View source for USS Duluth (CL-87)

{{short description|Light cruiser of the United States Navy}}
{{other ships|USS Duluth}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Duluth (CL-87) underway in Hampton Roads on 10 October 1944 (NH 98363).jpg|300px|USS Duluth underway in 1944]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Duluth'' (CL-87), near [[Hampton Roads]], October 1944
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1949}}
|Ship name=''Duluth''
|Ship namesake=City of [[Duluth, Minnesota]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company]], [[Newport News, Virginia]]
|Ship laid down=November 1942
|Ship launched=13 January 1944
|Ship commissioned=18 September 1944
|Ship decommissioned=25 June 1949
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate= Sold for scrap on 14 November 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
* 28 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{cvt|40|mm}} Bofors]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]]
* 10 × [[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 ''Duluth''''' was a {{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}}.

She was launched 13 January 1944 by [[Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company]], [[Newport News, Virginia]]; sponsored by Mrs. E. H. Hatch, wife of the Mayor of [[Duluth, Minnesota]]; and commissioned 18 September 1944, [[Captain (United States O-6)#U.S. Navy|Captain]] Donald Roderick Osborn, Jr., US Naval Academy class of 1920, in command.

==Design==
{{main|Cleveland-class cruiser|l1=''Cleveland''-class cruiser}}
[[File:USS Duluth (CL-87) underway off the US East Coast, circa in late 1944 (NH 50220).jpg|thumb|left|''Duluth'' underway early in her career]]

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}}

''Duluth'' 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 twenty-eight [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors {{cvt|40|mm}} guns]] in four quadruple and six double mounts and ten [[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. ''Duluth''{{'}}s conning tower had 5-inch sides.{{sfn|Friedman 1980|p=119}}

==Service history==
===Construction and World War II===
[[File:USS Duluth (CL-87) at anchor in 1945.jpg|thumb|left|''Duluth'' at anchor in 1945]]

The [[keel]] for ''Duluth'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] in November 1942 at the [[Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company]] in [[Newport News, Virginia]], with the [[hull number]] CL-87. Her completed hull was [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 13 January 1944, and [[fitting-out]] work was completed by September. The ship was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 18 September and thereafter began [[sea trials]]. ''Duluth'' operated as a [[training ship|training cruiser]] based in [[Newport, Rhode Island]], from 14 December to 2 March 1945 as her crew familiarized themselves with the ship. She thereafter steamed to [[Norfolk, Virginia]], for a short refit. On 7 April, ''Duluth'' got underway to join the war effort in the Pacific. After transiting the [[Panama Canal]], she arrived in [[Pearl Harbor]] on 29 April.{{sfn|Friedman 1980|p=120}}{{sfn|DANFS}}

''Duluth'' left Pearl Harbor on 8 May to join [[United States Fifth Fleet|5th Fleet]], which she met on 27 May.{{sfn|DANFS}} While cruising with the fleet off [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] on 5 June, ''Duluth'' was damaged by a severe [[typhoon]], along with a number of other vessels.{{sfn|Rohwer|p=419}} She had to sail south to [[Guam]] for repairs, which lasted for more than a month. She returned to the [[Fast Carrier Task Force]] on 21 July, which had by that time passed to [[United States Third Fleet|3rd Fleet]], being renamed Task Force&nbsp;38.{{sfn|DANFS}} ''Duluth'' was assigned to the subordinate unit Task Group 38.1, along with five [[aircraft carrier]]s, three [[fast battleship]]s, four other cruisers, and several [[destroyer]]s.{{sfn|Rohwer|p=421}} She served as part of the anti-aircraft screen that protected the carriers as they carried out a series of air strikes on various targets in Japan. These operations continued until the end of the war on 14 August.{{sfn|DANFS}}

During this period, on 18 July, ''Duluth'' was temporarily transferred to Task Group 35.4, along with the cruisers {{USS|Topeka|CL-67|2}}, {{USS|Atlanta|CL-104|2}}, and {{USS|Dayton|CL-105|2}} and eight destroyers. The unit carried out a sweep for Japanese coastal shipping that night, but failed to locate any significant targets.{{sfn|Rohwer|p=422}} ''Duluth'' thereafter returned to TG&nbsp;38.1 and remained with it for the next month during the initial occupation operations. The ships entered [[Sagami Bay]] on 27 August with the rest of TF&nbsp;38 to begin preparations for the formal surrender of Japan, which took place aboard the battleship {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}} on 2 September.{{sfn|Rohwer|pp=428–429}} ''Duluth'' moved to [[Tokyo Bay]] on 16 September as part of the occupation effort. The ship got underway on 1 October to return home, arriving in [[Seattle]], Washington, on 19 October, where she took part in [[Navy Day]] celebrations. The ship received two [[battle star]]s during her brief service during the war.{{sfn|DANFS}}

===Postwar career===
[[File:USS Duluth (CL-87) at Melbourne 1947.jpg|thumb|''Duluth'' in [[Melbourne]] in 1947]]

The ship was thereafter based in [[San Pedro, California]], and was sent on a deployment to East Asian waters that lasted from 3 January 1946 to 27 September. The ship sailed to Pearl Harbor on 24 February 1947 for a lengthy visit to the port. ''Duluth'' went on a major cruise to the southern and western Pacific between May and July. During the voyage, she visited [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]], Australia; [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] and Guam in the central Pacific, and [[Manila]] in the [[Philippines]].{{sfn|DANFS}} During the latter visit, ''Duluth'' cruised with the aircraft carrier {{USS|Antietam|CV-36|2}} and a [[division (naval)|division]] of destroyers, and it was timed for the first anniversary of the Philippines' independence.{{sfn|Hooper, Allard, & Fitzgerald|p=143}}

The ship was then sent to the coast of China to patrol the region during the [[Chinese Civil War]]. Her deployment lasted from 22 September 1947 to 19 May 1948, which concluded with the transfer of ''Duluth'' to [[Long Beach, California]], where she was based for the remainder of her career. In mid-1948, she embarked on a training cruise for [[NROTC]] midshipmen that included a visit to [[British Columbia]]. The ship took part in cold-weather training exercises held off [[Kodiak, Alaska]], in February 1949, before being decommissioned on 25 June and assigned to the [[reserve fleet]]. She remained there for more than a decade, before being sold to [[ship breaker]]s on 14 November 1960.{{sfn|DANFS}}

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

{{notes}}

===Citations===

{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
* {{cite DANFS
  | title = Duluth I (CL-87)
  | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/duluth.html
  | date= 7 July 2015
  | access-date = 23 January 2022
  | ref={{sfnref|DANFS}}
  }}
* {{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
  |last1=Hooper
  |first1=Edwin Bickford
  |first2=Dean C.
  |last2=Allard
  |first3=Oscar P.
  |last3=Fitzgerald
  |year=1986
  |title=The United States Navy and the Vietnam Conflict: From Military Assistance to Combat, 1959–1965
  |location=Washington, DC
  |publisher=Naval History Division
  |oclc=314814331
  |ref={{sfnref|Hooper, Allard, & Fitzgerald}}
  }}
* {{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}}
  }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-d/cl87.htm Navy photographs of ''Duluth'' (CL-87)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204145030/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-d/cl87.htm |date=4 February 2012 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040302084301/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/d6/duluth.htm history.navy.mil: USS ''Duluth'']
*{{navsource|04/087/04087|USS Duluth}}
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cl87.txt hazegray.org: USS ''Duluth''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927061812/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cl87.txt |date=27 September 2006 }}

{{Cleveland class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duluth (Cl-87)}}
[[Category:Cleveland-class cruisers]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]