USS Springfield CL66 CLG7 SSN761 USMC

2018 Reunion now Being Planned!!

It looks like early September in Buffalo NY, Site of the USS Little Rock CLG-4 Plan to Attend!!. .

Become a member of the USS Springfield Bluejackets and be sure to receive the latest news on the reunion and other happenings

Previous USS Springfield Bluejackets Reunion Cities where shipmates have enjoyed meeting and sharing a good meal, some fine wine, lots of reminishing and informative and interesting tours include:

1991 - Nashua, NH
1992 - Buffalo, NY
1993 - Trevose, PA
1994 - Danvers, MA
1995 - Norfolk, VA
1996 - Las Vegas, NV
1997 - Springfield, IL
1998 - Charleston, SC
1999 - Annapolis, MD
2000 - Jacksonville, FL
2001 - Philadelphia, PA
2002 - Nashville, TN
2003 - Cromwell, CT
2004 - St Louis, MO
2005 - Branson, MO
2006 - none
2007 - Newport News, VA
2008 - None
2009 - Washington DC
2010 - Savannah, GA
2011 - San Antonio, TX
2012 - Mobile, AL
2013 - Boston, MA
2014 - San Diego, CA
2015 - Charleston, SC
2016 - Portland, ME

2017 - Memphis, TN

Souvenir Book – The U.S. Sixth Fleet Returns To Villefranche-sur-Mer

Click on the link below or on the book cover to look through the pages of this magnificent work:

SOUVENIR BOOK

This book, which can be leafed through, like a family photo album, records the 2017 ceremonies of the 50^th anniversary of the Sixth Fleet leaving Villefranche-sur-Mer.

First of all, it includes forewords by the Commander of the Sixth Fleet VADM Christopher W. Grady, Port Admiral VAE Charles-Henri de la Faverie du Ché and the Mayor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Prof. Christophe Trojani.

You will find great photos of the various events in it: the project produced by the children of Villefranche school, the anchor saved from the waters by the team of Anao, the exhibitions, and of course the ceremonies… A book of testimony of which you will not weary, a book to pass on to tell this unparalleled story.

To order your copy, follow instructions below:

EUROPE: 28€ (plus post and packing) at us6fleet.vsm@gmail.com
USA: 40 US $ (from USA to USA, including post and packing) at BProbst@jfcsboston.org or on the USS Springfield organization’s website http://ussspringfieldorg.ipage.com/store/page3.html
OTHER COUNTRIES: please contact us at us6fleet.vsm@gmail.com

Format A4 – 128 pages – Paperback – bilingual French/English – LIMITED EDITION

By ussixthfleet| 27 October 2017|Boutique, Commemoration, News, Tribute

USS Springfield (CL-66/CLG-7/CG-7) was one of 27 Cleveland-class light cruisers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the third US Navy ship to be named after Springfield, Illinois. Commissioned in 1944, she served briefly in the Atlantic before transferring to the Pacific. There she served with fast carrier task forces, primarily in an anti-aircraft role, but also in a shore bombardment role in the last stages of the Pacific War. She earned two battle stars for wartime service. Like all but one of her sister ships, she was decommissioned and laid up soon after the end of World War II.

In the late 1950s she was one of three Cleveland-class ships to be converted into Providence-class guided missile cruisers. As part of this conversion, she

was modified to become a flagship, which involved expanding her forward superstructure and removing most of her forward armament. She was recommissioned in 1960 as CLG-7 (later redesignated as CG-7). In her second career, she served entirely in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. She was decommissioned for the final time in 1974 and was scrapped shortly thereafter.

General characteristics (before 1960)
Class & type: Cleveland-class cruiser
Displacement: 10,000 long tons (10,160 t)
Length: 610 ft 1 in (185.95 m)
Beam: 66 ft 3 in (20.19 m)
Draft: 24 ft 7 in (7.49 m)
Propulsion: Geared turbines, 100,000 hp (74,570 kW), 4 shafts
Speed: 31.6 knots (58.5 km/h; 36.4 mph)
Complement: 1319 officers and enlisted
Armament: * 12 x 6 in (150 mm) guns in 4 x Mark 16 turrets
* 12 x 5 in (130 mm) guns
* 28 x 40 mm guns

USS Springfield (SSN-761), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to bear that name. The ship was named in honor of both the cities of Springfield, Illinois and Springfield,

Massachusetts.
The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 21 March 1986, and her keel was laid on 29 January 1990. She was launched on 4 January 1992 sponsored by the Honorable Lynn Martin, and commissioned on 9 January 1993 with Commander Richard K. Ford in command. Springfield is homeported at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton and is assigned to Submarine Squadron FOUR.

