USS Manchester (CL-83)

USS Manchester (CL-83): Korea's Nine-Star Cruiser

Commissioned on 29 October 1946, more than a year after World War II ended, USS Manchester was a Cleveland-class light cruiser that never fired her guns in anger in the Pacific campaign. But when the Korean War broke out in June 1950 and the United States committed naval forces to the peninsula, Manchester was there, and she spent the Korean War doing what cruisers do best: providing precision naval gunfire support for ground forces and contributing to the naval blockade that strangled North Korean supply lines.

Manchester earned nine battle stars for Korean War service, one of the highest totals of any ship in that conflict. The Korean War naval campaign is less remembered than the dramatic ground battles of the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, and the Chosin Reservoir, but naval gunfire support was critical throughout. Cruisers like Manchester provided firepower that the Korean terrain made difficult to deliver by other means, suppressing North Korean artillery, hitting supply routes, and supporting amphibious operations including the pivotal Inchon landing in September 1950.

Manchester participated in the Inchon operation, General MacArthur's daring amphibious envelopment that cut North Korean supply lines and reversed the entire strategic situation on the peninsula. Her 6-inch guns contributed to the naval gunfire that prepared the beaches and supported the Marines who went ashore. The Inchon landing is considered one of the most brilliantly executed amphibious operations in military history, and Manchester was part of it.

Nine battle stars for a war that the United States has often called "The Forgotten War." Manchester and her crew deserve to be remembered for what they gave in Korea. Tactically Acquired's USS Manchester (CL-83) collection honors the men who served aboard her through nine engagements on the Korean peninsula.