[Homer_J_Simpson]

Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. was originally located at Kearny Point, Kearny, New Jersey on the west bank of the Hackensack River, about three miles from today’s Newark International Airport. A subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation, it was organized in 1917 for the construction of steel ocean-going vessels.

That shipyard will get a mention in our lead story next Saturday.

[abb]

In addition to building a large number of destroyers (DD), Federal built most of the light cruisers (CL) of the Atlanta class.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_class_cruiser

[henkster]

USS Lansdowne, launched today, will have an interesting career.

She will be credited with sinking U Boat in the Atlantic, will have a torpedo launched by Japanese submarine I-19 pass under her, and will transport the Japanese surrender delegation to the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

The I-19 torpedo was one from the most successful torpedo spread ever launched. On September 15, 1942, the I-19 sights the American carrier task force and gets past the escort screen to launch her spread. Of the six torpedoes launched, one passes under Lansdowne, two or three strike CV-7 USS Wasp, one strikes DD 415 USS O’Brien, one strikes the bow of USS North Carolina and one just misses USS Hornet. The damage to O’Brien and Wasp is mortal, North Carolina makes it back to Pearl for repairs.