Haze Gray Mystery Picture #129 Answer


 [MYSTERY IMAGE]

Can You Identify This Ship?

This is the cruiser USS St. Paul (CA 73) with the Chinese landing ship No. 144 impaled on her bow.

St. Paul was at anchor in the Whangpoo River, Shanghai, China, on December 21, 1945. The landing ship, a former Japanese vessel recently turned over to China, apparently lost control while headed upriver and became wedged against St. Paul's bow and anchor chains. The LST was cleared away from St. Paul within a few hours, with assistance from USS ATR 87 and USS Seize (ARS 26). Damage to St. Paul was negligible, but the landing ship was apparently fatally damaged, although her exact fate has been lost to history. St. Paul had a long career, finally decommissioning in 1971 and remaining in reserve until 1978.

Correct answers were received from: Paul Silverstone, Christopher Olson, Yves Grangeon, Maurizio Brescia, Ed Low.


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