With Luck and Determination: USS Marblehead and the Battle of Makassar Straight

The USS Marblehead (CL-12) was an Omaha-class light cruiser of the United States Navy, initially classified as a scout cruiser. It was the third Navy vessel to bear the name Marblehead, honoring the town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. The ship was built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under authorization dated July 1, 1918, and assigned to William Cramp & Sons on January 24, 1919. Construction began on August 4, 1920, and the vessel was launched on October 9, 1923, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph Evans. Commissioned on November 3, 1923, the Marblehead entered service under the command of Captain Chauncey Shackford.

The Marblehead measured 550 feet (167.6 meters) at the waterline and 555 feet 6 inches (169.32 meters) overall, with a beam of 55 feet 4 inches (16.87 meters) and a mean draft of 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 meters). The ship's standard displacement was 7,050 long tons (7,160 metric tons), increasing to 9,508 long tons (9,661 metric tons) when fully loaded. Designed for efficiency and speed, it carried a crew of 29 officers and 429 enlisted personnel during peacetime operations.

The cruiser was powered by four Parsons geared steam turbines, each connected to its own screw, using steam generated by 12 White-Forster boilers. These engines produced 90,000 indicated horsepower (67,000 kW), enabling a top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). Although designed for a range of 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 kilometers; 12,000 miles) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), the Marblehead proved capable of achieving only 8,460 nautical miles (15,670 kilometers; 9,740 miles) at that speed in practice.

The ship's armament reflected the evolving priorities of naval design during its construction. Initially planned to mount ten 6-inch (150 mm)/53 caliber guns, the layout underwent significant changes influenced by collaboration with the Royal Navy during World War I. The final design included four 6-inch/53 caliber guns in two twin turrets (fore and aft) and eight additional guns in tiered casemates on the fore and aft superstructures, enabling an eight-gun broadside and limited forward and aft firepower of four to six guns. For anti-aircraft defense, the Marblehead was equipped with two 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns in single mounts. Originally fitted to carry 224 naval mines, these were removed early in her service to accommodate additional crew quarters. The ship also featured two triple and two twin above-water torpedo tube mounts for 21-inch (530 mm) torpedoes, strategically positioned along the hull.

Armor protection on the Marblehead was modest. The sides of the boiler and engine rooms, along with the steering gear, were shielded by 3 inches (76 mm) of armor, while the transverse bulkheads were 1.5 inches (38 mm) thick forward and 3 inches aft. The deck above the machinery spaces and steering gear was 1.5 inches thick. However, the gun turrets were unarmored, offering only limited protection from muzzle blasts, and the conning tower featured 1.5-inch armor. The ship carried two floatplanes launched via catapults, evolving from Vought VE-9s in the early years to Curtiss SOC Seagulls by 1940, and later Vought OS2U Kingfishers, as aircraft technology advanced.

The USS Marblehead embodied the transitional design philosophy of interwar cruisers, balancing firepower, speed, and utility while adapting to the demands of modern naval warfare making her mostly obsolete by the time WW2 broke out. Her service and design reflected the evolving priorities of the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century.

Storm Clouds

On November 24, 1941, the war diary of the USS Marblehead noted a pivotal shift in U.S.-Japan relations. It reported, "the Commander-in-Chief, US Asiatic Fleet sensed that the relations between the United States and Japan had reached such a critical state that movement of men-of-war...was indicated." Acting on this assessment, Marblehead, as part of Task Force 5 (TF 5), departed Manila Bay on November 25 under the guise of conducting "routine weekly operations."

The ship anchored at Tarakan, Borneo, on November 29, awaiting further orders. The situation escalated dramatically on December 8, 1941 (December 7 in the United States), when Marblehead received the fateful message: "Japan started hostilities; govern yourselves accordingly." This communication marked the official entry of the United States into World War II, signaling the onset of conflict in the Pacific and the beginning of a new, challenging chapter for the ship and her crew.

