Boston (CAG 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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FRGM THE PAST - PIRATE FIGHTER A smart wooden frigate of 1776 with twenty-four bristling smoothbores was the first of an impressive line of ships to bear the name USS Boston. This frig- ate gave an auspicious beginning to the men-of-war which were to follow by boldly sailing the Mediterranean, where she captured several British vessels for the Revolutionary cause. ln succeeding years, as the national situation de- manded, new and more powerful Bos- tons were launched. The third of the fighting tradition captured six pirate ships. During one year she visited port for a mere fifteen days, a sturdiness her successors were to show at neces- sary times. Four wooden vessels sailed before the first steel cruiser USS Boston was launched in l884. This 3,000 ton cruiser, fighting in the battle at Manilla Bay, conducted herself, in the words of T BOSTON OF 1799 Admiral Dewey, With the very high- est quality . . . with courage and spirit . . . . From the days of the rather cumber- some Great White Fleet of Dewey to contemporary times, the ability to con- trol the ever important seas has de- manded a radical progression in the character of the sea-going man-of-war. The demand was particularly poignant in the l'940's. Needed was a speedy craft that could traverse great areas of the ocean and maneuver in complex patterns while a member of a vast for- mation. She must be able to steam in- dependently with confidence where the fury of the storm makes seaworthiness a necessity. Also, she must have the dual ability to muster a powerful bar- rage of fire power against surface and air targets, and be sufficiently armored to withstand the counter-attack of the

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enemy. With these the ideols, the USS Boston CCA-697 wos commissioned in I9-43. The world situotion did not ol- low for lengthy shokedown cruises, so o short time ofter commissioning the heovy cruiser wos troversing the bright blue of the disquiet Pocific, destined to prove her worth within months of being commissioned. During o brisk Morch ofternoon, cis o member of the fomous Tosk Force 58, the KCA-691 sighted o group of Jop- onese torpedo plones. The Boston flexed her AA bottery ond one of the plones wos downed. ln the following weeks the gunners hod other opportuni- ties to prove their mettle. One such cose wos o Joponese Komikcuze piIot's ottempt to strike the USS Yorktown. The Boston's AA bottery poured forth on owesome borroge ond the Joponese oircroft smocked the seo, well short of her torget. The moin bottery hod been little but enthusiostic bystonders until the next doy when they proved their worth. The Boston orrived off the coost of Sotowon, ond her big guns threw five ond eight inch shells into the islond where they found their mork, leoving instollotions ofire. These were the events thot were to be repeoted often os the Boston lent the CA 69 IN BATTLE GRAY QEWN , fs ropid support of her AA guns ond power of her moin bottery to the fleet opero- tions off the Morsholl lslonds, Mori- onos, lowo Jimo, Philippines, ond Ok- inowo. Then in the foteful summer of l945, the Boston cinchored in Tokyo Boy, her ribbon debecked soilors ond officers proudly finishing the wor in the enemy's front yord. In l946, Boston begon o well eorned rest in mothbolls ot the Puget Sound Novy Yord, Bremer- ton, Woshington. Such wos the end of the Boston os the CA-69, but following the end of World Wor ll the philosophy of how to keep the peoce wos such thot it would bring the cruiser ogoin into importonce. The philosophy wos: Mointoin o more pow- erful force thon o p-otentiol enemy ond he sholl keep his ontogonism in relotive hibernotion. Meonwhile, the moderni- zotion of combotont weopons hod been