the action of the morning of
the 13th, and for that of the night of 11 and 12
October, she received the Presidential Unit
Citation. On 18 November, the cruiser
sailed for Noumea, and, on the 23d, she got
underway toward the United States. She
reached San Francisco on 11 December.
Three days later, repairs were begun at Mare
Island.
On 26 February 1943, she got underway to return
to the South Pacific. After escorting
convoy PW 2211 en route, SAN FRANCISCO arrived
at Noumea on 20 March. Five days later,
she continued on to Efate. She arrived
back in the Hawaiian Islands in mid-April;
thence headed north to the Aleutians to join the
North Pacific Force, TF 16, and reached Alaska
toward the end of the month. Based at
Kuluk Bay, Adak, she operated in the Aleutians
for the next four and one half months. She
patrolled the western approaches to the area,
participated in the assault and occupation of
Attu in May and of Kiska in July; and performed
escort duties.
In mid-September, she was ordered back to Pearl
Harbor for repairs and reassignment to TF 14.
On the 29th SAN FRANCISCO departed Pearl Harbor
in Task Unit (TU) 14.2.1 for a raid against Wake
and Wilkes Islands. On 5 October, the
group arrived off the target area and conducted
two runs by the enemy positions. On the
11th, her task unit returned to Pearl Harbor.
On the 20th, the force arrived off Makin.
SAN FRANCISCO participated in the pre-invasion
bombardment of
Betio, then patrolled outside the transport area
to the west of Makin. On the 26th, she was
detached and assigned to TG 50.1, joining
YORKTOWN (CV-10), LEXINGTON (CV-16), COWPENS
(CVL-25), five cruisers, and six destroyers.
With that force, she steamed toward the
Marshalls to strike Japanese shipping and
installations in the Kwajalein area. On 4
December, the carriers launched their planes
against the targets. Shortly after noon,
enemy aerial activity increased, and, at 1250,
SAN FRANCISCO came under attack.
Three torpedo planes closed her on the port bow.
Her guns splashed two. The third was shot
down by YORKTOWN. But the cruiser had been
strafed several times. One man had been
killed; 22 were wounded. After dark, the
Japanese returned and, on that night, LEXINGTON
was torpedoed. The force moved north and
west. Shortly after 0130, on the 5th,
enemy planes faded from the radar screens.
On the 6th, the ships
headed back to Pearl Harbor.
On 22 January 1944, SAN FRANCISCO sortied with
TF 52 and again headed for the Marshalls.
On the 29th, the division, screened by
destroyers, left the formation and moved against
Japanese installations on Maloelap to neutralize
them during the conquest of Kwajalein.
Following the bombardment, the ships proceeded
on to Kwajalein. SAN FRANCISCO arrived off
the atoll at about 0630 on the 31st. At
0730, she opened fire on targets of opportunity,
initially a small ship inside Kwajalein lagoon.
At 0849, she ceased firing. At 0900, she
resumed firing at targets on Berlin and Beverly
Islands. Through the day, she continued to
shell those islands, and, in late afternoon,
added Bennett Island to her targets.
During the next week, she provided pre-landing
barrages and support fire for operations against
Burton, Berlin, and Beverly Islands. On
the 8th, the cruiser sailed for Majuro, whence
she would operate as a unit of TF 58, the fast
carrier force.
On 12 February, SAN FRANCISCO, in TG 58.2
cleared Majuro lagoon. Four days later,
the carriers launched their planes against Truk.
On the night of 16 and 17 February, INTREPID
(CV-11) was torpedoed. SAN FRANCISCO with
others, was assigned to escort her eastward.
On the 19th, the group split: INTREPID,
with two destroyers, continued toward Pearl
Harbor; SAN FRANCISCO and the remaining ships
headed for Majuro. On the 25th SAN
FRANCISCO sailed for Hawaii with TG 58.2.
On 20 March, the group returned to Majuro,
refueled, and departed again on the 22d to move
against the Western Carolines. From 30
March to 1 April, carrier planes hit the Palaus
and Woleai. SAN FRANCISCO's planes flew
rescue missions.
On 6 April, the force was back in Majuro lagoon.
A week later, the ships set a course for New
Guinea. From the 21st to the 28th, TG 58.2
supported the assault landings in the Hollandia
area. On the 29th, the ships moved back
into the Carolines for another raid against Truk.
On the 30th, SAN FRANCISCO was detached and with
eight other cruisers, moved against Satawan.
On completion of that bombardment mission, the
cruisers rejoined TG 58.2 and headed back to the
Marshalls.
Initially at Majuro, SAN FRANCISCO shifted to
Kwajalein in early June, and, on the 10th,
departed that atoll in TG 53.15, the bombardment
group of the Saipan invasion force. On the
14th, she commenced two days of shelling Tinian,
then, after the landings on Saipan, shifted to
fire support duties. On the 16th, she
temporarily joined CruDiv 9 to bombard Guam.
Word of a Japanese force en route to Saipan,
however, interrupted the cannonade, and the
ships returned to Saipan.
On 17 June, SAN FRANCISCO refueled and took up
station between the approaching enemy force and
the amphibious force at Saipan. On the
morning of the 19th, the Battle of the
Philippine Sea opened for SAN FRANCISCO.
At about 1046, she was straddled fore and aft by
bombs. ". . . a mass of enemy planes on the
screen at 20 miles." At 1126, the cruiser
opened fire. A 40 millimeter shell from
INDIANAPOLIS (CA-35) set off SAN FRANCISCO's
smoke screen generators. By noon, quiet
had returned. At 1424, dive bombers made
the last Japanese attack. By the 20th, SAN
FRANCISCO steamed westward in pursuit of the
Japanese force. On the 21st, she returned
to the Saipan area and resumed operations with
the covering force for the transports. On
8 July, SAN FRANCISCO again steamed to Guam to
bombard enemy positions. During the next
four days, she shelled targets in the Agat and
Agana areas. On the 12th, she returned to
Saipan, replenished, refueled and, on the 18th,
again took station off Guam.
On that day and on the 19th and the 20th, she
shelled enemy positions, supported beach
demolition units, and
provided night harassing and defense repair
interdiction in the Agat and Faci Point areas.
On the 21st, she began to support Marines
assaulting the Agat beaches. On the 24th,
the cruiser shifted her fire to the Orote
Peninsula.
On the 30th, she headed, via Eniwetok and Pearl
Harbor, for San Francisco. The cruiser
arrived back on the west coast on 16 August for
overhaul.
On October 31st, she steamed west again and, on
21 November, arrived at Ulithi where she resumed
flagship
duties for CruDiv 6. On 10 December, she
cleared the anchorage and moved toward the
Philippines in TG 38.1. On the 14th and
15th, during carrier strikes against Luzon, SAN
FRANCISCO's planes were employed on
antisubmarine patrol and in rescue work.
On the 16th, the force headed for a rendezvous
with TG 30.17, the replenishment force. A
typhoon interrupted the refueling operations,
and, on the 17th and 18th, the ships rode out
the storm. On the 19th, she participated
in a search for survivors from three destroyers
which had gone down during the typhoon.
On the 20th, TF 38 turned westward again to
resume operations against Luzon, but high seas
precluded strikes.
On the 24th, the force returned to Ulithi.
Six days later, the force again sortied from
Ulithi. On 2 and 3 January 1945, strikes
were conducted against
Formosa. On the 5th, 6th, and 7th, Luzon
was hit. On the 9th, fighter sweeps
against Formosa were resumed. The force
then headed for the Bashi Channel and a
five-day, high speed strike against enemy
surface units in the South China Sea and against
installations along the coast of Indochina.
On the 15th and 16th, the Hong Kong-Amoy-Swatow
area was hit; and, on the 20th, the force passed
through Luzon Strait to resume operations
against Formosa. On the 21st, aerial
opposition was constant. Bogies appeared
on the screen throughout the day. LANGLEY
(CVL-27) and TICONDEROGA (CV-14) were hit.
On the 22d, strikes were launched against the
Ryukyus, and, on the 23d, the force headed for
the Western Carolines.
Arriving on 26 January, the ships sailed again
on 10 February. On the 16th and 17th,
strikes were conducted
against air facilities in central Honshu.
On the 18th, the force moved toward the Volcano
and Bonin Islands; and, on the 19th, covering
operations for the Iwo Jima assault began.
The next day, SAN FRANCISCO closed that island
with other cruisers and assumed fire support
duties, which she continued until the 23d.
Then she headed back toward Japan. On the
25th, Tokyo was the target. Poor weather
prohibited operations against Nagoya on the
26th; and, on the 27th, the force headed back to
Ulithi.
