USS Wilkes-Barre

Wilkes-Barre underway in 1944

On 14 December, Wilkes-Barre left Pearl Harbor to join the rest of the American fleet, which was then at its forward anchorage at Ulithi in the Caroline Islands. On arrival, she was assigned to Cruiser Division 17, part of Task Force 38 (TF 38), otherwise known as the Fast Carrier Task Force, which was at that time assigned to 3rd Fleet.[4] During this period, Wilkes-Barre was assigned to the subordinate unit Task Group 38.2, which was centered on the aircraft carriers Lexington, Hornet, and Hancock. The unit also included the fast battleships New Jersey and Wisconsin, three other cruisers, and twenty destroyers.[5]

The fleet sortied on 30 December to conduct the South China Sea raid. The fleet's aircraft carriers launched a series of strikes against targets on Japanese-occupied Formosa and in the southern Ryuku Islands to neutralize Japanese airfields that might otherwise interfere with the imminent invasion of Luzon in the Philippines. The task force then turned to strike Japanese positions on Luzon itself. A further round of attacks on Formosa followed on 9 January 1945 and then moved to cover the flank of the force carrying out the invasion of Lingayen Gulf to block a possible attack by elements of the Japanese Navy.[4]

Reports of Japanese warships off Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, on 12 January prompted the American command to detach Wilkes-Barre, the rest of Cruiser Division 17, New Jersey and Wisconsin, and escorting destroyers to form Task Group 34.5 (TG 34.5).[4][5] They were sent to sweep for Japanese vessels, but the cruisers' floatplanes were unable to locate any, and the division returned to TF 38 later that day. Wilkes-Barre and the rest of the fleet encountered severe weather on 13 and 14 January, temporarily pausing offensive operations. The carriers resumed attacks along the coast of occupied China on 15 January, shifted to Formosa on 21 January, and concluded with a final round of attacks on Okinawa in the Ryukus the following day. TF 38 then returned to Ulithi, arriving there on 26 January for repairs and to replenish ammunition and stores. While there, command of the unit passed to 5th Fleet and it was accordingly renumbered Task Force 58.[4]

Wilkes-Barre off Okinawa

Wilkes-Barre and the rest of Cruiser Division 17 were transferred to TG 58.3, commanded by Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman. The unit also included the carriers Bunker Hill, Essex, and Cowpens, the battleships New Jersey and South Dakota, the large cruiser Alaska, two other cruisers, and fourteen destroyers. Over the course of operations during the next two months, the composition of the unit changed as vessels rotated out for repairs or maintenance.[6] The fleet then sortied to carry out strikes on the Japanese capital, Tokyo, beginning on 16 February and lasting for two days. These attacks were intended to distract Japanese attention from the invasion of Iwo Jima. The fleet then sailed south to support the invasion directly, launching raids on the neighboring islands of Chichi Jima and Haha Jima while en route. On 19 February, the amphibious assault on Iwo Jima began. Wilkes-Barre was detached from the carrier screen two days later to provide gunfire support to the marines fighting ashore. The ship's fire was directed by her OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes, and she was credited with destroying numerous defensive positions and ammunition dumps. Her guns also broke up an attempted counterattack from the Japanese defenders.[4]

The ship returned to her position in the carrier screen in TG 58.3 on 23 February before the fleet departed to carry out another round of attacks of Tokyo on 25 February, followed by a raid on Okinawa on 1 March. The ships then returned to Ulithi to refuel and take on additional ammunition and stores. The fleet remained there from 5 to 14 March Wilkes-Barre took part in training exercises with other elements of the fleet, designated Task Force 59, on 14 and 15 March, before returning to TG 58.3 later on the 15th. The fast carrier task force then sortied for an attack on Japan, which began on 18 March and targeted the southernmost island of Kyushu. The following day, Wilkes-Barre shot down a Yokosuka D4Y "Judy" dive bomber. The Japanese nevertheless scored a pair of hits on the carrier Franklin, inflicting serious damage and forcing TG 58.3 to temporarily disengage to cover the crippled Franklin as she withdrew.[4]

