USS Marblehead (CL-12) 1944 - The Hero of Makassar Strait

jon_man1199 · January 7, 2025, 6:01pm

Would you like to see USS Marblehead (CL-12) in her 1944 fit implemented in the US Bluewater Tree?

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How should USS Marblehead (CL-12) (1944) be implemented?

Tech Tree Ship (Researchable)
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What BR should USS Marblehead (CL-12) (1944) be implemented at

4.7
5.0
5.3
5.7
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I said NO in the first question

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NH 98035
(USS Marblehead (CL-12) underway at Sea off the Coast of New York on 10 May 1944)
This is a suggestion for USS Marblehead (CL-12), an Omaha Class Light Cruiser, as of her 1944 refit. The 1944 refit represents what the standard final refit for most of the class looked like, with the only exception being that of Detroit (CL-8), which received an upgraded final fit. The 1944 fit would be a worthy addition to the US Bluewater Rank III lineup. It would give players an Omaha class Light Cruiser better equipped for Anti-Aircraft work than the current 1930 and 1941 refits in the game and a counterpart to Ex-Milwaukee, currently in the Soviet Tech Tree. Gameplay-wise, the ship would function similarly to the other Omaha-class Cruiser in the game, featuring very light armor and a respectable broadside. Her main strength, however, would be in her AA suite featuring three twin 40mm Bofors and 12 single 20mm Oerlikons.

Background

Spoiler

The Omaha class was a group of 10 light cruisers ordered in 1918 by the United States Navy as a class of high-speed scout cruisers. Their role would be to scout out enemy forces while being able to outrun most enemy destroyers and some cruisers. As part of this design requirement, the class would feature a top speed of 35 knots and would be of very light construction. Several designs were considered for this Battle Scout program, including ships with up to 16" guns, as there were doubts about whether a small cruiser could effectively breach an opponent’s cruiser line. The US Navy would later build upon these ideas and form the US Navy’s first and only Battlecruiser class, the Lexington class. However, in the end, the Navy rejected the concept of so-called “Battle Scouts” armed with 14"to 16" guns, and instead, development switched to the original goal of a Scout Cruiser armed with 6" guns. The finalized design would designated as the Omaha-class after the lead ship. However, they would never serve in their intended Scout Cruiser role. Instead, they would be re-designated as Light Cruisers following the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty and act in the fleet screening role for most of their active service lives.

History

Spoiler

(Photo Caption: A preliminary design from 1916 that was accepted as the design that formed the basis of the finalized Omaha-class Scout Cruiser)

The general history of the Omaha class begins with the single constant aspect of naval design and development: delays. These delays came about as a result of the First World War. They were also caused by the US Navy Bureau of Engineering and the Bureau of Ordnance recommending various modifications and other changes to the design of the Omaha-class. With these delays, the construction of the later Omaha class cruisers, specifically CL-8 to CL-13, was delayed so the shipyards and designers could undertake the suggested modifications. The resulting modifications created numerous new problems for the Omaha-class, and despite the various refits and conversion proposals, they would never be resolved. These modifications and further redesigns would turn an already tight design into a badly overloaded design with even more serious flaws. For example, the ships did not have adequate space aboard for their crew, nor were they able to operate in tropical areas owing to their bare steel decks, which tended to heat up quite quickly and caused injuries among the crew. Despite these delays and other general issues with the class, the ships designated CL-7 through CL-13 were eventually laid down, albeit slightly behind schedule.

(Launching of the future US Navy Scout Cruiser Marblehead)

USS Marblehead (CL-12) was ordered by the US Navy on 1 July 1918, with the contract for the construction awarded to William Cramp and Sons shipyard in Philadelphia on 24 January 1919. The ship was assigned the yard number 502 and would be laid down a year later, on 4 August 1920. Construction would last three years, and the vessel would launch on 9 October 1923. Marblehead would undergo nearly a year of fitting out and sea trials before being commissioned into the US Navy as USS Marblehead (CL-12) on 8 September 1924.

(USS Marblehead (CL-12) steaming at high speed during trials)

Following her commissioning, Marblehead was sent out on a massive shakedown cruise, which saw her take on a circumnavigation voyage. As part of this voyage, the ship would visit the English Channel and the Mediterranean while visiting various countries. Also, as part of the voyage, she visited Australia and the Galapagos Islands on her return in 1925. Upon her return to the United States, she received orders to sail on another extended voyage. In early 1927, Marblehead was on hand to assist in negotiations between the various factions of the Nicaraguan Civil War, which led to the Peace of Tipitapa. The ship would later be sent to the Pacific as a show of force to protect the delegates and foreign nationals living in the international settlement, which was then under siege during the Chinese Civil War. Aside from her assignment in Shanghai, she would also spend two months patrolling the Yangtze River before being sent home to the United States. However, she would stop in Nicaragua to assist in preparing for the Nicaraguan elections as specified under the Peace of Tipitapa.

(USS Marblehead undergoing refit in 1932; note the removed aft casemate mounts and the single 6" casemate mount placed amidships)

In late 1932, the ship underwent a refit as part of an experimental proposal to correct some of the prevailing issues with the class, namely their overloaded design. As part of this refit, her aft upper casemate 6"/53 guns were removed and replaced with a single 6"/53 mounted centerline. Due to the expense of this refit, however, all further refits to the Omaha class were shelved. Marblehead would be the sole cruiser to receive this experimental refit.

