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Omaha, built in 1918, even looks older than most of the other WW2
ships shown here. Her four stacks, the heavy forward tripod mast, the
ungainly aft mast, casement guns, and the prominent lifeboats all give
her a distinctly Edwardian look.
Omaha (CL–4) was laid down 6 December 1918 by the Todd SB &
DD Co.,
Tacoma, Wash.; launched 14 December 1920; sponsored by Miss Louise
Bushnell White; and commissioned 24 February 1923, Capt. David C.
Hanrahan in command. (CL–4: dp. 7,050; l. 555’6”; b. 55’4”; dr. 20’10”;
s. 34.7 k.; cpl. 458; a. 12 6”, 4 3”, 6 21” tt.; cl. Omaha)
Following her commissioning, Omaha joined the Atlantic Fleet
under
peace-time conditions. At this time her primary mission was training,
and she proved to be very capable by consistently winning fleet awards
in gunnery and communications. She made many ports-of-call throughout
the Mediterranean and Caribbean during her peacetime cruises,
displaying the Stars and Stripes.
Just prior to the U. S. entry into World War II, on 6 November 1941,
while on neutrality patrol with Somers (DD–381) in mid-Atlantic near
the Equator, Omaha sighted a vessel which aroused much
suspicion by her
actions. Refusing to satisfactorily identify herself, and taking
evasive actions, the stranger was ordered to heave to. She flew the
American flag and carried the name Willmoto of Philadelphia on her
stern.
As Omaha’s crew dispatched a boarding party, the freighter’s
crew took
to life boats and hoisted a signal which indicated that the ship was
sinking. When the Omaha party pulled alongside they could hear
explosions from within the hull, while one of the fleeing crewmen
shouted “This is a German ship and she is sinking.” In short order the
men of the Omaha, in spite of extreme dangers, had salvaged the
vessel,
rendered her safe and had her underway for Puerto Rico. The freighter,
as it turned out, was the German ship Odenwald, and her capture was one
of the great dramas of American seamanship.
After the United States entered the war, Omaha continued her
South
Atlantic patrol, instructed to stop Nazi blockade runners. While
patrolling out of a base in Brazil, on 4 January 1944, with Jouett
(DD–396), she spotted a ship which immediately showed signs of being
scuttled. The ship’s crew took to the boats and she began settling by
the stern. The following day another ship was sighted and its crew set
her afire. Omaha opened fire and the vessel disappeared beneath
the
waves. Both ships carried cargos of rubber which the Germans
desperately needed.
In March, Omaha proceeded to Naples to prepare for landings
in Southern
France. On 19 August she protected the flank of the units bombarding
Toulon, and three days later took part in the operations that resulted
in the surrender of the German garrison on the island of Porquerolles.
Omaha was present at the surrender of Giens on 23 August, and on
the
25th she delivered a sustained bombardment on targets in the Toulon
area. Shortly thereafter she was detached from the operation and
returned to patrol duties. The termination of hostilities (15 August
1945) found her patrolling in the South Atlantic.
Omaha sailed for Philadelphia upon detachment from patrol, arriving 1 September. By 17 October she was slated for retirement, and she decommissioned 1 November 1945. Omaha was struck from the Naval Register 28 November 1945, and scrapped in February 1946 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Omaha earned one battle star for service in World War II.
Sources: Public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
and pictures from my father's 1943 Naval Recognition Manual
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