


St. Louis
Country | United States |
Ship Class | St. Louis-class Light Cruiser |
Laid Down | 10 Dec 1936 |
Launched | 15 Apr 1938 |
Commissioned | 19 May 1939 |
Decommissioned | 20 Jun 1946 |
Displacement | 10,000 tons standard |
Length | 608 feet |
Beam | 62 feet |
Draft | 20 feet |
Speed | 33 knots |
Range | |
Crew | 888 |
Armament | 15x6in, 8x5in, 16x1.1in, 12x20mm, 1 depth charge rack |
Sold to Brazil | 1951 |
This article has been removed for review and updates, please check back again soon!
Last Major Revision: Jan 2007
Light Cruiser St. Louis Interactive Map
St. Louis Operational Timeline
19 May 1939 | St. Louis was commissioned into service. |
3 Sep 1940 | Light cruiser USS St. Louis departed Norfolk, Virginia with Rear Admiral John F. Greenslade on board, who was placed in charge to survey land recently gained from the United Kingdom for building military bases. |
25 May 1942 | Companies C and D of the 2nd Raider Battalion and the 37mm battery of the 3rd Defense Battalion of the United States Marine Corps arrived at Midway via USS St. Louis. |
12 Jul 1943 | Yugure, Yukikaze, Hamakaze, and Kiyonami departed Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands, escorting a troop transport mission involving light cruiser Jintsu to Kolombangara, New Georgia, Solomon Islands. En route, they encountered Allied warships, resulting in the Battle of Kolombangara that lasted into the next morning. Jintsu and USS Gwin were sunk (Gwinn by a Type 93 torpedo launched by a Japanese destroyer), and USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis were damaged. The Japanese were able to land 1,200 men. |
30 Oct 1944 | Cruisers USS St. Louis and Pasadena departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii bound for Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. |
20 Jun 1946 | St. Louis was decommissioned from service. |
Photographs
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Visitor Submitted Comments
25 Apr 2010 10:39:55 AM
Hi
I do not know of your Algie Reed but I am researching the Reed line and have been working on Levi Algie Reed. Since it it not a common name I was wondering if there may be a connection. These Reeds were from Kentucky and then Missouri. Any thoughts?
Ken
14 Jul 2011 11:18:22 AM
My uncle was killed aboard the USS ST. LOUIS...Nov., 27th 1944. I would like to find pictures of him and his crew. How do I go about doing that? Thanks
3 Sep 2012 08:46:58 PM
Any information on John A. Macaulay. He was assigned to the St. Louis throughout the war. He is from New Jersey and settled in San Francisco.
Thanks
26 Jul 2017 05:51:15 PM
Does anyone have info on Anthony Perille. He was on the St. Louis during the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

26 Jul 2017 07:09:30 PM
Anonymous (above):
The St Louis Muster Rolls list Anthony Perille, service number 300 34 07, who enlisted 24 Jan 1941 at Chicago IL, being received aboard as an Apprentice Seaman on 13 Apr 1941 from the Great Lakes Training Center. He was advanced to Seaman 2nd-class on 24 May 1941 and again to Seaman 1st-class on 1 Jan 1942. He was reduced back to Seaman 2nd-class on 17 Mar 1942 following a summary court martial for insolence to a petty officer. He is last mentioned in the St Louis Muster Rolls on 30 Sep 1942 with no indication of when or where he was transferred off the ship. For more about his Navy days, request a copy of his service record. See http://ww2db.com/faq/#3.
For more about the St Louis during the Pearl Harbor Attack, see the two links under “Document(s)” above right. Seaman Perille is not mentioned in these reports but the ship was pretty active during and following the attack (don’t believe the parts about the midget submarine sighting, however; history has shown these observations were almost certainly incorrect).
30 Jul 2017 05:54:39 PM
Thank so much for the info. He was my Father and passed in 2008.
11 Dec 2017 03:32:53 PM
Any information on Lt. Jr. Grade Burdett Bernard Berton who was killed on the St. Louis near Green Island 2/14/1944. Does anyone have any crew photos? He was my grandfather - he left a wife and a 6 and 2 year old.
8 Jan 2020 09:42:13 AM
My uncle, James Aubrey Byrd, enlisted in the Navy on December 8, 1941 as a 17 year old. He served aboard the St. Louis for the entire war and told me of the torpedo attack which severely damaged the bow of the ship. He said that they travelled across the Pacific to reach Mare Island Navy Yard where a new bow would be installed. He said that there was not a,dry eye on board the ship as thy passed,under the Golden Gate Brisge because they made only 6 knots speed during the ,trip and were a good, slow target for any *** sub in the way. The kamikaze attacks and loss of life aboard he ship took its toll on him because he turned to alcohol to forget. Not possible and he lived the memories until his death.
10 Jan 2021 01:32:53 PM
My Uncle, James R. McCormick was a crew member throughout the war. He was on board during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was with the ship until the end of the war. I think he was the navigator. He stayed in the Navy and retired as an Rear Admiral.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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Document(s):
» US Navy Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Enclosure E, USS St. Louis (1)
» US Navy Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Enclosure E, USS St. Louis (2)
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Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
12 Apr 2010 05:27:49 AM
Can anyone shed some light as to what may have happened or did they know seamen Algie Reed.He is my wife's uncle and she is trying to find out and pay honor to him and the crew of the Saint Louis.We have very little info if any.I also think she is trying to help her dad find out whom himself is getting later in life.Please help if you can.
God Bless America