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Photo # NH 97779:  USS Boise in harbor, circa 1938-39

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Boise (CL-47), 1938-1951

USS Boise, a 9700-ton Brooklyn class light cruiser built at Newport News, Virginia, was commissioned on 12 August 1938. She made her shakedown cruise to Liberia and South Africa, then transferred to the Pacific to become part of the U.S. Fleet's Battle Force. For nearly three years, she participated in exercises and operations off the west coast and in Hawaiian waters. In late 1941, as tensions intensified with Japan, she escorted a convoy to the Philippines and remained in the area when the Pacific War began in December. However, on 21 January 1942 Boise was damaged in an accidental grounding and had to return to the U.S. for repairs.

In June and August 1942, Boise escorted convoys to the south Pacific, making a raiding cruise into Japanese waters between these operations. During September and early October, she supported the campaign to hold Guadalcanal. Heavily damaged by Japanese shells and a resulting ammunition fire during the 11-12 October Battle of Cape Esperance. Boise once again needed major repairs, which were done at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, in November 1942 - March 1943. From June through October 1943, the cruiser was active in the Mediterranean, providing bombardment support for the Sicily invasion in July and August and the Salerno landings in September. She was transferred back to the southern Pacific war zone late in the year.

Boise took part in operations along the northern coast of New Guinea during the first eight months of 1944, bombarding Japanese positions on several occasions and participating in landings at Humboldt Bay in April, Wakde-Toem and Biak in May-June, Noemfoor in July and Cape Sansapor in July and August. In September and October, she supported the invasions of Morotai and Leyte. On 25 October 1944, during the Leyte Operation, she helped defeat a Japanese surface force in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Boise continued her work in the Philippines in December, with landings on Mindoro, and into the first three months of 1945 with operations to liberate Luzon and Mindanao. In April and May she participated in the invasion of Borneo.

Returning to the U.S. in July, Boise spent the last two months of World War II undergoing overhaul in California. She then shifted to the Atlantic, where she helped transport of American service personnel home from Europe. Decommissioned in July 1946, Boise spent nearly five years in "mothballs" before being sold to Argentina in January 1951. Renamed Nueve de Julio, the cruiser was an active unit of the Argentine Navy until 1978 and was sold for scrapping in 1981.

This page features selected views of USS Boise (CL-47).


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 97779

USS Boise (CL-47)


Anchored in harbor, circa 1938-39.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 79KB; 740 x 605 pixels

 
Photo #: 80-G-279384

USS Boise (CL-47)


Operating off Hawaii on 5 November 1941.
The ship is wearing Measure 1 camouflage paint.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 100KB; 740 x 605 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-K-558 (Color)

USS Boise (CL-47)

Photographed circa late August 1942, probably at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 72KB; 740 x 515 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: NH 97780

USS Boise (CL-47)


Seen from the island of USS Yorktown (CV-10) on 6 May 1943.
A Grumman F6F-3 "Hellcat" fighter is parked on the carrier's deck-edge elevator, in the foreground.
Note Boise's fresh Measure 22 camouflage, and her fifteen 6"/47 guns trained on her port quarter at high elevation.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 109KB; 740 x 620 pixels

 
Photo #: 19-N-89077

USS Boise (CL-47)


Off San Pedro, California, 14 September 1945, following overhaul.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.

Online Image: 131KB; 740 x 615 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-K-6562 (Color)

USS Boise (CL-47)

Arrives in New York Harbor on 20 October 1945, to participate in the Navy Day Fleet Review.
The south end of Manhattan Island is in the background.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 71KB; 740 x 510 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-36299

USS Boise (CL-47)


Sailor W.R. Martin points out details of the Japanese trophy flags painted on the cruiser's pilothouse as a scoreboard of enemy ships claimed sunk in the Battle of Cape Esperance, 11-12 October 1942.
The six Japanese ships (two heavy cruisers, a light cruiser and three destroyers) represented in this scoreboard greatly overstates the actual enemy losses, which were one heavy cruiser (Furutaka) and one destroyer (Fubuki) sunk and one heavy cruiser (Aoba) badly damaged. This overclaiming was typical of contemporary night surface actions.
Photographed at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, soon after Boise arrived there for battle damage repairs in November 1942.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 78KB; 740 x 620 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-40069

USS Boise (CL-47)


Arrives at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, for battle damage repairs, November 1942. She had been hit by enemy shellfire in the Battle of Cape Esperance on 12 October 1942, resulting in a large fire that burned out her three forward 6"/47 gun turrets and their ammunition spaces.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 84KB; 740 x 620 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: SC 175981

Sicily Invasion, July 1943


USS Boise (CL-47) fires on enemy forces near Gela, Sicily, on 11 July 1943.
Photographed by Sgt. Crosnon from USS LST-325. Note manned .50 caliber machine guns on several of the Army trucks embarked on the LST's deck, a precaution against German air attack.
Morison, "History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II" (Vol. IX, page 107) states that Boise's targets were enemy tanks.

Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.

Online Image: 81KB; 740 x 600 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-213844

USS Boise (CL-47)


Shelling the coast of New Guinea in early 1944.
Photo is dated 10 February 1944, but may have been taken during the Madang-Alexishafen bombardment of 25-26 January 1944.
This view looks forward on the starboard side from the midships 20mm gun gallery.
Note tracers, which appear several feet in front of gun muzzles. Those from the four starboard side 5"/25 guns have a higher trajectory than the tracers fired from the forward 6"/47 gun turrets. Tracers from the 6-inch guns appear to wobble slightly.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 84KB; 740 x 610 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-301528

USS Boise (CL-47)


Bombarding the Galela sector of Halmahera Island during the Morotai invasion, 15 September 1944.
This view looks forward on the port side from the midships 20mm gun gallery. Guns in the foreground are 5"/25s. This firing is being done by the forward 6"/47 gun turrets.
Note ammunition passing party at work in the lower right.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 73KB; 590 x 765 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-701627

USS Boise (CL-47)


U.S. Army Private First Class Felix A. Uva (left) and Corporal Donald A. Purdy examine a memorial plaque on the cruiser's main deck, while they were being transported to the United States from Europe as part of Operation "Magic Carpet" in November 1945.
This plaque was presented to the ship by the citizens of Boise, Idaho, in memory of the 107 crewmembers who lost their lives in the Battle of Cape Esperance, 11-12 October 1942.
Note kapok life jackets worn by the Soldiers.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 126KB; 595 x 765 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


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Page made 27 November 2001