View source for USS Canberra (CA-70)

{{Short description|US Navy guided missile cruiser}}
{{other ships|USS Canberra}}
{{coord|-33.8694298|151.1986428|display=title}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Canberra (CAG-2) underway at sea on 9 January 1961 (KN-1526).jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Canberra'' underway on 9 January 1961
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship country = United States 
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1970}}
| Ship name = ''Canberra''
| Ship namesake = *{{HMAS|Canberra|D33}}
| Ship ordered = 1 July 1940
| Ship awarded = 
| Ship builder = [[Fore River Shipyard]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 3 September 1941
| Ship launched = 19 April 1943
| Ship sponsor = Alice Dixon
| Ship christened = 
| Ship completed = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 14 October 1943
| Ship decommissioned = 7 March 1947
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = yes
| Ship recommissioned = 15 June 1956
| Ship decommissioned = 2 February 1970
| Ship reclassified = *CAG-2, 4 January 1952
*CA-70, 1 May 1968
| Ship refit = 
| Ship struck = 31 July 1978
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship identification = *[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NBLS
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Sierra}}
*[[Hull number]]: CA-70
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = ''Can-Do Kangaroo'' (alternatively ''Kan-Do Kangaroo'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=Page 5 - US, Navy Cruise Books, 1918-2009 |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/668102748/1957-page-5-us-navy-cruise-books-1918-2009 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Fold3 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Page 3 - US, Navy Cruise Books, 1918-2009 |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/668103326/feb-1957-page-3-us-navy-cruise-books-1918-2009 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Fold3 |language=en-US}}</ref>
| Ship honors = [[#Awards|See ''Awards'']]
| Ship fate = [[Ship breaking|Scrapped]], 31 July 1980
| Ship notes = 
| Ship badge = [[File:USS Canberra (CAG-2) jacket patch, 1958 (NH 69548-KN).png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Ship class = *{{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser}} (as CA-70)
*{{sclass|Boston|cruiser}} (as CAG-2)
| Ship displacement = 13,600&nbsp;tons
| Ship length = {{convert|673|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|70|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|20|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = Steam turbines, 4 × 615-psi boilers
| Ship speed = {{convert|33|kn}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship endurance = 
| Ship boats = 
| Ship complement = 1,142 officers and enlisted
| Ship time to activate = 
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *'''As CA-70:'''
*9 × [[8"/55 caliber gun|8"/55 guns]] (203&nbsp;mm)
*12 × 5"/38 guns (127&nbsp;mm)
*'''As CAG-2:'''
*6 × 8"/55 guns  (203&nbsp;mm)
*10 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns,
*12 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns (76&nbsp;mm),
*2 × twin-rail [[Terrier (rocket)|Terrier]] [[Surface to air missile|SAM]] launchers
| Ship armor = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
'''USS ''Canberra'' (CA-70/CAG-2)''' was a {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser}} and later a {{sclass|Boston|cruiser|0}} [[Cruiser#Late 20th century|guided missile cruiser]] of the [[United States Navy]] (USN). Originally to be named '''USS ''Pittsburgh''''', the ship was renamed before launch to honor the Australian cruiser {{HMAS|Canberra|D33|6}} sunk during the [[Battle of Savo Island]]. ''Canberra'' was the first USN warship named after a foreign capital city, and one of the few named after a foreign warship not captured in battle with a USN ship.

The ship entered service in 1943 and served in the Pacific theater of [[World War II]] until she was torpedoed during the [[Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa]] and forced to return to the United States for repairs. Placed in reserve after the war, ''Canberra'' was selected for conversion into the second guided-missile carrying warship in the USN fleet. Following the conversion, she was host to the ceremony for selecting the [[Tomb of the Unknowns#The Unknowns of World War II and Korea|Unknown Soldier representing World War II]] in 1958, undertook an eight-month round-the-world cruise in 1960, participated in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] naval blockade in 1962, and was deployed to the [[Vietnam War]] on five occasions between 1965 and 1969.

