1946 |
||
| 01 Jan |
• |
New Year's in Rio !! |
| 02 Jan |
• |
"Farewell" party held on board. |
| 03 Jan |
• |
Underway at 1605 for Recife,
Brazil, SA |
| 07 Jan |
• |
0847 Moored starboard side
to berth #3 Recife, Brazil |
| 09 Jan |
• |
Some crew see their first
"Jangada" a home
made
sailing craft unique to northern Brazil. |
| 11 Jan |
• |
Underway 0831 for Bahia, Brazil |
| 12 Jan |
• |
0847 Moored portside to berth #9
Bahia,
Brazil |
| 15 Jan |
• • • |
Began to get underway at 0835 for
Rio de Janeiro. Pilot backed the ship into the dock, making a small
dent in the
stern. Prop wash creates havoc, but no real damage to adjacent ships. Anchored out while divers inspected screws. Underway at 1000. |
| 17 Jan |
• • • • |
Anchored 0651 Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Honor Guard for G.G. Bee who died in Brazilian Air Force Hospital. (See Note 4.) Took on supplies. 1754 Underway for Cape Horn and Concepcion, Chile. |
| 18-19 Jan |
• |
35 - 40 knot gale. |
| 20 Jan |
• |
Sighted whales and many birds, but
no icebergs. |
| 22 Jan |
• |
Falkland Islands visible in the
distance from lookout posts. |
| 23 Jan |
• • • |
2123 hours USS Little Rock "Doubles
the Cape" westward by rounding Cape Horn,
Argentina, SA. Wind about 9 knots. Temperature 55 deg. F. Many penguins sighted. "Mossback" certificates issued to the ship's crew indicate USS Little Rock doubled Cape Horn at Longitude 67º 16.2' West, Latitude 56º 06.5' South. |
| 28 Jan |
• • |
USS Little Rock is off the coast
of Chile. Ship's band provided evening entertainment on the Mess Decks |
| 29 Jan |
• • • |
Arrive at Concepcion, Chile 0957 Anchored off Naval base Concepcion, Chile. 8 fathoms, mud bottom. No Liberty for the crew because of political climate. |
| 30 Jan |
• |
At Concepcion, Chile. No Liberty because of political unrest. |
| 31 Jan |
• |
0903 Underway for Valpariso, Chile |
| 01 Feb |
• • |
0908 Let go starboard anchor in 23
fathoms. Moored stern to breakwater, Valpariso, Chile. Great fishing from the ship! |
| 02 Feb |
• |
Crew parades to a statue of Arturo Prat.
Captain William E. Miller places a wreath. |
| 03 Feb |
• |
At Valpariso, Chile. |
| 11 Feb |
• |
0910 Underway |
| 13 Feb |
• |
1437 Moored stern to mooring buoy.
Antofagasta, Chile, in 45 fathoms. |
| 16 Feb |
• |
Underway at 1021 for Iquique, Chile |
| 17 Feb |
• |
1030 Moored stern to buoy at Iquique in 9
fathoms. |
| 20 Feb |
• • |
Reception for Chilean civilians, Army,
Navy, and Air Force personnel. Chilean sailors visit in the evening to watch movie and visit Gedunk. |
| 21 Feb |
• • |
Depart Chile. Underway 0957 for Callao (Lima),
Peru Fired 5" guns |
| 23 Feb |
• |
0937 Moored portside to commercial Pier #44
South
Callao, Peru. |
| 28 Feb |
• • |
1001 Underway with U.S. Ambassador on board. 1645 Moored starboard side to Pier #2 Callao, Peru. |
| 01 Mar |
• |
The 01 Mar 46 issue of “Our
Navy” lists USS Little Rock as “Atlantic Fleet, Active” in the
“Cruisers” category, along with Providence, Worcester, Fargo, Houston,
Portsmouth, Huntington and Roanoke. |
| 03 Mar |
• |
Underway from Callao, Peru passing live penguins
standing on the jetty! (Warm weather at 12 deg. Lat.) |
| 07 Mar |
• |
Anchored off Santa Elena, Equador, SA. No
liberty for crew. |
| 09 Mar |
• • • |
Underway from Santa Elena, Ecuador. About 1800 crossed Equator heading north. Approximately 25 new "Pollywogs" and ship's band members were initiated into King Neptune's realm. |
| 11 Mar |
• |
Arrive Balboa, Panama, CZ. |
| 11 - 15 Mar |
• |
Transited Panama Canal along with a Navy LCI. |
| 15 Mar |
• |
At Colon, Panama, CZ. Moored near German
cruiser Pritz Eugen. |
| 16-18 Mar |
• |
Cartagena, Colombia, SA. Picnic given to crew by
Colombian Navy. |
| 22 Mar |
• |
Depart Cartagena, Colombia for United
States. |
| 23 Mar |
• |
Receive distress call from Navy LCI (See
11-15 Mar above.) Took LCI in tow. |
| 24 Mar |
• • |
LCI released to tugboat. Docked at NOB, Norfolk, VA. (This date and event mark the end of the South America cruise.) |
| 26 Mar |
• |
At Norfolk, VA |
| 30 Mar |
• |
Anchored offshore, Norfolk, VA alongside
USS Briareus, AR12. |
| ? Apr |
• |
Moved to drydock, Portsmouth, VA. |
| 18 Apr |
• |
Leave drydock. |
| 19 Apr |
• |
Depart Norfolk, VA for Trinidad along with
Eighth
Fleet (Adm.
