Namesake:
Legacy name / Topeka, KS
USS TOPEKA (PG-35): The first, a gunboat built under name of Diogenes
by G. Howaldt of Kiel, Germany, in 1881. She was purchased by the U.S.
Navy on 2 April 1898 from the Thames Iron works of London, England and
placed in commission the same day. On 15 February 1899, TOPEKA was
placed out of commission at the Boston Navy Yard. After 18 months of
inactivity, the gunboat was recommissioned at Boston on 15 August 1900.
In August 1905 she returned to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was placed
out of commission in September 1905 and served as a prison and station
ship at the Portsmouth Navy Yard. In June 1916 she was towed to New
York where she was recommissioned again on 14 July 1916 and assigned
duty as receiving ship at New York until again being placed out of
commissioned in September 1916. She was recommissioned fro the last
time at Boston in March 1919 then placed out of commission on 2
November 1919 and put up for sale. TOPEKA was sold in May 1930 to Union
Ship Building Company of Baltimore, Maryland.
USS TOPEKA (CL-67): A light cruiser built be Bethlehem Steel Company of
Quincy, Massachusetts. Her keel was laid 21 April 1943, and she was
launched 19 August 1944 under the sponsorship of Mrs. Frank J. Warren,
wife of the Mayor of Topeka, Kansas. The ship was placed in commission
at Boston on 23 December 1944. TOPEKA was initially used as a ship
escort in the Western Pacific and later joined several battle groups
operating in the Pacific near the end of World War II. TOPEKA's rescue
efforts saved two British pilots downed in Ishinomake Wan during August
1945. She was placed out of commission in reserve at San Francisco, 18
June 1949. On 15 April 1957 she arrived at the New York Navy shipyard
for conversion to a Guided Missile Light Cruiser (CLG-8). Her hull
classification and number were changed to CLG-8, effective 23 May 1957.
TOPEKA earned two battle stars during World war II and three more
during the Vietnam conflict.
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Ship's Crest:
 Description of Coat of
Arms:The
Kansas State Capitol Building Dome, a local symbol of democracy, is the
predominant landmark in Topeka, Kansas. The Red Tailed Hawk is commonly
found around Topeka and represents the spirit of freedom which
distinguished the city's founding fathers during early settling and the
Civil War. The hawk is a silent, swift and fierce hunter as is USS
TOPEKA. The arrows represent Caw Indians who originally inhabited the
area. They also illustrate USS Topeka's willingness to use force when
necessary to defend herself, "the heartland", and the nation. The wheat
stalks are symbolic of the region's strong agriculture base, and
combined with the arrows, represent the fact that the Caw Indians were
basically hunters and farmers. The five stars represent the city's
founding fathers, similar to those depicted on the center band of the
official city crest. The submarine is of the improved 688 design and
depicts the two most prominent visible features which set it apart from
many of her predecessors, vertical launch missile tube hatches and bow
planes. The nuclear symbol represents the ship's nuclear propulsion
capability with the three orbiting electrons symbolic of SSN 754 being
the third United States Ship to proudly bear the name TOPEKA. The green
and gold come from the predominant colors of the city flag and crest,
while the light blue is the natural background color for the media in
which the hawk and submarine exist.
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