The

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The Swayback Maru and the Grey Ghost.
Utah Naval Veterans Recall Iwo Jima
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Larry Ping at Crew ReunionCorpus Christi, Texas
- 1999
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USS Salt Lake City (CA-25)
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Dedication of the USS Salt Lake City Cruisebook
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Swayback Maru
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Mr. John Nikas with the Salt Lake City ships
bell. In 1945 John Nikas was the yeoman to the
the executive officer of the Swayback Maru.
Today he is a retired insurance executive living
in Salt Lake City. Photo Source Larry Ping.
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Under Way, 1945. (Left) Steaming under the Golden
Gate Bridge. (Right) Making 32 knots.
Photographs by Edward H. Anderson.
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USS Salt Lake City from astern. She was a lucky
ship. The Salt Lake City never had a major refit
during the war because she was never heavily
damaged in battle. She still has her tripod
foremast dating from the 1920s. Photo Source
Edward H. Anderson.
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USS Salt Lake City Sleeping quarters. Photo
Source William L. Patrick.
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Asleep on a gun mount, 1944.Photo Robert Ping
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USS Salt Lake City in Drydock. Photo Source
Edward H. Anderson.
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Scoreboard of the USS Salt Lake City, 1945.
Photo Source Richard G. Brown.
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Mopping down the decks 1945.Sailors were
called swab jockies for good reason although
this operation seems to be more like sanding down
the decks. Sailors assigned to this sort of duty
were called deck apes. Photo Source Edward H.
Anderson.
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Sky Control. These officers and men were
responsible for coordinating the ships
anti-aircraft defenses. The Pensacola class
cruisers were bad rollers and the ships motion
was exaggerated in the foremast positions. Photo
source Edward H. Anderson.
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Robert Epperson in 1945 (left) and today. Photo
Source Robert Epperson and Larry Ping.
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Cruisers Salt Lake City, Pensacola, and New
Orleans at Pearl Harbor, October 1943
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The Salt Lake City at Mare Island Navy Yard.
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The Pensacola at Midway Island, May 1942
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USS Salt Lake City Gun Crews 1945Photo Source
George Blackburn. (Right) Five inch loading
drill. Photo Source William Patrick.
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(Left) After the battle clearing up 5-inch
Shell Casings. (Right) Early War photo of
5-inch gun crew 2. Photo Source Captain Ellis
Zacharias.
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Seaman Bernard E. Godde.
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A Close CallUnder the best of circumstances, the
ocean is a dangerous environment. The Salt Lake
City almost capsized in October of 1945 when
crossing the bar into the Columbia river near
Astoria, Oregon. The photo shows a Kingfisher
aircraft damaged on the starboard catapult.
Photo Source Richard G. Brown.
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CruDiv 5, Photo Robert Ping
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USS Pensacola (CA-24) Photo US Navy
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Japanese Long Lance torpedo. Photo US Navy
Historical Center
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Pensacola torpedoed, Battle of Tassafaronga, Nov,
1942.Image Robert Ping
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After battle, Port view of main deck.Photo
Robert Ping
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USS Pensacola under Repair after the Battle of
Tassafaronga, November 1942.
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Pensacola under camoflage netting, Tulagi Harbor.
November 1942. Photo Robert Ping
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(Left) Funifate dancers entertain officers and
men of the Pensacola. (Right) Departing with a
gallon of vanilla ice cream. Photo Source
Robert Ping.
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Life at sea. 1944. Photos Robert Ping
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Robert Ping (left), unknown sailor, Charles
Chuck Colova, 1944. Photo Source Larry Ping.
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USS Pensacola (CA-24) 5-inch gun crew. Robert
Ping is sailor on extreme left. Photo Source
Larry Ping.
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USS Pensacola at Massacre Bay, Attu, June 9, 1944.
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Iwo Jima under bombardment, February 1945. This
photo taken from the deck of the USS Pensacola is
from my fathers collection. Photo Source
Larry Ping.
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USS Salt Lake CityAfter shore bombardment
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USS Pensacola Iwo Jima Battle Damage
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USS Pensacola was hit by Japanese shore batteries
at Iwo Jima, February 17, 1945. Photo Source
Robert Ping.
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A Japanese shell penetrated the deck into the CIC
(Combat Information Center). Photo Source
Robert Ping.
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Shrapnel DamageThe gunners had no protection
from Japanese shell splinters at their battle
stations. Among the wounded was Robert Ping at
the starboard number four 5-inch gun. Photo
Source Robert Ping.
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Kingfisher destroyed on the starboard catapult.
Photo Robert Ping.
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Sailors awaiting burial at sea. February 17,
1945. Photo Source Larry Ping.
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Burial at Sea, February 17, 1945. The Pensacola
took six hits from Japanese shore batteries.
Seventeen men were killed and a further 125
sailors were wounded including Robert Ping.
After caring for the wounded and burying the dead
at sea, the Grey Ghost returned to carry out
her fire assignments. Photo Source Larry
Ping.
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H-Hour at Iwo Jima Marine Amphtracs near the
Beach. Photo Source William J. Ratliff.
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Associated Press Photographer Joe Rosenthal.
Photo Source Bill Ross.
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Joe Rosenthals famous photo of the flag raising
on Mount Suribachi, the most famous photo of the
Second World War.
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Only four of the forty-four man platoon that
scaled the mountain and raised the flag survived
the battle. Photo Source Joe Rosenthal.
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The Pensacola launches a Kingfisher. At one end
of the catapult you were sitting still and the
other end you were doing seventy knots. Photo
Source Robert Ping.
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Lt. (jg) Douglas Gandy receives the Air Medal for
shooting down a Japanese Zero over Iwo Jima.
Photo Source Robert Ping.
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Mount Suribachi and the flag from the air. This
photo was taken from the Pensacolas spotter
aircraft. Photo Source Larry Ping.
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Detail of previous photo shows marines around
flag. Photo Source Larry Ping.
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Routine Battle Shore bombarment duty at
Okinawa. Photo Source Robert Ping.
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USS Pensacola at Mare Island During Refit, May
20,1944. Photo Source US Navy
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USS Pensacola during 1945 Mare Island refit. The
ship in the background is the famous USS
Indianapolis (CA-35) just before her tragic last
voyage. Photo Source US Navy
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The Salt Lake City Refitting
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The target fleet for Operation Crossroads
Bikini Atoll. Photo Source US Navy.
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Test Able Bikini Atoll Photo Source US Navy
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Last Moments of the Pensacola, November 10, 1948.
Like the Salt Lake City, the Pensacola survived
the Bikini atomic explosion only to be sunk as a
gunfire target. Her last resting place is the
ocean bottom one hundred miles off Washington
state. Photo Source US Navy.
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With both her bow and stern blown off, the
Pensacola is straddled by friendly fire
November 10, 1948. Photo Source US Navy.
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The Last Plunge, May 25, 1948. After surviving a
nuclear blast at Bikini Atoll, the Swayback
Maru was used as a target vessel for gunfire
practice and sunk off San Diego, California.
Photo Source Pat Monteleone.
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P-61 Black Widows in Formation
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Benefit Ball, July 22nd, 1944
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Robert and Myrtle Ping, 1945Photo Larry Ping