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USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103)
Encyclopedia
USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) was a Cleveland-class
Cleveland class cruiser
The United States Navy designed the Cleveland class of light cruisers for World War II with the goal of increased range and AA armament as compared with earlier classes.A total of 52 ships of this class were projected and 3 canceled...
light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
of the United States Navy
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...
that served during the last year of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named after the city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
.
Construction and Commissioning
The ship was laid down on 14 December 1942 at Camden, New JerseyCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, by the New York Shipbuilding
New York Shipbuilding
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. Located in Camden, New Jersey on the east shore of the Delaware River, New York Ship built more than 500 vessels for the U.S...
Corporation, launched on 24 December 1943, sponsored by Grace Shoemaker Miner (the wife of a prominent Wilkes-Barre doctor), and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 1 July 1944, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Robert L. Porter, Jr., in command.
World War II
After fitting-out, Wilkes-Barre conducted her shakedown cruise in Chesapeake BayChesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
and in the Gulf of Paria
Gulf of Paria
The Gulf of Paria is a shallow inland sea between the island of Trinidad and the east coast of Venezuela. This sheltered body of water is considered to be one of the best natural harbours on the Atlantic coast of the Americas...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
, before she returned to Philadelphia for post-shakedown availability. Getting underway on 23 October, the new light cruiser conducted training over ensuing days as she headed for 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...
and the Pacific. Soon after transiting the isthmian waterway on 27 October, Wilkes-Barre arrived at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, where she loaded provisions and ammunition. Then, following gunnery exercises off San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
, Calif., the warship headed for Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
on 10 November.
Wilkes-Barre reached Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on the 17th, and conducted exercises in the Hawaiian operating area from 19–24 November and 2–3 December, before she left Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
in her wake on 14 December, bound for the Carolines. Upon her arrival at Ulithi, Wilkes-Barre joined Cruiser Division 17 and sortied on 30 December as part of a support unit for Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
John S. McCain
John S. McCain, Sr.
John Sidney "Slew" McCain Sr. was a U.S. Navy admiral. He held several command assignments during the Pacific campaign of World War II....
's Task Force 38.
Planes from TF 38 hit targets on Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and in the southern Ryukyus and, later, on Japanese targets on Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, in support of the landings on that Philippine island. TF 38 delivered a second strike upon Japanese positions on Formosa on 9 January 1945, before it passed through the Bashi Channel
Bashi Channel
The Bashi Channel is a strait between the Y'Ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island of Taiwan. It is characterized by windy storms during the rainy period, June to December. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean....
on the night of 9–10 January 1945 and headed into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
to counter the threat of enemy surface units opposing the Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
landings. On 12 January, the day that Navy aircraft sank 127,000 tons of merchant and naval shipping in the Indochina area, Wilkes-Barre and her sisters in CruDiv 17 were detached from Task Group (TG) 38.2 and became TG 34.5 which was set up to deal with enemy warships reported off Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
, French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. However, search planes from the cruisers found no trace of the supposed enemy force; and Wilkes-Barre, with the rest of CruDiv 17, rejoined TF 38.
On 13–14 January, soon after the abortive Cam Ranh Bay sweep, Wilkes-Barre and her consorts ran into rough weather — a tropical disturbance which caused stormy weather with intermittent squalls, heavy seas, and strong winds from the northeast. Wilkes-Barre rolled as much as 38 degrees to a side as she proceeded on a northeasterly course into the teeth of the gale.
However, the weather soon cleared enough to permit air strikes against Japanese shipping and targets on the coasts of China and French Indochina. Through holes in the thick overcast, American carrier planes bombed Japanese shipping at Takao
Taku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
, Amoy
Amoy
Xiamen, or Amoy, is a city on the southeast coast of China.Amoy may also refer to:*Amoy dialect, a dialect of the Hokkien lects, which are part of the Southern Min group of Chinese languages...
