USS Philadelphia (CL-41)
History of the USS Philadelphia Cruiser
The USS Philadelphia (CL-41) was ordered for the U.S. Navy between World War I and World War II. Her keel was laid down at Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania on May 28, 1935. She was launched on November 17, 1936 and commissioned on September 23, 1937 under the command of Captain Jules James.
In her early career, USS Philadelphia operated along the East Coast. On April 30, 1938, she embarked President Franklin D. Roosevelt for a week-long cruise of the Caribbean. She then resumed her duties with Cruiser Division 8, becoming the flagship of the Battle Force on June 27.
On June 18, 1939, the USS Philadelphia arrived at San Pedro, California as a member of the Pacific Fleet, still serving with Cruiser Division 8. She was transferred to Pearl Harbor on April 2, 1940. The cruiser returned to the Atlantic on June 18, 1941 to conduct Neutrality Patrol duties from Nova Scotia to Bermuda.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, USS Philadelphia was undergoing overhaul at the Boston Navy Yard in Massachusetts. Eleven days later, she sailed for Casco Bay, Maine and Argentia. On Valentine’s Day 1942, the cruiser began the first of two escort runs from New York to Iceland. In May, she joined Task Force 22 to conduct an antisubmarine sweep from Norfolk to the Panama Canal.
Upon her return to New York, the USS Philadelphia found herself on convoy escort duty to Scotland. In September, she joined the Western Naval Task Force supporting the landing troops bound for French Morocco. She became the flagship for Rear Admiral Lyal A. Davidson, Commander Southern Attack Group. The cruiser departed Norfolk, Virginia on October 24 for the British Islands before arriving at Morocco in November.
USS Philadelphia began providing fire support for the invasion forces on November 8, bombarding shore targets alongside the USS New York. The next day, one of her aircraft bombed the Vichy French submarine Medeuse, which was spotted in a disabled state the following day and bombed again. The cruiser arrived back at New York on November 24, which remained her base of operations until the following year.
Resuming convoy duty on March 11, 1943, the USS Philadelphia made two more trips to Casablanca. After that, she joined Task Force 85 at Chesapeake Bay to prepare for the invasion of Sicily. She arrived off the coast of Sicily on July 9 to cover the troop landings with shore bombardment. The cruiser continued to provide fire support for the next 10 days.
On July 19, USS Philadelphia got underway for Algiers, becoming the flagship for the newly formed Task Force 88 eight days later to defend Palermo. She supported operations at Palermo until August 21 before returning to Sicily. The cruiser was back at Salerno in September to conduct shore bombardment.
By the time the USS Philadelphia returned to Gibraltar for upkeep, she had splashed a number of enemy aircraft. She departed Algiers on November 6 to escort a convoy back to Hampton Roads in Virginia. Back in the United States, she put in at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York for overhaul.
After refresher training in Chesapeake Bay, USS Philadelphia got underway to escort a convoy from Norfolk, Virginia to Algiers on January 19, 1944. Over the next several months, she supported operations at Anzio, St. Tropez, Toulon, and other parts of southern France. The cruiser returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for overhaul in November.
Once her yard work was completed, the USS Philadelphia departed Norfolk for Antwerp on July 7, 1945. She escorted the USS Augusta, which was carrying President Harry Truman across the Atlantic for the Potsdam Conference. The cruiser remained at Plymouth, England to make the return trip, and she rendered honors to King George VI when he visited President Truman onboard the USS Augusta on August 2. She arrived back at Norfolk five days later, just 10 days before the war ended.
The USS Philadelphia escorted an ocean liner to England before taking part in Operation Magic Carpet, bringing American soldiers home from war. She was decommissioned on February 3, 1947 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 9, 1951 for transfer to the Brazilian Navy under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. The cruiser served Brazil as the Barroso (C-11) until she was scrapped in 1973. The USS Philadelphia earned five 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 Philadelphia