TG 58.3 resumed strikes on 23 March, targeting Okinawa through the next day to prepare for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. Wilkes-Barre launched one of her Kingfishers to rescue two pilots who had been shot down off Minami Daito Shima on the 24th. Wilkes-Barre and the rest of Cruiser Division 17 bombarded a Japanese airfield on Minami Daito Shima on 27 March. Two days later, the fleet turned back north for additional strikes on Kyushu. Wilkes-Barre launched one of her Kingfishers to recover another pair of pilots from the carrier Bunker Hill who had been shot down off Yakushima during the attacks. American forces began to go ashore on Okinawa on 1 April, and TF 58 continued to support the operation, carrying out strikes on Japanese airfields in the region, including on Kyushu, Shikoku, and southern Honshu. The Japanese launched heavy air attacks in response, with a particular emphasis on kamikaze tactics. On 11 April, Wilkes-Barre's anti-aircraft gunners claimed three Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters and an Aichi D3A "Val" dive bomber, along with partial credit for a further two Zeroes.[4]

Transfer of wounded from USS Bunker Hill to Wilkes-Barre

On 16 April, TF 58 embarked on another series of attacks on Japanese airfields on Kyushu. Late that day, at around 18:54, Wilkes-Barre's gunners shot down a Japanese bomber that attempted to attack the American carriers. The next morning, she shot down a Zero at 09:39. During the operations off Okinawa and southern Japan, Wilkes-Barre continued to employer her Kingfishers to rescue downed air crews, including a pair of pilots off Okinawa on 26 April. Further strikes on Japan were carried out over the first ten days on May, and on the 10th, Wilkes-Barre and the rest of Cruiser Division 17 were detached to form Task Group 58.3 along with a group of escorting destroyers to bombard Minami Daito Shima again. The ships returned to TF 58 the next day; the fleet was attacked by kamikazes that morning, and two of them struck Bunker Hill, inflicting serious damage. Wilkes-Barre was ordered to come alongside at 10:59 and assist with firefighting efforts. The cruiser placed her bow in contact with Bunker Hills starboard quarter so some forty men, who were trapped by fires, could climb to safety aboard Wilkes-Barre. The ship sent additional firefighting equipment aboard the carrier and took of injured men, and by 15:34, the fires had been extinguished, allowing Wilkes-Barre to pull away.[4]

Thirteen men from Bunker Hill had died by 12 May, so a burial at sea was held that day; the remaining survivors were transferred to the hospital ship Bountiful. Later on the 12th, TF 58 got underway to launch another round of strikes on the Kyushu airfields to further degrade the Japanese ability to interfere with the Okinawa invasion fleet. The raid began the following morning, and on 14 May, the Japanese launched an aerial counterattack. During the action, shell fragments, possibly from American guns, struck Wilkes-Barre and wounded nine men on the aft signal bridge. For their part, the ship's gunners claimed partial credit for shooting down a Zero at 08:16. On 28 May, 3rd Fleet resumed command of the fast carrier task force, and Wilkes-Barre's unit was accordingly re-numbered TG 38.3. Wilkes-Barre was detached from the unit the next day to return to the Philippines for repairs and maintenance at San Pedro Bay that lasted from 1 to 20 June. Over the following three days, she took part in shooting practice and tactical training off Samar. She remained in the bay for the rest of the month.[4]

Wilkes-Barre in San Pedro, California, in 1946

Wilkes-Barre thereafter rejoined TF 38, again part of TG 38.3, which sortied on 1 July to begin the last major campaign of air strikes on Japan. The next week consisted of combat training exercises, and the first attacks on targets on Honshu and Hokkaido began on 10 July. On the 14th, Wilkes-Barre and several other vessels were detached to create Task Group 35.1; the unit also included Pasadena, Astoria, and Springfield and six destroyers. They were sent to carry out a sweep for Japanese vessels off northern Honshu and in the Kii Channel, but they failed to locate any targets.[4][7] Wilkes-Barre was again detached to join the bombardment force TG 35.3 on 24 July, along with Astoria, Pasadena, and Springfield. The ships shelled the seaplane base at Kushimoto that evening and later bombarded Cape Shionomisaki.[8] Further carrier strikes were conducted in late July, but bad weather forced the fleet to temporarily withdraw in early August. The fleet returned to the Japanese coast on 8 August and resumed air attacks on the 9th and 10th, by which time both atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By 15 August, the Japanese government had agreed to surrender, ending the war. For her service during the conflict, Wilkes-Barre received four battle stars.[4]

