View source for USS Houston (CA-30)

{{Short description|Northampton-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy}}
{{Other ships|USS Houston}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Houston (CA-30) off San Diego in October 1935.jpg
|Ship caption= USS ''Houston'' (CA-30), off [[San Diego, California]], in October 1935, with President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] on board. She is flying an admiral's four-star flag at her foremast peak, and the Presidential flag at her mainmast peak.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1942}}
|Ship name=''Houston''
|Ship namesake=City of [[Houston]], Texas
|Ship ordered= 18 December 1924
|Ship awarded= 13 June 1927
|Ship builder=[[Newport News Shipbuilding]], [[Newport News]], Virginia
|Ship original cost= $10,567,000 (contract price)
|Ship laid down= 1 May 1928
|Ship launched= 7 September 1929
|Ship sponsor= Miss Elizabeth Holcombe
|Ship acquired=
|Ship completed= 
|Ship commissioned= 17 June 1930
|Ship decommissioned= 
|Ship reclassified= CA-30, 1 July 1931
|Ship identification=*[[Hull classification symbol#Surface combatant type|Hull symbol]]: CL-30
*Hull symbol: CA-30
*[[International Code of Signals|Code letters]]: NIQF
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Quebec}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname="Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast"<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.zuzuray.com/nicknames2.html#USA | title=Ship Nicknames | publisher=zuzuray.com | access-date=3 October 2015}}</ref>
|Ship honors=*[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d.png|18px]] 2 × [[Battle star#Navy warships|battle stars]]
*[[File:United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|40px]] 1 × [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)#Navy and Marine Corps|Presidential Unit Citation]] 
|Ship fate=Sunk in the [[Battle of Sunda Strait]], 1 March 1942
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (as built)<ref name="ships">{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rp-jAAAAMAAJ| title=Ships' Data, U. S. Naval Vessels | publisher=US Naval Department | date=1 July 1935 | access-date=3 October 2015 | pages=16–23}}</ref><ref name="haze">{{cite web | url=http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/cruisers/ca-cl1.htm | title=US Cruisers List: Light/Heavy/Antiaircraft Cruisers, Part 1 | publisher=Hazegray.org | date=22 January 2000 | access-date=3 October 2015}}</ref>
|Ship class={{sclass|Northampton|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|9050|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (standard)
|Ship length=*{{convert|600|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}} [[length overall|oa]]
*{{convert|569|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|pp]]
|Ship beam={{convert|66|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=*{{convert|16|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}} (mean)
*{{convert|23|ft|m|abbr=on}} (max)
|Ship power=*8 × [[White-Forster boiler]]s 
*{{convert|107,000|shp|kW|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*4 × [[Parsons turbine#Cruising machinery and gearing|Parsons reduction]] [[steam turbine]]s, Curtis cruising gears
*4 × [[Propeller|screws]]
|Ship speed={{convert|32.7|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|10,000|nmi|mi km|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}
|Ship capacity={{convert|1,500|ST|t|abbr=on}} [[fuel oil]]
|Ship complement=109 officers 676 enlisted 
|Ship sensors=
|Ship armament=*9 × [[8"/55 caliber gun|{{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}/55]] [[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns (3×3)
*4 × [[5 inch (127 mm)/25 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}/25 caliber]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]]
*16 × [[1.1"/75 caliber gun|1.1 inch (28 mm)/75 caliber]] [[anti-aircraft guns]]
*2 × [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss#US service|3-pounder {{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] [[Saluting guns#Heavy arms: gun salutes|saluting guns]]
*6 × {{convert|21|in|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=*'''[[Armor belt|Belt]]:''' {{convert|3|-|3+3/4|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]:''' {{convert|1-2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Barbette]]s:''' {{convert|1+1/2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Gun turret|Turret]]s:''' {{convert|3/4|-|2+1/2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*'''[[Conning tower|Conning Tower]]:''' {{convert|1+1/4|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft=4 × [[SOC Seagull]] scout-observation [[floatplane]]s
|Ship aircraft facilities=2 × [[Amidships#Amidships|Amidship]] [[Aircraft catapult|catapults]]
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (1942)<ref>{{cite book | title=Cruisers of the US Navy 1922–1962 | publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]] | author=Terzibashitsch, Stefan | year=1984 | location=Annapolis, Maryland | isbn=0-87021-974-X}}</ref>
|Ship armament=*9 × {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}/55 caliber guns (3x3)
*8 × {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns
*2 × 3-pounder {{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on}} saluting guns
*6 × quad [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{convert|40|mm|in|abbr=on}} Bofors guns]]
*20 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} Oerlikon cannons]]
}}
|}

'''USS ''Houston'' (CL/CA-30)''', was a {{sclass|Northampton|cruiser}} of the [[United States Navy]]. She was the second Navy ship to bear the name "Houston".

