After a shakedown cruise to England, Honolulu engaged in fleet problems and exercises in the Caribbean Sea. She steamed from New York on 24 May 1939 to join the Pacific Fleet, arriving at San Pedro, California, on 14 June. For the remainder of the year, she engaged in exercises along the West Coast. During the first half of 1940, Honolulu continued operations out of Long Beach, California, and after an overhaul at the Puget Sound shipyard, she steamed out of Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 5 November for duty from Pearl Harbor. She operated there through 1941.
World War II
On December 7, 1941, Honolulu was moored in the Navy Yard when the Imperial Japanese Navyattacked Pearl Harbor. Honolulu went unattached in the first wave, but in the second wave was attacked by Japanese dive bombers, but suffered only minor hull damage from a near miss from a 500-pound bomb that exploded under the water and craved in a section of Honolulu's hull, one of three cruisers to take any notable damage through the attack. Damage was quickly patched up in just 5 days.[4][5]
Following repairs, she sailed on 12 January 1942 to escort a convoy to San Francisco, California, arriving on 21 January. After arriving at the Mare Island shipyards, Honolulu departed for MelbourneAustralia on the 31st, arriving at her destination on February 26, where the ship would guard various Australian ports on patrol duties until the March 20 when she departed back to Pearl Harbor, arriving there a week later. On April 8, she arrived at San Diego, with the task of escorting a convoy alongside several other US cruisers departing from San Diego to bound for Bora Bora in French Polynesia, leaving on the 13th and arriving on the 28th, and after some guard duties departed back to Pearl Harbor on May 19.[5]
With the Japanese pushing north towards Alaska, Honolulu departed on 29 May to strengthen forces in that area. After two months of continuous operations out of Kodiak, Alaska, she proceeded to Kiska in the Aleutian Islands on 7 August, to begin bombardment of the island. On 21 August, she screened the first American landings in the Aleutians at Adak Island. After shipyard work at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Honolulu departed from San Francisco on 3 November 1942, escorting a convoy to Nouméa in the South Pacific. Later that month, Honolulu sailed from Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands to intercept a Japanese Navy convoy attempting to reinforce their positions on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
Throughout the Guadalcanal campaign, the US suffered major losses in cruisers, with ten cruisers either sunk or taken out of action due to battle damage. Honolulu served in what was essentially the last of America's active cruisers operating in Guadalcanal. Rear Admiral Wright made his flagship the heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis, and alongside Honolulu he commanded the heavy cruisers USS New Orleans, USS Pensacola, and USS Northampton. The force was escorted by six destroyers. The squadron was formed on November 24.[6]
On the 29th, American code breakers intercepted a message about a Japanese supply run. Admiral Tanaka commanded a total of eight destroyers delivering much needed supplies to Japanese troops on Guadalcanal. With Wright's force having a nearly equal number of destroyers, and the Japanese having no cruisers enroute, Wright saw an easy victory and took his ships to intercept and destroyer the enemy ships. However, the Japanese had a trick up their sleeve, the type 93 "long lance" torpedoes, which were larger and more powerful, and most importantly longer range than any other widely used torpedo of the war, with a maximum range of 44,200 yards and a designed effective range of 24,000 yards. This was unknown to the allies.[6][7]
Because of this, on the night of November 30th, Honolulu and the other ships intercepted Tanaka's destroyers and opened fire within 12,000 yards, well within the long lance's effective range. Honolulu, along with Minneapolis and New Orleans, engaged the Takanami, and hit her with shells that set her aflame and rendered her a slowly sinking hulk, but not before Takanami fired her torpedoes, and it would be these torpedoes and hit both New Orleans and Minneapolis, crippling both ships and taking them out of action.[5][8]Honolulu continued to charge on, but her crew realized that the remaining destroyers fired another torpedo spread as a long lance fired from the Oyashio hit Pensacola, disabling her engine and three of her four 8-inch (203 mm) gun turrets.[9] Quick thinking by Rear Admiral Tisdale ordered Honolulu to take a hard turn to starboard, barely avoiding a torpedo in the process, allowing Honolulu to avoid any damage whatsoever. Northampton failed to do the same and continued in a straight line, and she paid the price as she was hit by two torpedoes fired from the Kawakaze which caused her to sink over two hours.[10]
Having been the only cruiser of the battle to survive completely undamaged, Honolulu retreated from Guadalcanal, arriving at Espiritu Santo on December 2, and remained there for the rest of the month.[5] On January 2 1942, Honolulu joined with several other allied cruisers on patrol duty, and on the 5th the force came under air attacks, where Honolulu was lightly damaged by three bomb near misses. Throughout the rest of January and into February, Honolulu took part in a series of patrol duties, then on March 7 she covered minelayers in the Blackett Strait, before taking part in even more patrol duties. On May 11, Honolulu departed Espiritu Santa, and on the 13th she bombarded Japanese shore positions in the Kula Gulf.
