USS Richmond (CL-9)
History of the USS Richmond Cruiser
The USS Richmond (CL-9) was ordered for the U.S. Navy after World War I. Her keel was laid down by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 16, 1920. She was launched on September 29, 1921 and commissioned on July 2, 1923 under the command of Captain David F. Boyd.
In her early career, USS Richmond served as the flagship of the Scouting Force out of New Orleans, Louisiana. She took part in Fleet Problem III the following January before rescuing the survivors of the USS Tacoma on January 19, 1924. In February, she evacuated refugees from Puerto Mexico to Veracruz.
Over the summer, the USS Richmond served as a station ship during the Army World Flight. She became the flagship of the Light Cruisers Division, Scouting Fleet in January 1925. The cruiser conducted exercises and goodwill cruises in a variety of locations over the next few years, including California, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, China, and the Philippines.
USS Richmond carried a Navy battalion from San Pedro, California to Nicaragua in 1928. From December 21, 1937 until May 10, 1938 she served as the flagship of the Submarine Force off the West Coast. After a brief trip to the East Coast, she resumed her duties as flagship again from August 26, 1938 until December 1940. In 1941, her homeport was shifted to Pearl Harbor, where she served as the flagship of the Scouting Force until June.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, the USS Richmond was en route to Chile. She immediately took up patrol off Panama before escorting convoys carrying reinforcements to the Galapagos Islands and the Society Islands. After returning to patrol the waters between Panama and Chile, she headed to San Francisco, California for overhaul.
In January 1943, USS Richmond got underway for the Aleutian Islands, arriving at Unalaska on January 28. Several days later, she became the flagship of Task Group 16.6, defending the approaches to Amchitka. Later that month, she bombarded Holtz Bay and Attu. The cruiser then took up patrols to blockade Attu and Kiska. Her task group intercepted a force of blockade runners on March 26 in what became the Battle of the Komandorski Islands.
The USS Richmond participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of Kiska in August, and invasion forces met no resistance because the Japanese had managed to evacuate undetected. The cruiser headed to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul before returning to patrol the waters west of the outer Aleutians until the end of the year.
From there, USS Richmond headed to the Kuril Islands on February 4, 1944 to conduct shore bombardment missions. Bombardment and anti-shipping sweeps kept her busy until the war ended in August.
After World War II, the USS Richmond supported the occupation of northern Japan. She was decommissioned on December 21, 1945, struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 21, 1946, and sold for scrap on December 18, 1946. The cruiser received two 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