She was launched by [[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company]], [[Newport News, Virginia]], on 7 September 1929, sponsored by Elizabeth Holcombe (daughter of [[Oscar Holcombe]], then-mayor of [[Houston, Texas]]), and commissioned on 17 June 1930.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite DANFS|url= http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/houston-ii.html |title=Houston II (CA-30)|publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command | date=20 July 2015 |access-date=14 November 2015}}</ref>

The ship was originally classified as a [[light cruiser]] (hull number CL-30) because of her thin armor. ''Houston'' was redesignated a [[heavy cruiser]] (CA-30) on 1 July 1931, as the provisions of the 1930 [[London Naval Treaty]] considered ships with 8-inch (20.3&nbsp;cm) main guns to be heavy cruisers.

==Inter-war period==
After conducting a shakedown cruise in the Atlantic, ''Houston'' returned to the United States in October 1930. She then visited her namesake city, and joined the fleet at [[Hampton Roads]]. Steaming to [[New York City|New York]], the cruiser departed on 10 January 1931 for the Pacific, and after stopping at the [[Panama Canal]] and the [[Hawaii]]an Islands, arrived at [[Manila]] on 22 February. ''Houston'' became [[flagship]] of the [[Asiatic Fleet]] upon arrival, and for the next year participated in training operations in the Far East.<ref name="DANFS" />

With the outbreak of [[Second Sino-Japanese War|war between China and Japan]] in 1931, ''Houston'' got underway on 31 January for [[Shanghai]] to protect American interests. She landed Marine and Navy gun platoons to help stabilize the situation and remained in the area, with the exception of a good will cruise to the [[Philippines]] in March and one to Japan in May 1933, until being relieved by {{USS|Augusta|CA-31|2}} on 17 November 1933. The cruiser sailed to [[San Francisco]] to join the [[Scouting Force]], and for the years preceding World War II participated in [[Fleet Problem]]s and maneuvers in the Pacific.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a Shark he Caught on a Cruise on the USS Houston.jpg|thumb|left|President Roosevelt with a shark caught during the ''Houston''{{'s}} 1938 visit to the Galápagos Islands.]]
During this period, ''Houston'' made several special cruises. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]] came aboard on 1 July 1934 at [[Annapolis, Maryland]], for a cruise of almost {{convert|12000|nmi|mi km}} through the [[Caribbean]] and to [[Portland, Oregon]], by way of Hawaii. ''Houston'' also carried [[Assistant Secretary of the Navy]] [[Henry L. Roosevelt]] on a tour of the Hawaiian Islands, returning to [[San Diego]] on 15 May 1935.<ref name="DANFS" />

After a short cruise in [[Alaska]]n waters, the cruiser returned to [[Seattle]] and embarked the President again on 3 October for a vacation cruise to [[Cedros Island]], [[Magdalena Bay]], [[Cocos Island]], and [[Charleston, South Carolina]]. ''Houston'' celebrated the opening of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] at San Francisco on 28 May 1937, and carried President Roosevelt for a [[Naval Review|Fleet Review]] at the same city on 14 July 1938.<ref name="DANFS" /> Roosevelt then began a 24-day cruise aboard ''Houston'' to fish the waters of the [[Galápagos Islands]], concluding on 9 August 1938 at [[Pensacola, Florida]].<ref>{{cite news |title=President's Cruiser Reaches Galapagos |author=<!--no byline--> |date=1938-07-25 |work=[[The New York Times]] |volume=LXXXVII |issue=29402 |page=3 |url=https://nyti.ms/43M7F9R |access-date=2023-06-15 |via=TimesMachine}}</ref><ref>Crestview, Florida, "President Lands At Pensacola", ''Okaloosa News-Journal'', Friday 12 August 1938, Volume 24, Number 32, page 1.</ref>

