Ramsey County History – Spring 1994: “The ‘Fighting Saint’—The U.S.S. St. Paul and Its Minnesota Connection”

The ‘Fighting Saint’—The U.S.S. St. Paul and Its Minnesota Connection

Author: Tom Bolan

The last shot of World War II from a U.S. warship was fired from the U.S.S. St. Paul, a heavy cruiser known as the “Fighting Saint.” This article recounts the combat record of the ship at the end of World War II and its service in later conflicts including the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The author uses the recollections of crew members of the St. Paul who were from Minnesota to show the cruiser’s connections to its namesake city.