Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
United States Navy — Cruiser CA-44

USS Vincennes (CA-44)

New Orleans-class cruiser

USS Vincennes (CA-44)
Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 50845 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — CA-44 The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Vincennes (CA-44) passing through the Panama Canal on 6 January 1938, while en route to join the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Note the crewmen on her deck, watching the airplane from which the photograph was taken.

Service

  1. United States Navy as Vincennes24 February 1937 — 9 August 19421,073 days of the war
Full service history About 2,814 words
New Orleans-class cruiser Particulars
Name
USS Vincennes
Pennant / hull number
CA-44
Namesake
City of Vincennes, Indiana
Builder
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts
Ordered
16 June 1933
Laid down
2 January 1934
Launched
21 May 1936
Commissioned
24 February 1937
Fate
Sunk, Battle of Savo Island, 9 August 1942 (1942)
Status
Wreck

Specifications — As built

Displacement, standard
9,400 long tons (9,551 t)
Displacement, full load
12,463 long tons (12,663 t)
Length
179.22 m (588 ft) OA
Beam
18.59 m (61 ft)
Draught
5.49 m (18 ft)
Speed
32.7 knots (60.6 km/h, 37.6 mph)
Range
10,000 nmi (18,520 km)
Complement
866
Main gun
203 mm (8 in)

Vincennes (CA-44) was laid down on 2 January 1934 at Quincy, Mass., by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company's Fore River plant; launched on 21 May 1936; sponsored by Miss Harriet Virginia Kimmell, daughter of the mayor of Vincennes, Ind.; and commissioned on 24 February 1937, Capt. Burton H. Green in command.

The new heavy cruiser departed from Boston on 19 April 1937 for her shakedown cruise which took her to Stockholm, Sweden; Helsingfors [Helsinki], Finland; Le Havre, France; and Portsmouth, England.

Early in January 1938, Vincennes was assigned to Cruiser Division (CruDiv) 7, Scouting Force, and steamed through the Panama Canal to San Diego. In March, the ship participated in Fleet Problem XIX in the Hawaiian area before returning to San Pedro for operations off the west coast for the remainder of the year.

Continue to the full service history About 2,814 words

From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (Vincennes II (CA-44)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.

Armament and machinery

This vessel is recorded in 2 configurations. Wartime refits changed armament and complement substantially, so each is kept separately rather than averaged into one set of figures. The figures above are as built.

As built
Propulsion
  • 4 × steam turbines
  • 4 × screws
Power
  • 8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers
  • 107000 shp
Armament
  • 9 × 8 in/55 caliber guns (3x3)
  • 8 × 5 in/25 caliber AA guns
  • 2 × 3-pounder 47 mm saluting guns
  • 8 × 0.50 in machine guns
Armour
  • Belt: 3-5 in
  • Deck: 1+1/4 - 2+1/4 in
  • Barbettes: 5 in
  • Turrets: 1+1/2 - 8 in
  • Conning Tower: 5 in
Aircraft
  • 4 × floatplanes
1942
Main gun
203 mm (8 in)
Armament
  • 9 × 8 in/55 caliber guns (3x3)
  • 8 × 5 in/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns
  • 2 × 3-pounder 47 mm saluting guns
  • 12 × single 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
  • 4 × quad 1.1 in/75 caliber anti-aircraft guns

Sister ships

Sources

  • Facts harvested from USS Vincennes (CA-44) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Service history reproduced verbatim from Vincennes II (CA-44) , Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships — public domain, a work of the United States Government.
  • Photograph: Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 50845 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons