USS SAN FRANCISCO

The USS San Francisco (CA-38) was an American heavy cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1931, launched in March 1933, and commissioned with the US Navy in February 1934. The length of the ship was 179 m, width 18.8 m, and her standard displacement - at the time of launching - 10,100 tons. The top speed of the USS San Francisco was 32.7 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 203 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 8 127 mm guns. USS San Francisco was the fifth of the seven ships ordered and the last of the New Orleans class (originally: Astoria class) to be launched. These types of ships were still built in accordance with the tonnage limit imposed by the Washington Treaty, but marked a decisive step forward compared to the previous classes of American cruisers. First of all, the armor and the overall strength of the structure were significantly improved, which proved its great advantages during the fights in the Pacific. In addition, for the first time in the US Navy, 203 mm main artillery was used in real turrets. The maximum possible speed was also taken care of. Undoubtedly, ships of this class were very successful units, able to compete with their Japanese counterparts without any problems. USS San Francisco (CA-38) was on convoy service in the Atlantic at the outbreak of World War II, which it continued until the beginning of 1940. Later he was forwarded to the Pacific - to the base at Pearl Harbor. There he was found by the Japanese air attack on December 7, 1941, but it did not suffer any damage and was able to act. In early 1942, it was forwarded to the South Pacific, and from August that year it operated in the Guadalcanal region. There he took part, among others, in the Battle of Cape Esperance and - especially - in the First Sea Battle of Guadalcanal at the end of 1942. He was hit there by 45 artillery shells, and despite very serious damage, he was able to retreat from the battlefield on his own. As a result of damage, in December 1942 it called at the port of San Francisco for repairs. It also underwent a thorough modernization. The cruiser returned to the line in February 1943. This year, he mainly supported American operations in the Aleutian region. In January 1944, he participated in operations to support the landing in the Kwajalein area, and in the middle of that year he supported operations in Saipan. The USS San Francisco also took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. In February of the following year, he supported the Iwo-Jima landing operations. In February 1946 he was decommissioned, and in 1961 - scrapped.