USS Montpelier (CL-57)
History of the USS Montpelier Cruiser
The USS Montpelier (CL-57) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before the United States entered World War II. Her keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey on December 2, 1940. She was launched on February 12, 1942 and commissioned on September 9, 1942 under the command of Captain Leighton Wood.
USS Montpelier arrived at Nouméa on January 18, 1943 to serve as the flagship of Rear Admiral A.S. Merrill, Commander Cruiser Division 12. One week later, she arrived at Efate, New Hebrides, which would serve as her home base for several months. On January 29, she took part in the Battle of Rennell Island.
In February, the USS Montpelier covered the troop landings on the Russell Islands. She then moved on in March to bombard the Vila-Stanmore airfield on Kolombangara and sink a Japanese destroyer during the Battle of Blackett Strait. At the end of June, she helped bombard Poporang Island in preparation of the upcoming invasion of New Georgia.
On the night of July 11, USS Montpelier bombarded Munda before spending the next four months patrolling the New Georgia area. She then made a trip to Sydney before joining Task Force 39 as its flagship. As part of the invasion of the Treasury Islands and Bougainville, she bombarded the airfields and Japanese defenses in the area on November 1. The next day, Task Force 39 became involved in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, during which time the cruiser splashed five enemy planes and assisted in sinking a ship.
The USS Montpelier moved on to cover the troop landings on the Green Islands in February 1944. In March, she operated near Truk, supported the invasion of the Emiraus, and bombarded Saipan. The cruiser was involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June.
From there, USS Montpelier went back to shell shore targets on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. On August 2, she got underway for the United States for a much needed overhaul. Once her yard work was complete, the cruiser joined the task group off Leyte on November 25. Two days later, she was damaged by a kamikaze attack and managed to shoot down four other planes.
In December, the USS Montpelier covered the invasion forces at Mindoro. She then fought off kamikazes as she defended the landing troops at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945. Over the next few months, she supported operations at Mariveles Harbor, Corregidor, Palawan, Mindanao, Borneo, and Balikpapan. As the war was drawing to a close, she conducted anti-shipping sweeps of the East China Sea.
After World War II ended, USS Montpelier helped evacuate Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and toured the ruins of Hiroshima. In October, she covered the landing of occupation forces on Matsuyama before sailing for New York via Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and the Panama Canal.
USS Montpelier joined the Atlantic Fleet on December 11. She then joined the 16thFleet on July 1, 1946 until her decommissioning on January 24, 1947. The cruiser was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1959 and sold for scrap on January 22, 1960. She was awarded 13 battle stars for her service in World War II.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
Sources include:
Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences, by John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships – USS Montpelier
