USS Oklahoma City

CL-91

ASSOCIATION * LOOK FOR SHIPMATES * STORY ARCHIVE * PHOTOS
CL-91 PAGE * THEN & NOW PAGE * MAIL CALL!
Submitted by Phil Gerini

First Fleet Patch courtesy of Phil Gerini

ComCruDesFlot-9 patch courtesy of Phil Gerini

CL91 Patch submitted by Phil Gerini

3rd Division

The photo above and the log entries below are from The Yearling
"A Pictorial History of the First Year in the Life of the United States Ship Oklahoma City."
Contributed by plankowner Armondo "Monte" Consalvo (first row, extreme right)
and forwarded to us by his son Michael Consalvo.

22 December 1944

U.S.S. Oklahoma City commissioned this date at 1500 at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa. Rear Admiral W.F. Draemel accepted the ship from the builders, Cramp Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pa., and turned the vessel over to Captain C.B. Hunt, U.S. Navy, who assumed command. Guests at commissioning ceremony included: Mrs. Anton H. Classen, ship's sponsor.

22 December 1944 to 14 January 1945

At Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa., for completion of fitting out period. Attached to Commandant, Fourth Naval District.

14 January 1945

Underway for trial run in Delaware River.

15-26 January 1945

This period was spent fitting out, taking on stores and ammunition and running tests prior to shakedown cruise; at Navy Yard, Philadelphia and lower Delaware Bay.

26 January 1945

Held structural firing tests after leaving lower Delaware Bay.

27 January to 10 February 1945

Training period in Chesapeake Bay area and en route to Trinidad, B.W.I., for shakedown.

10-28 February 1945

Operating in the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad, B.W.I., for shakedown and training exercises.

28 February to 4 March 1945

En route from Trinidad, B.W.I., to NOB, Norfolk, Virginia.

5-6 March 1945

Annual Military Inspection by COTCLANT and his Staff at NOB, Norfolk, Virginia.

7-10 March 1945

En route to Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.

11-31 March 1945

At Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA, for post shakedown period.

9 April 1945

Underway for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for various training and gunnery exercises.

16-17 April 1945

Excercises in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba area. Underway for Panama, Canal Zone.

CL-91

19 April 1945

Entered Cristobal Harbor, C.Z. Reported for duty to CinCPac. Transited Panama Canal to Balboa, C.Z.

21 April to 2 May 1945

Underway from Balboa, C.Z. to Pearl Harbor, T.H. Held training exercises en route.

2 May 1945

Entered Pearl Harbor, T.H., reported to ComCruPac for duty.

3-7 May 1945

Underway training perid in Hawaiian operating area.

8-11 May 1945

At Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, T.H.<

12-19 May 1945

Underway training period in Hawaiian operating area.

19-21 May 1945

At anchor in Pearl Harbor, T.H.

22 May 1945

Underway to Ulithi in company with U.S.S. TOPEKA.

1 June 1945

Anchored in Ulithi lagoon.

4 June 1945

Underway in company with U.S.S. TOPEKA to join task force 38 off Kyushu.

6 June 1945Rendezvoused with Task Force 38 and joined Task Group 38.3 off Kyushu.

13 June 1945

Anchored in San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf.

15 June 1945

Underway from Leyte Gulf to join CVE group off Sakashima Gunto.

17 June 1945

Joined Task UNit 32.1.3 for operations against Sakashima Gunto in support of Okinawa campaign.

20 June 1945

Detatched from Task Unit 32.1.3 and proceeded to Leyte, P.I. in accordance with orders from Commander Task Force 31.

23 June to 1 July 1945

Anchored in Leyte Gulf, P.I.

1 July 1945 Underway with Task Group 38.1 for strikes against Japanese Home Islands.

18 July 1945

Released from Task Group 38.1 formed Task Group 35.4 with U.S.S. TOPEKA (CTG 35.4, ComCruDiv 18), ATLANTA, DAYTON and DesRon 62 for surface sweep at entrance to Sagami Wan. Bombarded Nojima Cape.

20 July to 15 August 1945

Rejoined Task Group 38.1. Continued air operations against Japanese Home Islands.

