The USS Wilkes-Barre was a Cleveland Class Light Cruiser, 608' in length, 63' in breadth, displacing 10,000 tons. Her keel was laid down on 14 December 1942 at Camden, New Jersey, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. She was launched on 24 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Grace Shoemaker Miner, the wife of a prominent Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, doctor, and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 1 July 1944, with Capt. Robert L. Porter, Jr., in command.

In early 1945, the Wilkes-Barre took station off Honshu, Japan, in support of the aircraft carrier strikes on Tokyo. Later, she was called to Iwo Jima; on 21 February, the Wilkes-Barre was called in to assist in the shore bombardment. The light cruiser, her fire directed by spotters aloft in her Kingfisher aircraft, proceeded to demolish enemy gun positions, pillboxes, fortified caves, and ammunition dumps. On one occasion, her prompt and effective call-fire turned back a Japanese counterattack.

Other notable wartime actions:

-- 19 March, Wilkes-Barre bagged her first aircraft--a "Judy" dive bomber.
-- 24 March, Wilkes-Barre's Kingfisher aircraft rescued two downed pilots from the light carrier Bataan (CVL-29) off Minami Daito Shima.
-- 29 March, one of Wilkes-Barre's planes performed a rescue mission, rescuing two fliers from Bunker Hill (CV-17) from the waters off Yaku Shima.
-- 11 April, during the invasion of Okinawa, Japanese planes attacked the American support vessels. Wilkes-Barre's guns--and those of the other screening ships--put up lethal barrages of antiaircraft fire at the oncoming enemy. She knocked down three Mitsubishi "Zeke" fighters and a "Val" dive-bomber and also scored assists with two more "Zekes."
-- 16 April, the cruiser bagged a bomber.
-- 17 April, a "Zeke" was shot down.
-- 26 April, Wilkes-Barre's Kingfisher pilots again showed their skill at rescuing downed pilots, picking up two Navy fliers some 30 miles east of Okinawa.
-- 10 May, the cruiser came to the aide of the carrier Bunker Hill after it received devastating damage from Japanese aircraft. She came alongside pumping water onto the floating inferno, allowing many crew members to escape.
-- 14 May, during a Japanese air attack falling shell fragments, possibly from "friendly" guns, hit the ship during that raid, wounding nine men on the after signal bridge. Later that morning, the cruiser claimed an assist in splashing a "Zero."

The Wilkes-Barre received four battle stars for her World War II service.

Decommissioned on 9 October 1947, the USS Wilkes-Barre was simultaneously placed in reserve at Philadelphia. She remained in "mothballs" at Philadelphia until struck from the Navy list on 15 January 1971--the last light cruiser on the Navy list. Thereafter, the ship was subjected to underwater explosive tests off Key West, Florida. On 12 May 1972, her battered hulk broke in two. The after section sank of its own accord on that day, the forward section sank on the 13th, as a result of a scuttling charge. She now sits in 250' of water, with sections rising to approximately 140'. The two sections are separated by about 250', with the stern section upright while the bow section is resting on her starboard side.

Images courtesy of Captain Jim Wyatt

The bow rests on her starboard side; anchor chain spills out of her portside hawser and runs out into the sand. Capstans and anchor winches still remain on deck, now vertical to the seabed. Heading aft, the forward gun turret is missing having spilled out into the sand when the vessel rolled. A massive impression into the hull is left where it used to reside. About 70' away in the sand, the turrets can be found upended in 253' of water. Machinery and brass gears litter the bottom. The bridge and superstructure still stand off the deck proudly. Observational blisters, probably used during countless Japanese air raids, can be found on either side of the superstructure. Hatches and portholes, some still with glass intact, beckon exploration inside. File cabinets and drawers can be found in many of the interior rooms. At the midship break, a diver can witness a unique cross section of the vessel, though many of her bulkheads are twisted and contorted at awkward angles. Heavily encrusted, the wreck wears a rich garb of oysters, urchins, gorgonians, and other invertebrates. Monofilament fishing line and netting drape off many portions of the wreck, attesting to the wreck's popularity with fishermen. There are several swim-thrus and penetration potential on this section of wreck, though it is usually ignored for the more robust stern section.

BILLY DEANS STERN SECTION LAYOUT

The stern section is upright, rising to within 140' of the surface. The hangar resides on the extreme stern and can be easily entered. Dropping down into the hangar over the collapsed elevator, float lines can be viewed jumbled amongst the deck. Hatches along the starboard side lead forward through a large room and then back up through a hatch to the deck just aft from the stern deck gun placement. The superstructure provides tremendous relief and several rooms to investigate. Equipment such as radar monitors, phones, and other miscellaneous instruments can still be found in these. Portholes with glass intact can still be found attached the some of the aft facing compartments. Anti-aircraft guns line the perimeter of the superstructure. The midship break allows a view into the various decks of the vessel, though twisted and heavily encrusted with oysters and other invertebrate growth.