The Legend of the Sea Witch: U.S.S. Salem, the Last Gun Cruiser
Entering Service
Entering service in 1949, the U.S.S. Salem (CA-139) was a Des Moines-class heavy cruiser. Originally ordered during the height of WWII, the Salem was initially supposed to be one of nine ships of her class. However, the war was practically over by the time her keel was laid down in 1945, resulting in only three ships being built, with Salem being one of them.
Despite never firing her guns in anger, Salem still had a very important role within the U.S. Navy. With the Cold War now underway, Salem was primarily used to “fly the flag” of the United States. Primarily deployed to the Mediterranean as Flagship of the 6th Fleet, the cruiser visited numerous ports in the region and served as a reminder to a certain communist regime that, despite the war being over, the U.S. Navy still had some teeth that could be used if needed.
Key Moments
It was during her time in the Mediterranean that the ship had her finest hour. In 1953, Salem was the first American vessel to respond to the Great Ionian earthquake and was used as a temporary command post and field hospital during the early stages of relief efforts. The ship provided her own supplies and assistance from August 13th until her stocks ran low four days later. Salem was also used as a makeshift morgue during this time for those who had been killed, which may explain why the vessel is said to be haunted today (I will save that story for October, so stay tuned 😉).
However, there were other high points in her career as well. Salem was used to portray the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the 1956 film “The Battle of the River Plate.” In 1958, Salem arrived in Monaco to celebrate the birth of Albert II, born to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Princess Grace Kelly. She was even used to deter a possible coup attempt when the Lebanese government requested the vessel to visit on August 18th of that same year during the Lebanon Crisis.
Decommission and Museum Conversion
In 1959, the Salem was decommissioned and placed into reserve. She was almost reactivated in the 1980s along with her sister ship Des Moines and all four Iowa-class battleships, but this never happened due to budget cuts. In 1994, Salem returned to Massachusetts, where she was converted into a museum ship as part of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum.
Today, she remains there and also houses the USS Newport News Museum, the US Navy Cruiser Sailors Association Museum, and the US Navy SEALs Exhibit room.
~NC