On July 4, Honolulu, along with the light cruisers USS Helena and USS Saint Louis and four destroyers, departed the Soloman Islands on patrol duty. On the 5th, a Japanese torpedo hit and sank the destroyer USS Strong. This was believed to be from an enemy submarine, but this torpedo was actually launched from the destroyer Niizuki at a distance of 22,000 yards, one of the longest ranged torpedo hits in history (alongside the heavy cruiser Haguro torpedoing and sinking the destroyer Kortenaer at a similar distance). However, the presence of US ships did force the Japanese destroyer transports carrying 1,300 infantry troops to retreat.[5][11][12]
Later that night, the Niizuki, joined by the destroyers Suzukaze and Tanikaze departed as a protection force for seven other destroyers transporting 2,400 ground troops in a second attempt to run infantry to Kula Gulf. Honolulu and the other American ships prepared to intercept and either destroy or send back this force. By 2:00, Honolulu picked up three Japanese ships on her radar, it was Niizuki,Suzukaze, and Tanikaze closing the range to attack the force with torpedoes. Honolulu, Saint Louis, and Helena all opened fire, all targeting Niizuki. A barrage of 6-inch (152 mm) and 5-inch (127 mm) shell hits quickly reduced Niizuki into a burning hulk and sank her with no survivors. However, Helena quickly expended her smokeless propellants, and the resulting gun flashes caused Suzukaze and Tanikaze to quickly fire their torpedoes and evacuate the area. One of these torpedoes first blew of Helena's bow in a potential magazine explosion. Two minutes later, two more torpedoes destroyed her engines and boilers and broke her keel. Within a few minutes, Helena capsized and sank. [4][5]
Honolulu continued to fire at the Japanese ships. One of Honolulu's 6-inch (152 mm) shells hit the destroyer Nagatsuki below the waterline, wrecking her engine room and damaging her so badly she was forced to run aground. Nagatsuki was unable to be refloated, and deemed a complete wreck and abandoned. Further shelling by both Honolulu and Saint Louis hit the destroyer Hatsuyuki six times which damaged her steering and killed six men, but all hits were duds as she withdrew from the battle.[4][13] However, the Japanese were still able to land 1,600 ground troops, alongside sinking far more tonnage than they lost. After the battle, Honolulu briefly visited Espiritu Santa, before departing on July 10 for additional patrol duties.[5]
The battle-proven cruiser had another opportunity to confront the Japanese fleet on 13 July, in the Battle of Kolombangara. Shortly after midnight, contact was made with an enemy cruiser-destroyer force in "The Slot". At 0110, Honolulu opened fire on the light cruiser Jintsū. After three salvos, the target burst into flames and was soon dead in the water. Honolulu shifted fire to an enemy destroyer, which was immediately hit and disappeared. At 0211, a torpedo struck the starboard side of Honolulu, blowing off her bow. The task force then retired to Tulagi for temporary repairs, and then departed for the large naval base at Pearl Harbor. On 16 August, Honolulu arrived at Pearl Harbor for major repairs.[4] She then proceeded to the shipyard at Mare Island, near San Francisco, for more work.
Honolulu's collapsed bow, 20 July 1943, after she was torpedoed at the battle of Kolombangara.
