USS Northampton (CA-26)
History of the USS Northampton Cruiser
The USS Northampton (CA-26) was originally designated as CL-26. She was ordered for the U.S. Navy between World War I and World War II. Her keel was laid down at the Fore River Shipyard in Massachusetts on April 12, 1928. She was launched on September 5, 1929 and commissioned on May 17, 1930 under the command of Captain Walter N. Vernou.
During her early career, USS Northampton took part in fleet training and exercises in the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal Zone, and occasionally to the Pacific. In 1931, she was redesignated as CA-26. The following year, her homeport was shifted to San Pedro, California. It shifted again to Pearl Harbor later on.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the USS Northampton was at sea with the USS Enterprise. After returning to port the next day, she set out to patrol the waters off Oahu and Johnston Island. She then searched for the Japanese near Lisianski Island and Midway. The destroyer USS Craven collided with her on December 11 during underway refueling, but she was able to remain on patrol.
On February 1, USS Northampton was detached to bombard Wotje. Later that month, she bombarded Wake Island and sank a dredge in the lagoon. The cruiser then moved on to support the air strikes on Marcus Island before joining the USS Hornet screen for the Doolittle Raid. She replenished at Pearl Harbor and missed the Battle of the Coral Sea, but she screened the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway in June.
In August, the USS Northampton moved on to support the Guadalcanal operation. On September 15, she was patrolling the waters off San Cristobal when her task force was attacked by enemy submarines. The cruiser screened the USS Hornet at Bougainville on October 5.
USS Northampton was involved in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on October 6. When the USS Hornet was damaged by enemy aircraft, the cruiser provided cover and tried to take the aircraft carrier in tow. The USS Hornet, though, could not be saved, and she had to be scuttled.
On November 30, the USS Northampton found herself in the middle of the Battle of Tassafaronga. She took two torpedo hits that blew a hole in her port side and caused severe flooding. After three hours, the order came down to abandon ship, and the survivors were picked up by friendly destroyers within an hour. The cruiser was awarded six 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 Northampton
