USS Salt Lake City (CA-25)
History of the USS Salt Lake City Cruiser
The USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) was originally designated as CL-25. She was ordered for the U.S. Navy between World War I and World War II. Her keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey on June 9, 1927. She was launched on January 23, 1929 and commissioned on December 11, 1929 under the command of Captain Frederick Lansing Oliver.
During her early career, USS Salt Lake City sailed with Cruiser Division 2, Scouting Force along the coast of New England. She was transferred to Cruiser Division 5 on September 12, 1930 and reclassified as CA-25 on July 1, 1931. In 1932, the cruiser headed to San Pedro, California for fleet maneuvers and her reassignment to the Pacific Fleet. Over the next few years, she operated with Cruiser Division 4 along the West Coast and in Hawaii.
There were some interruptions in her regular schedule of operations in Hawaii and along the West Coast. In 1936, the USS Salt Lake City took part in surface-subsurface operations in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1939, she conducted a cruise to Panama, Colombia, the Virgin Islands, Trinidad, Cuba, and Haiti. The cruiser visited Wake and Guam in 1940 and Brisbane in August 1941.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, USS Salt Lake City was returning from Wake Island with the task group built around the USS Enterprise. She joined in the search for enemy shipping but found nothing. The cruiser spent the next week on antisubmarine patrol.
After Wake Island fell, the USS Salt Lake City screened the carriers as they launched air strikes on Wotje, Maloelap, Kwajalein, and Marcus Island. In April 1942, she escorted the ships of Task Force 16 for the Doolittle Raid on the Japanese home islands. The cruiser arrived too late to take part in the Battle of the Coral Sea, and instead provided cover for the ships retiring from battle.
USS Salt Lake City provided rear guard during the Battle of Midway in June. In August, she moved on to support operations at Guadalcanal, escorting the USS Wasp during the troop landings on August 7-8. She remained with the carrier until it was sunk by enemy torpedoes on September 15, when she aided in rescue operations.
In October, the USS Salt Lake City became involved in the Battle of Cape Esperance with Task Force 64. One of the cruiser’s search planes caught fire in the middle of launching, and the Japanese flag officers on Savo Island misinterpreted the blaze as a signal flare from their own landing force. The confusion gave the Americans the upper hand, resulting in the destruction of two Japanese cruisers and a destroyer, as well as damage to a third cruiser. For the Americans, the USS Duncan sank and the USS Boise sustained heavy damage, but was able to rejoin the task group.
From there, USS Salt Lake City headed to Pearl Harbor for repairs and replenishment. When her repairs were finished, she got underway for the Aleutian Islands in March 1943. Along with Task Force 8, she fought in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands. The cruiser suffered several hits, killing two of her men and leaving her dead in the water. Luckily, she was hidden by smoke, and her fellow destroyers drew the enemy away, allowing her to recover.
Later on, the USS Salt Lake City covered the occupation of Attu and Kiska before leaving the Aleutians on September 23. She sailed for Pearl Harbor via San Francisco, California. The cruiser was then assigned to Task Group 50.3 for Operation Galvanic, the campaign for the Gilbert Islands. She supported operations at Funafuti and Tarawa.
The USS Salt Lake City joined Task Group 50.15, the Neutralization Group for the Marshall Islands campaign. She helped bombard Wotje and Taroa in January and February 1944. In March, she supported the raids on Palau, Yap, Ulithi, and Woleai. On April 25, she sailed to Pearl Harbor before moving on to Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California.
After a brief trip to Adak, Alaska in July, USS Salt Lake City returned to Pearl Harbor in August. She attacked Wake Island on September 3 before taking up patrol duty off Saipan. In October, the cruiser helped shell Marcus Island during the raids on Formosa.
During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the USS Salt Lake City returned to her task group to screen the carriers. In November, she joined Cruiser Division 5, Task Force 54 in the bombardment of the Volcano Islands. This lasted through January 25, 1945. The cruiser then served with the Gunfire and Covering Force to secure Iwo Jima and capture Okinawa.
On May 28, USS Salt Lake City put in at Leyte for repair work and upkeep. In July, she took up patrol and covered minesweeping operations in the East China Sea. The cruiser was en route to Adak when the Japanese surrendered, and she was ordered to Honshu to cover the occupation of Ominato Naval Base.
After World War II, the USS Salt Lake City took part in Operation Magic Carpet, bringing American veterans home from war. She then served as a target during the atomic tests of Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll. Surviving both test blasts, she was decommissioned on August 29, 1946, sunk as a target off California on May 25, 1948, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on June 18, 1948. The cruiser was awarded 11 battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation 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 Salt Lake City
