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 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
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
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.
Over the next two days, the light cruiser participated in several more shore bombardment missions against Roi Island in support of amphibious landings made by the Northern Attack Force. She then screened three escort carriers for five days before entering Majuro lagoon on the 7th to refuel.
On 12 January, Biloxi joined TG 58.1, built around the carriers , , and , and sailed west for a carrier raid against the Japanese base at Truk Lagoon in the central Pacific. Intended to cover the landings on Eniwetok and to distract the Japanese from Allied operations in New Guinea, "Operation Hailstone" began on 16 February when the carriers struck enemy airfields on Truk. After a second strike during the morning of the 17th, the task group retired east to refuel. Following the departure of Enterprise later that day, the remaining warships were shifted into TG 58.2 and steamed northwest for a strike against Saipan.
Marianas, February –June 1944 On 19 February, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft closed the task group and was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. During this action, a salvo of anti-aircraft shells landed 500 yards off Biloxis starboard bow. Although the task group hoped they had avoided enemy detection, it was clear by the evening of the 21st that the Japanese were tracking them. Starting at 23:00 that evening, and continuing until 10:00 the following morning, the task group was attacked by three waves of Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" land-attack bombers. A total of nineteen bombers attacked at night and another five closed the task group in the morning. None penetrated the surface ship screen and eleven were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Following air strikes against Saipan, the task group returned to Majuro on the 26th.
Biloxi rearmed and replenished and got underway on 7 March in company with Enterprise, Belleau Wood, two other light cruisers and eight destroyers. Heading south, the task group crossed the equator, at which time Neptune ceremonies were held and Biloxi made loyal shellbacks out of some 1,139 polywogs, and arrived at Espiritu Santo on the 11th. There, the warships loaded supplies and provisions before proceeding to Emirau in the Bismarck Archipelago. The light cruiser then covered the Marine landings on the 20th and again on the 25th.
Returning north the next day, the task group was joined by , a fourth light cruiser, and nine more destroyers before conducting a raid against Japanese forces in the western Carolines. On 30 March, Biloxi covered the carriers during strikes on Palau. One "Betty" was shot down as it tried to close the formation that morning. Later that night, gun crews spotted a single Aichi D3A "Val" carrier bomber flying overhead and fired several 5 inch batteries in a vain attempt to shoot it down. After observing the destruction of three Japanese patrol craft by two destroyers off Woleai the next day, the light cruiser steamed back to Majuro, arriving there on 6 April.
Following a week of upkeep, Biloxi sortied on 13 April with TG 58.1 for the Hollandia operation. On 21 April, she covered the carriers as they launched strikes against enemy aircraft and installations at Sawar, Wakde, and Sarmi in New Guinea. At 14:56 that afternoon, the light cruiser launched two Kingfishers to rescue the crew of a ditched Grumman TBF Avenger. Neither floatplane found the aircraft crew, however, and one of the floatplanes later ran out of fuel. Lt.(jg) H. Jolly landed the aircraft on the water and the crew was rescued by .
That evening, Biloxi, two other light cruisers and five destroyers closed Wakde and Sawar. Fire was opened at 01:15 on the 22nd against aircraft on Wakde and ceased at 02:25 after firing at the airfield and supply dumps on Sawar. Rejoining the carriers later that morning, Biloxi helped screen them until returning to Manus on 28 April.
The task group headed north and struck the Japanese base at Truk on 29 April. Biloxi covered the carriers during these strikes and those launched against Ponape in the Caroline Islands the next day. She also observed battleships bombarding Ponape on 1 May. The warships steamed to the Marshalls, arriving in Kwajalein lagoon on the 4th. The light cruiser then loaded fuel, ammunition and supplies in preparation for "Operation Forager", the planned liberation of the Mariana Islands.
Tasked with eliminating Japanese air power in the Marianas, the 15 fleet carriers of Task Force 58 planned to attack airfields on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. They also prepared for a major fleet battle if the Japanese carriers attempted to interfere with the American transports. Biloxi joined TG 58.2, which was built around the carriers , , , and and covered the carriers during air strikes against Saipan and Tinian on the 12th. Several enemy raids were driven off by aircraft or shot down by anti-aircraft fire, including one Japanese aircraft shot down "in brilliant flames" by the destroyer .