USS Oakland ( CL - 95 ) USS " Oakland " ( CL - 95 ) , was a modified " Atlanta " - class light cruiser , the first of a group of four sometimes referred to as the " " Oakland " class " . She was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co . , San Francisco , California on 15 July 1941 ; launched on 23 October 1942 ; sponsored by Dr . Aurelia H . Reinhardt ; and commissioned on 17 July 1943 , Captain William K . Phillips in command . She was named for the city of Oakland , California . Like the " Atlanta " class , the " Oakland " class was designed as an anti - aircraft cruiser , with a main battery of dual - purpose guns . The " Oakland " class omitted the wing 5 in ( 127 mm ) / 38 cal gun turret s of the " Atlanta " class . " Oakland " sustained three casualties during World War II . Service history . World War II . 1943 . Following a shakedown and training cruise off San Diego in the summer of 1943 , " Oakland " sailed for Pearl Harbor arriving on 3 November . Joining with three heavy cruisers and two destroyers , she linked up with Task Group 50 . 3 ( TG 50 . 3 ) near Funafuti in the Ellice Islands , for support of Operation Galvanic , the amphibious push into the Gilbert Islands . The carriers launched initial air strikes on 19 November , and in retaliation , a wave of Japanese torpedo bomber s attacked the formation on the afternoon of the 20th . " Oakland " scored two kills and two assists in fighting off the raiders . On 26 November , northeast of the Marshall Islands , " Oakland " again fought off strong coordinated torpedo plane attacks . At 2332 on 4 December , a torpedo tore into the side of and " Oakland " covered her slow withdrawal , arriving Pearl Harbor on 9 December . 1944 . " Oakland " departed Pearl Harbor on 16 January 1944 with the carriers of TG 58 . 1 headed for the Marshall Islands . The task group launched strikes against Maloelap on 29 January and against Kwajalein on the 30th . An amphibious assault was made on Kwajalein on 1 February . " Oakland " with her carriers supported American operations ashore until they entered Majuro Lagoon on 4 February . Weighing anchor on 12 February , the ships of TG 58 . 1 sailed from Majuro and launched air strikes against Truk on 16 – 17 February , greatly damaging the important Japanese naval base there . Then , despite a night - long series of Japanese aerial attacks on 21 – 22 February , to hit the Marianas with damaging blows , " Oakland " s gunners bagged two more enemy planes and assisted in splashing two others before returning to Majuro . " Oakland " sortied with TG 58 . 1 on 7 March , bound for Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides . The group skirted the Solomons and covered the occupation of Emirau Island , north of New Britain , on the 20th . On the 27th , the task group swept on to the western Carolines . Heavy air attacks greeted the carriers , but " Oakland " and her partners in the screen fought them off before any damage was incurred . They pounded Palau on 30 March , Yap on the 31st and Woleai on 1 April , before returning to Majuro on 6 April . Through April the group carried out similar operations at Wake and Sawar . They again hammered Truk on the 29th - 30th , as well as hitting Satawan on the later date . Allied surface and aerial bombardment battered Ponape on 1 May , before " Oakland " retired to Kwajalein on 4 May . Following anti - aircraft training , " Oakland " helped to attack Guam on 11 June , then steamed north to hit the Volcano and Bonin Islands by the 14th . West of the embattled Marianas , Task Force 58 ( TF 58 ) sped to intercept a large Japanese surface force approaching from the Philippines . In the ensuing Battle of the Philippine Sea , the famed " Turkey Shoot " took place as US planes decimated the trained air groups of three Japanese carrier divisions , almost eliminating Japanese naval aviation . Toward the end of the battle , as darkness was creeping in , the returning American pilots were scanning the sea for their carriers . Admiral Mitscher , on the bridge of his flagship , concerned about his men , gave the order " Turn on the lights . " In response , " Oakland " s searchlights were turned on , helping to light up the Philippine Sea . TG 58 . 