.gif)
USS Newport News (CA-148)
Encyclopedia
The second USS Newport News (CA–148) was a in the United States Navy
. Newport News was laid down 1 November 1945; launched on 6 March 1948 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
. The vessel was sponsored by Mrs. Homer L. Ferguson upon commissioning on 29 January 1949, Captain Roland N. Smoot commanding. She was the first air-conditioned surface ship in the United States Navy.
and Western Atlantic. In early September 1957, Newport News was on station in the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for any contingency during the Syrian crisis. In March 1960, while steaming 75 miles northeast of Sicily
, Newport News was ordered to proceed to Agadir, Morocco, to render assistance to the survivors of that earthquake-shattered city. She steamed 1,225 miles in 40.5 hours at an average speed of 31 knots, arriving on 3 March to provide medical and material aid. With the assassination of General Trujillo and the resulting instability in Santo Domingo
, Newport News was underway on short notice on 4 June 1961, and proceeded to a station in international waters off the Dominican Republic
to await further orders. When the crisis terminated, the ship returned to Norfolk after conducting training exercises off Puerto Rico
.
Newport News’ berthing and communications facilities were modified in the winter of 1962 to accommodate Commander Second Fleet and his staff. In August 1962, she participated in NATO Exercise RIPTIDE III, and upon the end of the exercise, made a month long tour of Northern European ports as flagship of ComStrikFltLant, the NATO role of Commander Second Fleet.
Within a month after return to Norfolk, Newport News was underway on 22 October as the flagship
of the Atlantic Fleet for the Cuban Missle Crisis, with the USS Leary (DDR-879)
as her destroyer
escort. The two ships stopped the Soviet vessel Labinsk and ordered her away from Cuban waters. For the next month, acting as flagship for ComSecondFlt, CA–148 was on station northeast of Cuba
. When the Soviet MRBM’s were dismantled and removed from Cuba, Newport News assisted in the missile count. Upon cancellation of the quarantine, she returned to her homeport of Norfolk the day before Thanksgiving.
1 September 1967, Commander Second Fleet shifted his flag to Springfield, and Newport News departed Norfolk 5 September for a six month deployment to Southeast Asia. Arriving Da Nang
, South Vietnam
, on the morning of 9 October, she became the flagship of ComCruDesFlot 3. That night, at 2300, under her new call sign "Thunder," she fired her eight inch rifles for the first time in anger against shore targets in North Vietnam
as part of Operation Sea Dragon
.
Newport News spent some 50 days patrolling the coast of North Vietnam as part of Operation Sea Dragon – the Navy’s effort to destroy waterborne logistics craft as well as military supply routes ashore in North Vietnam. During this period, the ship conducted 156 strikes against enemy targets and, in the execution of these strikes, 325 North Vietnamese coastal defense sites were taken under fire. Combined, 7411 rounds of high explosive ammunition were expended by the ship during Operation Sea Dragon. According to spotters’ reports, Newport News sank 17 waterborne logistics craft, damaged another 14 and destroyed several enemy bunker and radar sites. In harassment and interdiction strike missions she all but halted the enemy’s rebuilding efforts as she damaged bridges, barges, trucks and roads and caused heavy ruin and raging fires in widespread areas. The ship was subjected to hostile fire on several occasions, but each time countered effectively and silenced the enemy batteries. On 19 December 1967, Newport News exchanged fire with 20–28 separate shore batteries, simultaneously, off the coast of North Vietnam. During the short period of this engagement, over 300 enemy rounds bracketed the cruiser’s position, but ship handling by Captain McCarty prevented any direct hits. This encounter led American forward observers to nickname Newport News “The Gray Ghost from the East Coast,” a moniker she retained throughout her three Vietnam deployments.
Subsequent to the end of Operation Sea Dragon and for the remaining several months of this deployment, Newport News participated in Naval Gunfire Support operations near the DMZ (The Demilitarized Zone). In support of Third Marine Division forces on the beach, the ship fired around the clock for periods sometimes lasting several weeks in succession. On station near the DMZ, Newport News was normally in sight of land and crewmembers could frequently see and hear, first hand, the effect of their efforts on enemy positions.
During the total period of this deployment, Newport News expended a record 59,241 rounds of high-explosive ammunition, while conducting a total of 239 observed and 602 unobserved missions against the enemy. She came under fire of enemy coastal defense batteries on seventeen separate occasions, was frequently straffed with shrapnel, but never suffering a direct hit.
