USS Worcester (CL-144)
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USS ''Worcester'' (CL-144) was a
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
in the
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 ...
and was the third ship to carry that name, honoring the city of
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
. ''Worcester'' was the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...
of the ''Worcester''-class of
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
s. She was launched just after the close of
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 ...
and commissioned in 1948. She was decommissioned in 1958.


Description and design

The ''Worcester'' combined
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
manoeuvrability with
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 ...
size, with a
main battery A main battery is the primary weapon or group of weapons around which a warship is designed. As such, a main battery was historically a naval gun or group of guns used in volleys, as in the broadsides of cannon on a ship of the line. Later, th ...
that could engage both surface targets and aircraft. The design was largely considered a failure, due to the main armament of twin automatic guns achieving fire rates of 9-10 rpm which was lower than the similar design of automatic guns on . In addition, the fire control fitted to ''Worcester'' was optimized for
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
fire rather than surface action or
naval gunfire support Naval gunfire support (NGFS), also known as naval surface fire support (NSFS), or shore bombardment, is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of seve ...
.


Construction and career

''Worcester'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
on 29 January 1945 at
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 ...
, by the New York Shipbuilding and Dry dock Corp, and launched on 4 February 1947. Sponsored by Gloria Ann Sullivan, the daughter of Mayor Charles F. Sullivan of
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
, she was commissioned at the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...
on 26 June 1948. ''Worcester was'' assigned to Cruiser Division 10. She spent the first year of her commissioned service completing her fitting out, conducting shakedown testing, undergoing availability and type training off the eastern seaboard of the United States. In the summer of 1949, she participated in her first large-scale training exercises in Guantanamo Bay and visited
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...
. Later that summer, she sailed for the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, departing
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...
, on 6 September and reaching
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
10 days later. She made her first deployment with the 6th Fleet in the ensuing months, visiting
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
;
Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...
, Tunisia;
Golfe-Juan Golfe-Juan (; ) is a seaside resort on France's Côte d'Azur. The distinct local character of Golfe-Juan is indicated by the existence of a demonym, "Golfe-Juanais", which is applied to its inhabitants. Overview Golfe-Juan belongs to the commu ...
, France;
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and
Phaleron Bay Phalerum or Phaleron ( ' ; ''()'', ) was a port of Ancient Athens, 5 km southwest of the Acropolis of Athens, on a bay of the Saronic Gulf. The bay is also referred to as "Bay of Phalerum" ( '').'' The area of Phalerum is now occupied by ...
, Greece;
İskenderun İskenderun (), historically known as Alexandretta (, ) and Scanderoon, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is 247 km2, and its population is 251,682 (2022). It is on the Mediterranean coas ...
, Turkey;
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
and
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, Italy; and
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
. During her 6th Fleet deployment, she engaged in exercises and manoeuvres with
fast carrier Fast or FAST may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Fast" (Juice Wrld song), 2019 * "Fast" (Luke Bryan song), 2016 * "Fast" (Sueco song), 2019 * "Fast" (GloToven song), 2019 * ''Fast'', an album by Custom, 2002 * ''Fast'', a 2010 short film ...
task forces, including the carrier and the
heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...
. She returned to
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
on 10 December. ''Worcester'' operated off the eastern seaboard, ranging from Newport to Norfolk and south to
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, with visits in between to
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 ...
, before she began her second 6th Fleet deployment in the spring of 1950. She departed Norfolk on 3 May, arrived at
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
on 13 May, and entered the Mediterranean soon thereafter. In between her cycles of drills and exercises in the Mediterranean, ''Worcester'' visited
Augusta, Sicily Augusta (, archaically ''Agosta''; ; Ancient Greek, Greek and , Medieval: ''Augusta'') is a town and in the province of Syracuse, Italy, Syracuse, located on the eastern coast of Sicily (southern Italy). The city is one of the main harbours in ...
;
Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...
;
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
and
La Spezia, Italy La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...
; and Golfe Juan, on the southern coast of France, before she was put into Phaleron Bay on 20 July. She was there only for a week before she received orders to sail for the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
. While the light cruiser and her consorts had been operating in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, war had broken out in
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
on 25 June. Accordingly, ''Worcester'' departed Phaleron Bay on 27 July, in company with Destroyer Division 21 composed of , , , and . Reaching
Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...
, Egypt, on the morning of 29 July, ''Worcester'' transited the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
that afternoon. Reaching
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
for provisions and fuel, ''Worcester'' and her escorts tarried there from 7 August to 9 August before pushing on towards the
Malacca Strait The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
. They then proceeded through the
Bashi Channel The Bashi Channel () is a waterway between Mavulis Island of the Batanes Islands, Philippines and Orchid Island of Taiwan. It is a part of the Luzon Strait, with the Pacific Ocean to the east, and is between the East China Sea and the South Chin ...
to