On 21 March, SAN FRANCISCO, now attached to TF
54 for Operation "Iceberg," departed Ulithi for
the Ryukyus. On the 25th, she approached
Kerama Retto west of Okinawa, and furnished fire
support for minesweeping and underwater
demolition operations. That night, she
retired and the next morning moved back in to
support the landings and supply counter battery
fire on Aka, Keruma, Zamami, and Yakabi.
By the morning of the 27th, aerial resistance
had begun. On the 28th, SAN FRANCISCO
shifted to Okinawa for shore bombardment in
preparation for the assault landings scheduled
for 1 April. On that day, she took up
station in fire support sector 5, west of Naha,
and for the next five days, shelled enemy
emplacements, caves, pill boxes, road junctions,
and tanks, trucks, and troop concentrations.
At night, she provided harassing fire near the
beachhead.
On 6 April, the cruiser retired to Kerama Retto;
refueled and took on ammunition, assisted in
splashing a
"Jill," then, rejoined TF 54 off Okinawa as that
force underwent another air raid. SAN
FRANCISCO downed a "Kate." Dawn of the 7th
brought another air raid, during which a
kamikaze attempted to crash the cruiser.
It was splashed 50 yards off the starboard bow.
After the raid, SAN FRANCISCO shifted to TF 51
for fire support missions on the east coast of
Okinawa, rejoining TF 54 on the west coast in
late afternoon. On the 11th, air attacks
increased; and, the next day, SAN FRANCISCO set
a "Val" on fire. The plane then glanced
off a merchant ship and hit the water, enveloped
in flames.On the 13th and 14th, the cruiser
again operated with TF 51 off the east coast of
the embattled island. On the 15th, she
returned to Kerama Retto, thence proceeded to
Okinawa and operations with TF 54 in the
transport area. There, she provided night
illumination to detect swimmers and suicide
boats and, just before midnight, assisted in
sinking one of the latter. During the
night, two further attempts by suicide boats to
close the transports were thwarted.
With dawn, SAN FRANCISCO returned to the Naha
area to shell the airfield there. On the
17th, she moved up the coast and fired on the
Machinato air field. On the 18th, she
again shifted to the eastern side of the island
and, that night, anchored in Nakagusuku Wan.
The next day, SAN FRANCISCO supported troops in
the southern part of the island. From 21
April through 24 April, she shelled targets in
the Naha airstrip area; and got underway for
Ulithi.
On 13 May, SAN FRANCISCO returned to Okinawa,
arriving in Nakagusuku Wan and resuming support
activities against targets in southern Okinawa.
For the next few days, SAN FRANCISCO supported
the 96th Infantry Division in an area to the
southeast of Yunabaru. On the 20th, she
shifted to Kutaka Shima, and by the night of the
22d, she had depleted her supply of ammunition
for her main batteries. On the 25th, the
Japanese launched a large air attack against
Allied shipping in Nakagusuku Wan. On the
27th, SAN FRANCISCO provided fire support for
the 77th Infantry Division, and, on the 28th,
she retired to Kerama Retto. On the 30th,
the cruiser returned to the western side of
Okinawa and, for the next two weeks, supported
operations of the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions.
On 21 June, SAN FRANCISCO was ordered to join TG
32.15, 120 miles southeast of Okinawa. A
week later, she put into Kerama Retto for a
brief stay, then rejoined that group. In
early July, she provided cover for the eastern
anchorage. On the 3d, she sailed toward
the Philippines to prepare for an invasion of
the Japanese home islands. The cessation
of hostilities in mid August, however, obviated
that operation, and SAN FRANCISCO prepared for
occupation duty.
On 28 August, the cruiser departed Subic Bay for
the China coast. After a show of force in
the Yellow Sea and Gulf of Pohai areas, she
covered minesweeping operations and, on 8
October, anchored at Jinsen, Korea. From
the 13th to the 16th, she participated in
another show of force operation in the Gulf of
Pohai area, then returned to Jinsen, where Rear
Admiral J. Wright, ComCruDiv 6, acted as senior
member of the committee for the surrender of
Japanese naval forces in Korea.
On 27 November, SAN FRANCISCO headed home.
Arriving at San Francisco in mid-December, she
continued on to the east coast in early January
1946 and arrived at Philadelphia for
inactivation on the 19th. Decommissioned
on 10 February, she was berthed with the
Philadelphia Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet
until 1 March 1959 when her name was struck from
the Navy list. On 9 September, she was
sold for scrapping to the Union Mineral and
Alloys Corp., New York.
SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) earned 17 battle stars
during
World War II.
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