Cape St George (CG 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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®1|E Pattk m Cape t (Btov t USS CAPE ST. GEORGE (CG 71) is the first ship to bear this name, she comn-iemorates the World War II naval engagement, dubbed the perfect battle, fought in the South Pacific off the island of New Ireland, in the Solomon Island chain, on November 25, 1943. Naval Intelligence suspected that the Japanese would attempt to resupply or evacuate their forces on Bougainville anti Buka islands to their base at Rabaul. Anticipating their move. Admiral William Bull Halsey gave Captain (later Admiral) Arleigh Burke, Com- mander of Destroyer Squadron Twenty Three (DESRON 23), the following orders: Thirty One Knot Burke, get athwart the Buka-Rabaul evacuation line. ..if enemy contacted you know what to do. At 0141, SPENCE reported radar contacts off the starboard bow of the formation at 22,000 yards and the Battle of Cape St. Goerge began. As the unsuspecting five-ship enemy task group headed westward, CAPT Burke turned his formation to the East and prepared to launch torpedoes. When the targets were in range, AUSBURNE, CLAXTON, and DYSON fired torpedoes. CDR Luther K. Reynolds, CO of AUSBURNE, wrote in his Action Report saying it was a destroyer officer ' s dream. Consequently, two enemy destroyers, ONAMI and MAKANAMI, were hit and the remaining three, YUGIRI, AMIGIRl, and UZUKI, fled northward. Of the two ships torpedoed, ONAMI sank immediately and MAKANAMI was set ablaze. In accordance with CAPT Burke ' s doctrine, the rear destrovers, CONVERSE and SPENCE, finished off the damaged destroyer with gunfire and sank her while the other Little Beavers sped after the remaining Japanese ships. CAPT Burke ' s ships caught up to YUGIRI, AMIGIRl, and UZUKI and managed to hit and sink YUGIRI with gunfire. The other two Japanese ships fled westward at high speed. CAPT Arleigh Burke reading on the bridge wing of his flagsliip, USS CHARLES AUSBURNE (DD 570) 1 ' IIIWIi

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Carrying On The Legacy 1993 Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) Score 99.5 1993 Only AEGIS cruiser to be awarded the Battle E within 6 months of commissioning 1994 Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) Score 103 Maiden Deployment 10 October 1994 - 14 April 1995 1994 Awarded Meritorious Unit Citation 1995 Battle E (Second Award) 1995 NATO Service Medal 1995 Armed Forces Service Medal 1995 Sea Service Deployment Ribbon 1995 Hookum Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) award 1995 Arizona Memorial Trophy 1995 Counter Drug Operations - Largest ever at-sea drug bust - 12.1 tons 1995 Joint Meritoriuos Unit Citation 1995 Shellback 1995 Order of the Ditch 1996 Battle E (Third Award) 1996 Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) Score 105.69 1996 Admiral James A. Chezek Award 1998 Battle E (Fourth Award) 1998 Naval Gun Fire Support (NGFS) Score 106.3 Perfect Score ' Deployment 10 June 1998 - 10 December 1998 1998 Armed Forces Service Medal (Second Award) 1998 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal 1998 Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (Second Award)

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THE BATTLE OF CAPE ST GEORGE 25 NOVEMBER 1943 -KULA GULF VtUL L4VELL KOLOUSANGAR IS H ivj A NEW T i WOEOROI SANTA N ISABEL 0141 TO 0220 NOTE THAT A »0 DEOREE TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION W OULD ENABLE JAPANESE FORCE TO ' CAP euRKE ' S t ' ano a ' down THE THROAT TORPEDO SPREAD WOULD BE VERT OlfflCULT FOR BURKE TO tVAOC 0212 BURnt SWINGS RISHT ON HUNCH THAT TORPEDOt! ARE HEADED HIS WAT DESOtV 4S AUSBURNE CLA«TON DYSON 0141 0141 DCSOIV 4S CONVERSE SPENCE JAPANESE SCREENING DO ' a ONAyi UAKANAUI 0141 0141 JAPANESE TRANSPORT 00 ' AyiOIRI ruGIRI UZUKI -OESDIV 46 OPENS GUNFIRE ON HAKANAUI TO ' FINISH HER OFF ' CONVERSE AND SPENCE JOIN OESOIV 49- 0S4S 0J07 TUCiRi DEAD IN WATER 0328 30 TUSIRI SINKS 0254 CONVERSE AND SPENCE HEAD NORTH TO JOIN OESOIV 43 HAKANAUI SINKS 0234 0220 TO RETIREMENT