Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Cruiser

USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Second World War 1939–1945

1943

USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial (formerly Allegheny County Soldiers' Memorial), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Bell of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72), built 1943, decommissioned 1956. Daderot — Own work — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

The third Pittsburgh (CA-72) originally named Albany was laid down 3 February 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.; launched 22 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Cornelius D. Scully, wife of the Mayor of Pittsburgh; and commissioned at Boston 10 October 1944, Capt. John E. Gingrich in command.

1945 Iwo Jima

USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) en route to Guam for temporary repairs, shortly after she lost her bow in a typhoon on 5 June 1945. Note that the wartime censor has removed the radar antennas only on the forward Mk 34 and Mk 37 gun directors. U.S. Navy; The original uploader was Ahseaton at English Wikipedia ., later version(s) were uploaded by Cobatfor at en.wikipedia , 2005-07-23 (first version); 2015-06-13 (last version). — U.S. Navy photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Pittsburgh trained along the east coast and in the Caribbean until departing Boston 13 January 1945 for duty in the Pacific. After calling in Panama and final gunnery exercises in the Hawaiians, she joined TF 58 at Ulithi 13 February, assigned to TG 58.2 formed around aircraft carrier Lexington (CV-16).

The force sortied 10 February to prepare the way for the assault on Iwo Jima . Carrier air strikes against airfields near Tokyo 16 and 17 February limited Japanese air response to the initial landings 19 February. That day planes from Pittsburgh's group began direct support to Marines fighting to overcome fierce Japanese resistance on the island. Final strikes against Tokyo's environs 25 February and 1 March against the Nansei Shoto completed this operation.

The force sailed from Ulithi 14 March to pound airfields and other military installations on Kyushu 18 March, and again the next day. The Japanese struck back at dawn on the 19th, with an air raid which set Franklin (CV-13) ablaze, her decks titter chaos and power lost. Pittsburgh dashed to the rescue at 30 knots. After saving 34 men from the water, Pittsburgh, with Santa Fe (CL-60), performed an outstanding feat of seamanship in getting a tow line on board the flaming carrier. Pittsburgh than began the agonizingly slow task of pulling the carrier to safety, as the flattop-s crew struggled to restore power. Twice gunning off enemy air attacks attempting to finish Franklin, the cruiser continued her epic effort until at noon 20 March when Franklin was able to cast off the tow and proceed, albeit slowly, under her own power. Capt. Gingrich had remained at the conn for 48 hours during this display of superlative professionalism.

Between 23 March and 27 April, Pittsburgh guarded the carriers as they first prepared for, then covered and supported the invasion of Okinawa . Enemy airfields were interdicted, and the troops given direct aid from the carriers. Pittsburgh repelled enemy air attacks and launched her scout planes to rescue downed carrier pilots. After replenishing at Ulithi, the force sortied once more 8 May to attack the Nansei Shoto and Southern Japan in the continuing fight for Okinawa.

On 4 June, Pittsburgh began to fight a typhoon which by early next day had increased to 70-knot winds and 100-foot waves. Shortly after her starboard scout plane had been lifted off its catapult and dashed onto the deck by the wind, Pittsburgh's second deck buckled, her bow structure thrust upward, and then wrenched free. Miraculously, not a man was lost. Now her crew-s masterful seamanship saved their own ship. Still fighting the storm, and maneuvering to avoid being rammed by the drifting bow-structure, Pittsburgh was held quarter-on to the seas by engine manipulations while the forward bulkhead was shored. After a 7-hour battle, the storm subsided, and Pittsburgh proceeded at 6 knots to Guam arriving 10 June. Her bow, nick-named "McKeesport" (a suburb of Pittsburgh), was later salvaged by Munsee and brought into Guam.

Post-war 1946–1949

1946

With a false bow, Pittsburgh left Guam 24 June bound for Puget Sound Navy Yard, arriving 16 July. Still under repair at war's end, she was placed in commission in reserve 12 March 1946 and decommissioned 7 March 1947.

Korean War period 1950–1953

1951

As the Korean War called for a major restoration of naval strength, Pittsburgh recommissioned 25 September 1951, Capt. Preston V. Mercer in command. She sailed 20 October for the Panama Canal, trained out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and prepared at Norfolk for a tour of duty with the 6th Fleet for which she sailed 11 February 1952. Returning 20 May, she joined in the Atlantic Fleet's schedule of exercises and special operations in the western Atlantic and Caribbean.

1953

During her second Mediterranean cruise, for which she sailed 1 December, she flew the flag of Vice Admiral Jerauld P. Wright, Commander in Chief, Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean for a good-will cruise to the Indian Ocean in January 1953. She returned to Norfolk in May for a major modernization overhaul, but rejoined the 6th Fleet at Gibraltar 19 January 1954. Once again she carried Admiral Wright to ports of the Indian Ocean during this cruise which ended with her return to Norfolk 26 May. After further operations along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean, she passed through the Panama Canal 21 October to join the Pacific Fleet, with Long Beach her home port.

