USS Atlanta ( CL - 51 ) USS " Atlanta " ( CL - 51 ) of the United States Navy was the lead ship of the " Atlanta " class of 11 light cruiser s . She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta , Georgia . Designed to provide anti - aircraft protection for US naval task groups , " Atlanta " served in this capacity in the naval Battles of Midway and the Eastern Solomons . " Atlanta " was mistakenly sunk by an American vessel in a night surface action on 13 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . " Atlanta " , in some works , is designated CLAA - 51 because of her primary armament as an Anti - Aircraft cruiser . Hence , all of the " Atlanta " - class ships are sometimes designated as " CLAA " . However , her entire battery of guns were dual - purpose ( DP ) guns , and were capable of being used against both air and surface targets , able to fire anti - aircraft , high - explosive and armor - piercing shells . Also , the " Atlanta " class was the only class of World War II American cruisers to be armed with a battery of torpedoes . The " Atlanta " - class ships were lightly armored , making them poor surface combatants compared to a typical light cruiser . In terms of armament , the " Atlanta " class was closer to a destroyer , being armed with 5 " guns , than a light cruiser , which were generally equipped with 6 " guns ; but at well over 500 feet in length , and combined with their large battery of 16 guns ( reduced to 12 in later ships of the class ) , they were designated as light cruisers . Typical destroyers of the time only carried five or six 5 - inch guns . Despite being under - armored for light cruisers , they had thicker armor than destroyers , which were notoriously underprotected . Construction and Commissioning . The first of the new class of ships was laid down on 22 April 1940 at Kearny , New Jersey , by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co . , launched on 6 September 1941 , sponsored by Margaret Mitchell ( author of " Gone with the Wind " ) , and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 24 December 1941 , Captain Samuel P . Jenkins in command . Armament . " Atlanta " was fitted with eight twin 5 - inch gun turrets , placed in a unique configuration . She had three forward turrets and three aft turrets , mounted inline and increasing in height toward the midships , giving her a symmetrical appearance , with a " gap " in the middle superstructure . In addition , the aft battery also had one " wing - mounted " turret on each side , for a total of 16 5 - inch guns . The firing arcs of the forward and aft batteries intersected at a very limited angle , giving her an arc of 60° in which she could fire all of her guns broadside ( excluding the wing turrets ) . Because " Atlanta " was able to bring all her guns to bear only within that narrow arc , her ability to engage surface targets was limited . Her firing arcs were ideally suited to bringing her guns to bear on an aircraft , however , with a minimum of six guns available from any angle . Service history . After fitting out , " Atlanta " conducted shakedown training until 13 March , first in Chesapeake Bay and then in Maine ' s Casco Bay , after which she returned to the New York Navy Yard for post - shakedown repairs and alterations . Adjudged to be " ready for distant service " on 31 March , the new cruiser departed New York for the Panama Canal Zone on 5 April . She reached Cristobal on the 8th . After transiting the isthmian waterway , " Atlanta " then cleared Balboa on 12 April with orders to reconnoiter Clipperton Island , a tiny barren , uninhabited atoll about 670 mi ( 1 , 080 km ) southwest of Acapulco , Mexico , in the course of her voyage to the Hawaiian Islands , for any signs of enemy activity . Finding none , she ultimately reached Pearl Harbor on 23 April . Battle of Midway . Punctuating her brief stay in Hawaiian waters with an antiaircraft practice off Oahu on 3 May , " Atlanta " , in company with , sailed on 10 May as escort for and , bound for Nouméa , New Caledonia . On 16 May , she joined Vice Admiral William F . Halsey ' s Task Force 16 ( TF 16 ) , formed around ) and , as it steamed back to Pearl Harbor , having been summoned back to Hawaiian waters in response to an imminent Japanese thrust in the direction of Midway Atoll . TF 16 arrived at Pearl on 26 May . " Atlanta " again sailed with TF 16 on the morning of the 28th . Over the days that followed , she screened the carriers as they operated northeast of Midway in anticipation