USS Salt Lake City ( CA - 25 ) USS " Salt Lake City " ( CL / CA - 25 ) of the United States Navy was a " Pensacola " - class heavy cruiser sometimes known as " Swayback Maru " or " Old Swayback " . She had the ( unofficial ) distinction of having taken part in more engagements than any other ship in the fleet . She was also the first ship to be named after Salt Lake City , Utah . She was laid down on 9 June 1927 , by the American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation , a subsidiary of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation , at Camden , New Jersey ; launched on 23 January 1929 , sponsored by Helen Budge , a granddaughter of leading Mormon missionary , William Budge ; and commissioned on 11 December 1929 , at the Philadelphia Navy Yard , Captain Frederick Lansing Oliver in command . Service history . Inter - war period . " Salt Lake City " departed Philadelphia on 20 January 1930 , for shakedown trials off the Maine coast . She began her first extended cruise on 10 February ; visited Guantánamo Bay , Cuba ; Culebra , Virgin Islands ; Rio de Janeiro and Bahia , Brazil ; then returned to Guantanamo Bay where — on 31 March — she joined Cruiser Division 2 ( CruDiv 2 ) of the Scouting Force . With this division , she operated along the New England coast until 12 September , when she was reassigned to CruDiv 5 . " Salt Lake City " then operated off New York , Cape Cod , and Chesapeake Bay through 1931 . Originally CL - 25 , effective 1 July 1931 , " Salt Lake City " was redesignated CA - 25 in accordance with the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930 . Early in 1932 , " Salt Lake City " — with and — steamed to the West Coast for fleet maneuvers . They arrived at San Pedro , California on 7 March , and following the scheduled exercises , were reassigned to the Pacific Fleet . " Salt Lake City " visited Pearl Harbor in January – February 1933 ; and , in September , she was attached to CruDiv 4 . From October 1933 - January 1934 , she underwent overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ; then resumed duty with CruDiv 4 . In May , she sailed for New York to participate in the Fleet Review and returned to San Pedro on 18 December . Through 1935 , " Salt Lake City " ranged the West Coast from San Diego to Seattle . In the first months of 1936 , she conducted extensive gunnery exercises at San Clemente Island , and on 27 April departed San Pedro to participate in combined surface - subsurface operations at Balboa , Panama Canal Zone . " Salt Lake City " returned to San Pedro on 15 June and resumed West Coast operations until sailing for Hawaii on 25 April 1937 . She returned to the West Coast on 20 May . Her next extended cruise began on 13 January 1939 , when she departed for the Caribbean , via the Panama Canal . During the next three months , she visited Panama , Colombia , the Virgin Islands , Trinidad , Cuba , and Haiti ; returning to San Pedro on 7 April . From 12 October 1939 – 25 June 1940 , she cruised between Pearl Harbor , Wake , and Guam , utilizing the services of while at Pearl Harbor . In August 1941 , she visited Brisbane , Queensland , Australia . After Pearl Harbor . On 7 December 1941 , when the United States was brought into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , " Salt Lake City " — under the command of Capt . Ellis M . Zacharias — was with the task group , returning from Wake Island , west of Pearl Harbor when they received word of the attack . The group immediately launched scouting planes in hopes of catching possible stragglers from the enemy force , but the search proved fruitless . The ships entered Pearl Harbor toward sundown on the 8th . After a tedious night refueling , they sortied before dawn to hunt submarines north of the islands . Submarines were encountered on the 10th - 11th . The first — — was sunk by dive bombers from " Enterprise " ; the second — sighted ahead of the group on the surface — was engaged with gunfire by " Salt Lake City " as the ships maneuvered to avoid torpedoes . Screening destroyers made numerous depth charge runs , but no kill was confirmed . Operations against a third contact brought similar results . The group returned to Pearl Harbor on 15 December to refuel . " Salt Lake City " operated with Task Force 8 ( TF 8 ) until 23 December , covering Oahu and supporting the task force strike that was planned to relieve beleaguered Wake Island . After Wake fell , " Salt Lake City " ′ s group carried out air strikes in the eastern Marshalls at Wotje , Maloelap , and Kwajalein to reduce enemy seaplane bases . While conducting shore bombardment during those strikes , " Salt Lake City " came under air attack and assisted in downing two Japanese bombers . In March , she supported air strikes at Marcus Island . In April , she escorted TF 16 , which launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities , and returned to Pearl Harbor on 25 April . Orders awaited the ships to sail as soon as possible to join the and forces in the Coral Sea . Although the task force moved fast , it had only reached a point some east of Tulagi by 8 May , the day of the Battle of the Coral Sea . What followed was essentially a retirement , and " Salt Lake City " operated as cover with her group ; on the 11th off the New Hebrides , and from the 12th - 16th eastward from Efate and Santa Cruz . On 16 May , she was ordered back to Pearl Harbor and arrived there 10 days later . The carrier groups began intensive preparations to meet the expected Japanese thrust at Midway Atoll . During the battle , early in June , " Salt Lake City " provided rear guard protection for the islands . From August – October 1942 , " Salt Lake City " was in the south Pacific to support the campaign