USS Houston (CL-81)

The USS Houston (CL-81) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser commissioned in December 1943, named in honor of the earlier heavy cruiser lost at Sunda Strait. Armed with twelve 6-inch guns and a strong anti-aircraft battery, she joined the Pacific Fleet in 1944 and provided vital carrier escort and shore bombardment support. In October 1944, during operations near Formosa, she was struck by two Japanese torpedoes on separate days, badly damaged but kept afloat through heroic damage control and towing efforts. Repaired in the United States, she was ready for further action by the war’s end but saw no additional combat, and was decommissioned in 1947. Though her service was brief, Houston carried forward the name’s proud legacy in the U.S. Navy.

@Mim1986