==Construction==
The {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]] was laid down as USS ''Pittsburgh'' by the [[Bethlehem Steel Company]] [[Fore River Shipyard]] at [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] in [[Massachusetts]] on 3 September 1941. During construction, in recognition of the valor displayed by the Australian cruiser {{HMAS|Canberra|D33|6}} during the [[Battle of Savo Island]], United States President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] wished to commemorate the Australian ship's loss by naming a US ship in her honor: ''Pittsburgh'' was selected and renamed USS ''Canberra''.<ref>Cassells, ''The Capital Ships: Their Battles and Their Badges'', pp. 45, 129</ref> The ship was launched on 19 April 1943 by Alice, Lady Dixon, the wife of Sir [[Owen Dixon]], Australia's ambassador to the United States, and is one of two United States warships (the other being the Littoral Class Combat Ship  [[USS Canberra (LCS-30)]]) to be named after a foreign capital city.<ref>Cassells, ''The Capital Ships: Their Battles and Their Badges'', p. 45</ref> ''Canberra'' was commissioned into the USN on 14 October 1943, Captain Alex Rieman Early, USN commanding.<ref name=DANFS/> The Australian Government returned this tribute by naming a new {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer (1936)|0}} destroyer, {{HMAS|Bataan|I91|6}}, in honor of the US stand during the [[Battle of Bataan]].

==Operational history==

===World War II===
She left Boston in January 1944,<ref name=DANFS>''Canberra'', in ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships''</ref>  San Diego, and joined Task Force 58 in mid-February.<ref name="DANFS"/> In late February, the ship provided [[naval gunfire support|bombardment support]] during the [[Battle of Eniwetok]].<ref name=DANFS/><ref name=Clark12>Clark, ''The Fighting Canberras'', p. 12</ref> During March and April, the cruiser formed part of the {{USS|Yorktown|CV-10|6}} [[Fast Carrier Task Force|carrier task group]], supporting the aircraft carrier during air raids on [[Palaus]], [[Yap]], [[Ulithi]] and [[Woleai]] during 31 March and 1 April.<ref name=DANFS/> On 13 April, ''Canberra'' escorted ''Yorktown''{{'}}s aircraft when they provided support to amphibious landings at [[Landing at Hollandia|Hollandia]] and [[Wakde]].<ref name=DANFS/>

From 29 April to 1 May, the cruiser was attached to the {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}} group for air attacks on [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]], during the operation, ''Canberra'' detached to shell a Japanese airbase at [[Satawan]].<ref name=DANFS/> The cruiser was involved in raids on [[Minami-Tori-shima|Marcus]] and [[Wake Island]]s during May, and in June joined operations to [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign|capture the Mariana and Palau Islands]].<ref name=DANFS/> As part of this campaign, ''Canberra'' participated in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], and shelled Japanese positions in the [[Bonin Islands]].<ref name=DANFS/> During August and September, the ship performed raids on the Palaus and the Philippines providing gunfire support during the [[Battle of Morotai|Morotai landings]].<ref name=DANFS/>

[[File:USS Canberra (CA-70) underway in the Western Pacific on 10 October 1944 (80-G-284472).jpg|thumb|left|''Canberra'' underway as part of [[Task Force 38]] in 1944]]
At the start of October, ''Canberra'' joined [[Task Force 38]], tasked with performing [[Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa|air raids on Okinawa and Taiwan]], in preparation for the [[Battle of Leyte|landings at Leyte]].<ref name=DANFS/> On 13 October, an air-dropped torpedo from a Japanese aircraft hit the cruiser below her armour belt.<ref name=DANFS/><ref name=Clark12/> The explosion killed 23 personnel and exposed the engineering spaces to the ocean, stalling the ship.<ref name=DANFS/> {{USS|Wichita|CA-45|6}} took ''Canberra'' under tow for a rendezvous with the tug {{USS|Munsee|ATF-107|6}}, which took over the tow after putting a salvage crew aboard.{{sfn|Bartholomew| Milwee|2009 |p=163}} During the tow, the salvage officer from ''Munsee'' was killed while diving in the cruiser's flooded engine room to make temporary repairs.{{sfn|Bartholomew| Milwee|2009 |p=163}} A week into the tow towards [[Ulithi]], ''Munsee'' was joined by the [[War Shipping Administration]] leased tug ''Watch Hill''.{{sfn|Bartholomew| Milwee|2009 |p=163}} It took another week for the two tugboats to bring ''Canberra'' to the repair ship {{USS|Ajax|AR-6|6}}.{{sfn|Bartholomew| Milwee|2009 |p=163}} After temporary repairs at Manus, ''Canberra'' sailed under her own power to Boston Navy Yard.<ref name=DANFS/> The cruiser was docked for repairs, which lasted from February to October 1945.<ref name=Clark12/> The cruiser was deployed to the west coast of the United States in late 1945.<ref name=DANFS/>

''Canberra'' received seven [[battle star]]s for her wartime service.<ref name=Clark12/>