The cruiser departed Subic Bay on 21 April and arrived at her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia on 13 May 1968, via the Panama Canal
.
Following an extensive yard overhaul period to prepare her for further combat operations, on 21 November 1968 Newport News once again departed Norfolk to commence her second deployment to Vietnam. Combat operations during this second tour commenced on 25 December 1968, focused primarily on providing Naval Gunfire Support to the 7th and 9th ARVN in the Vinh Binh Province of the Mekong Delta
and on providing additional Naval Gunfire Support near the DMZ. Newport News expended 18,928 rounds of ammunition during this second Vietnam deployment, departing Da Nang, South Vietnam on 3 June 1969, via San Francisco and the Panama Canal, to arrive at her homeport in Norfolk, Virginia in early July of that year.
In May 1972 Newport News returned to the gunline for her third combat tour in WESTPAC. During the summer of 1972 the ship, along with the guided missile cruisers USS Oklahoma City, and USS Providence (as well as several screening destroyers including the USS Hanson) took part in a high speed night bombardment of Haiphong
harbor. Known as the Three Cruiser Raid, it was the last time a major shore bombardment would be undertaken by multiple large (cruiser sized) ships.
On 1 October 1972, while in action off the Demilitarized Zone in Vietnam, Newport News sustained an in-bore explosion in her center 8-inch gun of number two turret. A defective auxiliary detonating fuse caused the projectile to detonate almost immediately upon firing. Twenty men were killed and thirty six injured. The barrel proper was blown forward from the gun. The damaged gun was removed and its port plated over. Some plans were drawn up for replacing the turret with one from the recently decommissioned USS St Paul, however this was not carried out. The ship completed her career with the turret unusable and locked in train.
Operations near Vietnam continued until December 1972 when the ship was recalled to Norfolk. During 1973 and 1974 the ship undertook training cruises and visited many ports around the world before being recalled for decommissioning, after a survey to determine further service indicated the ship was beyond refitting.
accommodation and office spaces. This would result in her becoming the Second Fleet
flagship for most of the rest of her career, save for her gunfire support stints during the Vietnam War
.
on 31 July 1978, and sold for scrap to Southern Scrap Material Company, Limited, in New Orleans, Louisiana
, on 25 February 1993. She spent her twilight years as a member of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
's "Mothball Fleet" The last of the heavy cruisers to be taken out of service, a museum dedicated to Newport News and her crew is maintained in USS Salem
in Quincy, MA.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Newport News was laid down 1 November 1945; launched on 6 March 1948 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
. The vessel was sponsored by Mrs. Homer L. Ferguson upon commissioning on 29 January 1949, Captain Roland N. Smoot commanding. She was the first air-conditioned surface ship in the United States Navy.
1950–1962
In addition to annual deployments to the Mediterranean from 1950 to 1961 for duty with the Sixth Fleet, she participated in major fleet exercises and midshipman training cruises in the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Western Atlantic. In early September 1957, Newport News was on station in the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for any contingency during the Syrian crisis. In March 1960, while steaming 75 miles northeast of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Newport News was ordered to proceed to Agadir, Morocco, to render assistance to the survivors of that earthquake-shattered city. She steamed 1,225 miles in 40.5 hours at an average speed of 31 knots, arriving on 3 March to provide medical and material aid. With the assassination of General Trujillo and the resulting instability in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Newport News was underway on short notice on 4 June 1961, and proceeded to a station in international waters off the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
to await further orders. When the crisis terminated, the ship returned to Norfolk after conducting training exercises off Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Newport News’ berthing and communications facilities were modified in the winter of 1962 to accommodate Commander Second Fleet and his staff. In August 1962, she participated in NATO Exercise RIPTIDE III, and upon the end of the exercise, made a month long tour of Northern European ports as flagship of ComStrikFltLant, the NATO role of Commander Second Fleet.
Within a month after return to Norfolk, Newport News was underway on 22 October as the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the Atlantic Fleet for the Cuban Missle Crisis, with the USS Leary (DDR-879)
USS Leary (DD-879)
USS Leary , one of the longest-lasting Gearing-class destroyers, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Clarence F. Leary USNRF , who lost his life in the line of duty...
as her destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
escort. The two ships stopped the Soviet vessel Labinsk and ordered her away from Cuban waters. For the next month, acting as flagship for ComSecondFlt, CA–148 was on station northeast of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. When the Soviet MRBM’s were dismantled and removed from Cuba, Newport News assisted in the missile count. Upon cancellation of the quarantine, she returned to her homeport of Norfolk the day before Thanksgiving.