Marc A. Mitscher) for exercises in Caribbean. (See Note 3.) |
| 30 Apr |
• |
Port au Spain, Trinidad for 4 days of
liberty, along with USS Midway CVB 41 and USS Portsmouth CL 102 |
| 02 May |
• |
Little Rock crew celebrates with
a beach party on the beach at Scotland Bay, Trinidad. |
| 04 May |
• |
Underway for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba |
| ?? May |
• |
Anchor Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for 3 days.
Other ships of Eighth Fleet anchored in Guantanamo Bay included
Midway, Princeton, FDR, Macon, Dayton, hospital
ship Consolation, and numerous auxiliaries. |
| 10 May |
• |
Depart Guantanamo Bay. |
| 12 May ?? |
• |
Arrive Philadelphia Naval Shipyard |
| 13-19 May ?? |
• |
Gunnery exercises at Culebra, PR with
US Naval Ships Missouri, Dayton and Macon. |
| 21 May |
• |
At sea. Conduct underway replenishment. |
| 28 May |
• |
Anchor in Hudson River, New York City,
NY |
| (04?)
06 Jun |
• |
Departed Philadelphia, PA for England |
| 10 Jun | • |
Pass by Lands End, England enroute to
Plymouth, England |
| 11 Jun |
• • • |
Early AM sighted Scilly Islands. 17 gun salute received from British Arrived Plymouth, England at approximately 1500 |
| 14 Jun |
• |
Depart for Gibraltar |
| 16 Jun |
• |
1400 Arrive Gibraltar (delivered propeller for
USS Providence) |
| 17 Jun |
• |
1300 Depart Gibraltar |
| 18 (?) Jun |
• |
Arrive back at Portsmouth, England |
| 23 Jun |
• |
Underway from Portsmouth, England |
| 25-26 Jun |
• |
Maneuvers underway. Traverse Irish Sea. |
| 26 Jun |
• |
1400 Arrived and anchored at Scapa Flow |
| 28 Jun |
• |
1400 anchored at Invergordon, Scotland with
destroyers USS Warrington
DD843 and USS Perry DD844 |
| 28-29 Jun |
• |
Invergordon & Inverness,
Scotland |
| 29 Jun |
• |
1800 Depart Invergordon |
| 29-30 Jun |
• |
Underway |
| 01 - 03 Jul |
• |
Gothenburg, Sweden |
| 04 - 09 Jul |
• |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 08 Jul |
• |
Captain Henri
Smith-Hutton
reports aboard CL-92 |
| 09-10 Jul |
• |
Underway in the Baltic. |
| 11-18 Jul |
• |
Stockholm, Sweden |
| 11 Jul |
• • |
Captain Henri
Smith-Hutton
relieves Captain
William
E. Miller as CO CL-92. At this time Little Rock operating with U.S.S. Houston (Adm. Hewitt, COM12THFLT) and 4 destroyers. |
| 17 Jul |
• |
Morning departure from Stockholm, Sweden. |
| 18 Jul |
• |
Entered Kiel Canal in the afternoon. |
| 18-19 Jul |
• • |
Transit Kiel Canal (8 hours / 61 miles). Sighted and avoided large mine 300 yards off the port bow. |
| 22 Jul |
• |
Underway. |
| 20 - 24 Jul |
• |
Antwerp, Belgium |
| 24 Jul |
• |
Depart Antwerp at 1000 hours. |
| 25 Jul |
• |
Enter and transit North Sea Canal |
| 25 - 30 Jul |
• |
Amsterdam, Netherlands with USS Warrington
DD843 and USS Perry DD844. |
| 30 Jul |
• |
1800 hrs. departed Amsterdam via North
Sea Canal. 50 knot winds in North Sea. |
| 31 Jul |
• |
Arrive Plymouth, England in the evening. |
| 31 Jul -12
Aug |
• |
Plymouth, England |
| 15 - 21 Aug |
• |
Lisbon, Portugal. Join U.S.S. Roosevelt
(RADM Cassady COMCARDIVONE) |
| 22 - 23 Aug |
• |
Gibraltar |
| 27 Aug - 03
Sep |
• |
Naples, Italy |
| 04 - 09 Sep |
• |
Piraeus, Greece (port city of Athens) |
| 08 Sep |
• |
Captain Henri
Smith-Hutton
receives Order
of the Phoenix from Greek Minister of Defense |
| 10 - 12 Sep |
• |
Valetta, Malta |
| 14 -
16 Sep |
• |
Bone, Algeria |
| (17?) 19 Sep |
• |
Returned to Malta to pick up Admiral
Mitscher of World War II fame, who had become ill, and transported
him back to the USA. |
| 27 Sep - 22
Oct |
• |
Norfolk, Va. Conducted Training Exercises
off mouth of Chesapeake Bay. |
| 25 - 29 Oct |
• • |
New York, NY Moored at Buoy A off 81st Street, North River. |
| 27 Oct |
• |
Navy Day 1946 |
| 30 Oct - 14
Nov |
• |
Norfolk, VA |
| 01 Nov |
• |
The November 1, 1946 magazine
"Our Navy" states in the "Scheduled for shift assignment" section that:
".... the USS LITTLE ROCK (was) transferred to U.S. waters from the
Mediterranean late in September (of 1946). |
| 15 Nov |
• |
Departed Chesapeake Bay to began Cold Weather
Training in northern waters in the area between Greenland and Canada
with USS Missouri and four destroyers. (See additional details of this
trip in Captain Smith-Hutton's memoirs.) |
| 30
Nov |
• |
Crossed Arctic Circle at 56° 23' West
Longitude. All CL-92 crew members on board at this date qualify for Blue Nose
Certificate. |
| 03 Dec |
• |
Re-crossed Arctic Circle south-bound (Longitude
Not Known). |
| 10 - 16 Dec
(?) |
• |
Argentia, Newfoundland |
| 13 Dec |
• |
Little Rock strikes USS Missouri with starshell
during gunnery practice. |
| 13 Dec |
• |
Arrive New York, NY. Moor at Pier 26, North
River, NY City, NY. |
| 21 Dec |
• • |
Hosted Christmas
Party for underprivileged children. (Capt. Smith-Huttons memoirs state
that 3rd Naval District asked
Little Rock to host three Christmas parties for underprivileged
children.) On Dec. 22 The New York Times reported.... "250 children had to be content with a rainy Christmas party yesterday aboard the United States light cruiser Little Rock. The cruiser was at Pier 26, North River, at Moore Street." |
| 31 Dec |
• |
During the afternoon USS Little
Rock pilot Charles
R.
Fitzpatrick, Lt(jg), USNR died when his SC-1 Seahawk crashed off
Rehoboth Beachm
New Jersey. (Aircraft
Accident Card) |
Notes: |
||
| 1. |
1. Date shown for ports generally indicate arrival date. | |
| 2. |
2. Port stays are typically 3 - 5 days. | |
| 3. |
3. In July 1945, Mitscher became Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air. During March-September 1946 he commanded the Eighth Fleet during the Navy's first major post-World War II combat training exercises. Admiral Mitscher was then assigned as Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. While holding that position he died of a heart attack on 03 February 1947. Click HERE for photo of Admiral Mitscher, Commander, Eighth Fleet, on the bridge of his flagship, circa 1946. | |
| 4. |
4. We are missing data pertaining to this item Let us know if you can add any info. | |
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