USS Pensacola ( CA - 24 ) USS " Pensacola " ( CL / CA - 24 ) of the United States Navy was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruiser . 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 star s for her service . She was laid down by the New York Navy Yard on 27 October 1925 , launched on 25 April 1927 , sponsored by Mrs . Joseph L . Seligman , and commissioned on 6 February 1928 , Captain Alfred G . Howe in command . Service history . Inter - war period . " Pensacola " departed New York on 24 March 1930 , and transited the Panama Canal to Callao , Peru , and Valparaíso , Chile , before returning to New York on 5 June . For the next four years she operated along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean Sea , several times transiting the Panama Canal for combined Fleet battle practice ranging from California to Hawaii . Originally CL - 24 , effective 1 July 1931 , " Pensacola " was redesignated CA - 24 in accordance with the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930 . " Pensacola " departed Norfolk on 15 January 1935 to join the Pacific Fleet arriving San Diego , her new home port , on 30 January . Fleet problems ranged to Hawaii , one cruise took her to Alaska , and combined fleet maneuvers returned her briefly to the Caribbean Sea before she sailed on 5 October 1939 to base at Pearl Harbor , arriving on the 12th . " Pensacola " was one of six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM RADAR in 1940 . Maneuvers frequently found the cruiser off Midway and French Frigate Shoals , and she made one voyage to Guam . World War II . 1941 - 1942 . " Pensacola " departed Pearl Harbor on 29 November 1941 with the so - called " Pensacola Convoy " , bound for Manila , in the Philippines . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , the convoy was diverted to Australia , entering Brisbane harbor on 22 December . " Pensacola " returned to Pearl Harbor on 19 January 1942 , and put to sea on 5 February to patrol the approaches to the Samoan Islands . On 17 February 1942 , she rendezvoused off Samoa with Carrier Task Force 11 ( TF 11 ) , built around . Near Bougainville Island , " Pensacola " s gunners helped repel two waves of Japanese bombers on 20 February . No ships were damaged . Anti - aircraft fire and " Lexington " Combat Air Patrol planes shot down 17 of the 18 attackers . " Pensacola " continued to help guard " Lexington " on offensive patrol in the Coral Sea until joined the task force on 6 March . The American ships steamed for the Gulf of Papua where — on 10 March — " Lexington " launched planes for a surprise strike over the Owen Stanley Mountains at Japanese shipping and installations at Salamaua and Lae . A complete surprise , the raid caused heavy damage . The task force then turned toward Nouméa , New Caledonia , to replenish . " Pensacola " patrolled with " Yorktown " s task force until 8 April , then headed , via Samoa , for Pearl Harbor , arriving on 21 April . She carried Marine Fighting Squadron 212 ( VMF - 212 ) to Efate in the New Hebrides Islands and returned to Pearl Harbor with on 26 May . " Pensacola " departed Pearl Harbor on 28 May with the " Enterprise " task force for a rendezvous on 2 June northeast of Midway with units of TF 17 . Two days later , when the Japanese armada came within range of the American carriers , the battle of Midway commenced . Admiral Spruance ' s torpedo planes and dive - bombers attacked the Japanese carriers . and went up in flames , and was badly damaged . A fourth enemy carrier — , still at large — launched strikes at " Yorktown " and the American flattops struck back , leaving the enemy carrier hit many times , in a mass of flames . Meanwhile , " Yorktown " — hit by three bombs — was fighting for her life . " Pensacola " raced from " Enterprise " ′ s screen to aid the stricken carrier . While trying to assist " Yorktown " , the ship was struck with a torpedo and hit in the galley . " Yorktown " was dead in the water when " Pensacola " arrived , and the cruiser assisted in shooting down four enemy torpedo bombers during a second attack . Despite all that could be done , " Yorktown " received two torpedo hits amidships and had to be abandoned . " Pensacola " rejoined the screen of " Enterprise " to pursue the retiring Japanese . " Pensacola " returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 June and — with " Enterprise " — again put to sea on 22 June , carrying 1 , 157 marines of Marine Aircraft Group 22 ( MAG 22 ) to Midway . She patrolled and trained in Hawaiian waters until 7 August . As Marines stormed the shores of Guadalcanal , the cruiser set course for the Solomons in the screen of , and to support the leathernecks in that bitter campaign . In submarine - infested waters , torpedoes damaged " Saratoga " on 31 August and sank " Wasp " on 15 September . " Pensacola " arrived at Nouméa , New Caledonia on 26 September , and departed with " Hornet " on 2 October to strike the enemy in the Santa Isabel – Guadalcanal area . On 24 October , " Hornet " ′ s task group joined " Enterprise " and the combined force steamed to intercept enemy warships approaching the Guadalcanal - Tulagi area . On 26 October , search planes located a Japanese carrier and battleship formation , beginning the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands which was fought without contact being made between surface ships of the opposing forces . Air strikes inflicted severe bomb damage to and , and sank . Bomb hits damaged and other enemy ships . " Pensacola " helped fight off a coordinated dive bombing and torpedo plane raid which damaged " Hornet " so severely that she had to be abandoned . Within minutes of the attack on " Hornet " , 24 dive bombers dropped 23 bombs in a run on " Enterprise " . Despite damage , the famed " Fighting Lady " launched a large number of planes from " Hornet " besides her own . " Pensacola " received 188 survivors from " Hornet " , whom she debarked at Nouméa on 30 October 1942 . The task force had turned back a Japanese attempt to regain Guadalcanal , sunk " Yura " , and damaged a number of enemy capital ships . Japanese carriers lost 123 planes . " Pensacola " departed Nouméa on 2 November to guard transports landing Marine reinforcements , and supplies , at Aola Bay , Guadalcanal . She helped guard " Enterprise " during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 12 – 13 November . Planes from " Enterprise " assisted in the sinking of , one cruiser , three destroyers , and eleven auxiliaries , and the damaging of four cruisers and four destroyers . Battle of Tassafaronga . " Pensacola " returned to Espiritu Santo to join TF 67 under Rear Admiral Carleton H . Wright . On 29 November , TF 67 sailed to intercept a Japanese destroyer - transport force expected off Guadalcanal the next night . Just before midnight of the 30th , the American ships transited Lengo Channel and headed past Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as the Japanese task group steamed on a southerly course west of Savo Island to enter " Ironbottom Sound " . The two opposing task forces clashed in the Battle of Tassafaronga . American destroyers launched torpedoes as the enemy range came within of " Pensacola " ′ s cruiser formation . Now gun flashes , tracers , and star shell candles stained the inky darkness . — hit many times — was afire and exploding . took two torpedo hits that blasted her bow downward like an immense scoop and left her forecastle deck awash , but she continued to fight on . closed on " Minneapolis " , and ran into the track of a torpedo that ripped off the forward part of the warship . " Pensacola " turned left to prevent collision with two damaged American ships ahead of her . Silhouetted by the burning American cruisers , she came in the Japanese line of fire . One of 18 torpedoes launched by Japanese destroyers hit her below the mainmast on the portside . Her engine room flooded , three gun turrets went out of commission , and her oil tanks ruptured to make a soaked torch of her mast . Meantime , maneuvered radically at , her guns continuing their rapid fire as she escaped the trap . The last American cruiser in column — — took two torpedo hits to duplicate on a larger scale the havoc inflicted on " Pensacola " . The oil - fed flames engulfed " Pensacola " ′ s main deck aft where torpedoes and machine gun ammunition exploded . Only supreme effort and skillful damage control by her gallant men saved the ship . The fire — punctuated by the frightful explosion of 8 - inch projectiles in her Number 3 turret — gradually subsided . " Pensacola " made steady progress toward Tulagi . She arrived there still aflame . After 12 hours the last fire was quenched . Her dead numbered seven officers and 118 men . One officer and 67 men were injured . 