of the enemy ' s arrival . At the report of Japanese ships to the southwest , on the morning of 4 June , " Atlanta " cleared for action as she screened " Hornet " . Squadrons from the American carriers sought out the Japanese , and during that day , planes from and " Enterprise " inflicted mortal damage on four irreplaceable enemy flattops . Japanese planes twice hit TF 17 , and it took the brunt of the enemy attacks . Over the days that followed the Battle of Midway , " Atlanta " remained in the screen of TF 16 until 11 June , when the task force received orders to return to Pearl Harbor . Reaching her destination on 13 June , " Atlanta " , outside of brief period of antiaircraft practice on 21 and 25 – 26 June , remained in port , taking on stores and provisions and standing on 24 - hour and then 48 - hour alert into July 1942 . Drydocked on 1 – 2 July so that her bottom could be scraped , cleaned and painted , the cruiser completed her availability on the 6th and then resumed a busy schedule of gunnery practice with drone targets , high - speed sleds , and in shore bombardment in the Hawaiian operating area . On 15 July 1942 , " Atlanta " , again in TF 16 , sailed for Tongatapu . Anchoring at Nukuʻalofa , Tonga on 24 July , where she fueled and then took on fuel from " Mobilube " , the light cruiser pushed on later the same day and overtook TF 16 . On 29 July , as all preparations proceeded for the invasion of Guadalcanal , " Atlanta " was assigned to TF 61 . Screening the carriers as they launched air strikes to support the initial landings on 7 – 8 August , " Atlanta " remained there until the withdrawal of the carrier task forces on the 9th . For the next several days , she remained at sea , replenishing when necessary while the task force operated near the Solomons . Battle of the Eastern Solomons . As the Americans consolidated their gains on Guadalcanal , the critical need for reinforcements prompted Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to send the Combined Fleet south to cover a large troop convoy . American scout planes spotted the Japanese forces on the morning of 23 August . With the enemy reported to the northwest , " Enterprise " and launched search and attack planes , but they failed to make contact because of deteriorating weather and the fact that the Japanese , knowing that they had been spotted , reversed course . Throughout the day on 24 August , " Atlanta " received enemy contact reports and screened " Enterprise " as she launched a strike group to attack the Japanese carriers . The sighting of an enemy " snooper " at 1328 sent " Atlanta " s sailors to general quarters , where they remained for the next 5½ hours . At 1530 , the cruiser worked up to as TF 16 stood roughly north - northwestward " to close [ the ] reported enemy carrier group . " At 1637 , with unidentified planes approaching , " Atlanta " went to . " Enterprise " then launched a strike group shortly thereafter , completing the evolution at 1706 . In the meantime , the incoming enemy bombers and fighter aircraft from and prompted the task force to increase speed to , shortly after " Enterprise " completed launching her own aircraft , the Japanese raid , estimated by Captain Jenkins to consist of at least 18 Aichi D3A 1 " Val " dive bomber s , came in from the north northwest at 1710 . Over the next 11 minutes , " Atlanta " s , and 20 mm batteries contributed to the barrage over " Enterprise " , as the light cruiser conformed to " Enterprise " s every move as she maneuvered violently to avoid the dive bombers . Despite the heavy antiaircraft fire , " Enterprise " took one hit and suffered some shrapnel damage from an estimated five near hits . Captain Jenkins later reported that his ship may have shot down five of the attackers . Reporting to TF 11 for duty the following day , " Atlanta " operated with that force , redesignated TF 61 on 30 August , over the next few days . When torpedoed " Saratoga " on 31 August , the light cruiser screened the stricken flagship as rigged a towline and began taking her out of danger . The force ultimately put into Tongatapu on 6 September , where " Atlanta " provisioned ship , fueled from , and enjoyed a period of upkeep . Underway on 13 September , the light cruiser escorted and on the 15th . After seeing her charges safely to their destination at Dumbea Bay , Nouméa , on the 19th , " Atlanta " fueled , took on stores and ammunition , and sailed on the 21st as part of Task Group 66 . 4 ( TG 66 . 