1 next struck at Pagan Island on 23 June and Iwo Jima the next day . On the 27th , the units gathered at Eniwetok Atoll for replenishment , and on the 30th nosed northwest to the Bonin Islands . The group delivered a withering air - sea bombardment against Iwo and Chichi Jima on 3 – 4 July , and by the 5th was speeding south for a return engagement in the Marianas . On 7 July , the carriers began launching a series of alternating strikes against Guam and Rota . " Oakland " and teamed up to recover downed pilots off Guam , and fired at targets on Orote Peninsula . At 0800 on 4 August , search planes reported a Japanese convoy zig - zagging out of Chichi Jima Bonin Islands . Two hours later , the carriers ' planes reported they were attacking enemy vessels . An attack group was quickly formed , consisting of " Oakland " , , and , and Destroyer Division 91 . Detached from the task group at 1241 , the killer band raced at between Ototo and Yome Jima and arrived on the scene at about 1730 . The destroyers formed an attack group ahead of the cruisers and , at 1845 , sank a small oiler . Another straggler from the convoy , later identified as the destroyer " Matsu " , was sighted at 1924 and subsequently sunk . At 2145 , " Oakland " and company contacted a 7500 - ton supply ship and sank her , before turning south to rake Chichi Jima . " Oakland " made three runs shelling shipping in Chichi ' s harbor of Funtami Ko , and helped to silence a shore battery before she retired at 1119 on 5 August . Several Japanese ships had been sunk , a seaplane base damaged , and fires started among the wharves and warehouses . From 6 – 8 September , " Oakland " s task group hit the Palau Islands , Peleliu being the main target . On the evening of the 8th , they steamed west to raid enemy airfields in the Philippines through the 22nd . On 6 October , " Oakland " departed Ulithi shepherding her own carriers toward the Ryukyu Islands and hit Okinawa on the 10th . They attacked installations on Formosa and the Pescadores on 12 October and , at 1835 , as they were withdrawing , fought off Japanese air counterattack . They hit Formosa again on 13 October , and again the Imperial Air Force lashed out in full fury as the task force withdrew at nightfall . " Oakland " assisted in turning back the aerial opponents but , at 1835 , in TG 38 . 1 was damaged by a torpedo , and on the 14th received a torpedo hit . " Oakland " then covered the withdrawal of the two hit ships , before participating in the strikes against Luzon from 17 – 19 October and supporting the landings on Leyte the 20th . En route to Ulithi on the 24th , " Oakland " received orders to backtrack at once to help stop the Japanese Fleet which was converging on Leyte Gulf . By the time she arrived on the scene , the enemy had been repulsed , and the carriers began long range strikes against the retreating enemy . The Battle for Leyte Gulf was essentially the end of the Imperial Navy as an effective fighting force . From November – December , " Oakland " operated with various task groups of TF 38 supporting the Philippine liberation campaign . On 18 December , she rode out a raging typhoon in the Philippine Sea escaping serious damage . 1945 . " Oakland " returned to San Francisco on 11 January 1945 . She remained for repairs and trial runs until sailing for Hawaii on 4 March . Arriving Pearl Harbor on the 9th , " Oakland " began additional training south of Oahu . She received movement orders on the 14th and sailed for Ulithi , the staging area for Okinawa . Reaching Ulithi on 30 March , she sailed again with other units the following day . On tap was the most ambitious amphibious assault of the Pacific war . On 2 April , the group separated , " Oakland " going ahead to join TG 58 . 4 . For five days , she engaged in hitting Sakashima Gunto in the southern Nansei Shoto and then proceeded to Okinawa . On 10 April , " Oakland " was reassigned to TG 58 . 3 for the remainder of the Okinawa campaign . She came under air attack again on 11 April with her gunners splashing a dive bomber . With other groups of TF 58 , " Oakland " moved northward on 15 April to launch strikes against airfields at Kyūshū . Enemy planes tried time and again to pierce the task force ' s protective fighter umbrella . Twice " Oakland " s guns opened up , aiding in the destruction of one " Frances " and driving off another . Okinawan defenses were struck again on the 17th . " Kamikaze s " evaded the combat air patrol in the morning and " Oakland " took two under fire as they passed over the ship . Both were dropped within the formation , with " Oakland " scoring one . On the 29th , " Oakland " drove away another enemy aircraft . TG 58 . 