USS Denver (CL-58), 1942-1960

USS Denver, a 10,000-ton Cleveland class light cruiser, was built at Camden, New Jersey. Commissioned in mid-October 1942, she arrived in the South Pacific war zone in February 1943 and was soon engaged in operations in and around the Solomon Islands. On 6 March, Denver took part in a mission to shell the Japanese base at Vila, Kolombangara, that also resulted in the sinking of two enemy destroyers. Late in June 1943, she bombarded other Japanese facilities and covered the Rendova and New Georgia landings. In addition to furnishing similar support for the Bougainville invasion in November 1943, Denver also participated in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay on the night of 1-2 November. While operating off Bougainville on 13 November, she was hit by an aircraft-launched torpedo that severely damaged the ship and killed twenty of her crewmen.

Repaired and overhauled at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, Denver returned to combat in June 1944, screening aircraft carriers during their strikes in the Marianas and Bonins area and using her guns to bombard Iwo Jima. In September the cruiser took part in the invasion of the Palau Islands. She next covered landings on Leyte and was part of the force that defeated a Japanese surface ship counter-attack in the Battle of Surigao Strait on the night of 24-25 October. During the pursuit phase of that action, she helped sink the enemy destroyer Asagumo.

Denver continued to operate in the Philippines area for the rest of the Pacific War. She covered landings at Mindoro in December 1944, on Luzon in January and February 1945, and later in the southern Philippines. In June 1945 she took part in amphibious attacks on Borneo and, in July and August, participated in anti-shipping raids off China. Following Japan's surrender, Denver supported prisoner of war recovery and occupation efforts. She left the Western Pacific in October 1945, steaming to the U.S. East Coast for overhaul. During early 1946 the cruiser was employed in Naval Reserve training missions. Decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in February 1947, she was part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until March 1959, when she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. USS Denver was sold for scrapping in February 1960.

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USS Denver (CL-58) -- Actions and Activities.

USS Denver (CL-58) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser. Denver launched on 4 April 1942 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; sponsored by Miss L. J. Stapleton, daughter of the Mayor of Denver; and commissioned on 15 October 1942, Captain Robert Carney in command. It was the second ship named for the city of Denver, Colorado.

Service history 1943

Denver sailed from Philadelphia on 23 January 1943, and arrived at Efate, New Hebrides on 14 February. Thomas Darden was in command.[1] The new cruiser first saw combat in the bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands, on 6 March. During this action her force engaged and sank the Japanese destroyers Minegumo and Murasame in the Battle of Blackett Strait. Continuing her operations in the Solomons, Denver joined the bombardment of Ballale Island on 29–30 June in conjunction with the invasion landings on New Georgia, then remained in the area on patrol.

On the last day of October 1943, Denver sortied from Port Purvis with Task Force 39 (TF 39) to intercept an enemy force attempting to disrupt the landings at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. In the resulting battle of Empress Augusta Bay on the night of 1/2 November, the American ships sank one enemy light cruiser and a destroyer and damaged two heavy cruisers and two destroyers, while the four other enemy ships broke off the action and retired. During the heavy firing Denver was hit by three 8 in (203 mm) shells which fortunately did not explode. She shared in the Navy Unit Commendation awarded her division for its outstanding performance in this battle.

Denver covered the support landings on Cape Torokina on 10–11 November 1943, and two days later during a heavy air attack was hit by an aerial torpedo which knocked out all power and communications and killed 20 of her men. She was towed by Sioux to Port Purvis and then by Pawnee to Espiritu Santo for temporary repairs, then sailed to Mare Island for permanent repairs, arriving on 2 January 1944.

1944

Denver returned to the forward area at Eniwetok, arriving on 22 June. Eight days later, she put to sea to screen carriers as they launched strikes to neutralize Japanese bases in the Bonins and Marianas during the invasion of the Marianas. She bombarded Iwo Jima on 4 July, and after screening continued air assaults returned to Eniwetok on 5 August.

Denver sailed from Port Purvis on 6 September for the invasion of the Palaus. She bombarded Angaur Island from 12 to 18 September, then covered a task unit engaged in minesweeping, reconnaissance and underwater demolition operations before the landings on Ulithi on 23 September. She returned to Manus Island on 28 September to prepare for the return to the Philippines.