1963–1974
Operations from 1963 through 1967 consisted primarily of NATO exercises in the North Atlantic, gunnery and amphibious exercises off the Eastern seaboard and Caribbean, and midshipman cruises. When the Dominican Republic crisis of 1965 developed, Newport News sortied from Norfolk on 29 April for Santo Domingo, where she was flagship for Commander Joint Task Force 122. Newport News remained on station off Santo Domingo until 7 May 1965 when JTF 122 was dissolved, and command was shifted to the Army ashore in the Dominican Republic. She returned to Norfolk, where in June alterations were made to increase her combat capabilities. On June 28, 1965, Newport News entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va. for a five month period of refitting and overhaul, a regular part of the life cycle of a warship. Shakedown was in Guantanamo, Cuba, over Christmas and New Year of 1965. It was no picnic, as those who were there can attest to. "Combat ready" was a way of life, sometimes more than 10 hours at a time. Swimming, softball, and drinking were the favorite pastimes. Upon her return from Gitmo, Newport News once again became Flagship for Second Fleet, Vice Admiral Masterson taking command.1 September 1967, Commander Second Fleet shifted his flag to Springfield, and Newport News departed Norfolk 5 September for a six month deployment to Southeast Asia. Arriving Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, on the morning of 9 October, she became the flagship of ComCruDesFlot 3. That night, at 2300, under her new call sign "Thunder," she fired her eight inch rifles for the first time in anger against shore targets in North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
as part of Operation Sea Dragon
Operation Sea Dragon (Vietnam War)
Operation Sea Dragon occurred during the Vietnam War and was a series of American led naval operations beginning in 1966 to interdict sea lines of communications and supply going south from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, and to destroy land targets with naval gunfire, as well give CIA agents in...
.
Newport News spent some 50 days patrolling the coast of North Vietnam as part of Operation Sea Dragon – the Navy’s effort to destroy waterborne logistics craft as well as military supply routes ashore in North Vietnam. During this period, the ship conducted 156 strikes against enemy targets and, in the execution of these strikes, 325 North Vietnamese coastal defense sites were taken under fire. Combined, 7411 rounds of high explosive ammunition were expended by the ship during Operation Sea Dragon. According to spotters’ reports, Newport News sank 17 waterborne logistics craft, damaged another 14 and destroyed several enemy bunker and radar sites. In harassment and interdiction strike missions she all but halted the enemy’s rebuilding efforts as she damaged bridges, barges, trucks and roads and caused heavy ruin and raging fires in widespread areas. The ship was subjected to hostile fire on several occasions, but each time countered effectively and silenced the enemy batteries. On 19 December 1967, Newport News exchanged fire with 20–28 separate shore batteries, simultaneously, off the coast of North Vietnam. During the short period of this engagement, over 300 enemy rounds bracketed the cruiser’s position, but ship handling by Captain McCarty prevented any direct hits. This encounter led American forward observers to nickname Newport News “The Gray Ghost from the East Coast,” a moniker she retained throughout her three Vietnam deployments.
Subsequent to the end of Operation Sea Dragon and for the remaining several months of this deployment, Newport News participated in Naval Gunfire Support operations near the DMZ (The Demilitarized Zone). In support of Third Marine Division forces on the beach, the ship fired around the clock for periods sometimes lasting several weeks in succession. On station near the DMZ, Newport News was normally in sight of land and crewmembers could frequently see and hear, first hand, the effect of their efforts on enemy positions.
During the total period of this deployment, Newport News expended a record 59,241 rounds of high-explosive ammunition, while conducting a total of 239 observed and 602 unobserved missions against the enemy. She came under fire of enemy coastal defense batteries on seventeen separate occasions, was frequently straffed with shrapnel, but never suffering a direct hit.
The cruiser departed Subic Bay on 21 April and arrived at her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia on 13 May 1968, via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
Following an extensive yard overhaul period to prepare her for further combat operations, on 21 November 1968 Newport News once again departed Norfolk to commence her second deployment to Vietnam. Combat operations during this second tour commenced on 25 December 1968, focused primarily on providing Naval Gunfire Support to the 7th and 9th ARVN in the Vinh Binh Province of the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
and on providing additional Naval Gunfire Support near the DMZ. Newport News expended 18,928 rounds of ammunition during this second Vietnam deployment, departing Da Nang, South Vietnam on 3 June 1969, via San Francisco and the Panama Canal, to arrive at her homeport in Norfolk, Virginia in early July of that year.