, and Swatow
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
on 15 January and at Hainan Island, Indochina, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on the 16th. Fueling operations for the task group, hampered by the generally bad weather that had prevailed during the period, were finally completed on the 19th, shortly before the ships transited the Balintang Channel
Balintang Channel
The Balintang Channel is the small waterway that separates the Batanes and Babuyan Islands, both of which belong to the Philippines, in the Luzon Strait....
.
Strikes against Formosa continued on 21 January, but the enemy drew blood in return, damaging and . The next day, almost as if in revenge, Navy planes pounded Japanese targets-of-opportunity on the island of Okinawa, in the final act of the 27-day drama.
On 26 January, TF 38 arrived at Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
for replenishment and repairs. At Ulithi, TF 38 became TF 58 when command of the Fast Carrier Task Force
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
passed to Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher. Within two weeks, Wilkes-Barre was at sea again, still with CruDiv 17 but attached to TG 58.3, Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Frederick C. Sherman
Frederick C. Sherman
Frederick Carl Sherman was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.Sherman was born in Port Huron, Michigan in 1888. His grandfather, Loren Sherman, was the longtime editor and publisher of The Daily Times in Port Huron...
, whose flag as commander of the group flew in . The light cruiser and her consorts appeared off the coast of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan, on 16 February and screened the carriers as their planes bombed Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The raid served as a diversion for what was taking place to the southward: the invasion of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
. Admiral Sherman's planes pounded Japanese airfields and industrial sites near Tokyo in raids that marked the first bombings of their kind since the Doolittle Raid
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
in April 1942.
After two days of strikes against the Japanese capital, the task group headed toward Iwo Jima and conducted strikes on Japanese positions on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima en route. On 19 February 1945, marines left their transports and headed toward the black beaches of Iwo Jima.
It soon became evident that the going would be tough against General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
Tadamichi Kuribayashi
General was a haiku poet, diplomat, and General of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. He is best known for being overall commander of the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima....
's garrison of defenders on Iwo Jima. On 21 February, Wilkes-Barre was called in to assist in the shore bombardment. The light cruiser, her fire directed by spotters aloft in her OS2U Kingfisher
OS2U Kingfisher
The Vought OS2U Kingfisher was an American catapult-launched observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest, because of its light engine...
s, proceeded to demolish enemy gun positions, pillboxes, fortified caves, and ammunition dumps. On one occasion, her prompt and effective call-fire turned back a Japanese counterattack.
Wilkes-Barre rejoined TG 58.3 on 23 February and screened the group's carriers as their planes hit targets in and near Tokyo on 25 February and on Okinawa on 1 March. Four days after the latter strikes, TG 58.3 put into Ulithi to replenish and refuel.
The light cruiser remained at anchor in Ulithi Lagoon from 5–14 March, before she participated in exercises with TF 59 on the 14th and 15th. The latter day, she was reassigned to TG 58.3 and soon thereafter headed for Japan.
Steaming east of Okinawa on the 18th, the carriers hurled their squadrons against Japanese airfields on Kyushu, and, with bombs and rockets, and strafing with machine guns, the American carrier planes continued their attacks on the following day as well. The raids drew retaliatory strikes, met by the combat air patrol
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
(CAP) and gunfire from the screen. On the 19th, Wilkes-Barre bagged her first aircraft: a Yokosuka D4Y
Yokosuka D4Y
The D4Y Navy Type 2 Carrier Dive bomber was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its Allied reporting name was "Judy". The D4Y was one of the fastest dive-bombers of the war, and only the delays in its development hindered its service, while its predecessor, the slower fixed gear Aichi D3A...
"Judy".
The Japanese managed to draw blood from the American force, however, as two well-dropped bombs turned into a floating inferno on the 19th. While the task group subsequently retired toward a fueling rendezvous, moving slowly to protect the "cripples", Japanese aircraft continued the harassment.