Buckner Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Okinawa Island on the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The bay covers and ranges between to deep. The bay is surrounded by the municipalities of Uruma, Kitanakagusuku, Nakagusuku, Nishihara, Yonabaru, Nanjō, all ...
,
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
, where they arrived on 19 August. En route, the American warships had been diverted through the Bashi Channel to be available to counter any invasion attempt by the communist Chinese of
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 ...
. After fuelling from , ''Worcester'' departed Buckner Bay on 20 August and set a course for
Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...
, Formosa, to join the Formosa Patrol. Joining that force on 21 August, ''Worcester'' remained at anchor at Keelung from 22 through 26 August. She got underway the following day to add her anti-aircraft defense to the screen of Task Force (TF) 77—the fast carrier task force consisting of and , then operating in the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...
off the coast of Korea. On 28 August, the light cruiser—steaming in company with ''Norris''—joined TF 77 and proceeded into the Yellow Sea for operations against enemy targets located in central and southwestern Korea. Each day in the ensuing days, the carriers launched their strikes against North Korean ground targets while the screen provided protection in case of any attempts by the North Korean air forces to interrupt the operation. ''Worcester''s helicopter also performed plane-guard duty, standing by in the air to rescue any ditched pilots from the waters nearby. On 4 September, ''Worcester''s
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
picked up an unidentified contact at 13:31. The combat air patrol—four
Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Vought, Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production con ...
s from ''Valley Forge''—soon reported the stranger as being a twin-engine
bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
with a pointed nose, a single tail fin, and high inverted gull wings. It also bore red star markings. At 19:45, the F4Us vectored to the "bogey" by and shot down the plane 49 miles away. The following day, ''Worcester'' went to
general quarters General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a navy, naval warship to signal that all hands (everyone available) aboard a ship must go to battle stations (the positions they are to assume when the ves ...
at 11:08 and commenced manoeuvring at to avoid possible attack when her radar picked up an unidentified plane closing the formation from the east. Three minutes later, the cruiser fired a warning shot of three rounds of 6-inch projectiles in the direction of the intruder—it turned out to be a British
Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of ...
flying boat on patrol. At 21:43, ''Worcester'' secured from battle stations and resumed her cruising with TF 77. There was one more day of flight operations off the Korean coast, 6 September, before ''Worcester'' transferred her helicopter to ''
Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a List of seas#Marginal seas by ocean, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean east of the list of islands of the Philippines, Philippine Archipelago (hence the name) and the List of seas#Largest seas ...
'' to clear the ship for a practice anti-aircraft firing. The cruiser later recovered the helicopter before heading for
Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...
, Japan, for replenishment of fuel, ammunition, stores, and provisions. ''Worcester'' remained at Sasebo from 7 to 10 September and got underway at 05:32 on 11 September, again with TF 77, and proceeded to the operation area in the Yellow Sea to support a large-scale amphibious assault by
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
(UN) forces against enemy forces in the
Inchon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
and
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
areas of Korea. ''Worcester'' subsequently supported the
Inchon landing The Battle of Inchon (), also called Inchon landing, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved some ...
— an attack aimed at outflanking the North Korean invaders by a strategic landing behind their lines in South Korea masterminded by General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...
. ''Worcester'' screened the fast carrier task forces as their planes dropped lethal loads on North Korean targets ashore until she was detached on 20 September to conduct a shore bombardment mission as part of TG 95.2 in the vicinity of
Pohang Dong Pohang (; ), formerly spelled Po-Hang, is the largest city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, with a population of 499,363 as of 2022, bordering the East Sea to the east, Yeongcheon to the west, Gyeongju to the south, and Cheongsong a ...
. Proceeding to the objective via the straits north of the Quelpart Islands and west of Tsushima, the light cruiser rendezvoused with three miles off the east coast of Korea and 12 miles north of Pohang Dong. Over the following days, ''Worcester'' patrolled off the coast with TG 95.2. She relieved ''Helena'' in her fire support duties at 06:00 on 24 September, freeing the heavy cruiser to proceed to Sasebo. While her own helicopter was aloft providing anti-submarine screening, ''Worcester'' commenced firing at 08:05, shelling nine North Korean troop concentrations ashore. Directed by
Korean Military Advisory Group The Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG) (officially United States Military Advisory Group to the Republic of Korea) was a United States military unit of the Korean War. It helped to train and provide logistic support for the Republic of Korea A ...
(KMAG) personnel ashore, ''Worcester'' delivered call-fire throughout the day with pinpoint accuracy at troop concentrations and command posts. Relieved by as fire support ship, ''Worcester'' patrolled in company with to seaward of the fire support area for the night. ''Worcester'' returned the following day and resumed her fire support duties, harassing the retreating North Korean forces. Throughout 25 September, ''Worcester''—using KMAG spotting from shore—delivered fire support for the advancing UN forces, breaking up
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