===''Boston'' class conversion===
''Canberra'' was decommissioned on 7 March 1947 and berthed with the [[Pacific Reserve Fleet]] at the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]], located in [[Bremerton, Washington]].<ref name=Clark12/> ''Canberra'' and sister ship {{USS|Boston|CA-69|2}} were marked for conversion into guided missile cruisers, ''Canberra'' was redesignated with the [[hull number]] CAG-2 and on 4 January 1952, she was towed to the [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]] at [[Camden, New Jersey]], for conversion into a {{sclass|Boston|cruiser|2}}.<ref name=DANFS/><ref name=Clark12/>

[[File:USS Canberra (CAG-2) fires a Terrier missile in February 1957 (NH 98398).jpg|thumb|right|''Canberra'' firing a Terrier missile following her ''Boston'' class conversion]]
During the conversion, ''Canberra''{{'}}s aft 8-inch and 5-inch gun turrets were replaced with two twin [[RIM-2 Terrier]] missile launchers.<ref name=Clark12/> Her aft superstructure was rebuilt, and the two funnels were redesigned as a single unit.<ref name=Clark12/> The upgrade of the ship concluded in June 1956, making ''Canberra'' the second guided-missile ship in the USN fleet.<ref name=Clark12/> If the conversion proved successful, the plan was to replace the rest of the ship's gun armament with missiles at a later date.<ref name=Clark12/> However, by 1964, the rapid advancement of missile technology made the Terrier system obsolete, and full conversion was not pursued.<ref name=Clark13/>

===Post-conversion career===
''Canberra'' was recommissioned on 15 June 1956, and homeported at [[Norfolk, Virginia]].<ref name=DANFS/> From June until March 1957, the cruiser operated from Norfolk and through the Caribbean.<ref name=DANFS/> On 14 March, ''Canberra'' delivered President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] to Bermuda for a conference with [[Harold Macmillan]], the British Prime Minister.<ref name=DANFS/> On 12 June, the cruiser served as review ship for the International Naval Review at Hampton Roads.<ref name=Clark12/> After a training cruise during July and August, ''Canberra'' was deployed to the Mediterranean for [[NATO]] [[Operation Strikeback]].<ref name=DANFS/>

[[File:Unknown Serviceman ceremony aboard USS Canberra (CAG-2) on 26 May 1958 (NH 54118).jpg|thumb|left|The caskets for the Unknown Soldiers of World War II (outer two) and the Korean War (center) during the ceremony aboard ''Canberra'' to select the World War II Unknown to be buried at [[Arlington National Cemetery]]]]
The cruiser returned to American waters on 9 March 1958.<ref name=DANFS/> In mid-April 1958, ''Boston'' and ''Canberra'' hosted a change of command ceremonies in which Rear Admiral Charles B. Martell relieved Rear Admiral Charles L. Melson as Commander Cruiser Division Four at Norfolk Naval Base.

On 26 May, the ceremony for the selection of the [[Tomb of the Unknowns#The Unknowns of World War II and Korea|Unknown Soldier representing World War II]] occurred aboard ''Canberra''.<ref>Clark, ''The Fighting Canberras'', pp. 12–13</ref> From June to August, the cruiser sailed on another training cruise, before docking at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul.<ref name=DANFS/>

From 3 March until 24 October 1960, the cruiser made an 8-month round-the-world cruise to [[show the flag]] and demonstrate her missile capabilities to U.S. and Allied forces.<ref name=Clark13>Clark, ''The Fighting Canberras'', p. 13</ref> During the voyage, she flew the flag of Rear Admiral J. McN. Taylor, Commander of the Atlantic Fleet Cruiser Force and Cruiser Division 6. During this deployment, the ship visited the site of her Australian cruiser namesake's sinking, along with locations where the American cruiser had herself served during World War II.<ref name=Clark13/>
[[File:USS Canberra (CAG-2) off South Vietnam c1966.jpg|thumb|''Canberra'' off the coast of [[South Vietnam]] during her 1966 WESTPAC cruise]]
In 1962, she sailed south from Norfolk to participate in the naval blockade during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].<ref name=Mellefont6>Mellefont, ''Two ships called Canberra'', p. 6</ref> During the Vietnam War, ''Canberra'' was [[homeport]]ed at San Diego. She deployed to Vietnam five times from 1965 to 1969<ref name=Clark13/> where her 8-inch and 5-inch guns provided support for US troops. During the deployments in 1967 and 1968, ''Canberra'' operated north of the DMZ shelling bridges, transport routes and shore installations. On 2 March 1967, the cruiser was hit by two shells fired from ashore,<ref name=Clark13/> which caused 5 injuries and minor structural damage. On 6 April 1967, a young seaman named [[Doug Hegdahl]] was accidentally blown overboard by one of the 5-inch guns; he was captured by a North Vietnamese gunboat and imprisoned in the infamous [[Hanoi Hilton]]. Hegdahl's recollections of his time there would later serve as proof of torture committed by the North Vietnamese at POW camps. At the conclusion of her second tour of duty in April 1967, the cruiser visited Melbourne, and was in Australian waters in May for commemorations of the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]].<ref name=Clark13/><ref name=Mellefont6/>

