Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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Two thrilling rescues at sea highlighted the shipis pre-war days. A gay week-end crowd was enjoying itself aboard the liner S. S. Harvard on Saturday morning, May 30, 1931. Groping through a soupy fog, the vessel grounded on the treacherous shoals of Point Arguello off the coast of Southern California. A major disaster was averted when the Louisville, steaming only twenty miles away, raced to the scene in response to the Harvard's S. O. S. and arrived in time to save every person aboard. The carefree survivors made the most of the adventure. Number one Mess Hall quickly became a dance floor with the steamship's band, which had managed to save all instruments, blaring forth with Dixie-land jazz. The Louisville had all the aspects of a pleasure cruise ship as it car- ried its passengers through the night to Los Angeles, their original destination. If anyone of the 41-97 passengers, spirits were temporarily dampened by the near tragedy, the packaged spirits brought aboard in their luggage served as ample stimulus. Everybody was happy. Some years later, in 1937, a burning freighter and the fast-moving Louisville furnished the Mid-Pacific with maritime drama. The Lady sped to rescue passen- gers of the vessel in distress, a British ship, the Silverlarch. Covering 350 miles in less than twelve hours, she rescued eight passengers adrift in lifeboats. The crew of the Silverlarch had remained aboard successfully combating the fires. That same month the Louisville returned to Bremerton for an overhaul. The citi- zens of Bremerton, through their Mayor, presented the ship on March 27 with a bronze plaque commemorating the two notable rescues. Appreciatively received in a presentation ceremony held aboard the ship, the plaque was mounted with the rest of the Louisville's trophies. In these ways the Lady Lou was pre- paring herself for the rigors of war. And meanwhile her five sisters, all to become famous in the vast naval struggle that was to try their strength, were similarly guard- ing the nation,s sea lanes and making ready for an unknown but threatening future. The Northampton, Houston and Chicago were all to be lost in the early disasters of the South Pacific, the Augusta was to play host to Churchill and Roosevelt when the Atlantic Charter was signed in her wardroom, to cover the Normandy landings and to carry President Truman to Potsdam, and the Chester and Louis- ville, assigned to the Pacific, were to fight the Japanese in every major operation from the ,lava Sea and the Solomons to Okinawa. it li ,f V is , X

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+. S. S. HARVARD, WRECKED OFF SANTA BARBARA. SHOWING VESSEL AFTER THE U. S. S. LOUISVILLE HAD TAKEN OFF SEVERAL HUNDRED OF HER PASSENGERS. Below-THE MAYOR OF BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, PRESENTING CAPT. W. S. FARBER WITH A PLAQUE HONORING THE LOUISVILLE FOR HER TWO SEA RESCUES

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