Saint Paul (CA 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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I This isthe story of our ShiPeP'sUS5 SAINT PA UL' Hefifsfoi - - H ' t ' lasts' and has rovf h . v mous fl'-Sf-Y .lfllnfnl-S - -r P U7 erseh' to ' ' 'hed one. She can boast of ffl . E a long and dzstrnguzs .. din in many ways. n outstan 8 , . L Beach CaWb,.,,fa fm- her new horneport of Yokosuka. Japan on May When SAINT PAUL left one h jg I US Navy heavy combatant ship to be homeported in the Orient since before World Warn h became t e rs . . f I I S e h r s oaerating in Far Eastern waters' In the famous lasts d And the Fighting Saint spent Over f fee Jeff' -I ' A elnfl- ment, she jired the jinal naval salvo in both World War I1 and the Korean C0nlllCf- C v members Of SAINT PAUL are Proud Of their Ship and they we fe fUf'1fJ' -lusnfled in their feelings about rex h Sh is the oldest cruiser in her class on active duty, having been in e0 'l'l'l0us Commissioned Service f0f nearly er. e 18 years. The Saint has logge we OVW fl fn d ll illion miles since her commissioning and can still steam alan with the best of them, at speeds in excess of 30 kn0iS- Om, of the Navyfs Bagtimoygcjasg heavy cruisers, SAINT PAUL IS the second ship to bear the name ofthg Capita! city of Minnesota. Launched September 16, 1944 at Quincy, Massachusetts and commissioned Februaryi 17,,1945, she has operated in the Pacrjic since May 15, 1945. After joining Admiral William F. Bull Halsey's THIRD Fleet in July 1945, SAINT PAUL participatedi in the final stages of World War II in the Pacrjic when she took part in a night shore bombardment ojje the central? coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu. I-Ierjirst last came on August 9, 1945 when she fired the jllllllg naval salvo on the home islands of Japan. Later she was a participant in the surrender ceremonies that ended the wari Although the cruiser's career in World War I1 was somewhat brief her service inthe Korean conflict motel than balanced the scales. I In 1950, after disembarking midshipmen who were on a training cruise, SAINT PAUL took on the assigrzmerxt of patrolling the Formosa Straits, then got into the thick of the Korean fray when she reported for duty with Taslg Force 77 two months later. She provided direct gunjire. support to the ROK army in the drive to Chongiin andg despite heavy weather, jired around the clock to smooth the way for the advance. When the Chinese Communists entered the war and launched their December assault, SAINT PAUL steamedE into Wonsan harbor and conducted a bombardment of key road junctions and targets on the outskirts of the cityf She provided protection while Navy ships evacuated United Nations personnel and equipment from the city. I Then came the Hungnam evacuation. Ranking alongside Dunkirk as one of the greatest sea evacuations Of all? time, the Hungnam evacuation could not have been possible without the support of cruisers like SAINT PAUL-i For 12 da.V-9 and nights Inf? Fighting Saint and companion ships fred round after round into the Reds, holdingi them at bay while the amphibious landing in reverse 'I took place. SAINT PAUL was the last U.S. ship I0le0 lg the harbor. She withdrew on Christmas Eve 1950 leaving thai PRESIDENT DWIGHT D, EISENHOWER WALKS TO A WAITING HELICOPTER AFTER TRAVELING IN SAINT PAUL FROM THE Pfvvfdfne C0nfinn0nS gunfire S11PP0ff f0f UN- N00-ps up and? PHILIPPINES TO TAIWAN IN JUNE 1960. Hungnam waterfront ablaze. l down the coast of Korea, SAINT PAUL was I0 Paffleipale mf . . ' ini Several 'n0J0 Operations before she ended her jirst Korean Cfulse Majr 1951. She covered the re-enlfj' Of U.N. fbrces into Inchonrl . . ' , 'nsiri Came Undef nff? from enemy shore batterres on many Oeeasw ! . . . . rhes Opemfed 62 day-V before entering port. giving gunfire SUPPUVI on A . . . . llff West C00-'I Of The Peninsula as U.N. troops drove their WHJ' 10 I l - .. . . tion Han River, returned to the east coast to blast enemy trat1SP0 a routes and communication centers in the vicinity of Wonsan S0 -- A . . , , gfell N and Chongllll and ,llarttcilrated 111 a comrnando ratd Ott Neffh K I- . .. - , . , ' on The l'eUV.1f Cruiser had been Ill korean waters over nine m 'l . . , .. - ell an zen shere turned to hm. 1,0,m,p0,., Q, Long gymrfly California. Sh traveled 34,441 miles and lfirecl 27,616 6,1-gm. and five-inch shells the Conununists. I I .- T if ' - w . U 'e E, Prsir Jbltti he F'2l1f1112 Saint began her' secona' Korean Crum Seyte lf' I - , . 1 mle' U51 after undergoing ll complete overhaul

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I Slug' -H-. S35 EUEREAS this United states ship, former permanent flagship ol: the SEVENTH Eleet, and temporary flagship for Commander CruiserfDestroyer Flotilla Nine, has completed three years and two months continuous service in the SEVENTH Eleetg and WHEREAS, during this period, this proud cruiser has served her country with honor and dignity, hoth on the high seas and in her visits to the many nations of Asiag and WHEREAS, upon returning to her horneland, this unit of the great United States Navy has assumed nevv duties 3 and WHEREAS, novv serving in this ship, there are many hundreds of men who desire a permanent, and lasting history of their lives in this honored vvarshipx Novv, THEREEORE, this cruise hook, purporting to he the most accurate and complete, photof graphic and textual record availahle of this vessells activities during the year of Our lsord Nineteen Hundred and Sixtya Two, is puhlished for the enlightenment, and entertainment of all those individuals who have served in, or have held an interest in SATNT PAUL, qi DEPART YS A143 S G FEB 19 1953 1 LIBRARY fN V I 6 5 g' S3 ' I la ,my -W'