After the additional repairs at Mare Island, Honolulu departed from San Francisco on 17 November to continue her role in the struggle against Japan. She arrived at Espiritu Santo on 11 December, and then resumed operations in the Solomons later that month. On 27 December, she engaged in the bombardment of an enemy barge, troop, and supply concentration on Bougainville Island. In the early months of 1944, the cruiser continued bombardments and patrols in the Solomon Islands. She screened the landings on Green Island on 13 February, before retiring from the Solomons to begin preparations for the Saipan and Guam operations in the Mariana Islands.[4]
Honolulu took part in bombardments of the southeastern part of Saipan Island in early June as the Navy and Marines leaped across the Pacific. While bombarding Guam in mid-June, Honolulu was deployed northwest to intercept the Japanese fleet. She returned to Eniwetok Atoll on 28 June for replenishments, before providing support for the invasion of Guam. She remained on station for three weeks, performing great service with her accurate gunfire, before returning to Purvis Bay on Florida Island in the Solomons on 18 August. Honolulu steamed out on 6 September to provide fire support for the landings in the Palau Islands, such as at Peleliu Island and Anguar, remaining in this area during September unopposed by the Japanese fleet. America now had decisive command of the sea, and therefore nearly full freedom of operations.[4]
Battle of Leyte
Honolulu departed from the staging area at Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands on 12 October, and steamed towards the Philippines for the invasion of Leyte. She began a bombardment from Leyte Gulf on 19 October, and the next day she began screening the landings. At 1600, on 20 October an enemy torpedo plane was sighted as it aimed its torpedo at Honolulu. Despite the skillful maneuvering of Captain Thurber to evade, the torpedo found its mark on her port side.[4] 64 men were killed and 35 were injured.[14]
Honolulu sailed out the next day, arriving at Manus on 29 October for temporary repairs, and then steamed for Norfolk, Virginia, on 19 November, arriving on 20 December via Pearl Harbor, San Diego, California, and the Panama Canal. Honolulu remained at Norfolk for the duration of the war, undergoing repairs and alterations which included the installation of four twin 5in/38 gun mounts,[15] and after a shakedown cruise in October 1945, she steamed to Newport, Rhode Island, for duty as a training ship. Honolulu arrived at Philadelphia on 8 January 1946 and was decommissioned there on 3 February 1947, and joined the Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia.[4] Stricken on 1 March 1959, Honolulu was sold for scrapping to Bethlehem Steel, Baltimore, Maryland, on 12 October 1959. Honolulu was scrapped at Sparrow Point, Maryland, on 19 August 1960.[16]
USS New Orleans (CL/CA-32) was the lead New Orleans-class cruiser in service with the United States Navy. The New Orleans-class cruisers were the last U.S. cruisers built to the specifications and standards of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 long tons (10,160 t) standard displacement and 8-inch (203-millimetre) calibre main guns may be referred to as "treaty cruisers." Originally classified a light cruiser, because of her thin armor, she was reclassified, soon after being laid down, a heavy cruiser, because of her 8-inch guns. The term "heavy cruiser" was not defined until the London Naval Treaty in 1930.
USS Pensacola (CL/CA-24) was a cruiser of the United States Navy that was in service from 1929 to 1945. She was the lead ship of the Pensacola class, which the Navy classified as light cruisers in 1929, with the Pensacola herself originally designated as "CL-24." Under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, from 1931 on the class was re-classified as heavy cruisers, with the Pensacola being re-designated as "CA-24." The third Navy ship to be named after the city of Pensacola, Florida, she was nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" by Tokyo Rose. She received 13 battle stars for her service.
The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or in Japanese sources as the Battle of Lunga Point, was a nighttime naval battle that took place on 30 November 1942 between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warships during the Guadalcanal campaign. The battle took place in Ironbottom Sound near Tassafaronga Point on Guadalcanal.
The Battle of Kula Gulf took place in the early hours of 6 July 1943 during World War II. The battle involved United States and Japanese ships off the eastern coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. It took place during the early stages of the New Georgia campaign when a Japanese force landing reinforcements at Vila was intercepted by a force of US Navy cruisers and destroyers. One US light cruiser was sunk during the engagement while two Japanese destroyers were sunk and two more were damaged. The Japanese withdrew after the engagement, having landed 1,600 troops.