The air strikes continued in ensuing days. Planes from TG 58.3 hit Japanese targets in the Okinawa area on 23–24 March. On the latter day, Wilkes-Barres Kingfisher rescued two downed pilots from off Minami Daito Shima. Three days later, Wilkes-Barre returned to waters near Minami Daito and, in company with a destroyer group and the rest of CruDiv 17, shelled the airfield there.
On the 29th, after a high-speed, night approach toward Kyushu, the carriers, screened by Wilkes-Barre, her sister-ships, and some destroyers, launched dawn searches and strikes against points along the coasts of Kyushu and the Inland Sea. Again, one of Wilkes-Barres planes performed a rescue mission, rescuing two fliers from from the waters off Yakushima
Yakushima
, one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres...
.
On Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, American troops commenced the invasion of Okinawa. Their accomplishment was one of the most difficult Allied undertakings in the war and the conflict's biggest American amphibious assault. As men and materiel began establishing a beachhead, TF 58, Wilkes-Barre included, began its supporting operations.
Beginning on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, 1 April, the fast carriers flew an extended series of support missions at Okinawa and made neutralizing raids against airfields in Kyushu, Shikoku, and southern Honshū. A key base for Japanese planes turned out to be Sakashima Gunto in the Nansei Shoto group, and that site came under heavy air attacks. Nevertheless, the suiciders, taking off from bases in the Japanese home islands, proved persistent.
Japanese planes attacked TG 58.3 on 11 April; and, from noon until dark, Wilkes-Barres guns, and those of the other screening ships, put up lethal barrages of antiaircraft fire at the oncoming enemy. She knocked down three A6M Zero
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
and a Aichi D3A
Aichi D3A
The , Allied reporting name "Val") was a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It was the primary dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and participated in almost all actions, including Pearl Harbor....
"Val", and also scored assists with two more Zeros.
When TF 58 subsequently headed north to launch strikes against the airfields on southern Kyushu, Wilkes-Barre went along. Those bases, thought to be the source of the Japanese air raids upon the joint expeditionary forces on Okinawa, were under attack throughout the 16th. Meanwhile, "flash red" alerts came one after another as the enemy planes attempted to penetrate the umbrella of the CAP. Together with the fighters, Wilkes-Barre and the other ships in the screen swung into action. The cruiser herself bagged a bomber at 1854 on 16 April and a Zero at 0939 on the 17th.
Wilkes-Barres Kingfisher pilots again showed their skill at rescuing downed pilots, picking up two Navy fliers some 30 miles east of Okinawa on 26 April. Over the first 10 days of May 1945, the fast carriers, operating some 60 miles east of Okinawa, continued to launch strikes against that island. On 10 May, CruDiv 17, with escorting "tin cans," was temporarily detached from TG 58.3 for another night shelling of Minami Daito Shima.
"Snoopers," winging near the task group early the following day, sized up the disposition; and thus gave a hint of what was to come: a lightning-like foray. Two kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
s plunged through the flak-torn skies and crashed into Bunker Hill, enveloping the flattop's after deck in flame. At 1059, Wilkes-Barre received orders to stand by the critically injured carrier.
Captain Porter brought his light cruiser alongside Bunker Hill at 1115, placing Wilkes-Barres bow hard against the flattop's starboard quarter. The cruiser played 10 streams of water on the persistent fires, while 40 men, trapped astern in Bunker Hill scrambled to safety. , , and also added their fire hoses to the joint effort to save the stricken carrier.
Wilkes-Barre transferred fire-fighting gear, rescue breathing apparatus and handy-billies
Handy billy
Handy billy -- also known as Handy-billie -- was/is a common emergency portable pump that was placed aboard most U.S. Navy ships since World War I.- Purpose of the pump :...
, to Bunker Hill in exchange for the carrier's injured and dying. At 1534, when the flames finally were well under control and her assistance was no longer needed, Wilkes-Barre finally cleared the blackened flattop.
