USS Santa Fe (CL-60)

History
USS Santa Fe (CL-60), at sea during the Philippines campaign, 12 December 1944.
United States
Name:	Santa Fe
Namesake:	City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Laid down:	7 June 1941
Launched:	10 June 1942
Sponsored by:	Miss Caroline T. Chavez
Commissioned:	24 November 1942
Decommissioned:	29 October 1946
Struck:	1 March 1959
Identification:	Hull symbol:CL-60 Code letters:NWBL
Nickname(s):	"Lucky Lady"
Honors and awards:	13 × battle stars
Fate:	Sold for scrap 9 November 1959
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) at 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 8 × dual 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 21 × 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

USS Santa Fe (CL-60), a Cleveland-class light cruiser was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe was laid down on 7 June 1941 by New York Shipbuilding Co. of Camden, New Jersey, launched on 10 June 1942, sponsored by Miss Caroline T. Chavez, and commissioned on 24 November 1942, Captain Russell S. Berkey in command.

After shakedown on the east coast, Santa Fe sailed for the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 22 March 1943 transiting to the Aleutians. On 25 April, six days after reaching Alaska, she bombarded Attu. The next four months were occupied primarily by patrols off the Aleutians to prevent Japanese naval operations there. This duty was varied by bombardments of Kiska on 6 July and 22 July to prepare for the invasion of that island and by gunfire support for the landings there on 15 August. Santa Fe departed the Aleutians on 25 August and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 1 September.

The rest of the cruiser's war service was spent in Cruiser Division 13 (CruDiv 13) with the fast carrier task forces, which spearheaded the Allied advance across the Pacific. She first escorted two carrier raids from Pearl Harbor; one against Tarawa on 18–19 September and one against Wake Island on 5–6 October. On the latter attack, the cruisers shelled Wake, silencing return fire from shore.

Santa Fe departed Pearl Harbor with a carrier force on 21 October, but was detached from her division to cover transports carrying reinforcement to Bougainville. She arrived on 7 November; and, for the next two days, fought off heavy enemy air attacks. After a brief period in port, she sailed from Espiritu Santo on 14 November, escorting the transport force to the Gilbert Islands and from 20—22 November, bombarded enemy positions on Tarawa to support the landings. On 26 November, she rejoined the fast carriers and escorted three of the mighty flattops for strikes on Kwajalein on 4 December before returning to Pearl Harbor five days later.

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