USS San Diego Memorial

This memorial was erected in 2004 to recognize the USS San Diego (CL-53) which was commissioned in 1942 and earned 18 battle stars during its service in the Pacific theater during World War II, making it the second most decorated American ships of the war. The vessel served in many of the major naval battles in the Pacific theater and, on August 28th 1945, was the first Allied warship to sail into Tokyo Bay. While engaged in combat operations throughout the war, the San Diego was never severely damaged and none of its 756-man crew were killed in action.

Construction of the USS San Diego (CL-53) began on March 27, 1940 in Quincy, Massachusetts and took just over a year to complete. It was commissioned on January 10, 1942 and Captain Benjamin F. Perry was given command. The San Diego was one of eight Atlanta-class light cruisers, which were designed to be fast and armed with numerous anti-aircraft guns. When it was built, the San Diego featured 16, five-inch, 38-caliber guns; 16 Bofors 40mm guns; eight 20mm guns; eight torpedo tubes; and several depth charge tracks (the armament was modified by the end of the war).

The San Diego began its service in the Pacific on May 16th. Its first task was to escort the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the vessels just missed the Battle of Midway, which occurred on June 4-7. The San Diego next participated in the invasion of Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands which are located northeast of Australia. In November, it provided protection to the aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise during the fierce and decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 12-15. The campaign to take the island lasted until February. Over the next couple of years, the San Diego served in several campaigns including the attack on the Japanese base at Rabaul, the capture of the Tarawa (an atoll of the Gilbert Islands), the capture of Majuro and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, the First Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Battle of Okinawa. After entering Tokyo Bay in August 1945, it docked at Yokosuka Naval Base where it aided in the surrendering of the Japanese battleship the Nagato. In September it returned to San Francisco.

In all, the San Diego sailed more than 312,000 miles during its wartime service. It was decommissioned in November 1946 and sent to Bremerton, Washington where it appears to have remained until it officially struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1959 and sold for scrap in December 1960. Notably, the San Diego's bell is now on the USS San Diego (LPD-22).

"San Diego II (CL-53)." Naval History and Heritage Command. Accessed August 9, 2023. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/san-diego-ii.html.

"USS San Diego Memorial." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed August 9, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=52197.

"U.S.S. San Diego II (CL-53)." MacMullen Library & Research Archives. Accessed August 9, 2023. https://sdmaritime.org/library-and-research/library-and-archives/archives/u-s-s-san-diego-cl-53.