Bunker Hills captain later praised the ships which had labored bravely and tirelessly to save the carrier. "The Wilkes-Barre, the Sperry, and Stembel and English did a magnificent job. They came alongside not knowing whether we were likely to have explosions aboard. The Wilkes-Barre evacuated our seriously wounded, and with their able assistance, we got through."
On the 12th, Wilkes-Barre held burial services on board for the 13 men from the carrier who had succumbed to their wounds and transferred their surviving shipmates to . That day, TF 58 traveled to Kyushu to launch strikes on the 13th against the network of airfields there. The Japanese air arm responded on the 14th. Commencing at midnight, other task groups came under coordinated assaults; but Japanese planes did not molest Wilkes-Barres group until dawn. Falling shell fragments, possibly from "friendly" guns, hit the ship during that raid, wounding nine men on the after signal bridge. At 0816, the cruiser claimed an assist in splashing a Zero.
On 28 May, fleet and task force designations were changed to reflect the switch in command when Vice Admiral John S. McCain relieved Vice Admiral Mitscher. Wilkes-Barre, her tour off Okinawa and the Japanese home islands completed, left TG 38.3 on 29 May and headed for the Philippines.
Wilkes-Barre remained in the snug anchorage at San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
from 1–20 June, receiving repairs, upkeep, and replenishment. She then conducted gunnery and tactical exercises off Samar from 20–23 June and then returned to anchorage for the remainder of the month.
For the coup de grace administered against Japan's homeland, TF 38 sortied from Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
on 1 July. As part of TG 38.3, Wilkes-Barre steamed along with her sisters of CruDiv 17. For the first week of July, the ships engaged in intensive aircraft patrol and firing practice.
Carrier planes struck Hokkaido and Honshū on 10 July. Four days later, Wilkes-Barre and other ships parted company with the task group and conducted antishipping sweeps off northern Honshū and across Kii Suido.
On the 17th, American planes seared the Tokyo plains with incendiaries and rockets. On the night of 24–25 July, Wilkes-Barre and other bombardment ships departed the task group and, at 1210, opened fire with their main batteries
Allied naval bombardments of Japan during World War II
During the last weeks of World War II, warships of the United States Navy, Britain's Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy bombarded several cities and industrial facilities in Japan. These bombardments caused heavy damage to several of the factories targeted, as well as nearby civilian areas...
on the Kushimoto seaplane base and on the Shionomisaki landing field on the south coast of Honshū.
Navy planes struck Kure and Kobe from 24–27 July in strikes aimed at ferreting out merchant shipping hidden in the Inland Sea. On the 30th, American planes gutted the manufacturing centers of Tokyo and Na-goya; but, horrible as they were, these raids were only a prelude to the awesome air strikes to come, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Typhoons kept American planes out of the skies for most of the first week of August, but on 7 August, the ships turned north for further strikes on the Honshū-Hokkaido area. Foul weather prevented attacks on the 8th, but the following two days presented favorable conditions for air strikes which continued apace. During that time, the two atomic bombs, Russia's entry into the Far Eastern war, and then nearly incessant pressure kept on the Japanese by ships and planes of the armada massed off her shores, all combined to force Japan to a decision to surrender. On the 15th, the orders finally came through to cease offensive operations: the war was over.
Post-War
CruDiv 17 was detached from TG 38.3 on 23 August and, on the 27th, after 59 days at sea, formed part of the 3rd Fleet that made its way triumphantly into Sagami Wan, the entrance to Tokyo Bay. Wilkes-Barre was among that procession, and her 6 inch guns covered the occupation of the Yokosuka Naval BaseUnited States Fleet Activities Yokosuka
U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, or Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base, in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet and...
. On 3 September, the day after the official surrender of Japan, Wilkes-Barre moved into Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
proper, over 103,000 miles after her commissioning.