General characteristics
Class & type: Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement: 6,000 long tons (6,096 t)
light 6,927 long tons (7,038 t) full 927
long tons (942 t) d
ead Length: 110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Propulsion: S6G nuclear reactor
Speed: Surfaced:20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Submerged: +20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) (official)
Complement: 12 officers, 98 men
Armament: 4 x 21 in (533 mm) bow tubes, 10 Mk48 ADCAP torpedo reloads, Tomahawk land attack missile block 3 SLCM range 1,700 nautical miles (3,100 km), Harpoon anti-surface ship missile range 70 nautical miles (130 km), mine laying Mk67 mobile Mk60 captor mines

Diary of William Norman Smith during his time on the USS Springfield 1945
Jan 9, 1945 Tuesday left home at 0430 in the morning to go back to the ship
Jan 10, 1945 Left Boston bound for Norfolk
Jan 11 to Jan 14, 1945 at sea
Jan 15, 1945 Arrived at Norfolk, Va
Jan 16 – 17, 1945 Liberty in Norfolk, Va
Jan 18 – 22, 1945 Duty
Jan 23, 1945 Left Norfolk to escort President to Europe. USS Quincy flagship
Jan 24 – 27, 1945 at sea
Jan 28, 1945 Refueled and left President off Azores
Jan 29 -31, 1945 at sea
Febuary 1, 1945 First G.Q. 10:30pm three surface craft showed up on our radar
Feb 2 – 4, 1945 at sea
Feb 5, 1945 Arrived at and passed through Panama Canal. Had Liberty in Balboa
Feb 6, 1945 Left Panama
Feb 7 – 15, 1945 at sea
Feb 16, 1945 Arrived at Pearl Harbor
Feb 17, 1945 Liberty in Honolulu
Feb 18, 1945 Left Pearl Harbor
Feb 19 -20, 1945 at sea
Feb 21, 1945 Returned to Pearl Harbor
Feb 22, 1945 in port
Feb 23, 1945 Left Pearl Harbor
Feb 25 – Mar 1, 1945 at sea
March 2, 1945 Arrived at Eniwetok refueled and left
March 3 – 5, 1945 at sea
March 6, 1945 Arrived at Ulithi. Fleets massed Admiral J. Carey Jones came aboard. We are now in Cruiser Div. 17 Task Force 58.
March 7 – 8, 1945 Ulithi G.Q. Jap bogeys sighted
March 9 - 10, 1945 Quiet
March 11, 1945 G.Q. Jap bogeys. Carrier U.S.S. Randolf hit on fan tail 28 killed.
March 12, 1945 G.Q. air alert Jap bogeys
March 13, 1945 quiet
March 14, 1945 Left Ulithi
March 15 – 17, 1945 at sea
March 18, 1945 G.Q. Task Force hit at Kyiashie Kucie + Kobie on Jap mainland. We got our first enemy plane at 1:25pm
March 19 -20, 1945 Still at G.Q.
March 21, 1945 Secured from G.Q. in the morning. Damage to our ships, Franklin was hit bad enough to go back, Wasp, Enterprise, Hancock, and 1 destroyer slightly damaged.
March 22, 1945 Refueled at sea
March 23, 1945 Began second raid on Ayushir Island, Okinawa is target
March 24, 1945 at sea quiet
March 25, 1945 Began third raid on Ayushir
March 26 - 27, 1945 Quiet
March 28, 1945 Refueled + bombarded island near Okinawa
March 29, 1945 Air alert about 4 times today Jap bogeys. Also my birthday!
March 30 - 31, 1945 Quiet at sea
April 1, 1945 Invasion of Okinawa, troops land at 0830
April 2, 1945 Refueled, heavy seas
April 3, 1945 Two air alerts 4 Japs shot down
April 4, 1945 Quiet rough seas
April 5, 1945 Refueled loaded stores. Quiet
April 6, 1945 G.Q. attacked by Jap planes. 107 Japs shot down
April 7, 1945 Our task forces attack Jap warships, 4 air alerts. Japs lose 1 battleship, 2 cruisers 3 destroyers. 3 ships got away.
April 8, 1945 Two air alerts
April 9, 1945 Refueled
April 10, 1945 Quiet
April 11, 1945 Six air alerts. Springfield gets 3 Jap planes
April 12, 1945 Eleven air alerts, not much sleep
April 13, 1945 Quiet
April 14, 1945 Refueled loaded stores and ammo
April 15, 1945 Four G.Q.’s 7 air alerts
April 16, 1945 Six G.Q.’s 13 air alerts
April 17, 1945 Six G.Q.’s 12 air alerts
April 18, 1945 Refueled stores and ammo
April 19, 1945 Quiet
April 20, 1945 Two air alerts
April 21, 1945 Two G.Q.s also Roosevelt died.
