USS Savannah (CL-42) was a light cruiser of the that served in World War II in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theatres of operation. Savannah conducted Neutrality Patrols (1941) and wartime patrols in the Atlantic and Caribbean (1942), and supported the invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch (November 1942). She sought German-supporting blockade runners off the east coast of South America (1943), and supported the Allied landings on Sicily and at Salerno (1943). Off Salerno on 11 September 1943, a German radio-controlled Fritz X glide-bomb caused extensive casualties aboard and serious damage to Savannah, requiring emergency repairs in Malta and permanent repairs at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. After repairs and upgrades, she served in the task force that carried President Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in early 1945.

Construction and launch

Savannah was laid down on 31 May 1934 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey; launched on 8 May 1937; sponsored by Miss Jayne Maye Bowden, the niece of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., of Georgia; and commissioned in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 10 March 1938, with Captain Robert C. Giffen in command.

Inter-war period

Following a shakedown cruise to Cuba and Haiti in the spring, Savannah returned to Philadelphia on 3 June for alterations followed by final trials off Rockland, Maine. This cruiser, prepared to protect American nationals should war break out in Europe, steamed out from Philadelphia bound for England on 26 September, and she reached Portsmouth on 4 October. However, the Munich Agreement had postponed the war, so Savannah returned to Norfolk on 18 October. Following winter maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea, Savannah visited her namesake city, Savannah, Georgia, from 12 to 20 April 1939. She got underway from Norfolk on 26 May; transited the Panama Canal on 1 June; and arrived at San Diego on the 17th. Her homeport was soon shifted to Long Beach, California.

South Atlantic patrol

Savannahs primary mission off Brazil was the destruction of any Nazi German blockade runners spotted in the South Atlantic Ocean. Teamed with the new U.S. Navy escort carrier , plus a screen of destroyers, Savannah put to sea on 12 January 1943 on a long patrol that resulted in no combat with the enemy. Savannah went back into Recife Harbor on 15 February, and next, she steamed out again to search for blockade runners on the 21st. On 11 March 1943, she left the task group along with to investigate a ship that had been sighted by an aircraft from Santee.]]

Savannah returned to Algiers on 10 August 1943 in order to train with U.S. Army troops for the Operation Avalanche amphibious landings to be made at Salerno, Italy. Leaving Mers-el-Kebir Harbor, Algeria, on 5 September, her Southern Attack Force entered Salerno Bay a few hours before midnight of the 8th. Savannah was the first American ship to open fire against the German shore defenses in Salerno Bay. She silenced a railroad artillery battery with 57 rounds, forced the retirement of enemy tanks, and completed eight more fire support missions that day. She continued her support until the morning of 11 September 1943, when she was put out of action. Rangers Lead the Way (Taylor, 1996) characterized Savannah as "the Rangers' favorite cruiser" for this action. Taylor also credited Savannah with firing on German forces from twelve miles away to enable U.S. forces to seize the first high ground overlooking Gela.

Memorial and tributes

In Savannah, the Propeller Club of the United States has a memorial fountain to five ships named Savannah. The rightmost plaque on the fountain's north wall is for Savannah (CL-42).

In late 2013 the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum in Savannah, presented an exhibit to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of Savannah's participation in the Salerno landing. The museum subsequently maintained an online tribute, Battle Voices – Salerno, Italy 1943, that included photographs, a newsreel, the ship's Muster Roll, and quotations from crew members, war correspondents, and Savannah's General Quarters Narrative. The Savannah Morning News reported in 2013 that Savannah had its 35th and possibly final reunion in 2006, a gathering attended by about two dozen crewmen.

Awards

  • European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three battle stars for World War II service.

See also

  • Battle of Port Lyautey, Morocco, part of Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast), November 1942
  • North African Campaign
  • Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky), July–August 1943
  • Allied invasion of Italy (included Operation Avalanche at Salerno), September 1943

Citations

References

  • Department of the Navy Photos of USS Savannah
  • CriticalPast video: "US Navy Cruiser USS Savannah (CL-42) ablaze after being hit ..." (Savannah on 11 September 1943)
  • Battle Voices / Salerno, Italy (online exhibit for Savannah), Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum in Savannah, Georgia (archive)<!-- Wendy Melton is the curator of the museum, not just a random individual with a wix website -->