USA Navy Warships

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Aircraft Carriers
CV-9 Essex Class
CVB-41 Gettysburg Class
CV-63 Forrestal Class
CVN-65 Enterprise Class
CVN-67 Texas Class
CVN-71 Ohio Class
CVN-79 North Dakota Class
CVE-75 Moskva Class

Cruisers
CL-51 Atlanta/CLK-119 Fresno class
CGN-160 Long Beach Class
CGN-166 Portland (Improved Long Beach) Class
CGN-184 Phoenix Class
CA-68 Baltimore Class
CG-123 Albany Class
CA-134 Des Moines Class
CL-144 Worcester Class

Frigates
DL-1 Class
DLGN-11 Bainbridge Class
DLGN-43 Fletcher Class
DLGN-59 Jackson Class
DLGN-67 Chase Class
DLGN-83 Husband E Kimmel Class
DLG-19 Leahy Class

Destroyers
DD-931 class

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CV-9 Essex Class
USS Essex in WW2 configuration.
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 888 ft
Beam 93 ft
Draft 30.8 ft
Displacement (Standard) 30,800 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 38,5000 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 15,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Aircraft (1944) 36 F4U1 36 SB2C, 18 TBF
Aircraft (1946) 18 FV-1, 54 F4U4, 18 AD-1
Aircraft (1956) 36 F9F, 24 A4D
Aircraft (1966) 24 F9U, 24 A2U
Guns 12 5 inch L38, 68 40mm L70, 78 20mm
Background
The preceding Yorktowns formed the basis from which the Essex class was developed. Designed to carry a larger air group, and unencumbered by pre-war naval treaty limits, the Essex class was over sixty feet longer, nearly ten feet wider in beam, and more than a third heavier. A longer, wider flight deck and a deck-edge elevator facilitated more efficient aviation operations, enhancing the ship's offensive and defensive air power. Machinery arrangement and armor protection was greatly improved from previous designs. These carriers had better protecting armor than their predecessors, better facilities for handling ammunition, safer and greater fueling capacity, and more effective damage control equipment. These features, plus the provision of more anti-aircraft guns, gave the ships much enhanced survivability. In fact, none of the Essex-class carriers were lost and two, Boxer and Kearsarge made it home after being torpedoed by German submarines.

In drawing up the preliminary design for Essex, particular attention was directed at the size of both her flight and hangar decks. Aircraft design had come a long way from the comparatively light planes used in carriers during the 1930s. Flight decks now required more takeoff space for the heavier aircraft being developed. Most of the first-line carriers of the pre-war years were equipped with flush deck catapults, but owing to the speed and size of these ships very little catapulting was done — except for experimental purposes. One innovation in Essex was a portside deck-edge elevator in addition to two inboard elevators. Experiments had been made with hauling aircraft by crane up a ramp between the hangar and flight decks, but this method proved too slow. The Navy's Bureau of Ships and the Chief Engineer of A.B.C. Elevator Co. designed the engine for the side elevator. It was a standard elevator, 60 by 34 ft (18 by 10 m) in platform surface, which traveled vertically on the port side of the ship. The design was a huge success which greatly improved flight deck operations. There would be no large hole in the flight deck when the elevator was in the 'down' position, a critical factor if the elevator ever became inoperable during combat operations. Its new position made it easier to continue normal operations on deck, irrespective of the position of the elevator. The elevator also increased the effective deck space when it was in the 'up' position by providing additional parking room outside the normal contours of the flight deck, and increased the effective area on the hangar deck by the absence of elevator pits. In addition, its machinery was less complex than the two inboard elevators, requiring about 20% fewer man-hours of maintenance.

