The following statistics are from the U.S.S. Colorado Cruise Book 1942-1946
In addition to earning the Navy Occupation Service Medal-Pacific for her services from September 2-24, 1945, the USS COLORADO (BB-45) earned the following battle stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Area Service Ribbon for participating in the following campaigns.
NUMBER OF OPERATIONS AGAINST THE ENEMY: Ten
NUMBER OF DAYS IN COMBAT AREA FOR EACH OPERATI0N:
1. Tarawa – November 20-29, 1943, 10 days
2. Kwajalein – January 31-February 6, 1944, 7 days
3. Eniwetok – February 17-23, 1944, 7 days
4,5,6. Saipan, Guam, and Tinian (Marianas) June 14 – August 3, 1944, 51 days
7. Leyte- November 19-December 3,1944, 15 days
8. Mindoro – December 12-18, 1944, 7 days
9. Luzon – January 2-February 14, 1945, 44 days
10. Okinawa – March 21-May 22, 1945, 63 days
TOTAL DAYS IN COMBAT OPERATIONS: 204 days
AMOUNT OF AMMUNITION FIRED:
16″/45 Caliber A.P. and H.C. Projectiles & Charges…………… ..5,495 rounds
5″/51 Caliber High Capacity Common Projectiles & Charges…..10,197 rounds
5″/25 Caliber Cartridges (all types). 11,585 ”
40 mm. Cartridges (all types)…….. ..11,298 ”
20 mm. Cartridges (all types)……… 21,580 ”
Total Rounds 60,155 rounds
Approximate Tonnage 6,896+ tons
NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN: |
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NUMBER OF TIMES SHIP DAMAGED BY ENEMY AIRCRAFT OR ENEMY FIRE:
1. Tinian – July 24, 1944, damaged by 22 hits from shore battery
2. Leyte Gulf – November 27, 1944 damaged by suicide plane
3. Lingayen Gulf – January 9, 1945 hit by shellfire
NUMBER OF PERSONNEL CASUALTIES:
Killed 77
Wounded 338
Missing 6
MILES STEAMED DURING EACH WAR YEAR:
1942-39,154; 1943-38,031; 1944-56,798; 1945-27,896 Total 161,879 miles
The following statistics are from the Dictionary of Naval Fighting Ships:
Length Overall 624 feet, Beam 108 feet
Displacement 32,600 tons normal, 34,946 tons full load
Armament: 8 – 16″45 main battery; 8 – 5″51 secondary battery; 8 – 5″25 AA;
8 – quad 40mm AA; 1 quad 20mm AA; 8 twin 20mm AA; 39 single 20mm AA.
Aviation: 1 catapult, 2 float planes
Propulsion: Turboelectric; 8,285 psi boilers; 4 shafts; 28,900 shp; 21 knots
USS COLORADO SHORT LOG
22 March 1921 Launched. 30 August 1923 Commissioned. 4 December 1923 Shakedown cruise begins. January 1924 Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France; Naples, Italy. 15 February 1924 Arrived New York Harbor. March 1924 Assigned to the Pacific Fleet. 18 June 1925 Left Bremerton, Washington for Honolulu, Sydney, & Auckland. September 1925 Rejoined Pacific Fleet at San Pedro, California. March 1927 Participated in joint Army/Navy exercises in the Caribbean. 19 April 1928 Ran aground off Manhattan Island. May 1928 Hawaiian cruise. 2 June 1930 Bad fire while anchored in Colon Harbor. 5 November 1931 5″ gun explosion kills 5, injures 23. 6 February 1932 Hawaiian cruise. 17 March 1933 Ship gives assistance in Long Beach earthquake. November 1933 Ship used as the setting for movie “Shipmates”. 9 April 1934 Departs for Caribbean cruise. 27 October 1934 Rejoins Pacific Fleet 13 February 1935 Rescue search for survivors of the Macon crash. 20 May 1936 Hawaiian cruise. 20 July 1936 Overhaul at Bremerton, Washington 4 July 1937 Directed Amelia Earhart search. 31 January 1939 War exercises in Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean. 3 April 1940 Hawaiian cruise. 27 November 1940 Overhaul at Bremerton, Washington. 17 July 1941 Hawaiian cruise. September 1941 Renovation and overhaul at Bremerton, Washington. 7 December 1941 Ship in Navy Yard, Puget Sound, Washington 10 December 1941 Patrol of West Coast ports, Hawaiian area, shuttle trips to West Coast. 1 November 1942 to November 1943 Fiji Islands and New Caledonia as back field threat to Japanese thrusts to southward, then patrol of Hawaian and West Coast ports. 20 November 1943 to 24 November 1943. Bombardment and capture of Tarawa. December 1943 San Francisco at Hunters Point. 31 January 1944 Bombardment and capture of Kwajalein Atoll. 17 February 1944 Bombardment and capture of Eniwetok. 28 February 1944 Return to Bremerton for overhaul. 10 June 1944 to August 1944. Participated in Bombardment, and capture of Saipan, Guam, and Tinian. In the Tinian action on 24 July, the ship was struck by 22 7.7 shells from a hidden shore battery sustaining heavy damage and 240 personnel casualties. 6 August 1944 Return to Bremerton, Washington for overhaul and repairs. 5 October 1944 Training trial off West Coast. 27 November 1944 Struck by kamikaze and near miss by another in Leyte Gulf.Considerable damage. Suffered 91 personnel casualties. 5 December 1944 to 16 December 1944 Bombardment, assault and capture of Mindoro. 6 January 1945 to 9 February 1945. Bombardment, assault and capture of Lingayen. 9 January 1945 Sky Control struck by 5″ shells causing 99 casualties. 10 February 1945 Retirement to Ulithi for replenishment and repairs. 21 March 1945 to 22 May 1945 Bombardment, assault, and capture of Okinawa. 22 May 1945 Retirement to Leyte Gulf for replenishment and repairs. 2 August 1945 to 31 August Advance on Japanese Islands and participation in events leading to formal surrender in Tokyo Bay. 31 August 1945 to 20 September 1945. Participated in occupation of areas of Tokyo, Yokohoma, Yokosuka. 20 September 1945 to 3 October 1945 Enroute to Pearl Harbor via Okinawa. 3 October 1945 to 9 October 1945. Docked at Pearl Harbor. 9 October 1945 Enroute to United States with hundreds of liberated Americans on board. 15 October 1945 to 18 October 1945. Docked at San Francisco. 22 October 1945 Docked at Pier 91 for huge Navy Day Victory celebration with public invited to come on board. 1 November 1945 to 3l January 1946 Made 5 Magic Carpet trips to Pearl Harbor. 7 January 1947 Placed in Reserve Fleet, Bremerton 1 March 1959 Decommissioned for disposal. 23 July 1959 Sold for scrap for $611,777.77 |