The ships of Cruiser Division 17 were detached from TG 38.3 on 23 August. Four days later, they joined the fleet that steamed into Sagami Bay, which lays outside Tokyo Bay, where the surrender ceremony was to take place on 2 September. On the 3rd, Wilkes-Barre entered Tokyo Bay as preparations for the occupation of Japan began. The vessel was designated the flagship of Task Unit 35.7.2., one of the occupation groups, which was assigned the task of occupying the naval base at Tateyama. There, midget submarines and Shinyo kamikaze boats were seized on 10 September. Wilkes-Barre then returned to Tokyo, laying in Sagami Bay from 12 to 14 September to supervise the demilitarization of midget submarine bases at Aburatsubo and Kurihama. After refueling in Tokyo Bay later on the 14th, the cruiser sailed for Onagawa, where she assisted occupation forces from 15 to 17 September. She thereafter moved to Katsuura and returned to Tokyo on 24 September.[4]

Wilkes-Barre anchored off Tokyo from 24 September to 4 October, and thereafter took part in training maneuvers from 24 to 28 October. By that time, 5th Fleet had resumed control of the American fleet in Japan. Wilkes-Barre was detached on 5 November and sent to formerly-Japanese-controlled Korea on the 9th; she arrived at Inchon on 13 November. There, she joined the destroyers Hart and Bell, which sailed together to Qingdao, China, which had also been under Japanese occupation. The ships oversaw the demilitarization of Japanese forces there until 19 November, before shifting to Taku and Chinwangtao, China, for the same duty. Wilkes-Barre later returned to Qingdao and remained there through the end of the year.[4]

Wilkes-Barre sinking off Key West, 12 May 1972

On 13 January 1946, Wilkes-Barre departed Qingdao, bound for the United States. She stopped in Pearl Harbor on the way to the West Coast of the United States, finally arriving in San Pedro, California, on 31 January. She remained there only briefly, before getting underway on 4 March to move to the East Coast of the United States. After passing through the Panama Canal between 12 and 14 March, the ship arrived in Philadelphia on 18 March. On 20 October, she sailed south to participate in the Navy Day celebrations in New Orleans on 27 October. Wilkes-Barre thereafter steamed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where she joined her sister ships Dayton and Providence for training exercises. On 13 December, the ship arrived in Norfolk, Virginia.[4]

Wilkes-Barre embarked on a goodwill cruise to northern Europe on 17 February 1947. She stopped in Plymouth in the United Kingdom on 27 February and cruised in British waters over the course of March and April, during which time she sailed to Bergen, Norway. She thereafter returned to the United States, where she was assigned to the United States Reserve Fleet. She was decommissioned on 9 October and assigned to the reserve fleet based in Philadelphia. She remained there until she was struck from the naval register on 15 January 1971; she was the last light cruiser in the Navy's inventory. The ship was allocated for disposal in underwater weapons tests. During one such test off the Florida Keys on 12 May 1972, the old cruiser's hull broke in half. The stern section sank that day, but the bow remained afloat until it was sunk with a scuttling charge the following day.[4]

The two sections of Wilkes-Barre have developed into artificial reefs, and are a popular deep wreck diving site. The wreck sits upright on the ocean floor at a depth of 320 feet (98 m), and the upper deck rests at a depth of about 210 feet (64 m), but the highest point of the wreck is at 140 feet (43 m).[9] According to the diver and author Steven Singer, the site is suitable only for experienced divers.[10]