April 22, 1945 Two air alerts
April 23, 1945 Refueled
April 24, 1945 Quiet
April 25, 1945 One air alert
April 26, 1945 Quiet
April 27, 1945 Refueled + loaded stores and ammo
April 28, 1945 One air alert
April 29, 1945 Two air alerts
April 30, 1945 Four air alerts
May 1, 1945 Refueled stores and ammo
May 2, 1945 Quiet
May 3, 1945 One air alert
May 4, 1945 Two air alerts
May 5, 1945 One air alert
May 6, 1945 Refueled stores and ammo
May 7, 1945 One air alert
May 8, 1945 No air alerts, got word Germany has surrendered
May 9, 1945 Quiet
May 10, 1945 Refueled stores (fresh) bombarded Mannidartosima
May 11, 1945 Air alert. Bunker Hill hit. Guys floated by some dead, others held on to anything they could.
May 12, 1945 Quiet
May 13, 1945 Three air alerts
May 14, 1945 Four air alerts
May 15, 1945 Change of Captain, refueled + reloaded stores and ammo
May 16, 1945 Stores and ammo
May 17 – 18, 1945 at sea
May 19, 1945 Refueled, loaded stores
May 20, 1945 One air alert
May 21 – 22, 1945 at sea quiet
May 23, 1945 Refueled and stores
May 24, 1945 One air alert
May 25, 1945 One air alert
May 26, 1945 Quiet, went on water ration for a few days, evaporation broke
May 27, 1945 Refueled all quiet
May 28, 1945 Joined Admiral Halsey’s 3rd fleet
May 29, 1945 Bound for Leyte
May 30, 1945 Got another shot (Cholera)
June 1, 1945 See land for the first time in two and a half months, except for outline of island we shelled
June 2, 1945 Duty
June 3, 1945 Went on recreation party
June 4, 1945 Duty, work all day
June 5, 1945 Beer party
June 6 - 18, 1945 Duty work all day
June 19, 1945 Went to Takloban, Leyte to see if I could find where Walter is he is on the island somewhere nearby
June 20-23, 1945 at sea
June 24, 1945 Back to port
June 25, 1945 Duty in port
June 26, 1945 Beer party
June 27-30, 1945 Duty in port
July 1, 1945 Under way again, thank God
July 2 - 8, 1945 at sea
July 9, 1945 at sea quiet
July 10, 1945 Lots of things happened today, main thing we raided Tokyo
July 11, 1945 at sea, 75 miles off Tokyo
July 12, 1945 at sea, refueled all, returned out, also we have been reported sunk by the Japs
July 13, 1945 Heavy seas, getting cold as hell. We are supposed to raid Hokkeido.
July 14, 1945 G.Q. at 0430 lots of things happened today
July 15, 1945 G.Q. today we were within 2 miles of Japan
July 16, 1945 Refueled
July 17, 1945 Planes make 7 strikes today, quiet other than that
July 18, 1945 Quiet heavy seas
July 19, 1945 Quiet heavy seas. Cans exploding floating mines
July 20, 1945 Refueled
July 21, 1945 Went alongside stores ship. Damn dull so far on this trip
July 22, 1945 Loading ammo, mail also 16 letters
July 23, 1945 Heading for Japan again in 35.3
July 24, 1945 Quiet
July 25, 1945 We raid radio station and air stations at Kushimoto
July 26, 1945 Refueled, a lot of mines
July 27, 1945 Quiet, rough seas
July 28, 1945 Planes raid Kurile, two planes cracked up on the carriers seen a lot of that since I’ve been out here
July 29, 1945 No strikes today 70 miles off Honshu
July 30, 1945 Two air alerts no strikes today
July 31, 1945 Quiet, refueled
Aug. 1, 1945 Quiet not much going on
Aug 2 - 5, 1945 Quiet still rough seas
Aug 6, 1945 Quiet but getting colder
Aug 7, 1945 Refueled
Aug 8, 1945 Quiet, Broke off the rest of the group to close on Jap ships
Aug 9, 1945 Four air alerts, one tin can hit
Aug 10 - 11, 1945 Quiet not much doing
Aug 12, 1945 still quiet
Aug 13, 1945 One hundred forty mile off Tokyo nothing doing
Aug 14, 1945 Refueled nothing doing
Aug 15, 1945 Same old story
Aug 16, 1945 Quiet in with the rest of the 8th fleet
Aug 17, 1945 Pay day quiet
Aug 18, 1945 Refueled, new exec came aboard
Aug 19, 1945 Nothing much today, other ships took on food and ammo
Aug 20, 1945 Took on ammo and stayed around in the same places talk we are going into Tokyo tomorrow
