View source for USS Nashville (CL-43)

{{Short description|Brooklyn-class light cruiser}}
{{other ships|USS Nashville}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Nashville (CL-43) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 4 August 1943.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Nashville'' (August 1943)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=''Nashville''
|Ship namesake=City of [[Nashville, Tennessee]]
|Ship ordered= 16 June 1933
|Ship awarded=3 August 1933 
|Ship builder=[[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Camden, New Jersey]]
|Ship original cost=$11,677,000 (contract price)
|Ship laid down= 24 January 1935
|Ship launched= 2 October 1937
|Ship sponsor= Misses Ann and Mildred Stahlman
|Ship acquired= 
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned= 6 June 1938
|Ship decommissioned= 24 June 1946
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship struck=9 January 1951
|Ship identification=*[[Hull classification symbol#Surface combatant type|Hull symbol]]:CL-43
*[[International Code of Signals|Code letters]]:NABG
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Alpha}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Golf}}
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=[[File:Silver-service-star-3d.png|20px]] 10 × [[Battle star#Navy warships|battle star]]s
|Ship fate=Sold to the [[Chilean Navy]] 9 January 1951.
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=Chile
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Chile|navy}}
|Ship name=*''Capitan Prat'' (1951–1982)
*''Chacabuco'' (1982–1984)
|Ship namesake=*[[Arturo Prat]]
*[[Battle of Chacabuco]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship acquired=9 January 1951
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=10 May 1982
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship struck=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=Scrapped 1985 in Taiwan
|Ship notes=
}}
{{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=17 October 2015 | pages=24–31}}</ref>
|Ship class= {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|10,000|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (estimated as design)
*{{convert|9,767|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (standard)
*{{convert|12,207|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (max)
|Ship length=*{{convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|oa]]
*{{convert|608|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}} [[Waterline length|lwl]]
|Ship beam={{convert|61|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=*{{convert|19|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} (mean)
*{{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}} (max)
|Ship depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship power=*8 × [[Steam boiler]]s 
*{{convert|100,000|shp|kW|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*4 × [[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|geared turbines]]
*4 × [[Propeller|screw]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|32.5|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=868 officers and enlisted
|Ship armament=*15 × [[6"/47 caliber Mark 16 gun|{{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}/47]] [[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns (5x3)
*8 × [[5"/25 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}/25 caliber]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]] (8×1)
*8 × [[M2 Browning|caliber {{convert|0.50|in|mm|abbr=on}}]] [[Heavy machine gun|machine guns]]
|Ship armor=*[[Armor belt|Belt]]: {{convert|3+1/4|-|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Barbette]]s: {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Gun turret|Turret]]s: {{convert|1+1/4|-|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|2+1/4|-|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft=4 × [[Curtiss SOC Seagull|SOC Seagull]] [[floatplane]]s
|Ship aircraft facilities=2 × [[stern]] [[Aircraft catapult|catapults]]
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (1945)<ref name="history">{{cite web | url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Nashville_CL43.html | title=USS Nashville (CL-43) | publisher=Historyofwar.org | date=11 May 2015 | access-date=17 October 2015 | author=Rickard, J}}</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=17 October 2015}}</ref>
|Ship armament=*15 × [[6"/47 caliber Mark 16 gun|{{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}/47]] [[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns (5x3)
*8 × [[5"/25 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}/25 caliber]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]] (8×1)
*4 × quad [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{convert|40|mm|in|abbr=on}} Bofors]] anti-aircraft guns
*2 × twin {{convert|40|mm|in|abbr=on}} Bofors anti-aircraft guns
*18 × single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} Oerlikon cannons]]
}}
|}

'''USS ''Nashville'' (CL-43)''' was a {{sclass|Brooklyn|cruiser|2}}. She was laid down on 24 January 1935 by [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Camden, New Jersey]]. She was launched on 2 October 1937, sponsored by Misses Ann and Mildred Stahlman and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 6 June 1938.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite web | url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nashville-ii.html | title=Nashville II (CL-43) | publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command | date=12 August 2015 | access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

