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Show Brief Sketch of Criuser U. S. S. Salt Lake City In cooperation with the United States navy during "Navy Week," October 27 to November 3, the Cache American is running a series ser-ies of articles regarding activities of the navy as they pertain to this state. The following is a brief sketch of the cruiser U. S. S. Salt Lake City. The cruiser Salt Lake City, named for the city in Utah, is the first ship of the name in the United Uni-ted States Navy, and is the first of the 10,000-ton cruisers constructed construc-ted under the terms of the Limitation Limi-tation of Armament Conference. The ship is a sister of the cruiser Pensacola, the two being built at the same time, and commissioned within a short period of each other. The Salt Lake City was authorized author-ized December 18, 1924, and the contract was let July 9, 1926, to the New York Shipbuilding Company, Comp-any, Camden, New Jersey, for its construction. The price for hull and machinery only was $3,673,833. The keel of the cruiser was laid June 9, 1927, and she was launched January 23, 1929. Miss Helen Budge, 605 W. 115th St., New York City, was sponsor of the cruiser Salt Lake City. Miss Budge was born in Salt Lake City and was a former student of the University of Utah. Miss Gailey Rich, former Utah girl, and at the time studying study-ing in Washington D. C, was chosen cho-sen maid of honor. Secretary of the Navy and Mrs. Crutis D. Wilbur; Admiral Charles P. Hughes, USN. Chief of Naval Operations; Captain George F. Neal, assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, and Commander Felix X. Gygax, aide to Admiral Hughes, attended the launching ceremonies. She was commissioned at thePhil-adelphia thePhil-adelphia Navy Yard, December 11, 1929. The ship is 585 feet overall, has a beam of 65 feet, a ' displacement displace-ment of 10,826 tons, and a speed of 32.7 knots. The main battery of the Salt Lake City is 10 8-inch guns. It has a secondary battery of four 5-inch anti-aircraft guns, and some smaller pieces. It also is equipped with two catapults, amidships, for throwing airplanes into the air. The crew of the vessel is 32 ward room officers, 15 warrant officers, 40 chief petty officers and 576 enlisted en-listed men of various ratings After the Salt Lake City completed com-pleted her trial runs and finally was accepted by the Government she was assigned to operate with light cruiser division 2, Scouting Force. The cruiser visited Newport, Rhode Island, and was at New York City in June, 1930. Her final acceptance trials were run off the Rockland, Maine, course. In September, 1930, the cruiser was assigned to criuser division 5, Scouting Force, with the Northhampton North-hampton 'as flagship, and her sister, sis-ter, Penascola forming the division. divi-sion. Since her commissioning the Salt i Lake City has cruised to many parts of the world ,and is considered one of the most efficient effic-ient vessels of her class in the Navy. |