USS Helena was a Brooklyn-class light cruiser built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s, the ninth and final member of the class. The Brooklyns were the first modern light cruisers built by the US Navy under the limitations of the London Naval Treaty, and they were intended to counter the Japanese Mogami class; as such, they carried a battery of fifteen 6-inch (150 mm) guns, the same gun armament carried by the Mogamis. Helena and her sister St. Louis were built to a slightly modified design with a unit system of machinery and an improved anti-aircraft battery. Completed in 1939, Helena spent the first two years of her career in peacetime training that accelerated as tensions between the United States and Japan increased through 1941. She was torpedoed at the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and was repaired and modernized in early 1942.
USS Northampton (CL/CA-26) was the lead ship in Northampton-class cruiser, in service with the United States Navy. She was commissioned in 1930, originally classified a light cruiser because of her thin armor but later reclassified a heavy cruiser because of her 8-inch guns. During World War II she served in the Pacific and was sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942. She was named after the city of Northampton, Massachusetts, the home of former President Calvin Coolidge.
USS St. Louis, eighth of nine Brooklyn-class light cruisers, 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.
USS Nashville (CL-43) was a Brooklyn-class cruiser. She was laid down on 24 January 1935 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey. She was launched on 2 October 1937, sponsored by Misses Ann and Mildred Stahlman and commissioned on 6 June 1938.
USS Nicholas (DD/DDE-449) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, serving for a total of 27 years, including through most of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. She was the second Navy ship to be named for Major Samuel Nicholas.
USS Waller (DD/DDE-466), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Major General Littleton Waller, USMC (1856–1926).
USS Strong (DD-467), was a Fletcher-class destroyer and the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after Rear Admiral James H. Strong (1814–1882), who rammed the Confederate ironclad CSS Tennessee during the Battle of Mobile Bay, receiving a commendation and promotion to captain.
USS Taylor (DD/DDE-468) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral William Rogers Taylor (1811–1889). She was laid down on 28 August 1941 at Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works Corp.; launched on 7 June 1942, sponsored by Mrs. H. A. Baldridge; and commissioned on 28 August 1942 at the Charlestown Navy Yard near Boston, Mass.
USS Gwin (DD-433), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Commander William Gwin, an American Civil War officer who commanded river boats against Confederate forces in Alabama.
USS Monssen (DD-436), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Mons Monssen, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard USS Missouri (BB-11) in 1904. Commissioned in 1941, the destroyer saw service during World War II in both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Monssen was sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.
USS Trever (DD-339/DMS-16/AG-110) was a Clemson-class destroyer of the United States Navy in commission from 1922 to 1923 and from 1930 to 1945. Converted to a destroyer minesweeper in 1940, she served in the Pacific throughout World War II, including during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Guadalcanal campaign, and the New Georgia campaign.
USS Lardner (DD-487), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the second United States Navy ship to be named for Rear Admiral James L. Lardner, a Naval officer during the American Civil War. Lardner received 10 battle stars for World War II service.
USS Sterett (DD-407) was a Benham-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named for Andrew Sterett.
Kawakaze was the ninth of ten Shiratsuyu-class destroyers, and the third to be built for the Imperial Japanese Navy under the Circle Two Program. Completed in April of 1937, Kawakaze was present at the battles of the Java Sea, Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz, and Guadalcanal She sank the destroyer USS Blue in the aftermath of the Battle of Savo Island, and in the Battle of Tassafaronga she torpedoed and sank the heavy cruiser USS Northampton. After a large number of supply and troop ferrying missions, during which Kawakaze sank or helped to sink three US motor torpedo boats, Kawakaze was sunk by a mass torpedo attack from US destroyers at the Battle of Vella Gulf.
USS Vireo (AM-52) was a U.S. Navy Lapwing-class minesweeper, No. 52, reclassified on 1 June 1942 as a fleet tug. The bulk of her combat career was served in this capacity.
Robert Ward Hayler was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of vice admiral. He was a three time recipient of the Navy Cross, the Navy's second highest military decoration for valor. Two of these awards were received while serving as the commanding officer of the light cruiser USS Honolulu at Guadalcanal and Kula Gulf and the third as a rear admiral and Commander, Cruiser Division Twelve during the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944.
References
Fahey, James C. (1941). The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Two-Ocean Fleet Edition. Ships and Aircraft.
Friedman, Norman (1980). "United States of America". In Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp.86–166. ISBN978-0-87021-913-9.'
Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, vol. 6 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Castle Books. ISBN0-7858-1307-1.
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8 × battle stars 