to seize and hold Guadalcanal . She escorted during the landings of 7 – 8 August and subsequent operations . " Salt Lake City " protected as she shuttled planes for and " Enterprise " , and provided Combat Air Patrol ( CAP ) and scouting patrols during the landings . " Salt Lake City " was with " Wasp " on 15 September when the carrier was torpedoed by Japanese submarines and sunk . She assisted in rescue operations for survivors , and took on board others who had been picked up by . Battle of Cape Esperance . The campaign in the Solomons developed into a grim struggle which climaxed on the night of 11 – 12 October in the Battle of Cape Esperance . TF 64 was formed around " Salt Lake City " , , , and to attack the " Tokyo Express " , a steady flow of Japanese vessels maintaining reinforcement and resupply to Guadalcanal . The force was not considered large enough to get involved with a major Japanese covering force ; they were interested primarily in inflicting maximum damage to the transports . They arrived off Espiritu Santo on 7 October , and for two days steamed near Guadalcanal and waited . Land - based search - plane reports came in that an enemy force was steaming down the " slot " ; and — that night , TF 64 moved to the vicinity of Savo Island to intercept it . Search planes were ordered launched from the cruisers , but in the process of launching , " Salt Lake City " ′ s plane caught fire as flares ignited in the cockpit . The plane crashed close to the ship and the pilot managed to get free . He was later found safety on a nearby island . The brilliant fire was seen in the darkness by the Japanese flag officers , who assumed that it was a signal flare from the landing force which they were sent to protect . The Japanese flagship answered with blinker light , and receiving no reply , continued to signal . The American force formed a battle line at right angles to the Japanese T - formation , and thus were able to enfilade the enemy ships . The American cruisers opened fire and continued scoring hits for a full seven minutes before the confused Japanese realized what was taking place . They had believed that , by error , their own forces were taking them under fire . When the Japanese warships replied , their fire was too little and too late . The action was over in half an hour . One Japanese cruiser sank ; another was reduced to scrap ; a third was holed twice , and a destroyer sank . One destroyer of the five - ship force escaped damage . " Salt Lake City " sustained three major hits during the action . " Boise " was severely crippled , but managed to rejoin the group under her own power . was left gutted off Savo Island . The ships formed up and steamed to Espiritu Santo . Battle of the Komandorski Islands . " Salt Lake City " spent the next four months at Pearl Harbor undergoing repairs and replenishing . Late in March 1943 , she departed for the Aleutian Islands and operated from Adak Island to prevent the Japanese from supporting their garrisons on Attu and Kiska . Operating in TF 8 , " Salt Lake City " was accompanied by and four destroyers when they made contact on 26 March with some Japanese transports , escorted by the heavy cruisers and , the light cruisers " Tama " and " Abukuma " , and four destroyers , led by Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogoya leading to the Battle of the Komandorski Islands . Mistakenly believing that easy pickings were in store , the American warships formed up and closed the range . Two transports fled for safety as the Japanese warships turned to engage . The American group was outgunned and outnumbered , but pressed on and made a course change in hopes of getting a shot at the transports before the escorts could intervene . There was also a possibility that the Japanese would split their force and that " Salt Lake City " and " Richmond " could tackle a portion of them on more equal terms . The opposing cruisers simultaneously opened fire at a range of . The ensuing battle was a retiring action on the part of the Americans , for the Japanese foiled their attempt to get to the auxiliaries . " Salt Lake City " received most of the attention and soon received two hits , one of them amidships , mortally wounding two men , but she responded with very accurate fire . Her rudder stops were carried away , limiting her to 10° course changes . The starboard seaplane caught fire and was jettisoned . Another hit soon flooded forward compartments . Under cover of a thick smoke screen and aggressive torpedo attacks by the destroyers , the American cruisers were able to make an evasive turn , which for a while allowed the range to open . " Salt Lake City " soon began taking hits again and her boiler fires died one by one . Salt water had entered the fuel oil feed lines . There was now cause for grave concern ; she lay dead in the water , and the Japanese ships were closing fast . Luckily , she was hidden in the smoke , and the enemy was not aware of her plight . The destroyers charged the Japanese cruisers and began to draw the fire away from the damaged " Salt Lake City " . " Bailey " suffered two hits while launching a spread of five torpedoes at long range . In the meantime , " Salt Lake City " ′ s engineers purged the fuel lines and fired the boilers . With fresh oil supplying the fires , she built up steam and gained headway . Suddenly , the Japanese began to withdraw , because they were fast exhausting their ammunition . They did not suspect that the Americans were in far worse shape in terms of both ammunition and fuel . Despite being outnumbered two to one , the Americans succeeded in their purpose . The Japanese attempt to reinforce their bases in the Aleutians had failed and they turned tail and headed home . " Salt Lake City " later covered the American liberation of Attu and Kiska which ended the Aleutian Campaign . She departed Adak on 23 September and sailed , via San Francisco , to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 14 October . The Allied offensive strategy in the Pacific now focused on the Marshall Islands . A two - column thrust through Micronesia and the Bismarck Archipelago would force the enemy to disperse his forces , deny him the opportunity for a flanking movement , and provide the Allies with the choice of where and when to strike next . To obtain adequate intelligence for planning the Marshalls operation , the Gilbert Islands would have to be secured for use as a staging area and launch point for photographic missions . " Salt Lake City " was assigned to Task Group 50 . 