troop concentrations with 6-inch fire. As the ship's war diary at one point recorded: "Spotter reported troops dispersed. KMAG reported that all firing has been very effective and instrumental in enemy retreat." ''Worcester'' spent the night hours on 25 September and into 26 September patrolling eight miles of a stretch of coast between Yonghae and Utchin. The rapid advance of the UN forces on 26 September obviated fire support from ''Worcester''s guns; but the cruiser received word that ''Brush'' had hit a naval mine off Tanchon, North Korea, at 12:20. While ''Samuel N. Moore'' took over the on-call fire support duties in the vicinity, ''Worcester'' sailed at and went to ''Brush''s aid. The cruiser found ''Brush'' down by the Bow (ship), bow with a 3-degree port list. There were five dead and 30 injured. At 01:01 on 27 September, ''Worcester'' commenced taking on board the more seriously wounded of the destroyer's company via highline transfer, eventually receiving 15 stretcher cases—all men suffering from burns—by 02:28. The cruiser then altered course for Japan and, later that day, took on board four more stretcher patients, six ambulatory patients, and a corpse. At that time, two hospital-men—who had been transferred from ''Worcester'' to ''Brush'' to tend the wounded on the destroyer—returned to the cruiser. Proceeding in company with the crippled ''Brush'', , and , ''Worcester'' headed for Sasebo and reached port on 29 September. As she was being made fast to her buoy in Sasebo harbor, ''Worcester'' received a message from the destroyer that she had aided: "With us you are not only big league but world champions. The kindness, consideration and eagerness to help ''Worcester's'' ship's company will never be forgotten by the ''Brush''." The stay in Sasebo, however, proved a short one for ''Worcester'', because she got underway on the 30th to return to Korean waters to resume her fire support and interdiction duties. At 06:00 on 1 October, ''Worcester'' joined the Blockade, blockading force off the east coast of Korea, south of the 41st parallel, ready to render gunfire support for UN troops advancing against North Korean forces. As she patrolled off the coast, ''Worcester'' launched her helicopter to conduct anti-submarine and anti-mine patrols and frequently stationed lookouts in the bows of the ship, their eyes peeled for mines. Periodically, the screening destroyers found and destroyed mines drifting nearby. ''Worcester''—having served as flagship for TG 95.2, Rear Admiral Charles C. Hartman embarked—arrived back at Sasebo for replenishment on 8 October and fueled there before disembarking Rear Admiral Hartman. While still at Sasebo, ''Worcester'' became a flagship again the next day when Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith, Commander, TF 95 came aboard. At 12:48 on 10 October, ''Worcester'' got underway to return to the east coast of Korea—this time to screen minesweeping operations at the port of Wonsan and to support the advance of the 3rd Republic of Korea (ROK) Army Division. Early on the next day, the British destroyer , the Australian destroyer , and the Canadian destroyer joined ''Worcester''s group which already included the British light cruiser HMS ''Ceylon'' and the heavy cruiser ''Helena'' besides the American warships , , and . On 12 October, the battleship joined. While ''Missouri''s helicopter searched the projected bombardment track for mines, the UN force formed up for battle. At 11:50, when a shell from an unobserved shore battery fell short of the group, it apparently signalled the beginning. ''Worcester'' hoisted the blue and white UN flag to the foretruck and commenced firing at exactly noon on 12 October. For almost the next 90-odd minutes, ''Worcester''s 6-inch guns hammered at iron works and railroad tunnels in the vicinity. The next day, she extended her target list to include railroad marshalling yards, tearing up sections of track and blasting rolling stock. Over the next few days, ''Worcester'' and the ships accompanying her proceeded to rain destruction on targets of opportunity near Wonsan—targets that ranged from railroad marshalling yards to rolling stock and adjacent warehouse areas. Also, on 16 October, ''Worcester'', ''Helena'', and accompanying destroyers fired at unidentified radar contacts—"blips" on the radar screens that approached from the northward. After returning to Sasebo, ''Worcester'' returned briefly to Wonsan to transfer mail, passengers, and her helicopter unit to Rochester on 21 October, before she sailed from Wonsan at 17:23 on that day, in company with ''Helena'' and screened by and . Joined later by , ''Worcester'' parted company with the others and, escorted only by ''Collett'', headed for Sasebo where, upon arrival, Rear Admiral Smith disembarked and shifted his flag to the destroyer tender . ''Worcester'' completed the transfer of helicopter personnel, spares, and equipment to Fleet Activities, Sasebo, and, at 17:01 on 23 October, headed for United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Yokosuka. She reached that port at 08:23 two days later. After replenishment, liberty for her crew, and the cleaning of two boilers, the light cruiser left the Far East on 27 October, bound for Pearl Harbor. The day after she sailed, ''Worcester'' received a dispatch from Admiral C. Turner Joy, Commander, Naval Forces, Far East, which said: "Upon the ''Worcester''s departure from the Far East I wish to extend a hearty 'well done' to the entire ship's company. Your rapid deployment from the European station to the Far East, followed by your immediate and most effective participation in the Korean effort, clearly demonstrates that your status of war readiness was excellent." Returning to Philadelphia on 21 November—via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal—''Worcester'' later spent six days at Norfolk, 23 to 29 November, before she was overhauled at the Boston Naval Shipyard from 1 December 1950 to 20 March 1951. After another brief period at Norfolk from 22 to 30 March, the light cruiser operated at Guantánamo Bay, Guantanamo Bay on refresher training for nearly a month before she headed back to Norfolk. Departing that port on 15 May, ''Worcester'' headed for the Mediterranean and her third deployment to the 6th Fleet. ''Worcester'' conducted four more 6th Fleet "Med" deployments into the mid-1950s and twice visited northern European ports. During that time, she participated in fleet manoeuvres and exercises and paid good-will calls on many ports—ranging from Bergen, Norway, Bergen, Norway; to Copenhagen, Denmark; to Dublin, Ireland; and Portsmouth, England. Between her foreign deployments were operations closer to home: local operations out of eastern seaboard ports like Boston and Norfolk. In addition, the ship also plied the warmer waters of the Caribbean and West Indies, ranging from Guantanamo Bay to Kingston, Jamaica. Transferred from the Atlantic to the Pacific Fleet in January 1956, Worcester made two more deployments to operate with the 7th Fleet, visiting such highly frequented ports as Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan; Hong Kong; Manila; as well as the Japanese ports of Hakodate, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Shimoda, Shizuoka, Shimoda, Yokohama, and Kobe. Returning each time to her home port at Long Beach, California, the ship conducted local operations between her cruises in Pacific waters.