Cold War 1954–1963

1955

USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy Baltimore -class heavy cruisers USS Toledo (CA-133), USS Helena (CA-75), and USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) of Cruiser Division 3 conduct a three-way transfer of personnel. U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy All Hands magazine July 1955 , p. 37 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

She sailed almost at once for the Far East, calling at Pearl Harbor 13 November and reaching Yokosuka 26 November. She joined the 7th Fleet in exercises and to cover the Chinese Nationalist defense of the Tachen Islands and their evacuation of civilians and non-essential military personnel. Leaving Japan 16 February 1955, she resumed west coast operations until reporting at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 28 October for inactivation. She went into reserve 28 April 1956, and decommissioned at Bremerton 28 August 1956. There she remains in reserve into 1970.

Other photographs

Held for this vessel, and not tied to any part of the account above.

USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) anchored in Souda Bay, Crete, 8 May 1952. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-441562 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
Model of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72). Interior view, Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial (formerly Allegheny County Soldiers' Memorial), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Daderot — Own work — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The detached and capsized bow of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) under tow toward Guam in June 1945. It had broken loose in a typhoon on 5 June. While under salvage, Pittsburgh 's bow was humorously called USS McKeesport and suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 98250 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
U.S. Navy divers working on the severed bow of the heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72), during salvage operations at Guam, circa June 1945. The bow had broken away from the ship in a typhoon on 5 June. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-5929 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
A U.S. Navy Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever (BuNo 130024) of Helicopter Utility Squadron 2 (HU-2) "Fleet Angles" aboard the heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) in the Mediterranean Sea, 1954. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 2021.14 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
U.S. Navy sailors working on the detached and capsized bow of the heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72), during salvage operations at Guam, circa June 1945. It had broken away from the ship in a typhoon on 5 June. U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 98253 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The detached and capsized bow (at left) of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) under tow toward Guam in June 1945. It had broken loose in a typhoon on 5 June. Two fleet tugs seen at right are probably USS Munsee (ATF-107) and USS Pakana (ATF-108). U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 98251 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (USA), in November 1954. U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) 1954-1955 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway at sea during the middle 1950s, after she had been refitted with 76 mm/50 anti-aircraft guns and new radars. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 50353 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) in Boston harbor, Massachusetts (USA), 9 October 1944, the day before she was commissioned. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 33, Design 18D. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 98247 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
Still smoking, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) is towed from the scene of the disatrous air attack on 19 March 1945 by the heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) before the crewmen aboard the carrier effected emergency engine repairs. USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) en route to Guam for temporary repairs, shortly after she lost her bow in a typhoon on 5 June 1945. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-325746 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway at sea, circa in 1955. U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) 1954-1955 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway in November 1944. Her camouflage is Measure 33, Design 18D. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo USN 1035735 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

  1. History Pittsburgh III (CA-72) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
  2. Facts USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
  3. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway on 11 October 1955 (NH 98248) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 98248 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  4. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway after she lost her bow in June 1945 U.S. Navy; The original uploader was Ahseaton at English Wikipedia ., later version(s) were uploaded by Cobatfor at en.wikipedia , 2005-07-23 (first version); 2015-06-13 (last version). — U.S. Navy photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  5. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) anchored in Souda Bay on 8 May 1952 (80-G-441562) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-441562 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  6. Photograph Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1405 Daderot — Own work — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  7. Photograph Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1479 Daderot — Own work — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  8. Photograph Bow of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) under tow toward Guam in June 1945 U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 98250 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  9. Photograph Cruisers USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) - USS Helena (CA-75) and USS Toledo (CA-133) underway in 1955 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy All Hands magazine July 1955 , p. 37 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  10. Photograph Divers working on severed bow of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) in 1945 Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-5929 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  11. Photograph Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever of HU-2 aboard USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) in the Mediterranean Sea, 1954 (2021.14) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 2021.14 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  12. Photograph Sailors work on bow of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) at Guam in 1945 U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 98253 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  13. Photograph Tugs towing bow of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) to Guam in June 1945 U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 98251 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  14. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) at Pearl Harbor in 1954 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) 1954-1955 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  15. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) at sea in the mid-1950s Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 50353 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  16. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) in Boston harbor, Massachusetts (USA), 9 October 1944 (NH 98247) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 98247 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  17. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) tows USS Franklin (CV-13) on 19 March 1945 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  18. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway after she lost her bow in June 1945 (80-G-325746) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-325746 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  19. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway at sea c1955 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) 1954-1955 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  20. Photograph USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) underway in November 1944 (USN 1035735) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo USN 1035735 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons