Allied Warships

USS Omaha (CL 4)

Light cruiser of the Omaha class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeLight cruiser
ClassOmaha 
PennantCL 4 
Built byTodd Shipbuilding & DryDock Co. (Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down6 Dec 1918 
Launched14 Dec 1920 
Commissioned24 Feb 1923 
End service1 Nov 1945 
History

Decommissioned 1 November 1945.
Stricken 28 November 1945.
Scrapped in February 1946 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

 

Commands listed for USS Omaha (CL 4)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Paulus Prince Powell, USN1 Sep 193915 Oct 1941
2Capt. Theodore Edson Chandler, USN15 Oct 19411 Apr 1943
3Capt. Charles Doyle Leffler, Jr., USN1 Apr 194310 Mar 1944
4T/Capt. Elwood Morse Tillson, USN10 Mar 194423 Jun 1945
5T/Capt. William Langfitt Freseman, USN23 Jun 194524 Sep 1945

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Notable events involving Omaha include:


18 Jul 1942

Convoy WS 21P.

This convoy was assembled off Oversay on 18 July 1942.

The convoy was made up of the following troop transports;
Duchess of Atholl (British, 20119 GRT, built 1928), Duchess of York (British, 20021 GRT, built 1929), Empress of Japan (British, 26032 GRT, built 1930), Oronsay (British, 20043 GRT, built 1925) and Windsor Castle (British, 19141 GRT, built 1922).

On assembly of Oversay the convoy was escorted by the light cruiser HMS Orion (Capt. G.C.P. Menzies, RN) and the destroyers HMAS Nepal (Cdr. F.B. Morris, RAN), HrMs Tjerk Hiddes (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Kruys, RNethN), HMS Buxton (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) W.A. Moens, RN) and HMS Georgetown (Lt.Cdr. P.G. MacIver, RNR).

Around 0800O/20, HMS Buxton parted company with the convoy.

Around 2300O/20, HMAS Nepal parted company to proceed to Ponta Delgada, Azores, to fuel. She rejoined the convoy around 0150O/22.

Around 0800O/22, HrMs Tjerk Hiddes parted company with the convoy to proceed to Ponta Delgada, Azores, to fuel. She rejoined the convoy around 0800O/23.

Around 0730Z/25, the destroyer HMS Vimy (Lt.Cdr. H.G.D. de Chair, RN) joined the convoy.

The convoy arrived at Freetown on 27 July 1942.

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The convoy departed Freetown in the same composition on 1 August 1942. It was now escorted by the light cruiser HMS Orion, destroyers HMAS Nepal, HrMs Tjerk Hiddes, HMS Boreas (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Jones, DSC, RN) and the minesweeper / sloop Commandant Duboc.

In the morning of 5 August 1942, the American convoy AS 4 joined the convoy. This convoy was made up of the following transports;
American Manufacturer (American, 6678 GRT, built 1941), Empire Oriole (British, 6535 GRT, built 1941), Exhibitor (American, 6736 GRT, built 1940), Hawaiian Shipper (American, 7775 GRT, built 1941), Mormacdale (American, 6976 GRT, built 1942), Santa Cruz (American, 6925 GRT, built 1941), Seatrain Texas (American, 8108 GRT, built 1940), Tarn (Norwegian, 6850 GRT, built 1933) and Zaandam (Dutch, 19141 GRT, built 1922).

On this convoy joining the American escort, made up of the light cruiser Omaha (Capt. T.E. Chandler, USN), AA cruiser Juneau (Capt. L.K. Swenson, USN) and the destroyers USS Somers (T/Cdr. A.C. Wood, USN) and USS Davis (T/Cdr. M.R. Peterson, USN) then parted company.

At 0900Z/6, HMAS Nepal and HrMs Tjerk Hiddes parted company with the convoy and joined the RFA tanker Rapidol (2648 GRT, built 1917) and her escort, the corvette HMS Snowdrop (Lt. P.A. Tinne, RNVR). The destroyers fuelled from the Rapidol in the early hours of 7 August 1942 when off St. Helena. They rejoined the convoy around 1900A/10.

HMS Boreas also parted company on 6 August 1942. She was also to fuel from the Rapidol.

The convoy arrived at Capetown on 12 August 1942.

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The convoy, now made up of the Duchess of Atholl, Duchess of York, Empire Oriole, Empress of Japan, Exhibitor, Hawaiian Shipper, Oronsay, Tarn, Windsor Castle and Zaandam departed Capetown on 16 August 1942.

The convoy was now escorted by the heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire (Capt. J.T. Borrett, OBE, RN) and the destroyer HMS Duncan (Capt. H.St.L. Nicolson, DSO, RN).

Around 1700BC/19, the light cruiser HMS Orion and the destroyers HMAS Nepal and HrMs Tjerk Hiddes joined the convoy. HMS Shropshire then parted company. HMS Duncan had already parted company with the convoy earlier in the day.

Around 1645C/24, HMAS Nepal and HrMs Tjerk Hiddes parted company with the convoy to proceed to Kilindini.

The convoy was dispersed off Aden on 29 August 1942. (1)

Sources

  1. ADM 199/1211

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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