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NavSource Online: Cruiser Photo Archive

USS TRENTON (CL 11)



       

Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign: November - India - Sierra - Romeo

CLASS - OMAHA
Displacement 7,050 Tons, Dimensions, 555' 6" (oa) x 55' 4" x 20' (Max)
Armament 12 x 6"/53, 2 x 3"/50AA, 10 x 21" tt.
Armor, 3" Belt, 1 1/2" Deck, 1 1/2 Conning Tower.
Machinery, 90,000 SHP; Geared Turbines, 4 screws
Speed, 35 Knots, Crew 458.
Operational and Building Data
Keel laid on 18 AUG 1920 at William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, PA
Launched on 16 APR 1923
Commissioned 19 APR 1924
Powder explosion in Forward 6" Turret, 14 men killed 20 OCT 1924
Decommissioned 20 DEC 1945
Stricken 21 JAN 1946
Fate: Sold for scrap 29 DEC 1946 to Patapsco Scrap Co., Bethlehem, PA for the amount of $67,228.

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Combat Action Ribbon - Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal - American Defense Service Medal w/FLEET Clasp
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal


Click On Image
For Full Size Image
Size Image Description Contributed
By And/Or Copyright
Trenton 53k Undated, At anchor. USN
Trenton 86k Undated, Showing starboard mid-ships detail. USN
Trenton
0401122
131k

USS Trenton (CL 11) moored at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 7 May 1924, three weeks after being commissioned.

Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, George D. McDowell Collection.

Mike Green
Trenton
0401121
168k

The USS Trenton (CL 11) arriving and moored at the Washington Navy Yard on 29 September 1924. The ship had originally departed New York harbor on 24 May 1924 for her shakedown cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. On 14 August, while in she steamed in the Red Sea from Port Said, Egypt, to Aden, Arabia.Trenton was then ordered to Bushire, Persia, where she arrived on 25 August.

At Bushire, she took aboard the remains of Vice Consul Major Robert Imbrie who had been murdered on 23 July. Following stops at Suez and Port Said, Egypt, and at Villefranche, France, Trenton arrived at the Washington Navy Yard on 29 September 1924.

United States Library of Congress, Photo # LC-F81-32707

Mike Green
Trenton
0401124
151k Port side view of Trenton, Philadelphia, 21 October 1924. Michael Mohl
Trenton 92k

USS Trenton (CL 11) Photographed circa the mid-1920s.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 43751.

USNHC
Trenton 72k

USS Trenton (CL 11) in drydock, circa the mid-1920s. Photographed by Gustave Freret. Note that Trenton appears to have hydrophone fairings on both sides of her underwater hull, a short distance aft of the stem. Donation of Lieutenant Gustave Freret, USN (Retired), 1972.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 76226.

USNHC
Trenton 81k

USS Trenton (CL 11) Flagship of Commander Light Cruiser Divisions, Scouting Fleet, underway at sea in April 1927. She has the Assistant Secretary of the Navy on board. Collection of Lieutenant Oscar W. Levy, USN (Supply Corps)-Retired.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 94168.

USNHC
Trenton 109k

USS Trenton (CL 11) At anchor, possibly at San Diego, California, circa the middle 1930s. Donation of Franklin Moran, 1967.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 64632.

USNHC
Trenton 107k

USS Trenton (CL 11) Underway at sea, 23 October 1935.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 50251.

USNHC
Trenton 146k

USS Trenton (CL 11) In Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, circa 1939. Photographed by Tai Sing Loo. Trenton is carrying SOC floatplanes on her catapults. Donation of the Oregon Military Academy, Oregon National Guard, 1975.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 82489.

USNHC
Trenton
0401117
349k

Overhead port bow view of USS Trenton (CL 11) in the Gulf of Panama, 11 May 1943.

United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-44439

Mike Green
Trenton
0401118
200k

USS Trenton (CL 11) in the Gulf of Panama, 11 May 1943. Note depth charge racks on stern.

United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-44438

Mike Green
"Trenton
0401119
201k

USS Trenton (CL 11) in the Gulf of Panama, 11 May 1943. Stern view.

United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-44438

Mike Green
Trenton 90k

USS Trenton (CL 11) Underway in the Gulf of Panama, 11 May 1943.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives #19-N-44440.

National Archives
Trenton 102k

USS Trenton (CL 11) Underway off Bona Island in the Gulf of Panama, 11 May 1943.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives #19-N-44436.

National Archives
Concord
0401033
141k

Camouflage Measure 33, Design 2F (Starboard)

Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for light cruisers of the CL-4 (Omaha) class. This plan, approved by Captain Torvald A. Solberg, USN, is dated 3 June 1944. It shows the ship's port side. USS Concord (CL 10) and USS Trenton (CL 11) were painted in this scheme, though the colors used for the latter appear to have been the darker tones of Measure 32.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph #80-G-172992, now in the collections of the National Archives.

USN
Concord
0401034
170k

Camouflage Measure 33, Design 2F (Port)

Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for light cruisers of the CL-4 (Omaha) class. This plan, approved by Captain Torvald A. Solberg, USN, is dated 3 June 1944. It shows the ship's starboard side, superstructure ends and exposed decks. USS Concord (CL 10) and USS Trenton (CL 11) were painted in this scheme, though the colors used for the latter appear to have been the darker tones of Measure 32.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph #80-G-172991, now in the collections of the National Archives.

USN
Trenton 107k

USS Trenton (CL 11) Underway in the Gulf of Panama, 14 July 1944. She is wearing camouflage Measure 33, Design 2f.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives #19-N-68655.