''Houston'' became flagship of the U.S. Fleet on 19 September, when [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Claude C. Bloch]] brought his flag aboard, and maintained that status until 28 December, when she returned to the Scouting Force. Continuing the routine of training exercises, she got underway for [[Fleet Problem XX]], on 4 January 1939 from San Francisco, sailed to Norfolk and [[Key West]], and there embarked the President and the [[Chief of Naval Operations]], Admiral [[William D. Leahy]], for the duration of the exercise. She arrived in Houston on 7 April for a brief visit before returning to Seattle, where she arrived on 30 May.<ref name="DANFS" />

Assigned as flagship of the Hawaiian Detachment, the cruiser arrived in [[Pearl Harbor]] after her post-overhaul shakedown on 7 December 1939, and continued in that capacity until returning to [[Mare Island]] on 17 February 1940. Sailing to Hawaii, she departed for the Philippine Islands on 3 November. Arriving at Manila on 19 November, she became the flagship of Admiral [[Thomas C. Hart]], Commander Asiatic Fleet.<ref name="DANFS" />

Shortly before the war in the Pacific broke out, five quad-mount [[1.1"/75 caliber gun|1.1"/75 caliber antiaircraft cannons]] were shipped to [[Cavite Naval Yard]] in the Philippines; four of these were installed aboard ''Houston'' to increase the ship's air defense protection.<ref>"Waiting for the Main Attack", ''Fighting For MacArthur'', John Gordon, Naval Institute Press, {{ISBN|978-1-61251-057-6}}, p. 67</ref>

==World War II==
As the war crisis deepened, Admiral Hart deployed his fleet in readiness. On the night of the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack]], ''Houston'' got underway from [[Panay Island]] with fleet units bound for [[Darwin, Australia]], where she arrived on 28 December 1941 by way of [[Balikpapan]] and [[Surabaya]]. After patrol duty, she joined the [[American-British-Dutch-Australian Command|American-British-Dutch-Australian]] (ABDA) naval force at Surabaya.<ref name="DANFS" />

===Battle of Makassar Strait===
{{Main|Battle of Makassar Strait}}

Air raids were frequent in the area, and ''Houston''{{'}}s gunners shot down four Japanese planes in the [[Battle of Bali Sea]] (also known as the Battle of Makassar Strait) on 4 February 1942, as Admiral [[Karel Doorman]] of the [[Royal Netherlands Navy]] took his force to engage Japanese reported to be at Balikpapan. ''Houston'' took one hit, disabling the number three [[Gun turret|turret]], and the cruiser {{USS|Marblehead|CL-12|6}} was so damaged that she had to be sent out of the battle area. Doorman was forced to abandon his advance.<ref name="DANFS" />

===Timor Convoy===
[[File:USS Houston (CA-30) escorting convoy 1942.jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Houston'' escorting the Timor convoy in February 1942.]]
''Houston'' arrived at [[Tjilatjap]] 5 February and stayed until 10 February, when she left for Darwin to escort a convoy carrying troops to reinforce [[Sparrow Force|forces already defending]] Timor. Escorting {{USAT|Meigs}}, {{SS|Mauna Loa}}, {{SS|Portmar|1919|6}}, and [[MV Tulagi|''Tulagi'']], ''Houston'' with the destroyer {{USS|Peary|DD-226|6}} and sloops {{HMAS|Warrego|U73|6}} and {{HMAS|Swan|U74|6}} departed Darwin before two in the morning of 15 February for [[Koepang]]. By eleven in the morning, the convoy was being shadowed by a Japanese flying boat that dropped some bombs without causing damage before departing. The next morning another shadowing aircraft had taken position, and before noon the convoy was attacked by bombers and flying boats in two waves. During the first attack, ''Mauna Loa'' suffered slight damage and two casualties, one killed and one wounded. ''Houston''{{'}}s fire showed no effects. During the second attack, ''Houston'' distinguished herself with a barrage which made her "like a sheet of flame"<ref>Gill quoting Morrison's ''History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: The Rising Sun in the Pacific, 1931 – April 1942'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=-TRji-kFncUC&dq=Morison+%22like+a+sheet+of+flame%22&pg=PA315 p. 315]</ref> shooting down 7 of the 44 planes of the second wave. The convoy continued toward Timor for a few hours, with ''Houston'' launching a scout plane seeking the enemy position. ABDA suspected the presence of Japanese carriers, an imminent invasion of Timor, and a support fleet lying in wait and thus ordered the convoy back to Darwin, which it reached before noon on 18 February.

