USS Louisville ( CA - 28 ) USS " Louisville " ( CA - 28 ) – a " Northampton " - class heavy cruiser – was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Louisville , Kentucky . She was active throughout the Pacific War . " Louisville " was launched on 1 September 1930 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard , Bremerton , Washington , sponsored by Miss Jane Brown Kennedy , and commissioned on 15 January 1931 , Captain Edward John Marquart in command . Originally CL - 28 , effective 1 July 1931 , " Louisville " was redesignated CA - 28 in accordance with the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930 . Interwar period . " Louisville " s shakedown cruise , running through the summer , fall , and winter of 1931 , took her from Bremerton to New York City via the Panama Canal . Returning from New York , she participated in the 1932 fleet problem s before commencing gunnery exercises in the San Pedro - San Diego area . During the winter of 1933 , she steamed for Hawaii , returning after exercises to San Pedro where she became a schoolship for anti - aircraft training . In April 1934 , the cruiser steamed out of San Diego to begin a nine - month voyage " showing the flag " at various ports in Central America , the Caribbean , and along the gulf and east coasts . Arriving back in California in late fall , " Louisville " participated in gunnery and tactical exercises until the spring of 1935 , when she departed for Dutch Harbor , Alaska , and , thence , to Pearl Harbor to take part in fleet problems . For the next two years , she operated off the West Coast , participating in the 1936 and 1937 fleet problems , making good will calls at Latin American ports and undergoing local training operations . In January 1938 , " Louisville " began a long $ 3 cruise which took her to Hawaii , Samoa , Australia , and Tahiti before returning to Pearl Harbor for fleet problems . While in Sydney , the crew of the " Louisville " rescued a number of passengers from a sightseeing ferryboat which had capsized when most of the passengers crowded to the rail to wave the cruiser off . The winter of 1939 found the " Louisville " participating in fleet exercises in the Caribbean . She operated in these warm waters until May , when she returned to the west coast . After fleet problems off Hawaii that autumn , " Louisville " departed Long Beach , California for an extended cruise through the Panama Canal to eastern South America . At Bahia , Brazil , she received orders to proceed to Simonstown , South Africa . As a neutral ship , " Louisville " traveled the U - boat infested waters with her American flag spotlighted . At Simonstown , she received $ 148 million in British gold for deposit in the United States . She then sailed for New York City , delivered her precious cargo and returned to the Pacific . World War II . On 7 December 1941 , " Louisville " , escorting and , was " en route " from Tarakan , East Borneo , to Pearl Harbor . She continued on to Hawaii , stopped briefly to survey the damage and proceeded on to California . There she joined Task Force 17 ( TF 17 ) and steamed from San Diego on 6 January 1942 , for Samoa , landing troops there on the 22nd . Her first offensive operation of the war came on her return trip when she took part in carrier plane raids on 1 – 2 February on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands . During this action , she lost one of her planes . After a short stay at Pearl Harbor , " Louisville " commenced patrolling the Ellice Islands area to help protect American bases in that vicinity . Early in March she joined TF 119 , a carrier force , and began operations to stem the Japanese advancement down the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomons . This force steamed in the Salamaua - Lae - Rabaul sector for a number of days , making airstrikes on numerous objectives . Following this operation , " Louisville " returned to Pearl Harbor , proceeding from there to Mare Island Navy Yard , San Francisco , where her armament was increased . On 31 May , she steamed for the Aleutians to join TF 8 . Her duties , during this period of Japan ' s strongest efforts to establish the northern end of her " ribbon defense " in the western Aleutians , were primarily those of convoy escort , but included shore bombardment of Kiska Island . On 11 November , the cruiser departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbor , continuing , after a few days on to the South Pacific , escorting several troop transports as far as New Caledonia . She then proceeded north to Espiritu Santo to Join TF 67 , which was then battling Japanese forces in the Solomons . On 29 January 1943 , she participated In the Battle off Rennell Island , the last of the seven naval battles for Guadalcanal , after which