A historic ship of the US Navy is closing her log book for the last time, and will join the stalwarts of the past who look out at us only from the pages of history. The "USS PENSACOLA", first of our "Treaty Cruisers," docked at San Diego, Jan. 10th, from a Magic Carpet run, out of Guam, and is scheduled for her last operation at Bikini next July.

She was a heavy handed termagant whose raucous voice was heard in many a hot action in the Pacific. when the Pearl Harbor Navy stretched its heroic thin line across the path of the Japs, the PENSACOLA was one of the ships that fought with her back to the wall. In those early days of 1942 and 1943, called "the dark days of the war," one ship did the work of a dozen, one man the work of a hundred. "Sleepless Lagoon," :Torpedo Junction," "Boneyard Bay,"...the PENSACOLA became familiar with the colorful, tragic terms American seamen gave to the Solomon Seas.

In February of 1942, when the surge of the Rising Sun was in full swing from the Aleutians to Singapore, the PENSACOLA was operating deep within enemy waters. She was one of the ships in the task force that struck the Japs off Bouganville on the 20th of February, and that hit the Salamaua-Lae area on March 10th. She earned her star at Midway, in June of '42. when the HORNET sent her planes in to blast the Japs at Faisi, Oct. 5, 1942, the PENSACOLA was one of the cruisers protecting her.

On October 26, 1942, the HORNET and the ENTERPRISE were flung into the path of an armada of Japs sweeping down toward our precarious position on Guadalcanal. Admiral Halsey had only thirteen destroyers, the SOUTH DAKOTA, SAN DIEGO, SAN JUAN & JUNEAU, and a trio of heavy cruisers, to protect his two remaining carriers. Those three CAs were PORTLAND, NORTHAMPTON and the PENSACOLA. The job done by all ships that day at Santa Cruz was magnificent.

Again the PENSACOLA took part in an engagement that had a vital effect on the outcome of the war. She was one of our ships that stopped the Japs cold at Guadalcanal in the great three day battle that extended from shortly after midnight, Nov. 12, to the night of Nov. 15th.

Despite the intensity of the Guadalcanal action, it was less than two weeks before the PENSACOLA was again blazing away at the enemy. At Tassafaronga, in a pitch black night, Nov. 30, she helped destroy a Jap fleet of transports and destroyers, only to learn the deadliness of a destroyer torpedo attack. The NORTHAMPTON went down that night, but the PENSACOLA limped to a rear base for repairs and lived to fight again.

With her wounds patched up, she returned to action, and helped blast the Gilberts at the close of 1943. In Jan. and early Feb. of 1944 she was blazing away at Kwajalein and Majuro atolls.

As our offensive swept relentlessly across the Pacific, the old cruiser made her appearance off Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Wolei, and a dozen other spots that have become household words in America. She was at the Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Altogether, through the long months of the war, the PENSACOLA took part in 13 major engagements and 53 separate strikes and missions.

The PENSACOLA, and her sistership, USS SALT LAKE CITY, were launched in 1929. there were many criticisms of their design and they were called "Swayback Marus," whose low freeboard provided poor gunnery platforms.

Regardless of the criticisms that were heaped upon them, the two vessels had one thing that showed to good advantage.... they packed a mighty wallop. Their ten 8-inch main batteries, mounted in triple turrets over double turrets, could throw out a weight of shells exceeding that of the heavy cuirass that came after them.

The PENSACOLA was 585 feet, 7 inches long, and had a rated speed of 32.7 knots. She was built at the New York Navy Yard, launched April 25, 1929 and commissioned Feb. 6, 1930.