CVL-23 USS Princeton

On 24 October 1944, four days after the amphibious invasion of Leyte, while supporting air strikes against Japanese airfields on Luzon, TF 38 was subjected to a large-scale air attack by land-based aircraft from Clark Field, Luzon. The light aircraft carrier Princeton took the brunt of the attack; she was hit by an aerial bomb and forced to withdraw from the Task Force. Reno was assigned to help fight fires on board Princeton by bringing her fire hoses to bear, and also to rescue her crewmen. Reno closed Princeton five times but could not remain on station because of intense heat and smoke from the burning carrier.

While Reno was assisting Princeton, the carrier began listing and her flight deck struck Reno, crushing one of her 40 mm mounts. Efforts to save the aircraft carrier continued, but when Princeton's torpedo warhead magazine exploded, Reno was ordered to sink Princeton with her own torpedoes. Princeton was the last major US Navy aircraft carrier sunk by an enemy attack.

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