USS Salem

[Tarn Stephanos]

The U.S.S Salem is forever tied up at her birthplace in Quincy MA- I have driven past the great ship many a time- but never went aboard- Did the U.S.S Salem ever distinguish herself in battle?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

As far as I know, the USS Salem never saw combat, having spent her entire career in the Atlantic Fleet. Some links of interest:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/139/04139.htm

http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/ca139.txt

http://www.uss-salem.org/index.htm

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Thanks for the links Michael

regards


Tarn Stephanos

 

[Dave Moran]

Of course there was The Battle of the River Plate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_the_River_Plate_%28film%29

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Of course there was The Battle of the River Plate.<<

Which of course, was only a movie where the Salem played the role of the Graf Spee. That's as close to any real combat that this ship ever got. The only ship of this class to see combat was the USS Newport News (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Newport_News_%28CA-148%29 ) which was used in for naval gunfire support missions during the Vietnam conflict.

 

[Jim Hathaway]

>>The only ship of this class to see combat was the USS Newport News<<
I remember her last deployment, her #2 turret had been deactivated and the middle gun removed and plated over- the result of a turret explosion.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

The Newport News photopage can be viewed at http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/148/04148.htm There's one photo tumbnailed about halfway down which shows the interior of the turret after the accident.