she operated east of the island until it was entirely secured . In April , " Louisville " steamed , via Pearl Harbor , to the Aleutians . There , as a unit of TF 16 , she covered the assault and occupation of Attu ( 11 – 30 May ) and participated In the preinvasion bombardment of Kiska . After the latter was evacuated by the Japanese , she conducted escort of convoy operations in the northern Pacific . In January 1944 , " Louisville " returned to the southern Pacific as the flagship of Rear Admiral J . B . Oldendorf , who was to command the naval gunfire support groups through the amphibious operations ahead . In the Marshalls at the end of the month , she bombarded Wotje Atoll , west of Kwajalein , on the 29th . Then she turned her guns on the airfield and troop concentrations on Roi and Namur on the southern tip of the atoll , contributing to the conquest of those islands by 3 February . Two weeks later , " Louisville " led the gunfire support group into action at Eniwetok , which succumbed on the 22nd . After Eniwetok , " Louisville " joined TF 58 , and with the fast carriers struck Japanese installations in the Palaus , in March , and bombarded Truk and Sawatan in April . June brought preparations for the invasion of the greater Marianas , and again " Louisville " was the leading unit in shore bombardment operations ; beginning with Saipan , where she fired continuously for the first 11 days of that engagement , through the shelling of Tinian , and ending with the assault on Guam . After the Mariana Islands , " Louisville " retired to the rear area until mid - September , when she steamed to the Palaus for the preinvasion bombardment of Peleliu . Then as advanced bases were created , final preparations for the invasion of the Philippines were made . On 18 October , " Louisville " entered Leyte Gulf and pounded Japanese shore installations . Seven days later , she was in the great Battle of Leyte Gulf , participating in the last engagement of a battleline as the Japanese southern force attempted to force its way into Leyte Gulf through Surigao Strait . The American battleline , drawn across the strait by Admiral Oldendorf , virtually destroyed the Japanese force as it was harassed through the strait and into their guns by PT boat s and destroyer s stationed on either side of the narrow body of water . During the Battle of Surigao Strait , " Louisville " helped to sink the bow section of the Japanese battleship Fusō , after she had broke into two from an internal explosion caused by a torpedo from the destroyer . Following Leyte operations , " Louisville " rejoined the fast carriers now designated TF 38 , and participated in preinvasion strikes against the enemy on Luzon . By the new year , 1945 , " Louisville " was headed towards Lingayen Gulf . While en route on 5 – 6 January , two " kamikazes " headed for and scored on her . Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler , commander of Cruiser Division 4 ( CruDiv 4 ) was fatally injured during the latter attack , and died of his wounds the following day . Also killed was Admiral ' s Orderly Walter Joseph Siegel , who was standing by the Admiral at the time . Siegel was the only Marine killed ; however , 41 Navy men were also killed . Despite extensive damage , the cruiser shelled the beaches and shot down several enemy planes before withdrawing and proceeding to Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs . Her repairs completed in the spring , " Louisville " returned to the Pacific to join TF 54 in providing firecover for ground forces on Okinawa . On 5 June , she was again hit by a " kamikaze " , but was back on the firing line by the 9th , to remain on station until ordered back to Pearl Harbor for repairs on the 15th . Post - war . With the end of the war on 14 August , " Louisville " was again seaworthy and hurriedly prepared for postwar duties . On the 16th , she sailed for Guam to Darien , Manchuria , with Rear Admiral T . G . W . Settle on board . From Darien , where the evacuation of Allied POW s was supervised , she steamed to Tsingtao , where Japanese vessels in that area were surrendered by Vice Admiral Kaneko . " Louisville " then escorted the surrendered vessels to Jinsen , Korea , after which she returned to China for further postwar duties at Chefoo . In mid - October , she joined the Yellow Sea force for abbreviated service before proceeding , via San Pedro , to Philadelphia , where she decommissioned on 17 June 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . Remaining with that fleet for the next 13 years , " Louisville " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959 , and sold on 14 September to the Marlene Blouse Corporation of New York . Awards . " Louisville " was awarded 13 battle star s for her service during World War II .