Quincy (CA 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE OLD

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TRODUCTIO THIS is not the simple tale of just another ship. It is a unique and fascinating story of a heavy cruiser of the United States Navy which had a remarkable career during her short history. In the early part of the war with Japan the situaf tion, already desperate, was made even more critical one dark night off Savo Island. On this night, Au' gust 8f9, 1942, the japanese surprised and sunk a number of ships in an American task force. Among them was the first heavy cruiser Quincy. This story relates the adventures of the second cruiser Quincy which soon slid down the ways to carry the venf geance of her illffated sister to the heart of the enemy. Actually, the new Quincy was the third ship to bear the name of this Massachusetts city. The first ship was a German cargo carrier, formerly called the Vogosen, which was confiscated in Pensacola, Flor' ida, during the early part of World War I. Un June 23, 1943, Mrs. Henry S. Morgan, daughter of the former Secretary of the Navy, Charles Francis Adams, christened the USS Quincy and thus kept the name of a famous cruiser alive in the battle line of the navy. The commission pennant was raised to the mainmast December 15, 1943. It was a cold clear day in Boston as the governor of Massachusetts and the mayor of Quincy gathered with top naval officers on the icy stern of the new ship to take part in the ceremony. In a commissionf ing address Captain E. M. Senn prophesied that the new Quincy would have a rendezvous in Tokyo, that she was dedicated to carry the war to the enemy in the highest traditions of a proud navy. Since that day the Quincy has upheld these tradif tions. She participated in the invasions of Normandy and Southern France. Shortly after distinguishing herself in these engagements against fortress Europe, the ship was chosen to carry the late President Roosevelt to the decisive Yalta conference. This was a signal honor which brought the ship back to the unique ports of the Mediterranean. Upon complef tion of this operation the Quincy was ordered to the Pacific. Here she traversed the center of a raging typhoon, operated with a carrier task force against Okinawa, Kyushu, Honshu, and Hokkaido. Then she steamed to the shores of the Japanese homeland and bombarded the important cities of Kamaishi and Hammamatsu. This feat made the Quincy the first ship to bombard the fortresses of the two major enemies. When the war finally terminated in Auf gust, 1945, the Quincy was still on hand to take her place in the original occupational forces which landed in Yokosuka and Tokyo. A special mission to def militarize the Izu Island group filled another colorful page of the Quincy's story. Then she became the flagship of the task group occupying Northern Hon' shu and Hokkaido. Finally her job in Japan was finished and the proud lady sailed home to an exf uberant welcome in San Francisco. Somewhere in the states the Quincy will find a quiet berth to await recall to active duty. The unfolding of this narrative reveals the life of a great American ship.

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