==Service history==
''Nashville'' departed [[Philadelphia]] on 19 July 1938 for shakedown in the [[Caribbean]]. In early August, she sailed for Northern [[Europe]] on a good will visit, arriving at [[Cherbourg]], France, on 24 August. Getting underway on 21 September from [[Isle of Portland|Portland]], England, with $25,000,000 in British gold bullion aboard, ''Nashville'' arrived at [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]] on 30 September, off-loaded the gold, and returned to Philadelphia on 5 October.<ref name="DANFS" />

In the spring of 1939, ''Nashville'' carried American representatives to the Pan American Defense Conference in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]], returning them to [[Annapolis]], Maryland, on 20 June 1939. On 23 June, she steamed westwards from [[Norfolk, Virginia]], for the Pacific via the [[Panama Canal]], arriving at [[San Pedro, Los Angeles, California|San Pedro]], California, on 16 July for two years of operations. In February 1941, she and three other cruisers carried [[US Marines]] to [[Wake Island]]. On 20 May, she departed [[Pearl Harbor]] for the east coast, arriving [[Boston]] on 19 June to escort a convoy carrying Marines to [[Iceland]].<ref name="DANFS" />

===World War II===
From August–December 1941, ''Nashville'' was based at [[Bermuda]] for the [[Neutrality Patrol]] in the Central Atlantic. With the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|bombing of Pearl Harbor]], ''Nashville'' steamed to [[Casco Bay]], Maine, where she joined with a troop and cargo convoy to escort them to Iceland. She continued escort duty to Bermuda and Iceland until February 1942.<ref name="DANFS" />

====Doolittle Raid====
On 4 March 1942, she rendezvoused with {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|2}} off the Virginia Capes, and then escorted the aircraft carrier to the West Coast via the Panama Canal, arriving on 20 March at [[San Diego]]. ''Hornet'' and ''Nashville'' steamed from San Francisco on 2 April, with the carrier laden with 16 Army [[B-25 Mitchell]] medium bombers on her flight deck, bombers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel [[Jimmy Doolittle]], [[USAAF]], for the [[Doolittle Raid]] on [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]. On 13 April, they rendezvoused with other US Navy warships, under [[Vice Admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[William F. Halsey Jr.]], north of [[Midway Atoll]], and then they set course for Japan. When about {{convert|1000|mi|km|abbr=on}} away from Japan on 17 April, the destroyers of the task force were detached due to lack of fuel, and then ''Nashville'', the other escorting cruisers, and ''Hornet'' and {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}} made a high-speed dash to the air raid launching point {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}} from Japan. The next day, the task force was sighted by a Japanese picket boat, which reported the presence of the carrier task force before being sunk by scout planes from ''Enterprise''. A second picket boat was then sunk by gunfire from ''Nashville'', but the advantage of surprise was lost. The B–25s were launched {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}} short of the intended launching point in heavy seas. Immediately after the launch, the strike force reversed course and steamed eastwards for Honolulu. The "Shangri-La" task force returned to Pearl Harbor on 25 April.<ref name="DANFS" />

====Flagship====
''Nashville'' left Hawaii on 14 May 1942 to become the flagship of Task Force 8 (TF 8) defending Alaska and the [[Aleutians]], and arrived at [[Dutch Harbor]], Alaska, on 26 May. She steamed for [[Kodiak, Alaska]] two days later to join with other units of the task force, including USS St Louis and her sister USS Honolulu as well as two heavy cruisers and 6 [[destroyers]]. On 3–4 June, Japanese carrier planes struck Dutch Harbor. ''Nashville'' and her accompanying warships were unable to make contact with the enemy due to heavy fog. Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] withdrew his diversionary force from the Aleutians after his defeat at the [[Battle of Midway]]. As the Japanese departed, they left occupying forces behind on [[Attu Island|Attu]] and [[Kiska Island]]s in the Aleutians. From June–November, ''Nashville'' patrolled the North Pacific Ocean, and participated in the attack on Kiska on 7 August, in which heavy damage was inflicted on Japanese shore installations.<ref name="DANFS" />