The tactical employment of U.S. carriers changed as the war progressed. In early operations, through 1942, the doctrine was to operate singly or in pairs, joining together for the offense and separating when on the defense—the theory being that a separation of carriers under attack not only provided a protective screen for each but also dispersed the targets and divided the enemy's attack. Combat experience in those early operations did not bear out the theory, and new proposals for tactical deployment were the subject of much discussion. As the new Essex- and Independence-class carriers became available, tactics changed. Experience taught the wisdom of combined strength. Under attack, the combined anti-aircraft fire of a task group's carriers and their screen provided a more effective umbrella of protection against marauding enemy aircraft than was possible when the carriers separated. When two or more of these task groups supported each other, they constituted a fast carrier task force. Lessons learned from operating the carriers as a single group of six, as two groups of three, and three groups of two, provided the basis for many tactics which later characterized carrier task force operations, with the evolution of the fast carrier task force and its successful employment in future operations. By 1947, the U.S. Navy was operating its carriers in groups of six with between four and six such task groups strung out in a long line ready to ripple off strikes against any selected target. This formation was called "Murderer's Row" by the United States Navy.

The offensive power of the carriers started as 36 fighters, 36 dive bombers and 18 torpedo planes. The F4U Corsair would be the standard fighter, the SB2C-1 Helldiver the standard scout aircraft and dive-bomber, and the TBF Avenger was designed as a torpedo plane but often used in other attack roles. Later, additional Corsairs replaced the much-unloved SB2C. The design boasted four twin 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber gun turrets, seventeen quadruple 40mm anti-aircraft guns and 78 single 20mm close-in defense guns. The Bofors 40 mm guns were a significant improvement over the 1.1"/75 caliber (28mm) guns mounted in the earlier Lexington and Yorktown classes. Later, the quadruple 40mms were replaced by the even more effective 3 inch L50 twin mount. Ironically, despite the density and volume of the anti-aircraft fire the CV-9 class could put up, this feature of their design was never really tested. Only on the last day of the war did the Germans manage to launch a successful air attack on a U.S. carrier group.

Post War Reconstruction
USNC-Essexsc27small.jpg
USS Reprisal after SCB-27 reconstruction. (some parts taken from Shipbucket.com)
Post war, the Essex class were reconstructed to improve their ability to operate modern aircraft. The five inch twin mounts on the flight deck were removed, an angled deck and mirror landing sight were installed, new catapults fitted, fuel storage arrangements redesigned and new radar fits installed. One centerline elevator was removed and replaced by a starboard deck-edge elevator. This modification was referred to as the "SCB-27" after its Ship's Characteristics Board documentation number. As part of this reconstruction. the two newest ships. Orkneys and Hampton Roads were converted to training carriers. This was a much more elaborate conversion than simply re-assigning the ships to second-line duties. The entire hangar deck was converted into classrooms and practical demonstration areas with the aft third being used by aviation support crews learning the arts of maintaining and preparing aircraft in the naval environment. the center third (including access to both deck-edge elevators) was used to teach the arts of manoeuvering aircraft around in the cramped confines of a carrier. The forward third of the hangar deck became engineering, navigation, weapons and other classrooms. The ships were partly crewed by naval officer cadets and enlisted trainees. Orkneys and Hampton Roads served long after the rest of the Essex class had vanished from the Navy and were eventually replaced by the training ship conversions of Enterprise and Shiloh.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CV-9 Essex 1938 1941 1942 1943 Sold to France 1959
CV-10 Enterprise 1939 1941 1943 1943 Sold to France 1959
CV-11 Intrepid 1939 1941 1943 1943 Sold to Australia 1959
CV-12 Kearsarge 1940 1942 1943 1943 Sold to Australia 1959
CV-13 Franklin 1940 1942 1943 1944 Sold to India 1960
CV-14 Ticonderoga 1940 1943 1944 1944 Sold to India 1960
CV-15 Randolph 1940 1943 1944 1944 Sold to Argentina 1960
CV-16 Cabot 1940 1941 1942 1943 Sold to Brazil 1961
CV-17 Bunker Hill 1940 1941 1942 1943 Sold to Brazil 1961
CV-18 Oriskany 1940 1942 1943 1943 Sold to Italy 1963
CV-19 Hancock 1940 1943 1944 1944 Sold to Italy 1963
CV-20 Bennington 1941 1942 1944 1944 Decommissioned and scrapped 1970
CV-21 Boxer 1941 1943 1944 1945 Sold to Argentina 1960
CV-31Bonne Homme Richard1942 1943 1944 1944 Decommissioned and scrapped 1971
CV-32 Langley 1942 1944 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1971
CV-33 Manila Bay 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1973
CV-34 Lake Erie 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1970
CV-35 Reprisal 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1968
CV-36 Antietam 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1968
CV-37 Valley Forge 1942 1943 1945 1945 Sold to Spain 1966
CV-38 Shangri-La 1942 1943 1944 1944 Decommissioned and scrapped 1965
CV-39Lake Champlain1942 1943 1944 1945 Sold to the Netherlands 1966
CV-40 Macedonian 1942 1943 1945 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1965
CV-45 Brandywine 1943 1944 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1973
CV-46 Orkneys 1943 1944 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1988
CV-47Hampton Roads 1943 1944 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1989