1943 - 1945 . Camouflaged as part of the island , " Pensacola " made repairs in Tulagi Harbor that enabled her to steam to Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides Island . She arrived there on 6 December for emergency repairs by until she sailed on 7 January 1943 via Samoa to Pearl Harbor , arriving on 27 January . On 8 November , " Pensacola " sailed from Pearl Harbor in the screen of Southern Attack Force aircraft carriers . On 19 November , Pensacola made bombardment runs on Betio and Tarawa . She rained 600 projectiles to put coast defense guns out of action , and destroyed enemy beach defenses and numerous buildings . As troops stormed ashore on Tarawa on 20 November , the cruiser screened carriers launching air strikes supporting the landings . That night , she fought off Japanese torpedo bombers and assisted into Funafuti , Ellice Islands . For the next two months , she ranged out of that base to screen carriers covering the movement of reinforcements and supplies to the Gilberts . On 29 January 1944 , she began strikes and bombardments to destroy Japanese air power and shipping in the Marshall Islands . That night , " Pensacola " helped bombard Tarao in the Eastern Marshalls . She then slammed shells into airfield runways , seaplane ramps , ammunition stowage areas and buildings on Wotje . She continued pounding these targets as Marines and Army troops landed on 31 January to seize Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls . The invasion of the Marshall Islands continued on 1 February as Marines occupied Roi and Namur Islands . " Pensacola " continued to hit hard at Tarao , Maloelap Atoll through 18 February , destroying coastal defenses and air bases of the enemy in the eastern Marshalls . Operating from Majuro and Kwajalein , she continued to patrol in approaches of the Marshalls . She again served in the screen of fast carriers conducting raids in the Caroline Islands ( 30 March – 1 April ) , against Japanese defenses at Palau , Yap , Ulithi and Woleai . " Pensacola " departed Majuro on 25 April sailing via Pearl Harbor and Mare Island for duty in the Northern Pacific , arriving in Kulak Bay on 27 May . On 13 June , she joined her cruiser - destroyer task force in raining destruction on the airfields of Matsuwa , Kuriles . In the early morning of 26 June , she fired 300 8 - inch projectiles to destroy shipping , airfields and installations at Kurabu Zaki , Paramushiru To , Kuriles , returning to Kulak Bay on 28 June . " Pensacola " continued patrol in Alaskan waters until departing Kulak Bay on 8 August for Hawaii . " Pensacola " arrived Pearl Harbor on 13 August and put to sea on the 29th . " En route " to the Marianas on 3 September , she joined an air - sea bombardment of Wake Island . On 9 October , she pounded the main radio station and installations on Marcus Island . She and her sister cruisers and destroyers stirred up a fire melee in their " impersonation " of Halsey ' s 3rd Fleet to lead the Japanese into thinking the ladder of islands to the Bonins was next on the American timetable for invasion . Meanwhile , Adm . Halsey ' s units advanced on the Philippines while Fast Carriers rained destruction on the enemy air and Fleet bases at Okinawa and Formosa . " Pensacola " made rendezvous with the units of the Fast Carrier Task Force retiring from the great air battles over Formosa . After escorting and to Ulithi , she joined a Fast Carrier Task Group — including " Wasp " — on 16 October . The following day , troops supported by the 7th Fleet began the liberation of the Philippine Islands . " Pensacola " screened fast aircraft carriers striking Luzon and directly supported the invasion of Leyte beginning on 20 October . She raced north to aid in the destruction of the enemy carrier force in the battle off Cape Engaño on 25 October , then turned south as the fast carriers launched planes to aid the gallant escort carriers . " Pensacola " bombarded Iwo Jima on the night of 11 / 12 November and returned to Ulithi the 14th . As she was about to depart for Saipan on 20 November , she spotted a