World War II U.S.S. San Francisco Memorial at Land’s End
In 1942 the cruiser USS San Francisco attacked a vastly superior Japanese force off the coast of Guadalcanal. It was the most brutal close-quarters naval engagement of World War II. The San Francisco took some 45 direct hits and sustained heavy damage while sinking one Japanese ship and seriously damaging two others (including a battleship). One hundred and six sailors, including Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, were killed and 131 more wounded. Despite it all, the San Francisco safely made it back to port. This savage battle is commemorated by an unusual memorial in Land's End. The USS San Francisco Memorial is oriented toward Guadalcanal, and it eschews the usual symbolic folderol in favor of something far more visceral: a shell-ridden section of the San Francisco 's bridge. The sight of heavy-gauge steel perforated like paper captures the fury and horror of that night better than any sculpture ever could. Respectfully taken from the USS San Francisco Memorial Foundation web site.
To view photos of the ship during her service in World War II, visit this page: http://www.modelwarships.com/features/archives/sanfran/sanfran.htm
http://www.usssanfrancisco.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=50
http://www.usssanfrancisco.org/index.php
http://west.stanford.edu/internships/golden-gate-uss-sf-memorial-program-2006.html
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