Denver departed on 12 October for the landings on Leyte, bombarding Suluan Island and Dulag to open the vast invasion fleet's way into Leyte Gulf, then sailed on to bombard the southern landing beaches. As the Japanese sent the major portion of their remaining combatant fleet south in a desperate attempt to break up the landings, Denver's group took station in Surigao Strait on 24 October to prevent the passage of the Japanese Southern Force into Leyte Gulf. Attacks were made by motor torpedo boats and destroyers stationed in advance of the battle line. Yamashiro, Mogami, and Shigure were all that remained of the Japanese ships when Denver and the others of the battle line opened fire at 0351. With three other cruisers, she made a material contribution to the cumulative gunfire which sank Yamashiro. Mogami was later sunk by aircraft, and Shigure was the sole survivor of Nishimura's fleet which had sailed forth for this phase of the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf. After this action, Denver sailed to aid in polishing off enemy cripples, aiding in sinking Asagumo early in the day on 25 October.

Continuing her service in Leyte Gulf, she fought off numerous attacks; during the one of 28 October, a bomb released from one of the planes she shot down exploded nearby causing minor damage and slight flooding. She screened reinforcement landings in November and fought off a kamikaze attack on 27 November, suffering four men wounded from fragments of a bomb which exploded 200 yd (180 m) off the starboard quarter. She joined the heavy covering group, for the Mindoro landings of 13–16 December, then returned to Manus on 24 December.

1945

Returning to San Pedro Bay on 3 January, Denver sortied the next day to cover the landings at Lingayen Gulf. She remained in the Philippines to join in the consolidation of those islands. She covered the landings on Zambales on 29–30 January, supported minesweeping near and landings on Grande Island; provided fire support at Nasugbu on 31 January; escorted a replenishment convoy to Mindoro from 1 to 7 February; covered the Army landings around Mariveles Bay from 13 to 16 February, rescuing the survivors of La Vallette; and supported the operations on Palawan and Mindanao Islands from February to May.

On 7 June, Denver sailed from Subic Bay for the amphibious assaults on Brunei Bay, Borneo, and later at Balikpapan. She covered the pre-invasion work of minesweeping units and underwater demolition teams, and provided fire support for the invading troops until returning to San Pedro Bay, Leyte on 4 July for brief overhaul.

Denver got underway for Okinawa on 13 July to hunt Japanese shipping off the China coast until 7 August. She sailed from Okinawa on 9 September to cover the evacuation of men of the Allied forces rescued from prison camps in the Wakayama area and covered the landing of occupation troops at Wakanoura Wan from 25 September to 20 October, when she sailed for home.

Denver arrived at Norfolk on 21 November, and after overhaul, reported to Newport, R.I. in January 1946 for duty training men of the Naval Reserve, and a good-will visit to Quebec, Canada. In April, she arrived at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where she was placed out of commission in reserve on 7 February 1947. She was sold on 29 February 1960.

Awards

In addition to the Navy Unit Commendation, Denver received 11 battle stars for her World War II service.


from Wikipedia 

  Name: USS Denver Namesake: City of Denver, Colorado Builder: New York Shipbuilding Laid down: 26 December 1940 Launched: 4 April 1942 Commissioned: 15 October 1942 Decommissioned: 7 February 1947 Struck: March 1959 Fate: Scrapped in 1960 General characteristics Class & type: Cleveland-class cruiser Displacement: 10,000 long tons (10,160 t) Length: 610 ft 1 in (185.95 m) Beam: 66 ft 6 in (20.27 m) Draft: 20 ft (6.1 m) Propulsion: 4 × Westinghouse turbines 4 shafts 100,000 hp (74,570 kW) Speed: 33 kn (38 mph; 61 km/h) Complement: 72 officers and 1200 enlisted Armament: 12 × 6 in (150 mm)/47 cal guns, 12 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal guns Aircraft carried: 3 × Curtiss SO3C Seamew seaplanes   Service record Operations: World War II Awards: Navy Unit Commendation, 11 battle stars