The fourth USS ''Princeton'' (CVL-23) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

light aircraft carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier smaller than the Fleet carrier, standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft onl ...

active in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She was launched in 1942 and lost at the

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...

in 1944.

Construction and deployment

The ship was laid down as the ''Tallahassee'' (CL-61) by the

New York Shipbuilding Corporation The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, 2 June 1941. She was reclassified as the Independence-class light aircraft carrier CV-23 on 16 February 1942, renamed ''Princeton'' 31 March 1942, launched 18 October 1942, sponsored by Margaret Dodds (wife of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

president Harold Dodds), and commissioned at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

25 February 1943, Capt. George R. Henderson in command. Following shakedown in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

, and reclassification to CVL-23 on 15 July 1943, ''Princeton'', with Air Group 23 embarked, got underway for the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. Arriving at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

9 August, she sortied with TF 11 on 25 August and headed for

Baker Island Baker Island, once known as New Nantucket in the early 19th century, is a small, uninhabited atoll located just north of the Equator in the central Pacific Ocean, approximately southwest of Honolulu. Positioned almost halfway between Hawaii a ...

. There she served as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

, TG 11.2 and provided air cover during the occupation of the island and the construction of an airfield there, 1–14 September. During that time her planes downed Japanese Emily reconnaissance planes and, more importantly, furnished the fleet with photographs of them. Completing that mission, ''Princeton'' rendezvoused with TF 15, conducted strikes against enemy installations on Makin and

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

where she joined to form TF 38 on 20 October. With that force, she sent her planes against airfields at Buka and Bonis on Bougainville (1–2 November) to diminish Japanese aerial resistance during the landings at

Empress Augusta Bay Empress Augusta Bay is a bay on the western side of the island of Bougainville Island, within the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in northeastern Papua New Guinea. It is a subsistence fishing area for the people of Bougainville. History ...

. On 5 and 11 November her planes along with those from ''Saratoga'' undertook a risky air raid to neutralize a squadron of Japanese heavy cruisers while

raiding Raiding may refer to: * The present participle of the verb Raid (disambiguation), which itself has several meanings * Raid (military) * Raid (video games), a group of video game players who join forces * Raiding, Austria, a town in Austria * Party ...

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

and on the 19th, with TF 50, helped neutralize the airfield at

Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...

. ''Princeton'' then steamed northeast, covered the garrison groups en route to Makin and Tarawa and, after exchanging operational aircraft for damaged planes from other carriers, got underway for Pearl Harbor and the west coast. On 3 January 1944, ''Princeton'' steamed west again for Pearl Harbor, where she rejoined the fast carriers of TF 50, now designated TF 58. On 19 January, she sortied with TG 58.4 for strikes at Wotje and Taroa (29–31 January) to support amphibious operations against Kwajalein and

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

. Her planes photographed the next assault target,

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...

, 2 February and on 3 February returned on a more destructive assignment – the demolition of the airfield on Engebi. For three days the atoll was bombed and strafed. On 7 February, ''Princeton'' retired to Kwajalein, and the same day William H. Buracker took command. ''Princeton'' returned to Eniwetok on 10–13 and 16–28 February, when her planes softened the beaches for the invasion force, then provided air cover during the assault and ensuing fight. From Eniwetok, ''Princeton'' retired to Majuro, thence to Espiritu Santo for replenishment. On 23 March, she got underway for strikes against enemy installation and shipping in the Carolines. After striking the

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

s, Woleai and

Yap Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...

, the force replenished at Majuro and sortied again 13 April. Steaming to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

, the carriers provided air cover for the Hollandia operation (21–29 April), then crossed back over the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...

to raid Truk (29–30 April) and Ponape (1 May). On 11 May, ''Princeton'' returned to Pearl Harbor only to depart again on 29 May for Majuro. There she rejoined the fast carriers and pointed her bow toward the

Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...

to support the assault on

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

. From 11 to 18 June, she sent her planes against targets on

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

, Rota,

Tinian Tinian () is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the four constituent municipalities of the Northern ...

Pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

, and Saipan, then steamed west to intercept a Japanese fleet reported to be en route from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

to the Marianas. In the ensuing

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...

, ''Princeton'' planes contributed 30 kills and her guns another three, plus one assist, to the devastating toll inflicted on Japan's naval air arm. Returning to the Marianas, ''Princeton'' again struck Pagan, Rota and Guam, then replenished at Eniwetok. On 14 July, she got underway again as the fast carriers returned their squadrons to the Marianas to furnish air cover for the assault and occupation of Guam and Tinian. On 2 August, the force returned to Eniwetok, replenished, then sailed for the Philippines. En route, her planes raided the Palaus, then on 9–10 September, struck airfields on northern

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

. On 11 September, they pounded the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

. At mid-month the force moved back over the Pacific chessboard to support the Palau offensive, then returned to the Philippines to hit

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, concentrating on Clark and Nichols fields. The force then retired to

Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...

, and in early October, bombed and strafed enemy airfields, installations and shipping in the Nansei Shoto and

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...

area in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines.

Loss

USS Birmingham comes alongside the burning USS Princeton

On 20 October, landings were made at Dulag and San Pedro Bay,

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

. ''Princeton'', in Task Group 38.3, cruised off Luzon and sent her planes against airfields there to prevent Japanese land-based aircraft attacks on Allied ships massed in

Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf, also known simply as the Leyte, is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the ...

. On 24 October, however, the task group was found by enemy planes from Clark and Nichols fields. Shortly before 10:00 a.m. ''Princeton'' was attacked by a lone Yokosuka D4Y 'Judy'. The dive bomber dropped a single bomb, which struck the carrier between the elevators, punching through the wooden flight deck and hangar before exploding. Although structural damage was minor, a fire broke out and quickly spread owing to burning gasoline, causing further explosions. Cruisers and destroyers came alongside to render assistance. approached and attempted to fight the fire in the forward section of the hangar deck. The

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

, being the largest ship, took the lead role in fire fighting. During the operation, ''Princeton'' collided with and damaged the assisting ships. At 15:24, a second and larger explosion shook the ''Princeton'', possibly caused by an explosion of one or more bombs in the magazine. ''Birmingham'' suffered extensive damage to her superstructure and considerable casualties. ''Irwin'' was also damaged, but stayed close and launched boats to rescue survivors from the sea. ''Irwin'' rescued 646 crewmen from the ''Princeton''; the ship later received a

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

award for her actions. Efforts to save the carrier continued, but by 16:00, the fires were out of control. The remaining personnel were evacuated, and shortly after 17:06, ''Irwin'' commenced firing torpedoes at the burning hulk. However, ''Irwin'' abandoned this effort due to torpedo malfunctions (her

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s possibly damaged in the collision with ''Princeton'') that caused her torpedoes to circle back and almost hit her. , at 17:46, took over the task of

scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel ...

''Princeton''. Three minutes later, an even larger explosion occurred on ''Princeton'', destroying the entire forward section and sending flames and debris up to into the air. ''Princeton'' sank at approximately 17:50.

Aftermath

Casualties on ''Princeton'' herself were relatively light considering the intensity of her fires; 108 men (10 officers and 98 enlisted men) were lost, while 1,361 crewmen were rescued. ''Princetons Captain Buracker was later awarded the Purple Heart, Legion of Merit with the Combat "V", and the Navy Cross for his actions during the sinking. Casualties were much heavier aboard ''Birmingham'' which was devastated by secondary explosions aboard ''Princeton'' while fighting fires, with 241 killed and 412 wounded. Three other ships were more lightly damaged while assisting ''Princeton'': * : heavy topside damage, two 5 in., two 40 mm and two 20 mm guns lost. * : foremast lost, portside smashed * : forward 5 in. mounts and director out, starboard side smashed. * : one 40 mm smashed. Captain John M. Hoskins, who had been prospective commanding officer of CVL-23, was also rescued, but lost his right foot. He would later become the new commanding officer of the fifth , launched as a replacement in 1945. ''Birmingham''s commanding officer Thomas Inglis said "I should take the same actionproviding the same factors were involved and I had no crystal ball." By the end of 1945, he had been promoted to rear admiral and chief of Naval Intelligence. ''Birmingham'' earned a Navy Unit Commendation for her performance on 24 October 1944. According to a second hand account told by a ''Birmingham'' survivor, when the cruiser returned to port for repairs, the civilian workers brought in to clean up the ship before repairs allegedly refused to do the job due to the stench of rotting flesh, so naval enlisted men took over the job. Lt. Robert G. Bradley was posthumously awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his actions on ''Princeton'' on 24 October 1944. He was later the namesake of . ''Princeton''s executive officer Cdr. Joseph Nathaniel Murphy who assumed command was later awarded the Navy Cross for his tireless effort to save the ship and get the crew to safety.

Legacy

''Princeton'' earned nine battle stars during World War II. In November 2004, the

Princeton University Chapel The Princeton University Chapel is a Collegiate Gothic chapel located on that university's main campus in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It replaces an older chapel that burned down in 1920. Designed in 1921 by Ralph Adams Cram in his signa ...

rededicated a service flag that once flew on ''Princeton''.

References

External links

Navy photographs of ''Princeton'' (CVL-23)

at Nine Sisters Light Carrier Historical Documentary Project

a
HistoryNet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Princeton (CVL-23) 1942 ships Aircraft carriers sunk by aircraft Independence-class aircraft carriers Maritime incidents in October 1944 Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft World War II aircraft carriers of the United States World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean World War II shipwrecks in the Philippine Sea Ships sunk by aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf Naval magazine explosions Aircraft carrier fires