USS Wilkes - Barre ( CL - 103 ) USS " Wilkes - Barre " ( CL - 103 ) was a " Cleveland " - class light cruiser of the United States Navy that served during the last year of World War II . She was named after the city of Wilkes - Barre , Pennsylvania . Construction and Commissioning . The ship was laid down on 14 December 1942 at Camden , New Jersey , by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation , launched on 24 December 1943 , sponsored by Grace Shoemaker Miner ( the wife of a prominent Wilkes - Barre doctor ) , and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 1 July 1944 , Captain Robert L . Porter , Jr . , in command . Service history . World War II . After fitting - out , " Wilkes - Barre " conducted her shakedown cruise in Chesapeake Bay and in the Gulf of Paria , Trinidad , British West Indies , before she returned to Philadelphia for post - shakedown availability . Getting underway on 23 October , the new light cruiser conducted training over ensuing days as she headed for the Panama Canal and the Pacific . Soon after transiting the isthmian waterway on 27 October , " Wilkes - Barre " arrived at San Diego , California , where she loaded provisions and ammunition . Then , following gunnery exercises off San Clemente Island , Calif . , the warship headed for Hawaii on 10 November . " Wilkes - Barre " reached Pearl Harbor on the 17th , and conducted exercises in the Hawaiian operating area from 19 – 24 November and 2 – 3 December , before she left Oahu in her wake on 14 December , bound for the Carolines . Upon her arrival at Ulithi , " Wilkes - Barre " joined Cruiser Division 17 and sortied on 30 December as part of a support unit for Vice Admiral John S . McCain ' s Task Force 38 . Planes from TF 38 hit targets on Formosa and in the southern Ryukyus and , later , on Japanese targets on Luzon , in support of the landings on that Philippine island . TF 38 delivered a second strike upon Japanese positions on Formosa on 9 January 1945 , before it passed through the Bashi Channel on the night of 9 – 10 January 1945 and headed into the South China Sea to counter the threat of enemy surface units opposing the Lingayen Gulf landings . On 12 January , the day that Navy aircraft sank 127 , 000 tons of merchant and naval shipping in the Indochina area , " Wilkes - Barre " and her sisters in CruDiv 17 were detached from Task Group ( TG ) 38 . 2 and became TG 34 . 5 which was set up to deal with enemy warships reported off Cam Ranh Bay , French Indochina . However , search planes from the cruisers found no trace of the supposed enemy force ; and " Wilkes - Barre " , with the rest of CruDiv 17 , rejoined TF 38 . On 13 – 14 January , soon after the abortive Cam Ranh Bay sweep , " Wilkes - Barre " and her consorts ran into rough weather — a tropical disturbance which caused stormy weather with intermittent squalls , heavy seas , and strong winds from the northeast . " Wilkes - Barre " rolled as much as 38 degrees to a side as she proceeded on a northeasterly course into the teeth of the gale . However , the weather soon cleared enough to permit air strikes against Japanese shipping and targets on the coasts of China and French Indochina . Through holes in the thick overcast , American carrier planes bombed Japanese shipping at Takao , Amoy , and Swatow on 15 January and at Hainan Island , Indochina , and Hong Kong on the 16th . Fueling operations for the task group , hampered by the generally bad weather that had prevailed during the period , were finally completed on the 19th , shortly before the ships transited the Balintang Channel . Strikes against Formosa continued on 21 January , but the enemy drew blood in return , damaging and . The next day , almost as if in revenge , Navy planes pounded Japanese targets - of - opportunity on the island of Okinawa , in the final act of the 27 - day drama . On 26 January , TF 38 arrived at Ulithi for replenishment and repairs . At Ulithi , TF 38 became TF 58 when command of the Fast Carrier Task Force passed to Vice Admiral Marc A . Mitscher . Within two weeks , " Wilkes - Barre " was at sea again , still with CruDiv 17 but attached to TG 58 . 