During the 1968 [[Tet Offensive]], ''Canberra'' went south to support the troops at Hue and fired 35,000 rounds in 31 days. On 1 May 1968, ''Canberra'' returned to her original hull number of CA-70; following the obsolescence of her missile armament, her 8-inch guns were reclassified as the cruiser's main armament, although the Terrier launchers were retained until 1969.<ref name=Clark13/> Her last Vietnam deployment ended in early January 1969.{{fact|date=October 2024}}

==Decommissioning and fate==
[[File:George W. Bush and John Howard, 2001.jpg|thumb|right|[[George W. Bush]] and [[John Howard]] during the presentation of ''Canberra''{{'}}s bell to the Australian government]]
USS ''Canberra'' was decommissioned on 2 February 1970 and stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 31 July 1978.<ref>Clark, ''The Fighting Canberras'', pp. 13, 15</ref> She was sold for scrap to National Metal on 15 July 1980, and removed from the Suisun Bay [[Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility]] on 1 August and [[Ship breaking|broken up]].{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

One of the ship's propellers was placed on display at the [[Los Angeles Maritime Museum]].<ref>Clark, ''The Fighting Canberras'', p. 15</ref> The [[ship's bell]] was kept in storage, and despite US law preventing the possession of naval artefacts by other nations, a campaign led to the bell being presented to [[Prime Minister of Australia|Australian Prime Minister]] [[John Howard]] by [[President of the United States|US President]] [[George W. Bush]] on 10 September 2001, as commemoration for the 50 years of the [[ANZUS]] treaty.<ref name=Mellefont7>Mellefont, ''Two ships called Canberra'', p. 7</ref> The {{convert|250|lb|adj=on}} bell was placed on display in the USA Gallery of the [[Australian National Maritime Museum]].<ref name=Mellefont7/>

==Awards==

*[[Combat Action Ribbon]]
*[[Meritorious Unit Citation]]
*[[Navy Expeditionary Medal]]
*[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with seven [[battle stars]]
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[National Defense Service Medal]]
*[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
*[[Vietnam Service Medal]] with four campaign stars
*[[Philippine Liberation Ribbon]]
*[[Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal]]

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last1=Bartholomew |first1=Charles A. |last2=Milwee |first2=William I. Jr. |year=2009 |title=Mud, Muscle, And Miracles—Marine Salvage in the United States Navy |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Naval History & Heritage Command/Naval Sea Systems Command |isbn=978-0-945274-60-5 |lccn=2009014668 |url=https://archive.org/details/MudMuscleAndMiracles |url-access=registration }}
* {{cite book |last=Cassells |first=Vic |title=The Destroyers: Their Battles and Their Badges |year=2000 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=East Roseville, NSW |isbn=0-7318-0893-2 |oclc=46829686}}
* {{cite journal |last=Clark |first=Robin |date=March 2001 |title=The Fighting Canberras |journal=Canberra Historical Journal |pages=9–16|number=47|url=https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=200111906;res=IELAPA}}
* {{cite web |title=Canberra |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c2/canberra.htm |work=[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]] |publisher=[[United States Department of the Navy|Navy Department]], [[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |access-date=16 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002211941/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c2/canberra.htm |archive-date=2 October 2013}}
* {{cite journal |last=Mellefont |first=Jeffrey |date=June 2008 |title=Two ships called Canberra |journal=Signals |publisher=Australian National Maritime Museum |issue=83 |pages=2–7| url=https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=200806800;res=IELAPA}}
{{DANFS}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Canberra (CA-70)}}
* {{navsource|04/070/04070}}

{{Baltimore class cruiser}}
{{Boston class cruiser}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canberra (CA-70)}}
[[Category:Baltimore-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Boston-class cruisers]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:Vietnam War cruisers of the United States]]