USS Biloxi

USS Biloxi was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy, which were built during World War II. The class was designed as a development of the earlier Brooklyn-class cruisers, the size of which had been limited by the First London Naval Treaty. The start of the war led to the dissolution of the treaty system, but the dramatic need for new vessels precluded a new design, so the Clevelands used the same hull as their predecessors, but were significantly heavier. The Clevelands carried a main battery of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four three-gun turrets, along with a secondary armament of twelve 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose guns. They had a top speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph).

The ship was laid down on 9 July 1941 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. and launched on 23 February 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Katharine G. Braun, wife of the Mayor of Biloxi. She was commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 31 August 1943, with Captain Daniel M. McGurl in command.

The Cleveland-class light cruisers traced their origin to design work done in the late 1930s; at the time, light cruiser displacement was limited to 8,000 long tons (8,100 t) by the Second London Naval Treaty. Following the start of World War II in September 1939, Britain announced it would suspend the treaty for the duration of the conflict, a decision the US Navy quickly followed. Though still neutral, the United States recognized that war was likely and the urgent need for additional ships ruled out an entirely new design, so the Clevelands were a close development of the earlier Brooklyn-class cruisers, the chief difference being the substitution of a two-gun 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose gun mount for one of the main battery 6 in (152 mm) gun turrets.

Biloxi was 610 feet 1 inch (186 m) long overall and had a beam of 66 ft 4 in (20.22 m) and a draft of 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m). Her standard displacement amounted to 11,744 long tons (11,932 t) and increased to 14,131 long tons (14,358 t) at full load. The ship was powered by four General Electric steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Rated at 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW), the turbines were intended to give a top speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). Her crew numbered 1285 officers and enlisted men. The ship was fitted with a pair of aircraft catapults and an initial complement of four Curtiss SO3C seaplanes.

The ship was armed with a main battery of twelve 6 in /47-caliber Mark 16 guns in four 3-gun turrets on the centerline. Two were placed forward in a superfiring pair; the other two turrets were placed aft of the superstructure in another superfiring pair. The secondary battery consisted of twelve 5 in (127 mm) /38-caliber dual-purpose guns mounted in twin turrets. Two of these were placed on the centerline, one directly behind the forward main turrets and the other just forward of the aft turrets. Two more were placed abreast of the conning tower and the other pair on either side of the aft superstructure. Anti-aircraft defense consisted of twenty-four Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in) guns in four quadruple and four double mounts and twenty-one Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) guns in single mounts.

The ship's belt armor ranged in thickness from 3.5 to 5 in (89 to 127 mm), with the thicker section amidships where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces. Her deck armor was 2 in (51 mm) thick. The main battery turrets were protected with 6.5 in (170 mm) faces and 3 in (76 mm) sides and tops, and they were supported by barbettes 6 inches thick. Biloxi's conning tower had 5-inch sides.

The keel for Biloxi was laid down on 9 July 1941 at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 23 February 1943, by which time the United States had entered World War II. Fitting-out was completed quickly, and the ship was commissioned on 31 August. Her first commanding officer was Captain Daniel M. McGurl. Final fitting out continued until 17 September, when she departed for a shakedown cruise to evaluate the vessel. The trip was restricted to Chesapeake Bay, but it included training for launching and recovering her seaplanes, shooting tests to evaluate the structural strength of the main battery guns, and anti-aircraft shooting practice. Biloxi then departed for a longer training cruise on 29 September, in company with the destroyer Sproston. The ships steamed to Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea, and while en route, one of the cruiser's seaplanes crashed while trying to land, though both crewmen were rescued. The ships then sank the still-floating wreck to avoid causing a navigation hazard.

The two ships reached Trinidad on 3 October, and Biloxi began a series of intensive combat training exercises that lasted for two weeks. These covered a range of activities the crew needed to master before they were sent to war, including day and night fighting, refueling at sea, and directing combat air patrol fighters to intercept enemy aircraft. The ship's radars also needed to be calibrated properly. On 18 October, Biloxi sailed north to the Norfolk Navy Yard for maintenance and repairs. She then made a brief visit to Rockland, Maine, where tests to confirm the calibration of her compasses and gyroscopes were carried out. On 20 November, she departed the East Coast of the United States for the Panama Canal. Four days later, she passed through the canal and turned north for San Francisco, arriving on 4 December. The crew made preparations for deployment west, including loading supplies and transferring the SO3C seaplanes ashore and loading a pair of Vought OS2U Kingfishers in their place. On 7 December, she departed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.