USS Duluth (CL-87)

USS Duluth (CL-87): The Great Lakes City Goes to Sea

Commissioned on 18 September 1944, USS Duluth was a Cleveland-class light cruiser named for Minnesota's Lake Superior port, a city that, despite its distance from any ocean, sent its name into Pacific combat aboard one of the Navy's most capable warship types. Two battle stars for the final year of Pacific operations mark her contribution to the war's conclusion.

Duluth entered the Pacific campaign as American forces were conducting the final drives against Japan. She participated in carrier task force operations in the Pacific in 1945, contributing to the naval campaign that was systematically destroying Japan's capacity to wage war. Her anti-aircraft batteries were in regular action as kamikaze attacks remained a constant threat, and her guns supported operations designed to accelerate Japan's decision to surrender.

The final year of the Pacific War was brutal in a different way from the desperate battles of 1942: American dominance was clear, but the Japanese fought with an intensity and willingness to die that made every engagement costly. Kamikaze attacks sank 36 American ships and damaged hundreds more during 1944-1945, and the anti-aircraft batteries of ships like Duluth were the primary defense against them.

Duluth completed her Pacific service before Japan's surrender and was decommissioned on 25 June 1949. Two battle stars represent participation in one of the most intensive naval campaigns in American history, during the war's most technologically sophisticated phase. Tactically Acquired's USS Duluth (CL-87) collection honors Minnesota's cruiser and the men who served aboard her through the Pacific War's final chapter.