Aug 21, 1945 Nothing today just going around in circles, main thing waiting for all ships to take on food
Aug 22, 1945 Some place took on ammo also for the first time in 51 days we took on food. We also got mail for the first time in over a month. 103 bags so far more coming
Aug 23, 1945 Quiet nothing doing. We got 12 more bags of mail also new men and six new officers. Outside of that same old story each day.
Aug 24, 1945 Quiet nothing doing we are on our way to Tokyo.
Aug, 25 1945 Still same old story on way to Tokyo supposed to get there tomorrow morning
Aug 26, 1945 Seeing how the war is over I am stopping my diary Number of days at sea for each month
Jan 12 days spent at sea
Feb 21 days spent at sea
March 25 days spent at sea
April 30 days spent at sea
May 31 days spent at sea
June 4 days spent at sea
July 31 days spent at sea
Aug 26 days spent at sea
Sept 30 days spent at sea
Oct 8 days spent at sea
Nov 12 days spent at sea
Dec 16 days at sea
July 1st Up to this date I have spent 123 days at sea and 58 near land or on liberty and in port. Not too bad for the first half of the year.
Sept 29 Went on liberty in Tokyo today, one place I always wanted to go now all I have to do is go to Hong Kong, China
Nov 22 Went on liberty in China today. I am now ready to go back to the States.
Places I have been:
Boston, Aysishie Island, Okinawa, Honshui, Kucie + Kobie, Honolulu, Kyushie, Norfolk, Va, Azores, Portugal, Panama, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Entiwotok, Lamar, San Antonio, Phillipines, Sicgra Bay, Kogota, Mt. Fuijinumaju, Leyte, Norfolk, Va, Ulithi, Wakoyama, Tokyo, Japan, Sasebo
Ships I have seen hit and damaged:
USS Randolf (Bad) March 11, 1945
USS Franklin (Very bad) March 19, 1945
USS Wasp (Slightly) March 19, 1945
USS Hancock (Slightly) March 20, 1945
USS Enterprise (Slightly) March 20, 1945
USS Essex (Slightly) April 14, 1945
USS Bunker Hill (Very bad) May 10, 1945
USS Enterprise (very bad) May 17, 1945
A lot of destroyers and CVL plus one hospital ship
Things that happened on the USS Springfield while in the Pacific:
April 17 Seven men were hit on the quarter deck. They were all in a repair party. All received the Purple Heart.
May 14, 1945 Captain Johnston was sent back to the States. New Captain Tom Kelly
May 31, 1945 Have spent 80 days at sea without going into a port up to this date.
June 21, 1945 Entered the port of Leyte
June 5, 1945 Bob Zine got shot in the foot in a beer party. S.P. trouble
July 1, 1945 left Leyte for another operations against the Japs.
July 8, 1945 One officer went crazy and jumped over board in the night. Was picked up by a tin can.
July 10, 1945 We made a raid on Tojo
July 14, 1945 We took part in a raid on Yosnshuo and Northern part of Japan
July 25, 1945 We were within 2 miles of the coast of Japan bombardment of radio stations and air systems
Aug. 24, 1945 Up to his day we have been to sea 51 days and taken on food once. We are eating rice and beans.
Sept 3, 1945 Today we entered the bay of Tokyo quite a few ships here.
Sept 29, 1945 I went on liberty in Tokyo today. The place is all blown to hell. Girls are good looking but funny in a way.
Sept 30, 1945 One man from our ship was on a Jap barge when it blew up he was hurt very bad. TC 1/C
Oct 14, 1945 Today we became the flagship of Task Force B. We now have Vice Admiral Oldendoy on board.
Oct 16, 1945 We were told today we were going back to the States Dec. 25 for sure, maybe sooner.
Oct 20, 1945 We pulled into Sasabo near where the first Atomic bomb was dropped. Everything is all blown to hell.
Nov 22, 1945 We pulled into Tsengtao, China today. We are going to be a Flagship. This place here is nice.
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USS Springfield Bluejackets, Inc

Officers