As flagship for demilitarization group, Task Unit (TU) 35.7.2, Wilkes-Barre churned out of Tokyo Bay on 9 September, and proceeded to Tateyama Wan, anchoring late that afternoon. On the 10th, she covered the seizure of the former midget submarine
Kairyu class submarine
The was a class of midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed in 1943–1944, and produced from the beginning of 1945. These submarines were meant to meet the invading American naval forces upon their anticipated approach of Tokyo.-History:...
and suicide boat base there, before she returned to Tokyo Bay.
Subsequent operations in connection with the occupation of the erstwhile enemy's homeland kept Wilkes-Barre busy. She anchored off Koajiro Ko, Sagami Wan, between 12 September and 14 September to demilitarize the Aburatsubo
Aburatsubo
is an inlet on the west side of the Miura Peninsula facing Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean. It exits into neighbouring Moroiso inlet.-History:...
and Kurihama midget submarine bases on the Sagami peninsula. She next anchored in Tokyo Bay to refuel and take on provisions on the 14th before shifting to Onagawa Wan between the 15th and 17th. She then conducted another demilitarization mission, her guns covering the occupation at Katsuura Wan before turning to Tokyo on 24 September.
From 24 September to 4 October, Wilkes-Barre anchored within sight of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
, Japan's sacred mountain, and held gunnery and tactical exercises from 24–28 October. Detached from the 5th Fleet on 5 November, Wilkes-Barre set out on the 9th for Korea and reached Jinsen (now Inchon) on the 13th.
On the 16th, Wilkes-Barre, in company with and , shifted to Tsingtao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, China. Further occupation duties kept her at that port until the 19th; but, over the ensuing weeks, she steamed twice to Taku
Taku
Taku can refer to:In places* Taku, Saga, a city located in Saga prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan* Taku, India, a town in India* Taku Glacier, in Alaska near Juneau* Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia...
and Chinwangtao, China, before returning to Tsingtao where she spent the remainder of the year 1945.
Finally sailing for the United States on 13 January 1946, Wilkes-Barre proceeded, via Pearl Harbor, and reached San Pedro, California, on the last day of January. Wilkes-Barre got underway on 4 March, bound for the east coast of the United States. Transiting the Panama Canal from 12–14 March, the light cruiser put into Philadelphia on the 18th and remained there through the spring and summer of 1946. She got underway for the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
on 20 October and reached New Orleans in time to celebrate Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
on 27 October.
From New Orleans, Wilkes-Barre sailed for Guantanamo Bay, 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...
, and a period of refresher training in company with and . After returning to Norfolk, Va., on 13 December, Wilkes-Barre made a goodwill cruise to England and Norway; underway on 17 February 1947, she reached Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England, on the 27th. She then operated in the waters of the British Isles throughout March and April and made one trip to Bergen, Norway, before returning to the United States for eventual assignment to the United States Reserve Fleet
United States Navy reserve fleets
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an...
.
Decommissioned on 9 October 1947, Wilkes-Barre was simultaneously placed in reserve at Philadelphia. She remained in "mothballs" at Philadelphia until struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval 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 15 January 1971, the last light cruiser on the Register list. Thereafter, the ship was subjected to underwater explosive tests. On 12 May 1972, her battered hulk broke in two. The after section sank of its own accord on that day; the forward section sank on the 13th, as a result of a scuttling charge.
Wreck
Presently off the Florida KeysFlorida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
, the ship continues to serve society, however, as an artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
. The Wilkes-Barre is a popular deep
Deep diving
The meaning of the term deep diving is a form of technical diving. It is defined by the level of the diver's diver training, diving equipment, breathing gas, and surface support:...
wreck diving
Wreck diving
Wreck diving is a type of recreational diving where shipwrecks are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites...
site that is split into two sections. The bow rests on the starboard side with the gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s resting at 253 feet. The stearn rests upright with the deck at 200 feet. Visibility on the wreck can range from 20 feet to over 100 feet though it is normally only 40 feet. This huge wreck abounds with marine life, artifacts and a fascinating history.