Brooklyn (CL 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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A HISTORY IN PICTURES.

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.,- , .,., .. ,. ..i sa., . ,,,,,,,l 5, l 1 1' 1 .. A.: 1 11 HIA ,INQU,IRE,R. THURSDAIY, MORNING. Crui erin 'Mothball ,' 1 1 tin Inactive Fleet The U. S. Navy put the first of its major fighting ships scheduled for peacetime idleness in mothballs at the Philadelphia Naval Base yes-. terday, starting a program which eventually will lay up a huge inac- tive fleet ready to go into almost in- stant action from Atlantic and Pacific ports. A Sealed against the slow' ravages of wind and water, the 11-year-old light cruiser U. S. S. Brooklyn be- came the first member of the inac- tive 16th Fleet at ceremonies at- tended by Mayor Bernard Samuel and a group, of top-ranking Navy officers. Admiral T. C. Kincaid, U. S. N., recently named commander of the 16th Fleet and former com- mander of the famed 7th Fleet, threw the switch that set going dehumidification in the last zone of the ship prepared for preservation. Lieutenant, Commander Harold Lank, retiring commander vof the vessel, turned her over :to Captain W F Fit' erald Jr commander 'of 1 1 i SAFETY INSURANCE , in All topside removable mateiiialjjis. below decks in dehumidified., land. sealed space, the .entire ship' is treated with rust-preventivesntop-' side guns are sealed with plastic filni, the hull is treated with poison- ous paint to kill barnacleslor other marine life. Admiral Kincaid point- ed out the availability of. the 16th Fleet and the 19th onthe Pacific coast, declaring they would ffcause ilaggressor nations to be hesitant I V f v Qi A I 2- I 1 l .- ze Q .. the isths Philadelphia. group.. 1 and 1 the inactivation process was-com-.- pleted. ' j With a maintenance grofdp of Qiive officers and 59 men, in ,contrast ,to-'l her wartime complement 'of.,86 of- ficers and 1154 men, the Brooklyn will rest here along with perhaps 40, other mapor ships, and' many destroyers, submarines and other craft-but everyone of. them' can spring to actionwithin 10'days- in the event of hostilities, due? tof the ,ingenious preservation methods' that ii NFIWY calls 'fputting them in -moth-fi balls. -. ' , of attacking us. Among the high ranking .-.officers attending the ceremony were Ad-. miral J. H. Ingram, commander-in-' chief of the Atlantic Fleetg Rear Admiral Milo F. Draemel, command- ant of the 4th Naval District: Rear Admiral C. H. Cobb, commandant of the Philadelphia Naval Base, and Rear Admiral S. S. Kennedy, direc- tor of maintenance of the Bureau of Ships. CHESTER ARRIVES AT BASE Another ship destined for similar retirement to reserve duty, the U. S. S. Chester, arrived at the base shortly before the ceremony on the Brooklyn. She is the heavy cruiser, U. S. S. Chester, with 164 Navy and Marine personnel, who debarked to leave for separation centers through- out the country. Among them were four Philadel- phia men headed for the Bainbridge, Md., center. They are Seaman First Class William J. Conway, 3221 Long- shore st.g Coxswain Richard F. Cut- ler, 5857 N. 6th st.g Radarman Sec- ond Class Francis T. Costello, 4413 Gansom st., and Radarman Third Class Edward J. Fahey, 1110 E. Earl -st. All were crew members of the Chester. ' From the Philadelphia Inquiror 31 January 1946. below is a 5 gunmount preserved for decommission- ing nvln Sami Canning Warships 4 Escorted by destroyers KEARNY and ERICSON, a jubilant BROOKLYN arrived in New York on 1 December 1944 and went to the Navy Yard for extensive overhaul. The fact that she was glad to be home was evidenced by her crew that month establishing a new record for Fleet War Bond Sales. The record was an average of 358.00 per man. Just prior to the Christmas Holidays, Skipper Dodge left his position as Commanding Officer. Commander Herbert F. Eckberg, USN, temporarily filled in. In anticipation of further combat, many new fire control and radar instruments were attached, blisters added to the cruiser hull allowing a protection from underwater explosions and torpedo penetration. On 12 April 1945, Captain William F. Fitzgerald, Jr., USN, embarked as Commanding Officer of a rejuvenated USS BROOKLYN. The German collapse, to which end BROOKLYN had made such a vast effort and contribution, culminated in Unconditional Surrender as the cruiser went south to Trinidad for a refresher voyage. She returned to Newport, Rhode Island, to again act in pre-commissioning training of green cruiser crews. V-J Day came as BROOKLYN was moored in Newport Harbor awaiting a Pacific assignment. The war years had come and gone. BROOKLYN'S war missions had been successfully completed without the loss of a single American life or major damage to the vessel as a result of enemy action. On 30 October 1945, USS BROOKLYN drew up alongside Pier A at the Philadelphia Navy Yard with the distinction of being the first ship to undergo the extensive preservation treatment at that Yard. Her metal surfaces and machinery were coated with a thin film of rust preventive, whereas anti-mildew and anti-decay substances were used to preserve wood, life jackets, cordage and other non-metal gear. Mechanical dehumidifying units were placed inside the cruiser to draw moisture out of the air and maintain an even temperature and relative humidity. Her guns were protected by netting coverings sprayed with a plastic paint, air .within these coverings being exhausted by special devices. USS BROOKLYN was placed out of commission on 30 January 1946 and into reserve at Philadelphia. Captain Fitzgerald, a few Marines, a Sailor or two observe the day the BROOKLYN was turned over to the Navy Yard for the process of Decommis- sioning.

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iq, Latest of the Navy's large warships to be commissioned, the USS BROOKLYN QCL 401 docked at Dumaine Street Wharf, New Orleans, LA. She is on her shakedown cruise, and was built at a cost Hof eS10,000,000.00 Captain William D. BRERETON, USN finsertl is the Commanding Officer. I 'I 1 I I 5 Q x I 2 I 4 1 l Color Guard. fleftl right, Lcdr. Henry C. Johnson, Cleftj, Navigator and Captain William D. BRERETON USN on the bridge of the USS BROOKLYN QCL 401 I 2 i