3 , Rear Admiral Frederick C . Sherman , whose flag as commander of the group flew in . The light cruiser and her consorts appeared off the coast of Honshū , Japan , on 16 February and screened the carriers as their planes bombed Tokyo . The raid served as a diversion for what was taking place to the southward : the invasion of Iwo Jima . Admiral Sherman ' s planes pounded Japanese airfields and industrial sites near Tokyo in raids that marked the first bombings of their kind since the Doolittle Raid in April 1942 . After two days of strikes against the Japanese capital , the task group headed toward Iwo Jima and conducted strikes on Japanese positions on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima en route . On 19 February 1945 , marines left their transports and headed toward the black beaches of Iwo Jima . It soon became evident that the going would be tough against General Tadamichi Kuribayashi ' s garrison of defenders on Iwo Jima . On 21 February , " Wilkes - Barre " was called in to assist in the shore bombardment . The light cruiser , her fire directed by spotters aloft in her OS2U Kingfisher s , proceeded to demolish enemy gun positions , pillboxes , fortified caves , and ammunition dumps . On one occasion , her prompt and effective call - fire turned back a Japanese counterattack . " Wilkes - Barre " rejoined TG 58 . 3 on 23 February and screened the group ' s carriers as their planes hit targets in and near Tokyo on 25 February and on Okinawa on 1 March . Four days after the latter strikes , TG 58 . 3 put into Ulithi to replenish and refuel . The light cruiser remained at anchor in Ulithi Lagoon from 5 – 14 March , before she participated in exercises with TF 59 on the 14th and 15th . The latter day , she was reassigned to TG 58 . 3 and soon thereafter headed for Japan . Steaming east of Okinawa on the 18th , the carriers hurled their squadrons against Japanese airfields on Kyushu , and , with bombs and rockets , and strafing with machine guns , the American carrier planes continued their attacks on the following day as well . The raids drew retaliatory strikes , met by the combat air patrol ( CAP ) and gunfire from the screen . On the 19th , " Wilkes - Barre " bagged her first aircraft : a Yokosuka D4Y " Judy " . The Japanese managed to draw blood from the American force , however , as two well - dropped bombs turned into a floating inferno on the 19th . While the task group subsequently retired toward a fueling rendezvous , moving slowly to protect the " cripples " , Japanese aircraft continued the harassment . The air strikes continued in ensuing days . Planes from TG 58 . 3 hit Japanese targets in the Okinawa area on 23 – 24 March . On the latter day , " Wilkes - Barre " s Kingfisher rescued two downed pilots from off Minami Daito Shima . Three days later , " Wilkes - Barre " returned to waters near Minami Daito and , in company with a destroyer group and the rest of CruDiv 17 , shelled the airfield there . On the 29th , after a high - speed , night approach toward Kyushu , the carriers , screened by " Wilkes - Barre " , her sister - ships , and some destroyers , launched dawn searches and strikes against points along the coasts of Kyushu and the Inland Sea . Again , one of " Wilkes - Barre " s planes performed a rescue mission , rescuing two fliers from from the waters off Yakushima . On Easter Sunday , 1 April 1945 , American troops commenced the invasion of Okinawa . Their accomplishment was one of the most difficult Allied undertakings in the war and the conflict ' s biggest American amphibious assault . As men and materiel began establishing a beachhead , TF 58 , " Wilkes - Barre " included , began its supporting operations . Beginning on D - Day , 1 April , the fast carriers flew an extended series of support missions at Okinawa and made neutralizing raids against airfields in Kyushu , Shikoku , and southern Honshū . A key base for Japanese planes turned out to be Sakashima Gunto in the Nansei Shoto group , and that site came under heavy air attacks . Nevertheless , the suiciders , taking off from bases in the Japanese home islands , proved persistent . Japanese planes attacked TG 58 . 3 on 11 April ; and , from noon until dark , " Wilkes - Barre " s guns , and those of the other screening ships , put up lethal barrages of antiaircraft fire at the oncoming enemy . She knocked down three A6M Zero and an Aichi D3A " Val " , and also scored assists with two more Zeros . When TF 58 subsequently headed north to launch strikes against the airfields on southern Kyushu , " Wilkes - Barre " went along . Those bases , thought to be the source of the Japanese air raids upon the joint expeditionary forces on Okinawa , were under attack throughout the 16th . Meanwhile , " flash red " alerts came one after another as the enemy planes attempted to penetrate the umbrella of the CAP . Together with the fighters , " Wilkes - Barre " and the other ships in the screen swung into action . The cruiser herself bagged a bomber at 1854 on 16 April and a Zero at 0939 on the 17th . " Wilkes - Barre " s Kingfisher pilots again showed their skill at rescuing downed pilots , picking up two Navy fliers some 30 miles east of Okinawa on 26 April . Over the first 10 days of May 1945 , the fast carriers , operating some 60 miles east of Okinawa , continued to launch strikes against that island . On 10 May , CruDiv 17 , with escorting " tin cans , " was temporarily detached from TG 58 . 