''Nashville'' arrived at Pearl Harbor on 22 November and proceeded south to the [[Fiji|Fiji Islands]] on 24 December. At [[Espiritu Santo]], [[New Hebrides]], she became flagship of TF 67. After escorting troopships to [[Guadalcanal]], ''Nashville'', {{USS|Helena|CL-50|2}}, and {{USS|St. Louis|CL-49|2}} inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese air base at [[Munda (Solomon Islands)|Munda]] on the night of 4 January 1943. Subsequent attacks were made on [[Kolombangara]] and [[New Georgia]] in the next several months. While shelling [[Vila, Solomon Islands|Vila]] airfield on Kolombangara on the night of 12 May, she suffered a powder charge explosion in one of her forward turrets, killing 18 and injuring 17.<ref name="DANFS" />

Leaving Espiritu Santo on 22 May, ''Nashville'' arrived at [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] for repairs and modernization. Departing from San Francisco on 6 August, she arrived at Pearl Harbor on 12 August to join carrier task forces for strikes on Marcus Island and Wake Island during the next two months.<ref name="DANFS" />

''Nashville'' returned to Espiritu Santo on 25 October and for the next seven months, she shelled targets on [[New Guinea]] and the [[Admiralty Islands]]. Against the Japanese, ''Nashville'' provided fire support for the landings on [[Bougainville Island]] and [[Cape Gloucester (Papua New Guinea)|Cape Gloucester]], [[New Britain]]. After bombarding Wake Island on 21–22 April 1944, ''Nashville'' provided fire support and carried General of the Army [[Douglas MacArthur]] to the amphibious operations at [[Jayapura|Hollandia]] (present-day Jayapura), [[Tanahmerah Bay]], and [[Aitape]], on 22–23 April. On 27 May, the light cruiser was a member of the assault force shelling [[Biak]], [[Schouten Islands]], where on 4 June, she sustained moderate damage from a near miss while repelling a Japanese air attack.<ref name="DANFS" />

After repairs at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, ''Nashville'' twice more carried General MacArthur and his staff to the invasion of [[Morotai]], [[Dutch East Indies]] in mid-September. She carried General MacArthur on his return to the Philippines, for which she sailed from Manus on 16 October. She provided fire support for the [[Leyte (island)|Leyte Island]] landings on 20 October, and she remained on station at the mouth of Leyte Gulf until 25 October, guarding the troops on the beachhead and the nearby transports. Returning to [[Manus Island]] for brief repairs, ''Nashville'' left the Admiralties on 28 November as the flagship for the Commander, Visayan Attack Force, ''en route'' to the invasion of [[Mindoro]].<ref name="DANFS" />

====Kamikaze attack====
[[File:Crewmen cleaning Kamikaze damage on USS Nashville (CL-43) in December 1944.jpg|thumb|Crew clean up ''Nashville''{{'}}s port 5-inch gun battery after the kamikaze hit]]
On 13 December, she was struck by a ''[[kamikaze]]'' off [[Negros Island]]. The aircraft crashed into her port 5 in/127mm gun mount, with both bombs exploding about 10&nbsp;ft (3&nbsp;m) off her deck.<ref name="Smith">{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Peter C|title=Kamikaze To Die For The Emperor|date=2014|publisher=Pen & Sword Books Ltd|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=9781781593134|pages=37–39}}</ref> Gasoline fires and exploding ammunition made her midships area an inferno, but although 133 sailors were killed and 190 wounded, her remaining 5&nbsp;in (127&nbsp;mm) guns continued to provide anti-aircraft fire.<ref name="DANFS" />

The Attack Group Commander, Rear Admiral [[Arthur Dewey Struble]], shifted his flag to {{USS|Dashiell|DD-659|2}}, and ''Nashville'' steamed via [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]] in the Philippines and Pearl Harbor, Oahu, to the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]], arriving on 12 January 1945, for heavy repairs. Underway on 12 March, ''Nashville'' departed westward from San Diego, California, on 15 April after training exercises.<ref name="DANFS" />

