USS Brooklyn (CL-40)

USS Brooklyn (CL-40), in the Hudson River off New York City, 1939. The Palisades Amusement Park is in the center background.
History
Name:	Brooklyn
Namesake:	Borough of Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Ordered:	13 February 1929
Awarded:	3 August 1933 (date assigned to ship yard) 1 November 1933 (beginning of construction period)
Builder:	Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York
Laid down:	12 March 1935
Launched:	30 November 1936
Sponsored by:	Miss Kathryn Jane Lackey
Commissioned:	30 September 1937
Decommissioned:	3 January 1947
Struck:	22 January 1951
Identification:	Hull symbol:CL-40 Code letters:NAKT
Honors and awards:	4 × battle stars
Fate:	Sold to Chile in 1951
O'Higgins (CL-02)
History
Chile
Name:	O'Higgins
Namesake:	Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme
Commissioned:	9 January 1951
Decommissioned:	14 January 1992
Identification:	CL-02
Fate:	Sold for scrap in 1992
Status:	Sunk 3 November 1992, under tow to breakers in India
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	Brooklyn-class cruiser
Displacement:	10,000 long tons (10,000 t) (estimated as design) 9,767 long tons (9,924 t) (standard) 12,207 long tons (12,403 t) (max)
Length:	600 ft (180 m) oa 608 ft 4 in (185.42 m) lwl
Beam:	61 ft 7 in (18.77 m)
Draft:	19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) (mean) 24 ft (7.3 m) (max)
Installed power:	8 × Steam boilers 100,000 shp (75,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × geared turbines 4 × screws
Speed:	32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)
Complement:	868 officers and enlisted
Armament:	15 × 6 in (150 mm)/47 caliber Mark 16 guns (5x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns 8 × caliber 0.50 in (13 mm) machine guns
Armor:	Belt: 3 1⁄4–5 in (83–127 mm) Deck: 2 in (51 mm) Barbettes: 6 in (150 mm) Turrets: 1 1⁄4–6 in (32–152 mm) Conning Tower: 2 1⁄4–5 in (57–127 mm)
Aircraft carried:	4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × stern catapults
General characteristics (1945)
Beam:	69 ft (21 m) (with blisters)
Armament:	15 × 6 in (150 mm)/47 caliber guns (5x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns 6 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 2 × twin 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors guns 18 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons

USS Brooklyn (CL-40) was a light cruiser, the lead ship of her class of seven, and the third United States Navy ship to bear its name. Commissioned in 1937, she served in the Atlantic during World War II, as a convoy escort and as fire support for amphibious landings.

Decommissioned in 1947, she was transferred to the Chilean Navy in 1951, where she served for another 40 years. She sank under tow to a scrapyard in 1992.

She was launched on 30 November 1936 by New York Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss Kathryn Jane Lackey, daughter of Rear admiral F. R. Lackey; and commissioned on 30 September 1937, Captain W. D. Brereton, Jr. in command.

Designed and built under the terms of the 1922 Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty, the Brooklyn-class light cruisers were authorized by Congress in 1933. The treaty restrictions, which limited the size and armament of major warships in an attempt to avoid a naval arms race, meant the light cruiser designs were kept under 10,000 tons and armed with six-inch guns. Built in response to heavily-armed light cruisers laid down by the Japanese, the Brooklyn-class warships had five triple six-inch gun turrets, three forward and two aft with turrets II and IV in super-firing (mounted above turrets I and III) position. This was the same layout as the Japanese Mogami-class cruiser warships. The Brooklyn-class was also noticeable for its flush-deck hull, with its high transom and built-in hangar aft.

Following shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Brooklyn joined the fleet in the Panama Canal Zone during the latter part of 1938. She was assigned to Cruiser Division 8 (CruDiv 8) and attended to routine duties with the fleet until April 1939. In mid-April, she returned to the United States where she participated in the opening of the New York World's Fair on 30 April 1939. On 23 May, Brooklyn was ordered to the scene of the Squalus disaster, 6 mi (9.7 km) south of the Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire. Until 3 June, she acted as a base ship during the salvage and rescue operations. Brooklyn then steamed to the west coast, where she joined the Pacific Fleet and participated in the opening of the Golden Gate International Exposition on 18 February 1940. She served on the west coast until March 1941, when she departed on a good-will and training tour of the South Pacific. In May, she left Pearl Harbor for the east coast where she joined the Atlantic Squadron. From 1–7 July 1941, she escorted the convoy carrying Marines to Reykjavík, Iceland. During the remainder of 1941, Brooklyn engaged in convoy escort and Neutrality Patrol in the western Atlantic.