(USS Marblehead seen in 1933 following the completion of her refit)

During the 1930s, Marblehead spent most of the decade split between the Atlantic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet, with her Atlantic service lasting from August 1928 until January 1933 and her Pacific service lasting from February 1933 until January 1938. However, in January of 1938, Marblehead’s assignment to the Asiatic fleet was extended owing to the tensions between the US and the Empire of Japan. Seven months later, she was permanently assigned to the Asiatic Fleet and homeported at Cavite in the Philippines. She would spend the next three years cruising the Sea of Japan and the South and East China Seas as tensions increased.

(Marblehead (CL-12) on station in Tsingato in 1937; note the Japanese Armored Cruiser Izumo in the background)

WWII

On 25 November 1941, Marblehead and the other ships of Task Force Five (TF5) received an order from the commander of the US Asiatic Fleet to depart Manila Bay for seemingly routine exercises. However, in Marblehead’s War Diary, her commander noted that Asiatic Fleet Command had sensed that relations between the US and Japan had reached a critical state. Aside from this, there were also indications that the Japanese were deploying their warships. Marblehead and TF5 would thus sail to Tarkan, Borneo. They would anchor there on 29 November to await further instructions, which would come on 8 December 1941 as a note announcing the commencement of hostilities between the United States and the Empire of Japan.

As the ship was undamaged in the opening stages of the War in the Pacific, she and TF5 received orders to screen vital shipping that was moving south from the Philippines as part of a joint Australian, British, Dutch, and American squadron known as ABDACOM. Initially, Marblehead and the rest of the squadron could easily maintain their patrols, and as seen on 24 January 1942, they could disrupt Japanese operations. However, six days later, when attempting to recreate their earlier success, the squadron, after trying to chase and destroy two separate convoys that successfully evaded them, came under concentrated air attack from land—and sea-based bombers in what would become known as the Battle of Makassar Strait.

At 0949 on 1 February 1942, 37 Japanese Aircraft broke through the clouds and descended on Marblehead’s formation. As the ships scattered, a formation of seven Japanese twin-engine bombers in a “V-Formation” began a power glide toward Marblehead. However, Marblehead AA Gunners were able to put up an impressive defense that forced the Japanese bombers to abandon their attack run and turn around to try and get a better angle. Over the next several minutes, Marblehead was able to evade attacks and take down several Japanese Aircraft while taking no hits herself. However, at 1026, after numerous failed attacks, a flight of Aichi D3A “Vals” lined up on Marblehead. Despite the crew’s best efforts, all seven D3As were able to complete their drop on Marblehead to devastating effect. Of the seven bombs, two hit and four were near misses.

The first hit penetrated Frame 47 after hitting the ship’s motor launch, likely setting off the fuse delay. The bomb exploded on the main deck, obliterating the ship’s sickbay, rupturing all steam, water, and electrical lines, and destroying the ship’s forward fuel tank, causing a massive fire. The second bomb struck near the aft of the after 6" mount and penetrated the deck, exploding in the auxiliary steering room. This hit also severed all rudder control, leaving the ship locked in a hard-to-port turn and destroying several fuel tanks, which then caused a massive fire aft. The near misses also caused devastating damage by opening up seams, shearing off rivets, and forming a three-by-nine-foot hole in the ship’s side, letting in hundreds of tons of water. Several more attacks followed, but eventually, Japanese aircraft began ignoring the ship as it seemed ever likely that she would sink. However, due to excellent damage control, the ship was able to return to port, where temporary repairs were made. Marblehead would leave the port of Tjilatjap on 13 February for the Brooklyn Navy Yard for emergency repairs.

(Crews make Emergency repairs to Marblehead following severe damage during the Battle of Makassar Strait)

What followed was a long and challenging journey of over 30,000 kilometers to return to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs. During this voyage, Marblehead operated with several compartments open to the seas and without an operational rudder. The ship spent most of the journey steering with her engines. Marblehead was eventually able to sail to Simonstown, South Africa, where she would arrive on 24 March 1942 for emergency repairs. The ship would depart on 15 April for the Brooklyn Navy Yard and arrived on 4 May 1942 for further repairs. While undergoing repairs, the ship also underwent a significant refit to strengthen its Anti-Air capabilities further.

(USS Marblehead (CL-12) on 14 October 1942 following completion of repairs and refit)

Following a lengthy repair period from May 1942 and lasting until October of the same year, Marblehead was attached to the South Atlantic Force stationed out of Recife and Bahia, Brazil, until February 1944. In February 1944, she would undergo her final refit, further increasing her anti-air capabilities. She would then be ordered to sail to the Mediterranean, more specifically Palermo, to join the fleet staging for Operation Dragoon. During Operation Dragoon, the cruiser engaged shore defenses and provided coastal fire support for the troops landing in Southern France. Following this, she would withdraw to Corsica.

(Marblehead on 6 May 1944 off the coast of New York)

Marblehead spent the rest of the war patrolling the Mediterranean before finally being ordered home for a summer cruise for the US Naval Academy. Ultimately, however, she was decommissioned on 1 November 1945 and laid up until being sold for scrap on 27 February 1946, ending the career of USS Marblehead (CL-12).

(Ex-Marblehead on 10 January 1946 undergoing scrapping at the Philadelphia Navy Yard)