When the war broke out USS Marblehead joined forces with the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Royal Australian Navy to patrol the waters surrounding the Netherlands East Indies, safeguarding Allied shipping moving southward from the Philippines. On the night of January 24, 1942, Marblehead played a pivotal role in covering the withdrawal of Dutch and American warships following a devastatingly successful attack on a Japanese convoy off Balikpapan. Encouraged by this success, the Allied forces attempted a similar operation six days later, departing from Surabaja, Java, to intercept a Japanese convoy near Kendari. However, the enemy convoy had already sailed, prompting the Allied ships to alter their course and anchor in Bunda Roads by February 2.

On February 4, the Allied ships departed Bunda Roads to pursue another Japanese convoy sighted near the southern entrance of the Makassar Strait. At 09:49 that morning, 36 Japanese bombers were spotted closing in on the formation from the east, marking the beginning of the Battle of Makassar Strait. During the engagement, Marblehead skillfully maneuvered through three bombing attacks, successfully avoiding damage. During the third attack, one enemy plane spiraled toward the ship, but her gunners swiftly brought it down. However, the fourth wave of seven bombers proved more damaging. At least two bombs scored direct hits on Marblehead, with a third exploding near her port bow, causing severe underwater damage and actually bending it. The blasts ignited fires, caused the cruiser to list to starboard, and left her rudder jammed, forcing the ship into a continuous port circle at full speed. Despite the chaos, her gunners kept firing, damage control teams battled the flames, and the crew worked tirelessly to assist the wounded.

By 11:00, the fires were under control, but the damage was extensive. The enemy planes departed by noon, leaving Marblehead with significant casualties—15 crew members dead or mortally wounded and 84 seriously injured. The ship’s engineers managed to release the rudder angle to 9 degrees left, enabling the damaged cruiser to steer by varying the speed of her engines. At 12:55, Marblehead began her retreat to Tjilatjap, Java, where she arrived with a precarious forward draft of 30 feet (9.1 meters) and an aft draft of 22 feet (6.7 meters). Unable to dock for repairs, temporary patches were made to stop her worst leaks, allowing her to set out to sea again on February 13. Many of her wounded crew members were transferred off the ship to the care of Dr. Corydon M. Wassell, who later received the Navy Cross for protecting them from Japanese capture.

With her temporary repairs holding, Marblehead embarked on an arduous journey spanning more than 21,589 miles (34,744 kilometers) in search of a proper repair facility. Steering continued to rely on her engines, and she reached Trincomalee, Ceylon, on February 21. However, local facilities were unable to accommodate the repairs, forcing the ship to depart for South Africa on March 2. After brief stops in Durban and Port Elizabeth, Marblehead arrived in Simonstown on March 24. There, she underwent extensive repairs before resuming her voyage on April 15, bound for New York. Traveling via Recife, Brazil, Marblehead finally arrived at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on May 4, 1942. This marked the completion of her harrowing 16,000-mile (26,000-kilometer) journey from the site of her initial damage, where she entered drydock to receive the comprehensive repairs necessary to restore her to full operational capacity.

On October 15, 1943, the rebuilt USS Marblehead returned to active service, resuming operations in the South Atlantic. As part of the South Atlantic Force, she patrolled from Recife and Bahia, Brazil, conducting missions against enemy forces in the region until February 1944. Following this period, the Marblehead returned to New York on February 20, 1944, where she transitioned to convoy escort duties along the critical North Atlantic shipping lanes, ensuring the safe passage of Allied vessels for the next five months.

In July 1944, Marblehead sailed for the Mediterranean to participate in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. Arriving in Palermo on July 29, she joined the task force preparing for the operation. From August 15 to 17, the cruiser provided heavy naval bombardment of enemy installations near Saint-Raphaël, supporting the landing of Allied assault troops. With her mission successfully completed, Marblehead withdrew to Corsica on August 18.

End of Career

Following her role in Operation Dragoon, Marblehead returned to the United States, where she conducted a summer training cruise for Naval Academy midshipmen. Subsequently, she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and was decommissioned on November 1, 1945. Her name was officially struck from the Naval Vessel Register on November 28, 1945, and her hull was scrapped on February 27, 1946, marking the end of the storied career of the venerable cruiser.