USS Birmingham (CL-62)

USS Birmingham (CL-62): Sacrificed to Save Princeton

Commissioned on 29 January 1943, USS Birmingham was a Cleveland-class light cruiser that fought through eight battle stars of Pacific combat, and suffered one of the most devastating accidental damage incidents of the war while attempting to save a stricken carrier at Leyte Gulf. Her story is one of courage and catastrophe in the same moment.

Birmingham participated in the Solomon Islands campaign and the opening Central Pacific operations through 1943 and 1944, building her combat record across the standard progression of Pacific battles. By October 1944, she was part of the massive force assembled for the Leyte Gulf campaign, the Philippines operation that would prove to be the decisive naval battle of the Pacific War.

On 24 October 1944, during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the light carrier USS Princeton was hit by a Japanese bomb that started fires and eventually reached her torpedo magazine. Princeton was burning and in danger of total destruction. Birmingham came alongside to fight the fires and rescue Princeton's crew, a compassionate act that nearly killed both ships.

At 1523, Princeton's torpedo magazine exploded. The explosion was massive and directed sideways, directly into Birmingham, which was alongside with crew members topside helping fight fires and rescue survivors. Hundreds of Birmingham's crew were on deck in the open. The explosion swept across Birmingham's exposed topside, killing 229 men instantly and wounding 420 more, one of the single largest combat casualties suffered by any American ship in a single moment without being sunk. Birmingham herself was seriously damaged.

Birmingham survived. She was repaired and returned to service, completing the Pacific War. But 229 of her crew never came home from the moment they were trying to save the Princeton. Eight battle stars and a date with catastrophe they didn't deserve. Tactically Acquired's USS Birmingham (CL-62) collection honors those 229 men and every sailor who served aboard her.