Investigation on the USS Salem CA-139, Quincy, MA

(The only preserved U.S. Naval Heavy Cruiser) 

June 24, 2011

The Souhegan Paranormal Investigators and their guests, Synergy Paranormal Institute, had the privilege of being allowed to conduct an investigation on the USS Salem in Quincy, MA.   In attendance from SPI were Susan Allen, John Basiliere, Debbie Parents, Michelle D’Avanzo, and Eric Metzler. Our guests from Synergy Paranormal were Darlene Levesque, Frank Castellano, and Eric Metzler (also a member of SPI).  Kevin Cole, an investigator in training, was also in attendance. 

History:  Ordered by the US Navy on June 14, 1943, USS Salem (CA 139) was laid down on July 4, 1945, at the Bethlehem Steel Company’s Quincy Yard in Quincy, MA and launched on March 25, 1947. She was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on May 14, 1949.   Over 1,000 plus people served on the USS Salem.

The USS Salem proudly served a 10 year career as flagship of the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and the Second Fleet in the Atlantic.  During her career she served as host to such notables as the US Ambassador to Spain, John D. Lodge; the Honorable Thomas S. Gates, Undersecretary of the Navy; Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN, Chief of Naval Operations; the Shah of Iran; the President of Lebanon, and the King and Queen of Greece. 

Although she never fired her guns in anger, her very presence served as a stimulus for peace during those troubled times that came to be called the Cold War. She served as a Lady of Diplomacy, rather than as a means of exerting brute force. She served as a rescue cruiser and housed many refugees, both men and women.   In 1953, the USS Salem was the first ship to arrive on the scene in the earthquake-ravaged Ionian Islands in Greece where she spent the next four days providing relief supplied and humanitarian aid until her own supplies ran low.  Her actions earned her the praise of the King and Queen of Greece.  There were a large number of burned victims that laid on this ship.  Quite a few of them died.  There was a large room aboard called the "Butter Room" that was actually used as a morgue where the bodies of the dead were stored for transport home. The bodies were collected from other ships, or picked up directly from combat areas that consisted of both military and civilian personnel. 

The USS Salem was decommissioned on January 30, 1959 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard until October of 1994.  In October 1994, the USS Salem once again made her way north to her birthplace in Quincy, MA, where she is now the centerpiece of the United States Naval and Shipbuilding Museum.  On May 14, 1995, 46 years to the day since her original commissioning, the USS Salem was re-commissioned – this time as a member of the Historic Naval Ships Association.  Once again, she now serves her country with her new mission of teaching people of all generations our nation’s rich history of shipbuilding and naval duty. 

The ship stands today in all its glory telling its story by way of its originality.  Most everything that remains on the ship is original.  The military uniforms that are displayed are originals that were once worn by the sailors that served in the U.S. Navy as well as German military uniforms worn by victims of injuries such as burns, etc.  The room of an employee named, John, who worked on the ship and died of a heart attack in the Anchor Windlass Room still displays original family photos and personal items.  Everything in the barber shop is original.  The ship is available to the public and offers tours.  It is truly a piece of history to be enjoyed.

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