Wreck of USS St. Louis (CL-49) / NAe Tamandare (C-12)

 military, navy, shipwreck, cruiser, United States Navy

USS St Louis was the lead ship of her own subclass of Light Cruisers that served with the US Navy from 1939 through 1946. A decorated WWII Veteran, the St. Louis earned 11 battle stars in the Pacific Theatre, starting with her role at the Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 where she was credited with downing 3 Japanese Torpedo planes and continuing onward with the US Island-hopping campaigns in the South Pacific, seeing combat in The Battles of Kula Gulf, Kolombangara, Philippine Sea, Surigao Strait and Okinawa among numerous others.

Decommissioned from US Navy service in 1946 and placed into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia, the St. Louis remained in reserve until 1951 when she was sold to the Brazilian Navy. Formally activated for duty on January 29th, 1951, the St. Louis was renamed NAe Tamandare (C-12) and served with the Marinha do Brasil as Fleet Flagship until 1976. Decommissioned for the final time and once again placed into reserve, the Tamandare was eventually sold for scrapping in Taiwan in 1980 and was was under tow to the breakers yard when she flooded and sunk at this location.

www.navsource.org/archives/04/049/04049.htm