USS Reno (CL-96)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Reno.
USS Reno (CL-96) two days after being torpedoed
USS Reno, November 1944, down by the stern two days after being torpedoed
History
United States
NameReno
NamesakeCity of Reno, Nevada
Builder
San Francisco, California
Laid down1 August 1941
Launched23 December 1942
Sponsored byMrs. August C. Frohlich
Commissioned28 December 1943
Decommissioned4 November 1946
ReclassifiedCLAA-96 18 March 1949
Stricken1 March 1959
Identification
Honors and
awards
battle stars
FateScrapped in 1962
General characteristics (as built)[1][2][3]
Class and typeAtlanta-class light cruiser
Displacement
  • 6,718 long tons (6,826 t) (standard)
  • 8,340 long tons (8,470 t) (max)
Length541 ft 6 in (165.05 m) oa
Beam53 ft (16 m)
Draft
  • 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) (mean)
  • 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) (max)
Installed power
  • 4 ×
    Steam boilers
  • 75,000 shp (56,000 kW)
Propulsion
Speed32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)
Complement688 officers and enlisted
Armament
Armor
  • Belt
    : 1.1–3+3⁄4 in (28–95 mm)
  • Deck: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
  • Turrets: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
  • Conning Tower: 2+1⁄2 in (64 mm)

USS Reno (CL-96) was an updated

Walter E. Reno
.

Reno was laid down by

San Francisco, California, on 1 August 1941. She was launched on 23 December 1942; sponsored by Mrs. August C. Frohlich; and commissioned on 28 December 1943.[4] The USS Reno spent her entire service life in the Pacific War
, and its immediate aftermath, during 1944 through 1946.

Service history

Shakedown

Following a shakedown cruise off the coast of

air strikes on Japanese-held Wake Island.[4]

Battle of the Philippine Sea

During the months of June to July 1944, Reno joined the fast

Tinian, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea[4]
- the world's largest carrier vs. carrier battle of all time, and an overwhelming victory by the U.S. Navy.

Guam

From 20 June to 8 July 1944, Reno joined operations covering the conquest of Saipan. She then covered

William F. Halsey, Jr., rotated in to command this fleet.[citation needed] Doubling back northward again, one more series of air strikes were made on the Bonin Islands on 4–5 August. Then on 7 September, TF 38 (formerly TF 58) returned south to hit the Palaus again.[4]

Philippines

After steaming west across the

Japanese Home Islands than any other major units of the U.S. Navy had been during World War II.[4]

During a 3-day series of air strikes by TF 38 on Japanese

torpedo plane crashed on Reno's fantail, exploding and partially incapacitating turret #6, but the turret officer in charge succeeded in maintaining his defensive fire against the attacking Japanese planes.[4]

USS Princeton

On 24 October 1944, four days after the amphibious invasion of

Clark Field, Luzon. The light aircraft carrier Princeton took the brunt of the attack; she was hit by an aerial bomb and forced to withdraw from the Task Force. Reno was assigned to help fight fires on board Princeton by bringing her fire hoses to bear, and also to rescue her crewmen. Reno closed Princeton five times but could not remain on station because of intense heat and smoke from the burning carrier.[4]

While Reno was assisting Princeton, the carrier began listing and her flight deck struck Reno, crushing one of her

40 mm mounts. Efforts to save the aircraft carrier continued, but when Princeton's torpedo warhead magazine exploded, Reno was ordered to sink Princeton[4]
with her own torpedoes.

On 25 October, having rejoined TF 38, Reno and the other warships steamed northward to engage the Japanese Northern Force, setting off the

Battle for Leyte Gulf
.

I-41 attack

On the night of 3 November 1944, well east of the San Bernardino Strait, as part of Admiral Sherman's Task Group 3 (TG 38.3) of Task Force (TF 38) Fast Carrier Task Force, Reno received two torpedo hits on her port side fired from Japanese submarine I-41 while escorting Lexington. One torpedo lodged in the outer hull of Reno and was later defused. The second hit exploded four decks below topside. This was the first time in almost two years that a Japanese submarine successfully attacked a ship operating with fast carriers.[5] Casualties were 46 dead and many injured.

After a night dead in the water, she survived yet another attempt to sink her by an unknown Japanese submarine firing three torpedoes that missed, but was rescued by a destroyer left behind to defend her. Reno was towed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to the major American base at

Ulithi Atoll for some temporary repairs by fleet tug USS Zuni. Among other measures taken to reduce topweight, her starboard torpedo tubes were jettisoned to help preserve stability in the damaged state. During this 700-mile voyage, a crew of 242 remained aboard. A total of 1250 tons of seawater was pumped from flooded compartments, a feat noted favorably by Vice Admiral Charles McMorris in his November 1944 endorsement of Reno's report on the torpedoing.[5] Gunnery officer Arthur R. Gralla received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his role leading the dewatering effort in difficult conditions.[6]

Repairs in Charleston, South Carolina

She then steamed under her own power across the Pacific, through the

U.S. Army troops.[4]

Decommission

In early 1946, Reno steamed to Port Angeles, Washington, where she decommissioned on 4 November 1946, and then entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthed at Bremerton, Washington. Reclassified CLAA-96 18 March 1949, she remained at Bremerton until her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 March 1959. Her hulk was sold on 22 March 1962 to the Coal Export Co., of New York City, for scrapping.[4]

One of Reno's 5-inch gun turrets was kept for display at the

U.S. Navy Museum, in eastern Washington, D.C. The ship's bell and flag are on display in City Hall in Reno, Nevada. During the BLM riots in May/June 2020 the flag was taken by a concerned citizen to protect it from being burned after the Reno City Hall and downtown was attacked and looted. It was returned anonymously later with a note that said it “needed protecting.”.[7]

Awards

Reno earned three

battle stars for World War II service.[4]

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

  1. ^ Rickard, J (13 January 2015). "Atlanta Class Cruisers". Historyofwar.org. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  2. ^ "US Cruisers List: US Light/Heavy/AntiAircraft Cruisers, Part 2". Hazegray.org. 24 April 2000. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  3. ISBN 0-87021-974-X
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "USS Reno II (CL-96)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). XII History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. New York, NY, USA: Little, Brown & Co. p. 347.
  6. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (May 31, 1998). "Vice Adm. A. R. Gralla, 85, Hero in Pacific". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  7. ^ Margiott, Kenzie (2 June 2020). "U.S.S. Reno flag taken from city hall during riot anonymously returned to News 4". Retrieved 3 June 2020.

External links

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