4 ) . Becoming part of TF 17 on 23 September , the light cruiser was detached the following day to proceed in company with , and to Tongatapu , which she reached on the 26th . Underway with those same ships on 7 October , " Atlanta " briefly escorted Guadalcanal - bound transports from 11 – 14 October , before putting into Espiritu Santo for fuel on the afternoon of the 15th . Assigned then to Rear Admiral Willis A . Lee ' s TF 64 , the ship sailed after dark that same day to resume operations covering the ongoing efforts to secure Guadalcanal . Returning briefly to Espiritu Santo for fuel , stores and provisions , the warship stood out from Segond Channel on the afternoon of 23 October . Two days later , with a Japanese Army offensive having failed to eject the Americans from Guadalcanal , Admiral Yamamoto sent the Combined Fleet south in an attempt to annihilate the American naval forces doggedly supporting the marines . " Atlanta " operated in TF 64 , along with " Washington " , , and two destroyers , as the opposing forces engaged in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October . That day , " Atlanta " patrolled astern of the fueling group supporting the two American carrier task forces . On the 27th , when attacked TF 64 , the force maneuvered at high speed to clear the area . On the morning of the 28th , " Atlanta " brought on board Rear Admiral Norman Scott from " San Francisco " , and became the flagship of the newly designated TG 64 . 2 . After fueling from " Washington " , " Atlanta " , screened by four destroyers , headed northwest to shell Japanese positions on Guadalcanal . Reaching the waters off Lunga Point on the morning of the 30th , " Atlanta " embarked Marine liaison officers at 0550 , and then steamed west , commencing her bombardment of Point Cruz at 0629 while the destroyers formed a column astern . Provoking no return fire , TG 64 . 2 accomplished its mission and returned to Lunga Point , where " Atlanta " disembarked the liaison officers . She then proceeded , in company with her screen , to Espiritu Santo , where she arrived on the afternoon of 31 October . Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . Convoy Escort . " Atlanta " served as Admiral Scott ' s flagship as the light cruiser , accompanied by four destroyers , escorted , and to Guadalcanal . The cruiser and her consorts continued to screen those ships , designated TG 62 . 4 , as they lay off Lunga Point on 12 November unloading supplies and disembarking troops . At 0905 , the task group received a report that nine bombers and 12 fighters were approaching from the northwest , and would reach their vicinity at about 0930 . At about 0920 , " Atlanta " led the three auxiliaries to the north in column , with the destroyers spaced in a circle around them . 15 minutes later , nine " Vals " from emerged from the clouds over Henderson Field , the American airstrip on Guadalcanal . The American ships opened fire soon after , putting up a barrage that downed " several " planes . Fortunately , none of the primary targets of the attack , " Zeilin " , " Libra " and " Betelgeuse " , suffered more than minor damage from several close calls , though " Zeilin " sustained some flooding . The three auxiliaries returned to the waters off Lunga Point as soon as the attack ended and resumed working cargo and disembarking troops . A little over an hour later , at 1050 , " Atlanta " received word of another incoming Japanese air raid . 15 minutes later , " Atlanta " led the three auxiliaries north with the destroyers in a circle around the disposition . The " bogeys " , 27 Mitsubishi G4M " Bettys " from Rabaul , closed , sighted bearing west by north , approaching from over Cape Esperance in a very loose " V " formation . Although the destroyers opened fire , the planes proved to be out of range and the ships checked fire . The " Bettys " , for their part , ignored the ships and continued on to bomb Henderson Field . Upon the disappearance of the planes , TG 62 . 4 resumed unloading off Lunga Point . On 12 November , " Atlanta " was still off Lunga Point , screening the unloading , as part of TF 67 under Rear Admiral Daniel J . Callaghan in " San Francisco " . At about 1310 , " Atlanta " received a warning that 25 enemy planes were headed for Guadalcanal , slated to arrive within 50 minutes . The light cruiser went to general quarters at 1318 and received the signal " prepare to repel air attack . . . " Within six minutes , " Atlanta " and the other combatants of the support group formed a screen around the transport group ( TG 67 . 