3 had taken the best the Imperial Air Force had to offer during 11 days of April . The rest of the month was utilized in making additional strikes against Okinawa and conducting gunnery exercises with drones and towed sleeves . Snooper planes began winging near the group early in the morning on 11 May . After breakfast , the " Oakland " crew scrambled to General Quarters but an attack failed to materialize at that time . Two " kamikazes " plummeted into the flight deck of from the cruiser . A trio of life rafts were cut loose from " Oakland " to aid in the rescue of " Bunker Hill " survivors sighted ahead . The task force struck again at airfields on Kyūshū on 13 May . On the 14th , the Japanese reciprocated . Shortly after breakfast , a lone Zero was spotted circling through the clouds and " Oakland " s guns quickly opened fire , but their quarry just as quickly disappeared from view . Then he came back like a comet . bore the brunt of his crash - dive as he blew up in a blossom of flame on her flight deck . Shortly , a flock of " kamikazes " appeared , and within the space of 15 minutes , " Oakland " took four separate " kamikazes " under fire . " Oakland " s claim of two assists was substantiated by the task group commander . For the duration of May , " Oakland " remained with the task group off Okinawa . On the 29th she shifted back to TG 38 . 1 under Admiral Halsey and made for Leyte Gulf , anchoring in San Pedro Bay on 1 June . On 10 July , TG 38 . 1 commenced raids on the Japanese mainland beginning with Honshū and then thundering north to Hokkaidō . From 17 – 20 July , " Oakland " participated in strikes against Tokyo and 24 – 27 July against Kure and Kobe . Tokyo was hit again on the 30th along with Nagoya . On 7 August , the ships turned north to strike the Honshū - Hokkaido area for a second time . 15 August brought the long awaited " cease all offensive operations " order . " Oakland " then proceeded to her assigned operating area for the occupation of Japan . Sailing on 30 August to the most important rendezvous of her career , " Oakland " dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay the next day , outside the breakwater of the Yokosuka Naval Base . Berthed several thousand yards away from , " Oakland " provided a box seat for her sailors to witness the unforgettable conclusion to their war . Post - war . While " Oakland " lay at anchor in Tokyo Bay on the night of 27 September , a typhoon swept close to the harbor entrance . A tanker dragged anchor and struck " Oakland " s bow , causing minor damage . On 1 October , " Oakland " sailed for Okinawa to embark homeward bound veterans for a " magic carpet " voyage to San Francisco . Leaving Okinawa on 3 October , she arrived at San Francisco on 20 October . Navy Day ( 27 October ) observances at Oakland , California were highlighted by the presence of " Oakland " . " Magic carpet " duty in November and December took " Oakland " back to the Pacific twice , first to Eniwetok and then to Kwajalein . At the year ' s end , the Navy turned the task of bringing home the veterans solely over to its transportation service , and " Oakland " was ordered to an inactivation area at Bremerton , Washington Reprieve came in the form of a change in orders and , instead of inactivation , " Oakland " was slated to continue as an active postwar fleet unit . A thorough overhaul was afforded her at the Puget Sound Navy Yard to erase the effects of long months of battle . From July 1946 to January 1947 , " Oakland " operated in and around San Diego as a Fleet Gunnery Training Ship . From 6 January to 8 September , she participated in a Western Pacific training cruise . On 18 March , " Oakland " was reclassified CLAA - 95 . On 1 July 1949 , " Oakland " decommissioned at San Francisco . Struck on 1 March 1959 , she was sold to Louis Simons on 1 December for scrapping . " Oakland " s mast and nameplate were restored and given to the city of Oakland . In July 2002 , they were installed in the Port of Oakland ' s Middle Harbor Shoreline Park , on the western waterfront , at the site of the former Fleet and Industrial Supply Center . Awards . " Oakland " earned nine battle star s for service in World War II .