''Houston'' and ''Peary'' departed later that day to rejoin combat forces at Tjilatjap.{{sfn|Grose|2009|p=77}} Shortly after departure, ''Peary'' broke off to chase a suspected submarine, and expended so much fuel in doing so that the destroyer returned to Darwin instead of continuing with ''Houston''.{{sfn|Grose|2009|p=77}} ''Houston'' thus escaped the [[Bombing of Darwin|Japanese attack on Darwin]] on 19 February, in which ''Peary'', ''Meigs'' and ''Mauna Loa'' were among the ships sunk and ''Portmar'' was forced to beach.{{sfn|Gill|1957|pp=581, 585}}<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Office Of Naval Intelligence - United States Navy |year=1943 |title=The Java Sea Campaign |series=Combat Narratives |location=Washington, DC |pages=36–37 |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/j/java-sea-campaign.html |via=Naval History and Heritage Command}}</ref>{{sfn|Masterson|1949|p=26}}

===Battle of the Java Sea===
{{Main|Battle of the Java Sea}}

Receiving word that the major Japanese invasion force was approaching [[Java (island)|Java]] protected by a formidable surface unit, Admiral Doorman decided to meet and seek to destroy the main convoy. Sailing on 26 February 1942 with the cruisers ''Houston'', {{HMAS|Perth|D29|6}}, {{HNLMS|De Ruyter|1935|6}}, {{HMS|Exeter|68|6}}, {{HNLMS|Java|1921|6}} and ten destroyers, he met the Japanese support force under Admiral [[Takeo Takagi]] consisting of four cruisers and 13 destroyers in the late afternoon of 27 February 1942.<ref name="DANFS" /> As Japanese destroyers laid a smokescreen, the cruisers of both fleets opened fire. After one ineffective torpedo attack, the Japanese light cruisers and destroyers launched a second and sank the destroyer {{HNLMS|Kortenaer|1927|6}}. HMS ''Exeter'' and the destroyer {{HMS|Electra|H27|6}} were hit by gunfire, ''Electra'' sinking shortly after. At 17:30, Admiral Doorman turned south toward the Java coast, not wishing to be diverted from his main purpose of destroying the convoy.<ref name="DANFS" />

The Allied fleet dodged another torpedo attack and followed the coastline, during which time the destroyer {{HMS|Jupiter|F85|6}} was sunk, either by mine or internal explosion. The destroyer {{HMS|Encounter|H10|6}} was detached to pick up survivors from ''Kortenaer'', and the American destroyers were ordered back to Surabaya as they had fired all their torpedoes. With no destroyer protection, Doorman's four remaining ships turned north again in a last attempt to stop the invasion of Java.<ref name="DANFS" /> At 23:00, the cruisers again encountered the Japanese surface group. Sailing on parallel courses, the opposing units opened fire, and the Japanese launched a torpedo attack 30 minutes later. ''De Ruyter'' and ''Java'' were caught in a spread of 12 torpedoes, which resulted in their destruction.<ref name="DANFS" /> Before ''De Ruyter'' sank, Doorman ordered ''Houston'' and ''Perth'' to retire to Tanjong Priok.<ref name="DANFS" />{{sfn|Cassells|2000|p=93}}

Two cruisers and three destroyers of the ABDA naval force were sunk, the cruiser ''Exeter'' had been damaged, and the remaining ships were ordered back to Surabaya and Tanjong Priok.

===Battle of Sunda Strait===
[[File:Albert Rooks;h93157.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Captain [[Albert H. Rooks]], commanding officer of ''Houston'', c. 1940–1942.]]
{{Main|Battle of Sunda Strait}}

