Boston (CAG 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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The spirit takes root in the building of a ship for war Champagne broken over BOSTON's stem at her launch- ing in 1942. Commissioned USS BOSTON CA-69 on 30 July, 1943 at Quincy, Mass., she almost immediately was sent to the Pacific theater where she participated In the following campaigns: Marshall Islands Marianas Islands Iwo Jima Island Phillipine Islands Okinawa Island After the war, she was assigned to the reserve fleet in Bremerton, Wash. The development of surface-to-air guided missiles began shortly after the end of the war. The U.S. Navy was particularly anxious to perfect a reliable surface- to-air missile and place it aboard a major U.S. ship. By 1953, the progress of the Terrier missile had been sufficient to warrant placing it on a ship. USS BOSTON was chosen for this honor and in February, 1953 she was taken from Bremerton to Philadelphia for con- version. The conversion entailed much work on the ship. The after eight inch turret was removed and replaced by a massive missile system including two launchers, two fire-control directors, and massive magazines. Other equipment was modernized to a great extent. The ship was recommissioned as USS BOSTON CAG 1 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on the first of November, 1955, the world's first guided missile cruiser. Since recommissioning as a guided missile ship, BOSTON has been virtually a workhorse of the fleet. In her present commission, she has traveled through virtually all Atlantic Waters and seen a great deal of duty in the Mediterranean with the first team Sixth Fleet. She has often, in fact, almost regularly, been called upon to do important jobs with little or no notice. And her success in such operations has given rise to the expression known well around the Atlantic Fleet, Can-Do BOSTON. After commissioning, BOSTON spent a two and one half month period on shakedown operations out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and returned to Norfolk on 15 April, 1956. From June to October, 1956, BOSTON conducted critical missile evaluation which was to have tremendous effects on the fleet missile program. BOSTON then participated in her first major fleet exercise in Atlantic waters from 25 October, 1956 to 6 November, 1956. On 23 November BOSTON began the first of a long series of foreign deployments. At that time, she left Norfolk for her first duty with the Mediterranean Sixth Fleet, a mere 12 months after being recommissioned. That in so short a time so revolutionary a ship could have been ready for overseas deployment is a tribute to her heart and another ramification of the can-do spirit which has pervaded all BOSTON operations since. BOSTON returned to Norfolk on 19 March, 1957 for fleet exercises and for the Fleet review at Jamestown, Virginia in early June.

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Above: BOSTON in her original sea trials off New England in 1943. Left: BOSTON entering the harbor 'at Boston, Mass. prior to being commis- sioned in 1943.