1 ) , and the two groups steamed north together at . At about 1410 , the Americans sighted the incoming raid , consisting of what appeared to be 25 twin - engined bombers ( " Bettys " ) which broke up into two groups after clearing Florida Island , came in at altitudes that ranged from 25 to 50 ft ( 8 to 16m ) . opened fire at 1412 . " Atlanta " did so a minute later , training her guns at planes headed for the gap in the screen between " San Francisco " and . " Atlanta " claimed to have shot down two " Bettys " , just after they dropped their torpedoes , at about 1415 , only three minutes before the attack ended . Once the last Japanese plane had been splashed , the work of unloading the transports and cargo ships resumed . One " Betty " , crippled by antiaircraft fire , crashed into the after superstructure of " San Francisco " , inflicting the only damage on the force . Night Attack . The abrupt end of the air attack gave " Atlanta " and her colleagues only a brief respite , however , for trouble approached from yet another quarter . A Japanese surface force , made up of two battleships , one cruiser and six destroyers , was detected steaming south toward Guadalcanal to shell Henderson Field . Admiral Callaghan ' s support group was to " cover [ the retiring transports and cargo vessels ] again enemy attack . " TG 67 . 4 departed Lunga Point about 1800 and steamed eastward through Sealark Channel , covering the withdrawal of TG 67 . 1 . An hour before midnight , Callaghan ' s ships reversed course and headed westward . " Helena " s radar picked up the first contact at a range of 26 , 000 yd ( 24 , 000 m ) . As the range closed , " Atlanta " s surface search radar , followed by her gunnery radars , picked up a contact on the enemy ships . Admiral Callaghan ' s order for a course change caused problems almost at once , as " Atlanta " had to turn to port ( left ) immediately to avoid a collision with one of the four destroyers in the van , the latter having apparently executed a " ships left " rather than " column left " movement . As " Atlanta " began moving to resume her station ahead of " San Francisco " , the Japanese destroyer " Akatsuki " illuminated the light cruiser ; and immediately suffered the consequences . " Atlanta " shifted her main battery to fire at the enemy destroyer , opening fire at a range of about 1 , 600 yd ( 1 , 500 m ) and , along with other US ships that concentrated on " Akatsuki " ’ s searchlights , simply overwhelmed the hapless destroyer . As two other Japanese destroyers crossed her line , " Atlanta " engaged both with her forward 5 in ( 130 mm ) mounts , while her after mounts continued to blast away at the illuminated ship . An additional , unidentified assailant also opened up on the light cruiser from the northeast . At about that time , at least one torpedo plowed into " Atlanta ' s " forward engine room from the port side , fired almost certainly by either " Inazuma " or " Ikazuchi " ( " Akatsuki " ’ s destroyer consorts ) . " Atlanta " lost all but auxiliary diesel power , suffered the interruption of her gunfire , and had to shift steering control to the steering engine room aft . Meanwhile " Akatsuki " , now a floating charnel house , drifted out of the action and soon sank with heavy loss of life . Michiharu Shinya , " Akatsuki " ' s Chief Torpedo Officer , one of her few survivors , was rescued the next day by US Forces and spent the rest of the war in a New Zealand Prisoner Of War camp . ( He latter stated unequivocally that " Akatsuki " had " not " been be able to fire " any " torpedoes that night before being overwhelmed by gunfire . ) Soon after being torpedoed , " Atlanta " was then hit by an estimated nineteen 8 - inch ( 200 mm ) shells when " San Francisco " , " in the urgency of battle , darkness , and confused intermingling of friend or foe " , fired at her . Though almost all of the shells passed through the thin skin of the ship without detonating , scattering green dye , fragments from their impact killed many men , including Admiral Scott and members of his staff . " Atlanta " prepared to return fire on her new assailant , but " San Francisco ' s " own gun flashes disclosed a distinctly " non - Japanese hull profile " that resulted in a suspension of those efforts . " San Francisco ' s " shells , which passed high through " Atlanta ' s " superstructure , may have been intended for a Japanese target further beyond her from " San Francisco ' s " perspective . After the fire ceased , " Atlanta " s Captain Jenkins took stock of the situation , and , having only a minor foot wound , made his way aft to Battle II . His ship was badly battered , largely powerless , down by the head and listing slightly to port , and a third of his crew was dead or missing . As the battle continued , the light cruiser ' s men began clearing debris , jettisoning topside weight to correct the list , reducing the volume of sea water in the ship , and succoring the many wounded . Sinking . Daylight revealed the presence nearby of three burning American destroyers , the disabled " Portland " , and the abandoned hulk of , which " Portland " summarily dispatched with three salvoes . " Atlanta " , drifting toward the enemy - held shore east of Cape Esperance , dropped her starboard anchor , and her captain sent a message to " Portland " explaining the light cruiser ' s condition . Boats from Guadalcanal came out to take her most critically wounded . By mid - morning , all of those had been taken . " Atlanta " reached Kukum about 1400 , at which point Captain Jenkins conferred with his remaining officers . As Jenkins , who was later awarded a Navy Cross for his heroism during the battle , later wrote , " It was by now apparent that efforts to save the ship were useless , and that the water was gaining steadily . " Even had sufficient salvage facilities been available , he allowed , the severe damage she had taken would have made it difficult to save the ship . Authorized by Commander , South Pacific Forces , to act at his own discretion regarding the destruction of the ship , Jenkins ordered that " Atlanta " be abandoned and sunk with a demolition charge . Accordingly , all remaining men except the captain and a demolition party boarded Higgins boat s sent out from Guadalcanal for the purpose . After the charge had been set and exploded , the last men left the battered ship . Ultimately , at 2015 on 13 November 1942 , " Atlanta " sank 3 mi ( 5 km ) west of Lunga Point in about 400 ft ( 120 m ) of water . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 13 January 1943 . Exploration of the Wreck . The wreck of the " USS Atlanta " was discovered in 1992 by an expedition led by Dr Robert Ballard using a remotely operated underwater vehicle , ( ROV ) . Dr Ballard was famous for leading the expeditions that discovered the " RMS Titanic " and the " DKM Bismarck " . Unfortunately , strong ocean currents and poor visibility prevented the expedition from thoroughly exploring the " Atlanta " . In 1994 , two Australian ‘ technical divers ’ Rob Cason and Kevin Denlay travelled to Solomon Islands with the intention of being the first scuba divers to dive the " Atlanta " but this was unsuccessful because of the lack of a suitable surface support vessel and strong surface currents ; this was also the first mixed gas scuba diving expedition to Guadalcanal . However , they did manage to dive one of the two other , deepest diveable wrecks ; the Japanese transport " Azumasan Maru " , which is almost 90m deep at the stern and the " Sasako Maru " , which Denlay dived in 1995 at over 90m in the collapsed debris field of the bridge . Many other World War II wrecks discovered by Dr Ballard in Iron Bottom Sound are beyond the current technical limit for scuba and are only accessible by ROVs or submersibles . Dr Ballard gives an account of this in his book " The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal " . In the same year , Denlay returned with American Terrance Tysall and made the first successful scuba dive on the " USS Atlanta " , which was at the time the deepest wreck dive by free swimming divers in the southern hemisphere . In the following years , Denlay and Tysall mounted several larger expeditions to survey the " Atlanta " , exploring and videoing the wreck in detail to a depth of 130 m ( 430 ft ) at the bow . The civil unrest in Solomon Islands from late 1998 prevented further diving around Guadalcanal for a couple of years . However , on the final expedition that year , the then deepest wreck dive by a woman was made by Kevin ’ s wife , Mirja , on the " Atlanta " . Denlay ' s last visit to the wreck was in 2002 using a closed circuit rebreather or CCR , the first CCR dive on the " Atlanta " . Since then , very few dives have been conducted on the " Atlanta " , although in May 2011 a very experienced deep diving team from " Global Underwater Explorers " successfully videoed the wreck for documentary purposes , the first survey of the wreck since Denlay ’ s expeditions up to 1998 .