USS Biloxi was a light cruiser of the United States Navy, which were built during World War II. The class was designed as a development of the earlier s, the size of which had been limited by the First London Naval Treaty. The start of the war led to the dissolution of the treaty system, but the dramatic need for new vessels precluded a new design, so the Clevelands used the same hull as their predecessors, but were significantly heavier. The Clevelands carried a main battery of twelve guns in four three-gun turrets, along with a secondary armament of twelve 5"/38 caliber gun| dual-purpose guns. They had a top speed of .
The ship was laid down on 9 July 1941 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. and launched on 23 February 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Katharine G. Braun, wife of the Mayor of Biloxi. She was commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 31 August 1943, with Captain Daniel M. McGurl in command.
Design
thumb|left|Depiction of the Cleveland class, showing the plan and profile
The Cleveland-class light cruisers traced their origin to design work done in the late 1930s; at the time, light cruiser displacement was limited to by the Second London Naval Treaty. Following the start of World War II in September 1939, Britain announced it would suspend the treaty for the duration of the conflict, a decision the US Navy quickly followed. Though still neutral, the United States recognized that war was likely and the urgent need for additional ships ruled out an entirely new design, so the Clevelands were a close development of the earlier s, the chief difference being the substitution of a two-gun dual-purpose gun mount for one of the main battery gun turrets.
Biloxi was long overall and had a beam of and a draft of . Her standard displacement amounted to and increased to at full load. The ship was powered by four General Electric steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Rated at , the turbines were intended to give a top speed of . Her crew numbered 1285 officers and enlisted men. The ship was fitted with a pair of aircraft catapults and an initial complement of four Curtiss SO3C seaplanes.
The ship was armed with a main battery of twelve 6 in /47-caliber Mark 16 guns in four 3-gun turrets on the centerline. Two were placed forward in a superfiring pair; the other two turrets were placed aft of the superstructure in another superfiring pair. The secondary battery consisted of twelve /38-caliber dual-purpose guns mounted in twin turrets. Two of these were placed on the centerline, one directly behind the forward main turrets and the other just forward of the aft turrets. Two more were placed abreast of the conning tower and the other pair on either side of the aft superstructure. Anti-aircraft defense consisted of twenty-four Bofors guns in four quadruple and four double mounts and twenty-one Oerlikon guns in single mounts.
The ship's belt armor ranged in thickness from , with the thicker section amidships where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces. Her deck armor was thick. The main battery turrets were protected with faces and sides and tops, and they were supported by barbettes 6 inches thick. Biloxis conning tower had 5-inch sides.
Service history
thumb|One of Biloxis SO3Cs landing astern of the ship, while another sits on the port catapult
The keel for Biloxi was laid down on 9 July 1941 at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 23 February 1943, by which time the United States had entered World War II. Fitting-out was completed quickly, and the ship was commissioned on 31 August. Her first commanding officer was Captain Daniel M. McGurl. Final fitting out continued until 17 September, when she departed for a shakedown cruise to evaluate the vessel. The trip was restricted to Chesapeake Bay, but it included training for launching and recovering her seaplanes, shooting tests to evaluate the structural strength of the main battery guns, and anti-aircraft shooting practice. Biloxi then departed for a longer training cruise on 29 September, in company with the destroyer . The ships steamed to Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea, and while en route, one of the cruiser's seaplanes crashed while trying to land, though both crewmen were rescued. The ships then sank the still-floating wreck to avoid causing a navigation hazard.
The two ships reached Trinidad on 3 October, and Biloxi began a series of intensive combat training exercises that lasted for two weeks. These covered a range of activities the crew needed to master before they were sent to war, including day and night fighting, refueling at sea, and directing combat air patrol fighters to intercept enemy aircraft. The ship's radars also needed to be calibrated properly. On 18 October, Biloxi sailed north to the Norfolk Navy Yard for maintenance and repairs. She then made a brief visit to Rockland, Maine, where tests to confirm the calibration of her compasses and gyroscopes were carried out. On 20 November, she departed the East Coast of the United States for the Panama Canal. Four days later, she passed through the canal and turned north for San Francisco, arriving on 4 December. The crew made preparations for deployment west, including loading supplies and transferring the SO3C seaplanes ashore and loading a pair of Vought OS2U Kingfishers in their place. On 7 December, she departed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Biloxi arrived at Pearl Harbor on 11 December. Beginning on the 15th, she engaged in shore bombardment practice with the heavy cruiser on Kahoʻolawe Island; these exercises continued until 19 December. Biloxi then departed for San Francisco the following day. After arriving on 24 December, she moved to San Pedro for repairs. During this period, she was assigned to 5th Fleet. Work on the ship was completed by the end of the year, and on 1 January 1944, she joined a bombardment unit tha included the battleship , the cruisers and , and two destroyers for more shooting practice at San Clemente Island. She thereafter returned to San Pedro to replenish supplies and fuel.
Pacific War operations
Marshall Islands, January–February 1944
Biloxi put to sea on 13 January and, after joining Task Group (TG) 53.5 in Hawaii, sailed for the Marshall Islands. In company with Louisville, Mobile, , and six destroyers, the light cruiser approached Wotje early in the morning on 30 January. After launching her Kingfisher spotter aircraft, she carried out a neutralizing bombardment of the Japanese air base on Wotje from dawn until noon. Enemy shore batteries fired back intermittently, one of which straddled Biloxi. A later ricochet hit the superstructure above the signal bridge but fortunately did not explode. the Ships History credits two identified vessels sunk by the Biloxi 4 August 1944-the IJN Destroyer "Matsu" and the collier "Ryuko Maru"]]
thumb|Japanese line drawing of the Matsu-class destroyer plan, showing twin 127 mm [[dual purpose gun|DP gun mount aft and single mount forward, quadruple centerline torpedo tubes, four triple and six twin Type 96 anti-aircraft gun mounts, and twin depth charge racks on stern.]]
Following one more air strike on 28 July, heavy rain squalls and poor weather canceled further strikes and the task group turned for the Mariana Islands. After a quick replenishment stop at Saipan on 2 August, the task group steamed west for a strike against the Bonin and Volcano Islands. During a fighter sweep on 4 August, friendly aircraft reported a small enemy task group in the area. Late that afternoon, Biloxi, three other cruisers and seven destroyers closed the Bonins for an anti-shipping sweep. After the destroyers and destroyed a small sampan, the cruisers picked up a Japanese convoy on radar north of Muko Jima. Owing to the danger of enemy torpedo attack, the cruisers kept their distance and fired at long range. Their accurate gunfire quickly damaged and eventually sank escort destroyer and collier Ryuko Maru.
Post-war career
Departing the Philippines for Okinawa on 20 August, the light cruiser arrived there three days later and spent the next three weeks awaiting orders. Putting to sea on 16 September, Biloxi proceeded to Nagasaki, Japan, to evacuate POWs. Arriving there on the 18th, her crew saw the damage caused by the atomic bomb and took on 11 U.S., 17 British, one Australian, one Canadian, and 187 Dutch "recovered Allied military personnel." These men were delivered to Okinawa on 21 September. Steaming back to Japan, the warship made stops at Nagasaki, Wakayama, and Hiro Wan as the American Occupation Forces consolidated their positions ashore. During October, some officers from ships' company took part in inspections of surviving Japanese shipping at Kure. Underway on 9 November, Biloxi picked up passengers at Okinawa on the 11th, before sailing to Pearl Harbor and then San Francisco, arriving at the latter port on 27 November.