3 for another night shelling of Minami Daito Shima . " Snoopers , " winging near the task group early the following day , sized up the disposition ; and thus gave a hint of what was to come : a lightning - like foray . Two " kamikaze s " plunged through the flak - torn skies and crashed into " Bunker Hill " , enveloping the flattop ' s after deck in flame . At 1059 , " Wilkes - Barre " received orders to stand by the critically injured carrier . Captain Porter brought his light cruiser alongside " Bunker Hill " at 1115 , placing " Wilkes - Barre " s bow hard against the flattop ' s starboard quarter . The cruiser played 10 streams of water on the persistent fires , while 40 men , trapped astern in " Bunker Hill " scrambled to safety . , , and also added their fire hoses to the joint effort to save the stricken carrier . " Wilkes - Barre " transferred fire - fighting gear , rescue breathing apparatus and handy - billies , to " Bunker Hill " in exchange for the carrier ' s injured and dying . At 1534 , when the flames finally were well under control and her assistance was no longer needed , " Wilkes - Barre " finally cleared the blackened flattop . " Bunker Hill " s captain later praised the ships which had labored bravely and tirelessly to save the carrier . " The " Wilkes - Barre " , the " Sperry " , and " Stembel " and " English " did a magnificent job . They came alongside not knowing whether we were likely to have explosions aboard . The " Wilkes - Barre " evacuated our seriously wounded , and with their able assistance , we got through . " On the 12th , " Wilkes - Barre " held burial services on board for the 13 men from the carrier who had succumbed to their wounds and transferred their surviving shipmates to . That day , TF 58 traveled to Kyushu to launch strikes on the 13th against the network of airfields there . The Japanese air arm responded on the 14th . Commencing at midnight , other task groups came under coordinated assaults ; but Japanese planes did not molest " Wilkes - Barre " s group until dawn . Falling shell fragments , possibly from " friendly " guns , hit the ship during that raid , wounding nine men on the after signal bridge . At 0816 , the cruiser claimed an assist in splashing a Zero . On 28 May , fleet and task force designations were changed to reflect the switch in command when Vice Admiral John S . McCain relieved Vice Admiral Mitscher . " Wilkes - Barre " , her tour off Okinawa and the Japanese home islands completed , left TG 38 . 3 on 29 May and headed for the Philippines . " Wilkes - Barre " remained in the snug anchorage at San Pedro Bay from 1 – 20 June , receiving repairs , upkeep , and replenishment . She then conducted gunnery and tactical exercises off Samar from 20 – 23 June and then returned to anchorage for the remainder of the month . For the coup de grace administered against Japan ' s homeland , TF 38 sortied from Leyte Gulf on 1 July . As part of TG 38 . 3 , " Wilkes - Barre " steamed along with her sisters of CruDiv 17 . For the first week of July , the ships engaged in intensive aircraft patrol and firing practice . Carrier planes struck Hokkaido and Honshū on 10 July . Four days later , " Wilkes - Barre " and other ships parted company with the task group and conducted antishipping sweeps off northern Honshū and across Kii Suido . On the 17th , American planes seared the Tokyo plains with incendiaries and rockets . On the night of 24 – 25 July , " Wilkes - Barre " and other bombardment ships departed the task group and , at 1210 , opened fire with their main batteries on the Kushimoto seaplane base and on the Shionomisaki landing field on the south coast of Honshū . Navy planes struck Kure and Kobe from 24 – 27 July in strikes aimed at ferreting out merchant shipping hidden in the Inland Sea . On the 30th , American planes gutted the manufacturing centers of Tokyo and Na - goya ; but , horrible as they were , these raids were only a prelude to the awesome air strikes to come , the dropping of the atomic bomb s on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Typhoons kept American planes out of the skies for most of the first week of August , but on 7 August , the ships turned north for further strikes on the Honshū - Hokkaido area . Foul weather prevented attacks on the 8th , but the following two days presented favorable conditions for air strikes which continued apace . During that time , the two atomic bombs , Russia ' s entry into the Far Eastern war , and then nearly incessant pressure kept on the Japanese by ships and planes of the armada massed off her shores , all combined to force Japan to a decision to surrender . On the 15th , the orders finally came through to cease offensive operations : the war was over . Post - War . CruDiv 17 was detached from TG 38 . 