Arriving at [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay]], on 16 May, ''Nashville'' became the flagship of TF 74. The closing months of the war were spent providing fire support for the landings at [[Brunei Bay]], Borneo, and protecting aircraft carriers in the [[Makassar Strait]]s, Dutch East Indies. On 29 July, ''Nashville'' made a brief sortie from Subic to intercept a Japanese convoy reported off [[Indochina]], but the sortie was soon canceled, ending her final wartime operation.<ref name="DANFS" />

===Post-war===
[[File:USS NASHVILLE CL-43, Yantze River Patrol, Oct. 1945.jpg|thumb|USS Nashville CL-46, Oct. 1945, on Yangtze River Patrol, Whang-poo River, Shanghai, China, view from Whang-poo Pier]]
''Nashville'', with Commander TF 73 (CTF 73) embarked, entered [[Shanghai]] harbor on 19 September 1945, to resume [[Yangtze River Patrol]]. CTF 73 hauled down his flag on 17 November, and ''Nashville'' sailed for the US West Coast with 450 returning soldiers, as part of [[Operation Magic Carpet]]. Picking up 90 more soldiers in Hawaii, she reached San Pedro, California, on 3 December, and then immediately steamed west to [[Eniwetok]] and [[Kwajalein]] to pick up more returning troops and Marines. Nearing the US West Coast on 3 January 1946, ''Nashville'' came to the aid of {{USS|St. Mary's|APA-126|2}}, laboring in heavy seas with engine breakdowns and 1,800 men aboard. The cruiser took ''St. Mary's'' in tow, pulling her to safety to the tugs at the San Francisco Lightship on 6 January 1946.<ref name="DANFS" />

===Chilean Navy===
{{other ships|Chilean ship Capitán Prat|Chilean ship Chacabuco}}

''Nashville'' departed eastward from San Francisco on 21 January 1946, and she arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a pre-inactivation overhaul. Decommissioned on 24 June, she remained in reserve until 1950. After an overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, she was sold to [[Chile]] on 9 January 1951, and she served in the [[Chilean Navy]] as the Chilean cruiser ''Capitán Prat'' (CL-03)<ref name="DANFS" /> until the arrival of the [[Chilean destroyer Capitán Prat (1967)|Chilean destroyer ''Capitán Prat'' (1967)]] in 1982. Then, the old ''Prat'' was renamed ''Chacabuco'' and served until 1985.<ref>Chilean Navy site [http://www.armada.cl/prontus_armada/site/artic/20090704/pags/20090704161841.html Chacabuco, crucero (4to)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503230455/http://www.armada.cl/prontus_armada/site/artic/20090704/pags/20090704161841.html |date=2014-05-03 }}, retrieved on 18 November 2012</ref>

She saw service during the [[1973 Chilean coup d'etat]], where she secured [[Federico Santa María Technical University]] alongside the [[Chilean destroyer Aldea|destroyer ''Aldea'']].<ref>{{cite book|last=Francois|first=David|date=2018|title=Chile 1973, the Other 9/11: The Downfall of Salvador Allende|publisher=Helion Limited|page=47 |isbn=9781912174959}}</ref>

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{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}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nashville-ii.html}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last = Bustin | first = Steven | year = 2007 | title = Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII | publisher = BookSurge Publishing | isbn = 978-1-4196-5884-6 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Nashville (CL-43)}}
*{{navsource|04/043/04043|USS Nashville}}
*[http://www.ussnashville.org USS Nashville.org]

<!-- space -->
{{Brooklyn class cruiser}}
{{Chilean cruisers}}
{{December 1944 shipwrecks}}
{{coord|35|50|N|153|40|E|source:kolossus-jawiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nashville (CL-43)}}
[[Category:Brooklyn-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation]]
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign]]
[[Category:Brooklyn-class cruisers of the Chilean Navy]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1944]]