''Houston'' and ''Perth'' reached Tanjong Priok on 28 February, where they attempted to resupply, but were met with fuel shortages and no available ammunition.{{sfn|Cassells|2000|pp=93–4}} The two cruisers were ordered to sail to Tjilatjap with Dutch destroyer {{HNLMS|Evertsen|1926|2}}, but departed at 17:00 without ''Evertsen'', which was delayed.{{sfn|Cassells|2000|p=94}} The Allies believed that Sunda Strait was free of enemy vessels, with the last intelligence reports indicating that Japanese warships were no closer than {{convert|50|mi|nmi km}}, but a large Japanese force had assembled at [[Bantam Bay]].{{sfn|Bastock|1975|p=128}}{{sfn|Cassells|2000|p=94}}{{sfn|Hornfischer|2006|pp=109–110}} At 23:06, the two cruisers were off St. Nicholas Point when lookouts on ''Perth'' sighted an unidentified ship; when it was realized that she was a Japanese destroyer, ''Perth'' engaged.{{sfn|Bastock|1975|p=128}}{{sfn|Cassells|2000|p=94}} However, as this happened, multiple Japanese warships appeared and surrounded the two Allied ships.{{sfn|Bastock|1975|p=128}}{{sfn|Cassells|2000|p=94}}

The two cruisers evaded the nine torpedoes launched by the destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Fubuki|1927|2}}.{{sfn|Hornfischer|2006|pp=109–110}} According to ABDA post-battle reports, the cruisers then reportedly sank one transport and forced three others to beach, but were blocked from passing through Sunda Strait by a destroyer squadron, and had to contend with the heavy cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Mogami|1934|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Mikuma||2}} in close proximity.<ref name="DANFS" /> At midnight, ''Perth'' attempted to force a way through the destroyers, but was hit by four torpedoes in the space of a few minutes, then subject to close-range gunfire until sinking at 00:25 on 1 March.{{sfn|Cassells|2000|p=94}}

On board ''Houston'', shells were in short supply in the forward turrets, so the crew manhandled shells from the disabled number three turret to the forward turrets. ''Houston'' was struck by a torpedo shortly after midnight, and began to lose [[wikt:headway|headway]].<ref name="DANFS" /> ''Houston''{{'}}s gunners had scored hits on three different destroyers and sunk a minesweeper, but she was struck by three more torpedoes in quick succession.<ref name="DANFS" /> Captain [[Albert Rooks]] was killed by a bursting shell at 00:30, and as the ship came to a stop, Japanese destroyers moved in, machine-gunning the decks and men in the water. A few minutes later, ''Houston'' rolled over and sank.<ref name="DANFS" /> Of the 1,061 aboard, 368 survived, including 24 of the 74-man [[Marine Detachment]], only to be captured by the Japanese, interned in prison camps, and forced to work on the infamous [[Burma Railway]]. Of 368 Navy and Marine Corps personnel taken prisoner, 77 (21%) died in captivity from a combination of starvation, cruel treatment at the hands of Japanese soldiers, and tropical diseases.<ref>{{cite web |title=stats |website=Lost Battalion Association |url=http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/lostbattalion/stats.htm |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref>{{efn|Statistics of total personnel and deaths vary slightly depending upon the source.<ref>{{cite web |last=Evans |first=David |title=An Overly Large Officers Corps is Costing us Plenty |work=Chicago Tribune |date=25 March 1988 |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-03-25/news/8803030455_1_army-officer-enlisted-lieutenant-colonels |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131191120/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-03-25/news/8803030455_1_army-officer-enlisted-lieutenant-colonels |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 January 2015 |access-date=2 January 2015}}</ref>}}

===Aftermath===
[[File:George S. Rentz;colorrentz.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[George S. Rentz]], Chaplain of ''Houston'' 1940–1942.]]

''Houston''{{'}}s fate was not fully known by the world for almost nine months, and the full story of her last fight was not told until the survivors were liberated from prison camps at the end of the war.<ref name="DANFS" /> Before then, on 30 May 1942, 1,000 new recruits for the Navy, known as the [[Houston Volunteers]], were sworn in at a dedication ceremony in downtown Houston, to replace those believed lost on ''Houston''. On 12 October 1942 the light cruiser [[USS Houston (CL-81)|''Vicksburg'' (CL-81)]], then under construction, was renamed ''Houston'' in honor of the old ship, President Roosevelt declaring:

{{blockquote|Our enemies have given us the chance to prove that there will be another USS ''Houston'', and yet another USS ''Houston'' if that becomes necessary, and still another USS ''Houston'' as long as American ideals are in jeopardy.{{sfn|Miller|1985|p=5}}{{sfn|Hornfischer|2006|p=184}}}}

Captain Rooks received posthumously the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions.<ref name="DANFS" /> Chaplain [[George S. Rentz]], who had surrendered his life jacket to a younger sailor after finding himself in the water, was posthumously awarded the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]]. He was the only [[United States Navy Chaplain Corps|Navy Chaplain]] to be so honored during World War II.