15 August 1945

Received AlNav from SecNav that Japan had accepted Potsdam peace terms. Received order to cease present operation.

15 August to 5 September 1945

On Patrol duty off Japan with Task Group 38.1.

5-10 September 1945

Became a unit of Task Group 38.2, continuing patrol duty off eastern coast of Japan.

10 September 1945

Entered Tokyo Bay with Task Group 38.2.

10-15 September 1945

At anchor in Tokyo Bay off Yokohama.

15-20 September 1945

Sortied from Tokyo Bay, continued patrol duty with Task Group 38.2

20 September 1945

Task Group 38.2 changed to FIFTH fleet, became Task Group 58.2.

21 September 1945

Formed Task Unit 58.2.12 (U.S.S. FLINT CTU 58.2.12 and ComTask Flot 3). En route for Eniwetok, Western Marshall Islands.

7 October 1945

U.S.S. OKLAHOMA CITY (CTU 58.2.12), DAYTON, and FLINT underway from Eniwetok, en route to Tokyo Bay.

ENGINEERING DATA

Miles Steamed - 67,001 miles to 27 October 1945
Fuel Burned - 6,689,499 Gals. to 27 October 1945
Water Made - 8,424,634 Gals. to 27 October 1945

GUNNERY DATA
Ammunition expended in exercises and bombardment from 22 December 1944 to 27 October 1945:

6" - 1,580 rounds
5" - 6,735 rounds (10/27/45)
40 mm - 48,173 rounds
20 mm - 49,505 rounds

WW II Diary

Dear Joe:

I didn't serve on the OK City, but I purchase letters, etc. from WWII in particular. I purchased a great deal of items from a sailor who served on the OK City.

James Abiusi was born in NY on 8-22-1917 and he died 2-17-99, in NY. James was drafted in 1944 and received training at the USN Training Center in Sampson, N.Y. He was subsequently assigned to the ships pool at Newport, R.I.

He was assigned to the Oklahoma City detail during 9-44. He was with the OK City from the time it was formally commissioned until several months after Japan surrendered. Items he kept included The original commissioning program book for the OK City and a 50 caliber shell casing, (fired at Japan), that was later made into an ashtray, as well as several hundred letters.

Although mail was censored, Abiusi was able to send home some pretty good one to two line details. I would like to share some of these with you and maybe you can include them on your site. Hopefully this will give the younger men an idea of what went on.

"April 1945 - I'll be home soon with the war ending in Germany."

"May 1945 - I don't think the war will last much longer now. They got two out and one to go. Japan's got to fight the whole world now."

"June 45 - I hope Japan would hurry up and get smart before we blow her off the map."

"June 45 - Don't you go worrying about me so much. It's about those suicide planes. We'll have a trick or two up our sleeves."

"July 45 - We bombed Tokyo last night."

"August 45 - If Japan does surrender we are making the first landing. My ship will be one of the first to go into Japan and take over."

"August 45 - Today was a happy day for us all, Japan has surrendered."

"September 45 - We were topside getting some sunshine and we looked up into sky - beautiful sight - all the Navy planes that are in our task force flying in formation letting us know that the signing of the peace treaty is over."

"September 45 - Mail no longer censored. All the other ships have left our task force. Just my ship and a few destroyers and two aircraft carriers are left out here about 35 miles off the coast of Japan."

"September 45 - 68th day at sea. We had liberty in Cuba, Panama, Balboa, and Pearl Harbor but after that it was fighting all the way to Tokyo."

"September 45 - Still dangerous in these waters. Lots of mines floating around. We got one off our port bow. It sure was a close one. We sure did go through hell out here."

"September 45 - I'll tell you what Japan looks like now. The city of Yokahama is burned right down to nothing. All you see standing are the frameworks of the big factories that had been there. People are still coming out of caves where they have been hiding since we started to bomb Japan. Japan is all but blown off the face of the world."

"October 45 - Waiting for transfer to (sic) Bella Wood, the ship that will take me home."

Courtesy of Ted Butler

Submitted by Phil Gerini

Home