USS Seattle

USS Seattle was the third Brandywine-class cruiser built, entering service in late 1945. Launched January 1, 1945 sponsored by Helen Devin, wife of Seattle Mayor William F Devin.

## Service History

USS Seattle was deployed to the Southern Pacific Fleet, providing convoy escort duties to Australia.

### Operation Downfall/Operation Olympic

On X-Day, January 3rd, 1950, USS Seattle was deployed as apart of the fire support line supporting the amhibious landing on Kyushu. USS Seattle directly supported landing operations on Beach Zephyr alongside Battleships USS Indiana, USS Connecticut, and battlecruiser USS Hawaii. During the operation she shelled Japanese fortified positions, firing 1800 rounds from her 8in guns.

After exhausting her magazines, USS Seattle departed for Okinawa to rearm. USS Seattle stayed in Okinawa undergoing a brief refit to replace components of her auto-loader before departing to join USS Constellation's Taskforce in Sugura Bay overseeing the 8th Army Landing at Hiratsuka. USS Seattle was attached as an escort, as fears of Kamikaze attacks were high.

### Operation Coronet

Arriving on station in Suruga Bay at 3:00am, operations were due to begin at 5:00am. At 4:15 an escort destroyer reported sounds of a Japanese submarine. At 4:32, a watchman aboard USS Seattle spotted the periscope of a submarine within 200 ft of USS Constellation. Seattle began firing at the sea, but 2 minutes later the japanese submarine I-4008 collided with USS Constellation and exploded, detonating aviation fuel and ordance aboard.

USS Seattle was the closest ship to the explosion, only 300ft off her port. The flying shrapnel and shockwave from the explosion rocked the ship, and severly damaged her superstructure and lightly armored bow. Her bridge was destroyed by a 25 ft x 30 ft section of the Constellations armored deck, killing everyone in the bridge. Due to the high risk of Kamikaze aircraft, many of her AA mounts were manned, leading to many sailors being killed by flying debris. In total, 241 men aboard the Seattle were killed or injured by the blast. Despite this, Seattle was the only ship able to pull up to Constellation and begin picking up survivors before Constellation sank 4 minutes later.

Due to damage sustained, she departed Sugura Bay to undergo temporary repairs in Guam. However, she returned to Tokyo Bay 3 months later as apart of the victory fleet where the Japanese Surrender was signed on USS Constellations sister ship USS Alliance.

## Post-WW2

USS Seattle sailed for Pearl Harbor to undergo long term repairs. While there was serious discussion regarding scrapping her, aggresive post-war posturing by the Soviet Union in the North Atlantic led to her repairs being authorized. USS Seattle returned to service in early-1952, being forward deployed to the Seventh Fleet stationed in at the new Yokosuka Naval Base.

### 1953 Bombing

On June 24, 1953, 3 years to the day after the surrender of Japan, Seattle began transiting from Tokyo Bay to Suruga Bay for an annual wreath laying ceremony in Suruga Bay above the wreck of USS Constellation.

At 3:00am, an explosion erupted underneath the ship just below the boiler room. Eyewitness reports saw that the Seattle was lifted into the air, before coming back down. The explosion tore a 40ft hole in her keel and torpedo protection, causing massive flooding of her port engine room. Seattle began to list to port, while damage crew rushed to save her. By 6:00am, the flooding had been controlled. Her engine rooms were destroyed in the blast, and she was towed to Yokosuka for temporary repairs before being towed to Pearl Harbor.

It was discovered that a small insurgent group of 23 rebel Japanese frogmen had attached a 490kg warhead from a Type 93 Torpedo to her keel while moored at Yokosuka on a set timer. Frogmen had cut the single torpedo net surrounding her, and attached the warhead directly to her hull. While timed to go off at 12:00pm that day, during the actual wreath laying ceremony, the charge went off prematurely due to a faulty circuit.

Despite there being larger US Capital warships present, such as the USS Ohio, the wreath laying cermony was scheduled to take place from USS Seattle with the Rear Admiral of the Seventh Fleet onboard. Once the saboteurs learned of their failed bid to sink the ship, each one commited suicide before they were apprehended.

The USS Seattle was deemed too expensive to repair, and was decommissioned on February 19, 1954. USS Seattle was subsequently sold for scrap, and was finally scrapped August 3, 1956.