USS Montpelier (CL-57)

History

United States
Name:	Montpelier
Namesake:	City of Montpelier, Vermont
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Laid down:	2 December 1940
Launched:	12 February 1942
Sponsored by:	Mrs. William F. Carry
Commissioned:	9 September 1942
Decommissioned:	24 January 1947
Struck:	1 March 1959
Identification:	Hull symbol:CL-57 Code letters:NCFV
Motto:	"Mighty Monty" "Legend of the Solomons"
Honors and awards:	13 × Battle stars
Fate:	Scrapped in 1960
General characteristics
Class and type:	Cleveland-class Light cruiser
Displacement:	11,744 long tons (11,932 t) (standard) 14,131 long tons (14,358 t) (max)
Length:	610 ft 1 in (185.95 m) oa 608 ft (185 m)pp
Beam:	66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft:	25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) (mean) 25 ft (7.6 m) (max)
Installed power:	4 × 634 psi 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)
Range:	11,000 nmi (20,000 km) @ 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement:	1,255 officers and enlisted
Armament:	4 × triple 6 in (150 mm)/47 caliber Mark 16 guns 6 × dual 5 in (130 mm)/38 caliber anti-aircraft guns 4 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 4 × dual 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 17 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Armor:	Belt: 3 ¹⁄₂–5 in (89–127 mm) Deck: 2 in (51 mm) Barbettes: 6 in (150 mm) Turrets: 1 ¹⁄₂–6 in (38–152 mm) Conning Tower: 2 ¹⁄₄–5 in (57–127 mm)
Aircraft carried:	4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × stern catapults
Service record
Operations:	World War II
Awards:	13 × Battle stars

USS Montpelier (CL-57) was one of 26 United States Navy Cleveland-class light cruisers completed during or shortly after World War II. She was the second US Navy ship to be named for the city of Montpelier, Vermont. Montpelier was commissioned in September 1942 and saw service in several campaigns in the Pacific. Like almost all her sister ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, and never saw active service again. Montpelier was scrapped in the early 1960s.

Montpelier was laid down on 2 December 1940 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey; launched on 12 February 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Lesley Sayer Corry, wife of William F. Corry, mayor of Montpelier, Vermont; and commissioned on 9 September 1942, Captain Leighton Wood in command.

Montpelier arrived Nouméa, New Caledonia on 18 January 1943 from Norfolk, Virginia Rear Admiral A. S. Merrill chose her for the flagship of Cruiser Division 12 (CruDiv 12). On 25 January, she reached Efate, New Hebrides, her home base for the next few months. While making a sweep around beleaguered Guadalcanal, she participated in the Battle of Rennell Island on 29 January, the last naval engagement of the Guadalcanal Campaign.

Montpelier covered the landings on the Russell Islands on 21 February. On the night of 5–6 March, she heavily bombarded the Vila‑Stanmore airfield on Kolombangara in the Solomons, and helped sink an enemy destroyer in the Battle of Blackett Strait. She and three other cruisers bombarded Poporang Island on the night of 29–30 June, in preparation for the invasion of New Georgia. On the night of 11–12 July, she bombarded Munda, enabling troops to continue their conquest of New Georgia. She patrolled the New Georgia area for the next four months to prevent Japanese troop withdrawals.

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