3 on 23 August and , on the 27th , after 59 days at sea , formed part of the 3rd Fleet that made its way triumphantly into Sagami Wan , the entrance to Tokyo Bay . " Wilkes - Barre " was among that procession , and her 6 inch guns covered the occupation of the Yokosuka Naval Base . On 3 September , the day after the official surrender of Japan , " Wilkes - Barre " moved into Tokyo Bay proper , over 103 , 000 miles after her commissioning . As flagship for demilitarization group , Task Unit ( TU ) 35 . 7 . 2 , " Wilkes - Barre " churned out of Tokyo Bay on 9 September , and proceeded to Tateyama Wan , anchoring late that afternoon . On the 10th , she covered the seizure of the former midget submarine and suicide boat base there , before she returned to Tokyo Bay . Subsequent operations in connection with the occupation of the erstwhile enemy ' s homeland kept " Wilkes - Barre " busy . She anchored off Koajiro Ko , Sagami Wan , between 12 September and 14 September to demilitarize the Aburatsubo and Kurihama midget submarine bases on the Sagami peninsula . She next anchored in Tokyo Bay to refuel and take on provisions on the 14th before shifting to Onagawa Wan between the 15th and 17th . She then conducted another demilitarization mission , her guns covering the occupation at Katsuura Wan before turning to Tokyo on 24 September . From 24 September to 4 October , " Wilkes - Barre " anchored within sight of Mount Fuji , Japan ' s sacred mountain , and held gunnery and tactical exercises from 24 – 28 October . Detached from the 5th Fleet on 5 November , " Wilkes - Barre " set out on the 9th for Korea and reached Jinsen ( now Inchon ) on the 13th . On the 16th , " Wilkes - Barre " , in company with and , shifted to Tsingtao , China . Further occupation duties kept her at that port until the 19th ; but , over the ensuing weeks , she steamed twice to Taku and Chinwangtao , China , before returning to Tsingtao where she spent the remainder of the year 1945 . Finally sailing for the United States on 13 January 1946 , " Wilkes - Barre " proceeded , via Pearl Harbor , and reached San Pedro , California , on the last day of January . " Wilkes - Barre " got underway on 4 March , bound for the east coast of the United States . Transiting the Panama Canal from 12 – 14 March , the light cruiser put into Philadelphia on the 18th and remained there through the spring and summer of 1946 . She got underway for the Gulf of Mexico on 20 October and reached New Orleans in time to celebrate Navy Day on 27 October . From New Orleans , " Wilkes - Barre " sailed for Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , and a period of refresher training in company with and . After returning to Norfolk , Va . , on 13 December , " Wilkes - Barre " made a goodwill cruise to England and Norway ; underway on 17 February 1947 , she reached Plymouth , England , on the 27th . She then operated in the waters of the British Isles throughout March and April and made one trip to Bergen , Norway , before returning to the United States for eventual assignment to the United States Reserve Fleet . Decommissioned on 9 October 1947 , " Wilkes - Barre " was simultaneously placed in reserve at Philadelphia . She remained in " mothballs " at Philadelphia until struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 January 1971 , the last light cruiser on the Register list . Thereafter , the ship was subjected to underwater explosive tests . On 12 May 1972 , her battered hulk broke in two . The after section sank of its own accord on that day ; the forward section sank on the 13th , as a result of a scuttling charge . Awards . " Wilkes - Barre " received four battle star s for her World War II service . Wreck . Presently off the Florida Keys , the ship continues to serve society , however , as an artificial reef . The " Wilkes - Barre " is a popular deep wreck diving site that is split into two sections . The bow rests on the starboard side with the gun turret s resting at 253 feet . The stern rests upright with the deck at 200 feet . Visibility on the wreck can range from 20 feet to over 100 feet though it is normally only 40 feet . This huge wreck abounds with marine life , artifacts and a fascinating history .