USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco (CA-38), passing under the Golden Gate bridge in December 1942.
History
United States
Name:	San Francisco
Namesake:	City of San Francisco, California
Ordered:	13 February 1929
Awarded:	11 October 1930 (date assigned to ship yard and beginning of construction period)
Builder:	Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California
Cost:	$11,318,000 (limit of cost)
Laid down:	9 September 1931
Launched:	9 March 1933
Sponsored by:	Barbara M. Bailly
Commissioned:	10 February 1934
Decommissioned:	10 February 1946
Struck:	1 March 1959
Identification:	Hull symbol:CA-38 Code letters:NIJZ
Nickname(s):	"Frisco Maru" "Frisco"
Honors and awards:	17 × battle stars Presidential Unit Citation
Fate:	Sold for scrap on 9 September 1959
Status:	Scrapped at Panama City, Florida, May 1961
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	New Orleans-class cruiser
Displacement:	9,950 long tons (10,110 t) (standard)
Length:	588 ft (179 m) oa 574 ft (175 m) pp
Beam:	61 ft 9 in (18.82 m)
Draft:	19 ft 5 in (5.92 m) (mean) 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) (max)
Installed power:	8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 107,000 shp (80,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Westinghouse geared turbines 4 × screws
Speed:	32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h)
Capacity:	Fuel oil: 1,650 tons
Complement:	101 officers 803 enlisted
Armament:	9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns 2 × 3-pounder47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns 8 × caliber 0.50 in (13 mm) machine guns
Armor:	Belt: 3–5 in (76–127 mm) Deck: 1 1⁄4–2 1⁄4 in (32–57 mm) Barbettes: 5 in (130 mm) Turrets: 1 1⁄2–8 in (38–203 mm) Conning Tower: 5 in (130 mm)
Aircraft carried:	4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × Amidship catapults
General characteristics (1945)
Armament:	9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns 2 × 3-pounder47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns 6 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors guns 26 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons
Aviation facilities:	1 × Amidship catapult

USS San Francisco (CA-38), a New Orleans-class cruiser, was the second ship of three of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco, California. Commissioned in 1934, she was one of the most decorated ships of World War II, earning 17 battle stars.

Like most of her sister ships, she saw extensive action during the Guadalcanal campaign, including the Battle of Cape Esperance and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, during which she was heavily damaged and her captain and admiral killed. Earlier in the battle she mistakenly fired on the light cruiser Atlanta, causing serious damage and inflicting numerous casualties.

Decommissioned immediately after the end of the war, she was sold for scrap in 1959.

Her bridge wings, damaged during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and removed during repairs, are now mounted on a promontory in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. They are set on the great circle course from San Francisco to Guadalcanal.

San Francisco was laid down on 9 September 1931 at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California; launched on 9 March 1933; sponsored by Miss Barbara M. Bailly; and commissioned on 10 February 1934, Captain Royal E. Ingersoll in command.