In May 1972 Newport News returned to the gunline for her third combat tour in WESTPAC. During the summer of 1972 the ship, along with the guided missile cruisers USS Oklahoma City, and USS Providence (as well as several screening destroyers including the USS Hanson) took part in a high speed night bombardment of Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
harbor. Known as the Three Cruiser Raid, it was the last time a major shore bombardment would be undertaken by multiple large (cruiser sized) ships.
On 1 October 1972, while in action off the Demilitarized Zone in Vietnam, Newport News sustained an in-bore explosion in her center 8-inch gun of number two turret. A defective auxiliary detonating fuse caused the projectile to detonate almost immediately upon firing. Twenty men were killed and thirty six injured. The barrel proper was blown forward from the gun. The damaged gun was removed and its port plated over. Some plans were drawn up for replacing the turret with one from the recently decommissioned USS St Paul, however this was not carried out. The ship completed her career with the turret unusable and locked in train.
Operations near Vietnam continued until December 1972 when the ship was recalled to Norfolk. During 1973 and 1974 the ship undertook training cruises and visited many ports around the world before being recalled for decommissioning, after a survey to determine further service indicated the ship was beyond refitting.
Modifications
During her career Newport News underwent several refits which changed her appearance somewhat, and increased her capabilities. During the mid 50's her forward bridge was enclosed on both levels with roofs and glass windows creating a navigation bridge above, and a flag bridge below. Later in the 50's new and more capable radars for navigation and gunnery were fitted. The biggest change for her came in 1962 when a large deck-house was added midships which gave her enhanced FlagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
accommodation and office spaces. This would result in her becoming the Second Fleet
Second Fleet
The Second Fleet or 2nd fleet may be:* Second Fleet , the second convict party sent to Port Jackson in 1790* IJN 2nd Fleet, Imperial Japanese Navy* United States Second Fleet, United States Navy* Legio II Adiutrix...
flagship for most of the rest of her career, save for her gunfire support stints during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Decommissioning
Newport News was decommissioned on 27 June 1975, stricken from the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 31 July 1978, and sold for scrap to Southern Scrap Material Company, Limited, in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, on 25 February 1993. She spent her twilight years as a member of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
's "Mothball Fleet" The last of the heavy cruisers to be taken out of service, a museum dedicated to Newport News and her crew is maintained in USS Salem
USS Salem (CA-139)
The third USS Salem is a Des Moines-class heavy cruiser, formerly commissioned in the United States Navy. The world's last all-gun heavy cruiser to enter commission, she is currently open to the public as a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.-Construction and shakedown:Salem was laid down on 4...
in Quincy, MA.
Awards
- On July 4 weekend 1968, Newport News was awarded its first Navy Unit CommendationNavy Unit CommendationThe Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
, presented to Captain Snyder by Rear Admiral John Wadleigh on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy "for Exceptionally meritorious service from 2OCT67 to 26APR68 while engaged in operations against enemy aggressor forces in the waters contiguous to the hostile coastline of both North and South Vietnam." - The ship was awarded the "Top Gun" award for support of the allied forces during the 1969 deployment.
- In 1969, Newport News was awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation for performance during operations against hostile enemy forces during the ship's second deployment to Vietnam during 1968 and 1969.
- Newport News received the Battle Efficiency "E" for CIC/Operations for Fiscal Year 1972. The occasion marked the 24th commissioning anniversary of Newport News. COMSECONDFLT VADM Finneran was guest speaker at the ceremony. (Twenty-nine January is the official anniversary of Newport News.)
- On 13 July 1973 Newport News was awarded its second Navy Unit Commendation, presented to Capt Kelly by VADM Finneran on behalf of Secretary of the Navy John W. Warner at a ceremony which was also attended by Capt Zartman, who had been Commanding Officer for the 1972 Vietnam deployment, during which the award was earned.
External links
- USS Newport News Home Page, website dedicated to the USS Newport News (CA-148)
- My Love of Thunder Home Page, website dedicated to the USS Newport News (CA-148) – created by Navy Master Chief Dexter Goad (Retired) – includes significant historical content relating to the ship.