National Archives
Trenton
0401123
181k Cropped and colorized version of previous photo highlighting the Measure 33, Design 2f camoflague. Yu Chu
Trenton
0401120
187k

Starboard quarter view of USS Trenton (CL 11) underway in the Gulf of Panama, 14 July 1944.

United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-68656

Mike Green
Trenton 103k

USS Trenton (CL 11) In San Francisco Bay, California, 11 August 1944. She is wearing camouflage Measure 33, Design 2f.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives #19-N-91697.

National Archives
Trenton 76K Starboard side view, taken by Joe Stafford from a whale boat while going ashore at Attu Island, Alaska, April 1945. In comparison to the next photo, this one was taken prior to 12 APR as the Ensign is not at half-mast.
Ric Hedman
Trenton 57k Starboard side view, Adak Harbor, 12 APR 1945. Note the Ensign at half-mast due to the death of President Roosevelt GM2 Harry Wilson, USN via Allan M. Wilson
Trenton
041116
318k

Broadside view of USS Trenton (CL 11) off Mare Island on 24 Aug 1945. She had been under repairs at the yard from 10 Aug to 24 Aug 1945.

U.S. Navy photo #6180-45

Darryl Baker
Detroit
014393
  Battleships in dry-dock; Tennessee (BB 43) & California (BB 44) taken between 8 May and 27 October 1946.
This photo comes from the U. S. Naval Institute and has an accompanying photocopy identifying all of the surrounding ships.
It does identify the two cruisers as Detroit (CL 8) (inboard) and Trenton (CL 11)(outboard). It also identifies two returned U.K. DEs: HMS Rupert (DE 96) outboard of Olympia (ex-C 6) (IX 40), and HMS Berry (DE 3) ahead of the cruisers, and visible in the California's photo (it's still wearing its British hull #--K312).
The Naval Institute photo was taken at a later date, as more of the "packaging" on the two battleships had been completed.
According to Tennessee's deck logs, she entered Drydock #5 with California on 8 May 1946.
South Dakota (BB 57) (mid-stern section visible at upper left of photo) subsequently entered Drydock #4--the 1946 "Navy Day" program from the shipyard indicates that this had taken place by 27th October of that year.

The four CLs that were scrapped in Drydock #4 at the Philadelphia NSY were: Omaha (CL 4), Cincinnati (CL 6), Raleigh (CL 7) and Marblehead (CL 12).
I have two documents from the 4th Naval District, and of course they give different completion dates for the scrapping of these ships. The first document (dated 1 Apr 46) indicates that scrapping was completed on 27 February of that year; the second document (also dated 1 April 46) gives the completion date as 10 March 1946.
(My notes also indicate that scrapping was completed at the yard on nine ex-destroyer types as of 29 March 46: Litchfield (DD 336), Pruitt (DD 347), Jouett (DD 396), Clark (DD 361), Balch (DD 363), Sampson (DD 394), Schley (DD 103), Stringham (DD 83) and Whipple (DD 217).

The remaining CLs; Detroit (CL 8), Trenton (CL 11), Richmond (CL 9), Concord (CL 10) and Memphis (CL 13) were all sold to the Patapsco Scrap Co. of Baltimore. The sales bid (B-76-47AV T) was opened on 6 Dec 46; the five ships were sold for $336,140 (or $67,228 each), and custody of the ships was transferred to Patapsco between 27 December 46 and 21 January 47.
Note also that the attached photo distinctly shows that both cruisers have all four funnels--I think it's an optical illusion that either of these had had any of them removed.

The "light colored objects" in front of the two cruisers might "possibly" be barbettes from the Illinois (BB 65). According to drawings in the 1945 "Gun Mount and Turret Catalog", these two items appear to be about the same diameter as the barbettes for the two BBs' Tennessee & California; 14"/50 triple gun turrets; inside diameter 31 feet, from the same source -- outside diameter would have been about 33 feet. The Illinois barbettes would have an inside diameter about 37 1/4 feet, outside diameter rather over 39 feet.

USN photo submitted by Joe Lewis, courtesy of U. S. Naval Institute. Majority text by Joe Lewis.
Chuck Haberlein contributed to the (BB-65) i.d. with text.

Commanding Officers
Name/Rank Class Final Rank Dates
Kalbfus, Edward Clifford (Dutch), CAPT   ADM 04/19/1924 - 06/10/1926
Taussig, Joseph Knefler, CAPT 1899 VADM 09/06/1926 - 10/07/1927
Doyle, Stafford Henry Rahall (Stiffy), CAPT     10/07/1927 - 07/08/1929
Freyer, Frank Barrons, CAPT     07/08/1929 - 06/27/1931
Newton, John Henry, CAPT   RADM 06/26/1931
Goss, Nelson Henry, CAPT     05/28/1933 - 12/05/1934
London, John Jackson, CAPT     12/05/1934 - 06/26/1936
Magruder, Cary Walthall, CAPT     06/26/1936 - 06/08/1937
Braisted, Frank Alfred, CAPT     06/08/1937 - 12/22\/1938
Barry, James Richard, CAPT     12/22/1938 -
Struble, Arthur Dewey, CAPT   ADM 01/02/1941 - 05/25/1942
Gregory, Joseph Wesley, CAPT     05/25/1942 - 1943
Coleman, William Bryan, CAPT     06/24/1944
Talbert, Joesph Truitt, CAPT     08/20/1945 - 12/20/1945

(List courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves - Photos courtesy of Bill Gonyo)


USS TRENTON (CL 11) History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry on the U.S. Navy Historical Center website.

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

Contact Name: Mr. Robert J Drew
Address: 614 S Washington Ave Union, MO, 63084-2125
Phone: None
E-mail: None


Note About Contacts.

The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.


Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Cruiser Pages By Andrew Toppan.
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Last updated on 11/15/2020