The American light cruiser USS Concord (CL-10) This vessel was the fourth ship to bear the name Concord that was to serve in the USN. Concord is a town in Massachusetts, that was the site of the first conflict between American and British troops in the American Revolution, on 19 April 1775. The particulars are: 1. Displacement – 7,050 tons 2. Length – 555’ 6” 3. Width – 55’4” 4. Draft – 13’6” 5. Speed – 34 Knots 6. Crew – 458 7. Armament – 12 – 6”, (five of ships of this class carried only ten 6” guns), 2 – 3 pdr saluting, 8 – 3” AA, 10 - 21” torpedoes. (Note the unusual positioning of four of the ship’s forward firing 6” guns, they are mounted in the superstructure. Two 6” guns are also mounted in this fashion at the stern. This layout was unique to this class of USN ships during this era of time.) Concord was launched on 15 December 1921 & commissioned on 3 November 1923. She was a member of the ten ship Omaha class. Construction was by William Cramp & sons. During the years between commissioning and WW II, Concord visited many ports of call. These ports included the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, Cape of Good Hope, Caribbean, U.S. Atlantic ports, Panama, U.S. Pacific ports and the Hawaiian Islands. She also took part in several Fleet Reviews, 1927, 1935 & 1938. During early WW II, Concord spent much of her time escorting convoys in the South Pacific. In 1943, during escort duty, the ship suffered a gasoline explosion killing 22 men, including her XO. After repairs, in 1944, Concord was sent to the Northern Pacific where the cruiser participated in bombardments of enemy positions. Concord also harassed enemy merchant shipping in the Northern Pacific until the end of the war. Concord was decommissioned on 12 December 1945 and sold on 21 January 1947. Concord received one Battle Star for service in WW II. This information was obtained from The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Volume II – 1963, Navy Department Naval History Division – Washington and Jane’s Fighting Ships 1941 Edition. This photograph is dated 18 November 1938 but the location is unknown. The photograph is from the collection of our member Leo van Ginderen.