The crew of ''Houston'' is honored alongside that of ''Perth'' at the [[Shrine of Remembrance]] in [[Melbourne, Australia]], and in [[St John's Anglican Church, Fremantle|St John's Anglican Church]], [[Fremantle]].

===The wreck===
The wreck of USS ''Houston'' has been dived by amateur scuba divers since at least the early 1970s, first on an irregular basis, but by the late 1990s on a more semi-regular basis, with multi-day scuba diving charter-vessel trips being undertaken to specifically dive the wrecks of both ''Houston'' and HMAS ''Perth'' which  rests nearby, having been sunk in the same battle as ''Houston''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pacificwrecks.com/battle/battle-of-sunda-strait.html | title=Pacific Wrecks - Battle of Sunda Strait, Indonesia }}</ref> There could be no doubt whatsoever which wreck they were diving as the ships bell had been 'unofficially' raised from ''Houston''{{'}}s wreck in 1973 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C14399 | title=The ship's bell from the United States Navy light cruiser, USS Houston. The USS Houston and HMAS }}</ref> (as was ''Perth''{{'}}s in the late 1960s,<ref name="Ship's Bell: HMAS Perth">{{cite web | url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL%3A07771 | title=Ship's Bell: HMAS Perth }}</ref> and a book written about the 'expedition' by the salvor, David Burchell<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/LIB18857 | title=The bells of Sunda Strait / David Burchell }}</ref>), and after passing through several hands over the years, now sits atop a plinth in a park in the city of Houston, Texas, USA <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMNB4F_USS_Houston_Memorial_Houston_TX | title=USS Houston Memorial - Houston, TX | website=Waymarking.com}}</ref> (while ''Perth's'' bell is displayed at the Perth Town Hall in Western Australia).<ref name="Ship's Bell: HMAS Perth"/> In a training evolution conducted as part of the [[Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training|Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)]] 2014 exercise series, U.S. Navy divers, assisted by personnel from the [[Indonesian Navy]], surveyed what they believed to be the wreck of ''Houston'' in June 2014. The purpose of the mission was to determine the vessel's condition and provide real-world training to rescue-and-salvage divers in maneuvering around a sunken ship. The formal report was released in August 2014 and confirmed that the wreck is indeed that of ''Houston''. The report also stated that the wreck had suffered illegal salvage over the years, including removal of rivets and a steel plate from the hull. The investigation also recorded active oil seepage from the ship's fuel tanks.<ref>{{cite web|last=Calamur |first=Krishnadev |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/19/341598997/a-u-s-naval-ship-sunk-during-world-war-ii-is-identified |title=Wreck Of World War II-Era U.S. Ship Dubbed 'Galloping Ghost' Is Found: The Two-Way |publisher=NPR |date=1942-02-28 |access-date=2014-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://beta.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28857195 |title=BBC News – US Navy: USS Houston wreck found in Java Sea |work=BBC News |date=19 August 2014 |access-date=2014-08-20}}</ref> Another survey of ''Houston'' occurred in October 2015, with United States Navy and Indonesian Navy divers embarked aboard {{USNS|Safeguard|T-ARS 50|6}} for a nine-day survey of ''Houston'' and ''Perth'' (which had also been subject to unauthorized salvaging).<ref name=TF73PA>{{cite news |url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=91710 |title=Navy Divers Survey Historic WWII in Sunda Strait |author=Task Force 73 Public Affairs |work=Navy News Service |publisher=United States Navy |date=26 October 2015 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027132123/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=91710 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Divers documented the condition of the two shipwrecks, with this data presented to a conference in Jakarta on preserving and preventing the illegal salvage of wartime shipwrecks in the Java Sea.<ref name=TF73PA/><ref name=USPFPA>{{cite news |url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=91776 |title=Partner Nations Preserve, Protect Sunken WWII Wrecks |author=U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs |work=Navy News Service |publisher=United States Navy |date=29 October 2015 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-date=30 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030133246/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=91776 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Awards==