periscope about to starboard . As she maneuvered clear , rammed the enemy . Four minutes later , her men witnessed the flaming explosion that destroyed , victim of a Japanese " kaiten " midget submarine . " Pensacola " arrived Saipan on 22 November to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima . Five nights later , she helped splash several attacking Japanese aircraft . She departed Saipan on 6 December , plastering Iwo Jima with 500 8 - inch projectiles on the 8th . She returned to Iwo Jima on the 24th and 27th , pounding mountain gun positions north of Suribachi Mountain . She hit defenses on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima as well as Iwo Jima on 5 January and 24 January 1945 . At Ulithi on 27 January , " Pensacola " formed with a battleship - cruiser - destroyer gunstrike task force under Rear Admiral B . J . Rodgers . Six battleships , four cruisers and a destroyer screen comprised the bombardment force which sailed on 10 February via Tinian to Iwo Jima . On 16 February , " Pensacola " opened fire on the northwest sector of Iwo Jima to prepare for the landings . That afternoon , Lieutenant Douglas W . Gandy , USNR — piloting one of " Pensacola " s OS2U Kingfisher floatplane s — shot down a Japanese fighter . The next morning , " Pensacola " took six hits from enemy shore batteries as her guns covered operations of the minesweepers close inshore . Three of her officers and 14 men were killed . Another five officers and 114 men were injured . " Pensacola " fired back as she retired for temporary repairs then returned to her bombardment station . The morning of 19 February she commenced harassing and counter - battery fire in direct support of the invasion landings . Her deadly guns fought day and night into 1 March when she silenced enemy shore batteries which had hit amidships . After helping " Terry " ′ s wounded , she resumed direct bombardment support to advancing Marines that continued into 3 March . She arrived in Ulithi on 5 March , and put to sea on the 20th to support the invasion and capture of Okinawa , the " last stepping stone " to Japan . On 25 March , " Pensacola " bombarded enemy defenses and covered the operations of minesweepers preparing the way for the Okinawa invasion landings . On 27 March , she spotted a torpedo wake on her port quarter . A second " fish " streaked toward the ship from dead astern . As her 40 mm gunners opened fire on the torpedoes , " Pensacola " went hard left then hard right to parallel the deadly missiles . The first torpedo missed her starboard quarter by less than . The second passed some along the port side of the cruiser as her gunners opened with automatic weapons on a submarine periscope . " Pensacola " gave direct bombardment support to the initial invasion of Okinawa on 1 April and continued to blast at enemy targets until the 15th . She then sailed via Guam and Pearl Harbor for home . She arrived at Mare Island on 7 May for overhaul . She sailed on 3 August for Adak , Alaska and was there when hostilities ended . On the 31st , she sailed with units of Cruiser Division Five " en route " to Ominato , Northern Honshū , Japan . She anchored in the outer harbor of Ominato on 8 September . Post - war . " Pensacola " departed Ominato on 14 November to embark 200 veterans at Iwo Jima , then touched Pearl Harbor " en route " to San Francisco , California , arriving on 3 December . Five days later , she put to sea for Apra Harbor , Guam , where she embarked nearly 700 veterans for transport to San Diego , arriving on 9 January 1946 . Operation Crossroads . " Pensacola " departed San Pedro on 29 April to stage with units of Joint Task Force One at Pearl Harbor in preparation for Operation Crossroads , the atomic bomb experiments at Bikini Atoll . She stood out of Pearl Harbor on 20 May , and reached Bikini on the 29th to serve as a target ship . She survived the tests of 1 July and 25 July . On 24 August , she was taken in tow for Kwajalein where she decommissioned on 26 August . Her hulk was turned over to the custody of Joint Task Force One for radiological and structural studies . On completion of these studies , her hulk was sunk on 10 November 1948 off the Washington coast . Awards . " Pensacola " received 13 battle star s for World War II service including :