USS Oakland (CL-95)
History of the USS Oakland Cruiser
The USS Oakland (CL-95) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before the United States entered World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Bethlehem Steel Company in San Francisco, California on July 15, 1941. She was launched on October 23, 1942 and commissioned on July 17, 1943 under the command of Captain William K. Phillips.
USS Oakland arrived at Pearl Harbor on November 3, 1943. She joined Task Group 50.3 in support of Operation Galvanic, the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. The cruiser splashed two Japanese torpedo bombers on November 20 and shared in the kills of two others. In early December, when an enemy torpedo damaged the carrier USS Lexington, the cruiser escorted her back to Pearl Harbor for repairs.
Along with the aircraft carriers of Task Group 58.1, the USS Oakland got underway for the Marshall Islands on January 16, 1944. She supported the air strikes at Maloelap and Kwajalein before the troop landings at Kwajalein on February 1. Later that month, she screened the carriers during their strikes on Truk.
On the night of February 21-22, USS Oakland splashed two more Japanese aircraft and scored two assists. In March, she covered the occupation of Emirau Island before moving on to the Carolines to attack Palau, Yap, and Woleai. The task group headed to Wake, Sawar, Truk, Satawan, and Ponape in April and early May.
In June, the USS Oakland attacked Guam, the Volcano Islands, and the Bonins. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, she turned on her search lights to help returning American fighter planes land safely. The cruiser then headed to Pagan Island, Iwo Jima, and Chichi Jima.
USS Oakland supported the carrier strikes at Guam and Rota on July 7, helping to recover downed aviators from the water. On August 4, she was detached to pursue a Japanese convoy leaving Chichi Jima. Her hunter-killer group sank the destroyer Matsu, a small oiler, and a supply ship before shelling shore and harbor targets.
From there, the USS Oakland sailed to the Palaus to strike at Peleliu in early September. She spent the next few weeks raiding enemy airfields in the Philippines. In October, she took part in the attacks on Okinawa, Formosa, and the Pescadores. When the USS Canberra and USS Houston were damaged on October 13-14, the cruiser covered their withdrawal.
Three days later, USS Oakland participated in the strikes on Luzon before supporting the troop landings on Leyte. She arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but she screened the carriers as they launched long range strikes against the retreating Imperial Navy.
During November and December, the USS Oakland helped out with the Philippine liberation campaign. After weathering a typhoon on December 18 and avoiding major damage, she headed to San Francisco for overhaul, arriving there on January 11, 1945.
Once her yard work was complete, USS Oakland departed for Pearl Harbor on March 4. She remained there for training for 10 days before proceeding to the staging area for Okinawa. The cruiser joined Task Group 58.4, spending the first week of April bombarding Sakashima Gunto before heading to Okinawa. She was reassigned to Task Group 58.3 on April 10, splashing a Japanese dive bomber the next day.
The USS Oakland proceeded north on April 15 in support of the air strikes against Kyushu, splashing a Japanese plane and driving off another one. Two days later, her guns took out a kamikaze and scared off another plane. The cruiser spent the rest of April striking at targets on Okinawa and conducting gunnery exercises.
On May 11, USS Oakland helped rescue survivors when the USS Bunker Hill was attacked by kamikazes. Two days later, she fought off more enemy aircraft, scoring two assists in splashing more kamikazes. She remained off Okinawa until rejoining Task Group 38.1 on May 29 and heading to San Pedro Bay.
In July, the USS Oakland supported the raids on the Japanese home islands, including Honshu, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kure, Kobe, and Nagoya. When the war ended on August 15, she supported the occupation forces. The cruiser was only a few thousand yards away from the USS Missouri when she witnessed the formal surrender ceremonies on September 2.
Damaged slightly during a typhoon on September 27, USS Oakland embarked American troops on October 1 as part of Operation Magic Carpet to repatriate war veterans. She celebrated Navy Day at her namesake, Oakland, California. The cruiser made two more Magic Carpet runs before heading to Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington for overhaul.
USS Oakland served as a Fleet Gunnery Training Ship out of San Diego, California from July 1946 until January 1947. She then made a training cruise of the Western Pacific until September. On March 18, she was reclassified as CLAA-95.
The USS Oakland was decommissioned on July 1, 1949. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1959 and sold for scrap on December 1, 1959. The cruiser earned nine 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