*[[File:United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|106px]] [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]
*[[File:American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[American Defense Service Medal]] with "FLEET" clasp
*{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with two [[battle star]]s
*[[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] [[World War II Victory Medal]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
*{{cite book |last=Bastock |first=John |title=Australia's Ships of War |year=1975 |publisher=Angus and Robertson |location=Cremorne, New South Wales |isbn=0-207-12927-4 |oclc=2525523}}
*{{cite book |last=Cassells |first=Vic |title=The Capital Ships: Their Battles and Their Badges |year=2000 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=East Roseville, New South Wales |isbn=0-7318-0941-6 |oclc=48761594}}
*{{cite book|title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II |publisher=Studio |year=1989 |isbn=1-85170-194-X}}
*{{cite book| title=The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Two-Ocean Fleet Edition |author=Fahey, James C. |author-link=James Charles Fahey |publisher=Ships and Aircraft |year=1941}}
*{{cite book |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |title=Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942 |series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy |volume=1 |year=1957 |publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67910 |access-date=26 June 2013 |archive-date=25 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525001721/http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67910 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book|last=Grose |first=Peter |title=An Awkward Truth: The Bombing of Darwin, February 1942 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Crows Nest, NSW |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-74175-643-2 |oclc=271861660 }}
*{{cite book | last = Hornfischer | first = James D. | title = Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors | location = New York | publisher = Bantam Books | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-0-553-80390-7 | oclc = 69680190 | url = https://archive.org/details/shipofghosts00jame }}
*{{cite journal | last = Hornfischer | first = James D. | title = Street Fight in Sunda Strait | journal = [[Naval History (magazine)|Naval History]] | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = U.S. Naval Institute |date=December 2006z | volume = 20 | issue = 6 | pages = 16–20 | issn = 1042-1920 | oclc = 61312917}}
*{{cite book |last=Masterson |first=James R. |title=U. S. Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941-1947 |year=1949 |publisher=Transportation Unit, Historical Division, Special Staff, U. S. Army |location=Washington, DC}}
*{{cite book |last= Miller |first=John Grider |year=1985 |title=The Battle to Save the Houston: October 1944 to March 1945 |publisher=U.S. Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-0-87021-276-5 }}
*{{cite book |last=Schultz |first=Duane P. |title=The Last Battle Station: the Story of the USS Houston |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-312-46973-3 |oclc=11444339 |url=https://archive.org/details/lastbattlestatio00schu }}
*{{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H. |year=1965|title=US Warships of World War II |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-773-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Weinberg|first=Gerhard |author-link=Gerhard Weinberg|title=A World At Arms |year=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-61826-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Winslow |first=Walter G. |title=The Ghost of the Java Coast, Saga of the USS Houston |location=Satellite Beach, Florida |publisher=Coral Reef Publications |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-914042-00-6 |oclc=947862}}

{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/houston-ii.html}}

==External links==
{{Commons|USS Houston (CA-30)|USS Houston (CA-30)}}
{{Portal|Texas}}
*[http://www.usshouston.org USS ''Houston'' homepage]
* A Collection of Biographies and Photographs of those of Served aboard the USS Houston CA30 [http://www.usshouston.net/ ''USS Houston Next Generation'']
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-h/ca30.htm Navy photographs of ''Houston'' (CA-30)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101172407/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-h/ca30.htm |date=1 January 2015 }}
*{{cite web | url = http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/sunda_strait.htm | title = Battle of Sunda Strait: 28 February–March 1, 1942 by Vincent P. O'Hara | access-date = 2006-05-31| author= Vincent P. O'Hara | author-link = Vincent P. O'Hara }}
*[http://digital.lib.uh.edu/cdm4/about_collection.php?CISOROOT=/p15195coll22 ''The USS Houston Bluebonnet Newsletter Collection'' (1933–1941)]
*[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/underwater-archaeology/PDF/2014%20USS%20Houston%20(CA-30)%20DIVEX%20Field%20Report%20(P).pdf ''Field Report: 2014 USS Houston (CA-30) DIVEX'', 10 November 2014.]
*{{navsource|04/030/04030|USS Houston}}
{{Coord|5|48|45|S|106|7|55|E|display=title}}

{{Northampton class cruiser}}
{{March 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston (CA-30)}}
[[Category:Northampton-class cruisers]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Java Sea]]
[[Category:1929 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1942]]