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'is be 959 II. trt- Olll' frly Jng the ary ted 'ral nal 'ar. OFC ent zsk nd, zed 'ty. all lL. ing zve the 'nd in in in ,' is , the the ion jin W- ths rad 110 ing the replacement of all her 8-inch barrels, which had been worn smooth x . - 'F 'f ..Q,:. ' F . . 'ml ' f N'. during het' first Korean action. iff' I The ship's operations during the second cruise included constant bom- bardment of' enemy intallations all along the Korean coast, providing anti- aircraft suppport to Task Force 77, destroying key rail lines in the lteart of North Korea and serving as tl1e major sea component in coordinated air-sea attack on the Communist-lzeld port of Wonsan. She joined other air and surface units in the assault on Chongjin, less than 50 miles front tlze .Manchurian border, broke up a party given .W :sw in honor of tlte premier of .Vorth Korea by letting loose salvcs front her 5-inch guns as tlze celebration started, captured nine prisoners-oflwar with the aid of her destroyer escort and ended her secona' cruise late in May 1952 by blasting Red-held positions along the length of North Korea's east coast SAINT PAUL then returned to Long Beach after an eight month stay in the Korean area in wlziclz she had steanzed nzore than 60,000 miles and . .y, Z? Vi Wa dumped 16,000 rounds Of' ammunition on the Communists. She was underway for lzer third and last battle cruise into Korean X NX XX Q M 1 :N ' waters in February 1953 and later joined in an April Fool's Day assault N X , X .. .hy xx X . :X . Xxx var' X X x A F, v-'x - ff on vital rail .supply lines near Songjin. She then resumed lzer support VICE ADMIRAL C. D.. GRIFFIN, FORMER COMMANDER SEVENTH FLEET, WELCOMES CHIANG KAI- SHEK ABOARD SAINT PAUL DURING OPERATION BLUE STAR . activities bombarding Communist positions all along the A'Bombline. The ship received her only direct hit during the Korean conflict on July 11, 1953 at Wonsan when one of approximately 50 rounds fired at the cruiser by the Communists struck a 3-inch mount. There were no casualties. On July 27, 1953 SAINT PAUL conducted her last unst k h g 11 e of te Korean conflict. Approximately two minutes before Lt. General William K. Harrison signed the first truce document, the Fighting Saint let loose the final shell from a United Nations naval unit. After .service in Korea, SAINT PAUL served with both the FIRST and SEVENTH Fleets She s ent a - P good deal of her time in Far Eastern waters and carried the flag of Commander SEVENTH Fleet five times during the period 1954 to 1959. The Saint ranged the entire SEVENTH Fleet operating area hopping from one trouble spot to another and making goodwill calls all over the Western Pacmc. Early in February 1959 word was received that SAINT PAUL was to become the permanent flagship of Commander SEVENTH Fleet. Requests went out to units of the Pacnic Fleet for volunteers desiring permanent Far Eastern duty in SAINT PAUL. As a result of this, over 80 percent of the crew was exchanged during the period February to May. At tlze same time the ship entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for special modnications to meet Commander SEVEN TH Fleet's requirements. SAINT PAUL arrived at her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan on an overcast, rainy morning of May 26 and made fnal preparations to take aboard Commander SEVENTH Fleet, Vice Admiral Frederick N. Kivette, USN, and his stajl On June 2. 1959 Admiral Kivette's personal flag was close up on SAINT PAUL. The remaining months of 1959 saw SAINT PAUL visit Kobe, Otaru and Sasebo, Japan ,' Inchon, Korea ,' Chi Chi Jima, in the island chain extending south from Japan ,' Saipan and Guam, Marianas Islands ,' Keelung and Kaohsiung, Taiwan ,' Subic Bay, Manila, Zamboanga and Cebu, Philippine Islands ,' Hong Kong, B.C.C. and Djakarta, Indonesia. On the trip down to Indonesia SAINT PAUL crossed the equator at 118 degrees 27 minutes East longitude d . an in traditional ceremonies King Neptune took command for the day. Polliwogs -sailors who had not previously crossed the equator-were initiated into the mysteries of the deep through various trials and tests of endurance. They were thus transformed into shel1backs t' d tue an trusty seafarers. Proof of the fact that SAINT PA UL is always on the alert for emergencies came on September 1, 1959 when the Laotian crisis arose. The cruiser was moored at Sasebo, Jay t 'f 1 jan o gne t te crew a few days of relaxation when word was received of trouble brewing in Laos. In three hours the flagship was underway and heading south at full speed.