Decommissioning

On 2 September 1958, ''Worcester'' departed Long Beach and steamed for the Mare Island Naval Shipyard to commence the inactivation process. She was Ship decommissioning, decommissioned at Mare Island on 19 December 1958 and simultaneously placed in Reserve fleet, reserve. ''Worcester'' was subsequently berthed at San Francisco and later, at Bremerton, Washington, before she was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1970. She was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, for disposal on 5 July 1972. The light cruiser, which never fought in its designated role, was subsequently Ship breaking, broken up for scrap. Approximately 200 tons of her armor plate was sent to the Fermilab, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, west of Chicago, and the armor is being used for absorption shielding in the particle accelerator and experiment lines. The bell of USS Worcester is on display at the first floor near back entrance of Worcester City Hall.


Gallery

File:USS Worcester (CL-144) at Venice in 1949.jpg, ''Worcester'' at
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, Italy in 1949 File:Aerial view of USS Worcester (CL-144) in May 1949.jpg, ''Worcester'' in May, 1949 File:USS Worcester (CL-144) testing her anti-nuclear radiation washdown system on 7 July 1954 (NH 97335).jpg, ''Worcester'' testing her anti-nuclear radiation wash down system on 7 July 1954


Awards

* Combat Action Ribbon * China Service Medal * Navy Occupation Medal, World War 2 Navy Occupation Medal with "Asia" and "Europe" clasps * National Defense Service Medal * Korean Service Medal with 2 awards * Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation * United Nations Korea Medal * Korean War Service Medal, Republic of Korea War Service Medal


References


Sources

*


External links


USS ''Worcester'' Association
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Worcester (CL-144) Worcester-class cruisers Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation 1947 ships Cold War cruisers of the United States Korean War cruisers of the United States