USS San Diego Memorial

USS San Diego (CL-53), a light cruiser with a crew of 756 officers and men, served from 1942 to 1945 in 34 enemy engagements from Guadalcanal to Tokyo Bay, earned 18 battle stars, steamed 312,000 nautical miles, became the second most decorated ship in World War II, never lost a man to enemy action, and was the first major Allied warship into Tokyo Bay at the war’s end in August 1945. Built by Bethlehem Steel in Quincy, Massachusetts, launched on 26 July 1941, christened by Mrs. Grace Benbough, commissioned on 10 January 1942 at the Boston Navy Yard, and decommissioned on 4 November 1946, the ship was 542 feet long with a 53-foot beam, displaced 7500 tons, and carried a main armament of sixteen 5-inch guns in eight twin mounts. Its service included major campaigns across the Pacific, and its commanding officers were Captain Benjamin F. Perry, Captain Lester J. Hudson, and Captain William E. Mullan; its executive officers were Commander Timothy J. O’Brien, Commander John J. Lewis, Commander Brooke Schumm, and Commander George F. Pittard; and associated flag officers included Rear Admiral John D. Wilstie and Rear Admiral Oscar M. Badger. After the victory in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Vice Admiral William F. Halsey praised the ship’s men on 17 November 1942, and the sailors of USS San Diego were remembered as emblematic of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who fought for victory in World War II.

San Diego, California · United States