USS St. Louis (CL-49)

History
USS St. Louis (CL-49), off San Pedro, 5 October 1944. Her camouflage is Measure 32, Design 2c.
United States
Name:	St. Louis
Namesake:	City of St. Louis, Missouri
Ordered:	13 February 1929
Awarded:	16 October 1935
Builder:	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Cost:	$13,196,000 (contract price)
Laid down:	10 December 1936
Launched:	15 April 1938
Sponsored by:	Miss Nancy Lee Morrill
Commissioned:	19 May 1939
Decommissioned:	20 June 1946
Struck:	22 January 1951
Identification:	Hull symbol:CL-49 Code letters:NABX
Nickname(s):	"Lucky Lou"
Honors and awards:	11 × battle stars
Fate:	Sold to Brazil on 29 January 1951
Brazil
Name:	Tamandare
Namesake:	Municipality of Tamandaré, Pernambuco, Brazil
Acquired:	22 January 1951
Commissioned:	29 January 1951
Decommissioned:	28 June 1976
Struck:	1976
Identification:	Hull symbol:C-12
Fate:	sunk while under tow from Rio de Janeiro to the ship-breakers in Taiwan for scrapping, 24 August 1980, 38°48′S 01°24′W / 38.800°S 1.400°W / -38.800; -1.400
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	St. Louis-class light cruiser
Displacement:	10,000 long tons (10,000 t) (standard) 13,327 long tons (13,541 t) (max)
Length:	608 ft 8 in (185.52 m)
Beam:	61 ft 5 in (18.72 m)
Draft:	19 ft 10 in (6.05 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 × twin 5 in (130 mm)/38 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 × SOC Seagull floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × stern catapults
General characteristics (1945)
Armament:	15 × 6 in (150 mm)/47 caliber Mark 16 guns (5x3) 8 × twin 5 in (130 mm)/38 caliber anti-aircraft guns 4 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 6 × twin 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 18 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons

USS St. Louis (CL-49), the lead ship of her class of light cruiser, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy named after the city of St. Louis, Missouri. Commissioned in 1939, she was very active in the Pacific during World War II, earning eleven battle stars.

She was deactivated shortly after the war, but was recommissioned into the Brazilian Navy as Almirante Tamandaré in 1951. She served until 1976, and sank under tow to the scrappers in 1980.

St. Louis was laid down on 10 December 1936 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia; launched on 15 April 1938; sponsored by Miss Nancy Lee Morrill; and commissioned on 19 May 1939, Captain Charles H. Morrison in command.

Fitted out and based at Norfolk, St. Louis completed shakedown on 6 October, then commenced Neutrality Patrol operations which, during the next 11 months, took her from the West Indies into the North Atlantic. On 3 September 1940, she put to sea with an inspection board embarked to evaluate possible sites, from Newfoundland to British Guiana, for naval and air bases to be gained in exchange for destroyers transferred to the British government. She returned to Norfolk on 27 October.

St. Louis sailed for the Pacific on 9 November. Transiting the Panama Canal five days later, St. Louis reached Pearl Harbor on 12 December. She participated in fleet maneuvers and conducted patrols during the winter of 1940-1941, then steamed to California for an overhaul at Mare Island. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 20 June and resumed operations in Hawaiian waters.

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Wikipedia