3 9TG 50 . 3 ) of the Southern Carrier Group for the Gilbert Islands Campaign , Operation Galvanic . " Salt Lake City " conducted rigorous gunnery training until 8 November , when she sailed to join , , and which had carried out preliminary strikes on Wake , as a diversion on 5 – 6 October , and at Rabaul on 11 November . " Salt Lake City " joined on the 13th off Funafuti , Ellice Islands , following the carriers ' fueling rendezvous at Espiritu Santo . She then saw action on the 19th as she bombarded Betio at Tarawa Atoll , in the Gilberts . That day and the next , she fought off repeated torpedo plane attacks aimed for the flattops . Tarawa was secured by the 28th . This was the first Pacific amphibious operation to be vigorously opposed at the beach , and many lessons were learned here to be applied in the island campaigns to follow . " Salt Lake City " was attached to the Neutralization Group — TG 50 . 15 — for the long - awaited Marshalls Campaign . From 29 January - 17 February 1944 , she conducted shore bombardment at Wotje and Taroa islands which were bypassed and cut off from support as the major forces concentrated on Majuro , Eniwetok , and Kwajalein . This leapfrog technique worked well and eliminated the needless casualties that would result in mopping up every Japanese - held island . On 30 March – 1 April , " Salt Lake City " participated in raids on Palau , Yap , Ulithi , and Woleai in the western Caroline Islands archipelago . The cruiser anchored at Majuro on 6 April and remained until 25 April , when she sailed — unescorted — for Pearl Harbor . " Salt Lake City " arrived at Pearl Harbor on 30 April and sailed the next day for Mare Island Naval Shipyard . She arrived on 7 May and operated in the San Francisco Bay area until 1 July . She then proceeded to Adak , Alaska arriving on the 8th . In the Aleutians , her operations , including a scheduled bombardment at Paramushiro were curtailed by severe weather , and she returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 August . " Salt Lake City " sortied with and on 29 August to attack Wake Island . They shelled that island on 3 September , and then proceeded to Eniwetok to remain until the 24th . The cruisers then moved to Saipan for patrol duty after which , on 6 October , they proceeded to Marcus Island to create a diversion in connection with raids on Formosa . They shelled Marcus on 9 September and returned to Saipan . In October , during the second Battle of the Philippine Sea , " Salt Lake City " returned to screen and support duty with the carrier strike groups against Japanese bases and surface craft . Based at Ulithi , she supported the carriers between 15 and 26 October . From 8 November 1944 – 25 January 1945 , she operated with CruDiv 5 , TF 54 , in bombardment against the Volcano Islands to neutralize airfields through which the Japanese staged bombing raids on the B - 29 Superfortress es based at Saipan . These raids were coordinated with B - 24 Liberator strikes . In February , she operated in the Gunfire and Covering Force — TF 54 — during the final phases of securing Iwo Jima and the initial operations in the campaign to capture Okinawa . " Salt Lake City " provided call - fire at Iwo Jima until 13 March , and then concentrated her activities at Okinawa until 28 May , when she put into Leyte for repairs and upkeep . She returned to Okinawa to cover minesweeping operations and general patrol in the East China Sea on 6 July . A month later , on 8 August , she sailed for the Aleutians via Saipan . While en route to Adak , she received word on 31 August to proceed to northern Honshū , Japan , to cover the occupation of Ominato Naval Base . Post - war . Like many warships at the close of the war , " Salt Lake City " was almost immediately slated for deactivation . She was originally ordered to report to Commander , 3rd Fleet , upon arrival on the west coast , in October , for deactivation . On 29 October , however , she was diverted to Operation Magic Carpet duty to return veterans of the Pacific theater to the U . S . On 14 November , she was added to the list of warships to be used as test vessels for Operation Crossroads , the Atomic Bomb Experiments and Evaluation Tests at Bikini Atoll . She was partially stripped and her crew reduced prior to sailing to Pearl Harbor in March 1946 . " Salt Lake City " was used in evaluating the effects on surface vessels during an initial test with an aerial atomic bomb burst on 1 July and during the second test of a subsurface burst on the 25th . Surviving two atomic bomb blasts , she was decommissioned on 29 August and laid up to await ultimate disposal . She was sunk as a target hull on 25 May 1948 , off the coast of southern California and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 June 1948 . Awards . " Salt Lake City " received 11 battle star s for her World War II service , and a Navy Unit Commendation for her actions during the Aleutian Campaign .