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CVB-43 Gettysburg Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 968 ft
Beam 113 ft
Draft 32.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 45,000 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 56,000 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Aircraft (1947) 32 FV-4, 32 F4U, 48 AD, 16 F7F, 4 AD1W
Background
The CVB-41 class vessels (then unnamed) were originally conceived in 1940 as a design study to determine the effect of including an armored flight deck on a carrier the size of the Essex class. The resulting calculations showed that the effect would be disastrous for air group size. The resulting ship would have a maximum air group of 45, compared to 90-100 for the standard Essex class fleet carriers. As a result, the concept went to finding a larger carrier which could support both deck armor and a sufficiently large air group. Unlike the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, for which the armored deck was part of the ship structure, the Midway class retained their "strength deck" at the hangar deck level and the armored flight deck was part of the superstructure. The weight-savings needed to armor the flight deck was acquired by removing a planned cruiser-caliber battery of 8-inch (203 mm) guns and reducing the 5-inch antiaircraft battery from dual to single mounts. The resulting carriers were very large, with the ability to accommodate more planes than any other carrier in the US fleet (30-40 more aircraft than the Essex class).

President Roosevelt was not in favor of this class and tried to have construction aborted in favor of additional CV-9 class carriers. He had much opposition from the Navy in this and the first group of six ships was built as planned. However, a proposed second group of six ships was rejected in favor of six additional CV-9 class ships (bringing that class to 32 ships). However, after the death of President Roosevelt during the 1944 election campaign and the subsequent election of President Dewey, those six additional CV-9 class ships were cancelled and replaced by the second batch of CVBs,. Finally, a 13th CVB was ordered in 1947 to replace the sunken Shiloh. Although the first ship to be ordered was the CVB-41 Shiloh, the first ship to be commissioned was the CVB-43 Gettysburg and it is after that ship the class was named.

President Roosevelt may well have been right in his misgivings, in the short term at least. In their original configuration, the Midway class ships had an airwing of almost 130 aircraft. Unfortunately, it was soon realized that so many planes was beyond the effective command and control ability of one ship. While the resulting ships featured excellent protection and unprecedented airwing size, they also had several undesirable characteristics. Internally, the ships were very cramped and crowded. Freeboard was unusually low for such large carriers. In heavy seas, they shipped large amounts of water and corkscrewed in a manner that hampered landing operations. The first three ships had been designed with the smallest possible island and this feature caused severe complaints due to the cramped comamnd facilities in provided. Ironically, the island size had been kept down due to complaints that the deck space occupied by the island and flight deck guns on the CV-9 Essex class was excessive. The second three of the first batch and the whole of the second group were completed with larger islands. CVB-42 and CVB-43 were refitted with the larger island but CVB-41 was sunk while still fitted with the small island.

The ships also had very heavy anti-aircraft batteries but these proved to be disappointing. Director facilities were limited and the 5 inch L54 guns were inferior anti-aircraft weapons compared to the 5 inch L38. Overall, the CVBs were considered to have much inferior anti-aircraft batteries to the CV-9s, a major factor in the loss of the Shiloh. After the sinking of that ship, the damage control facilities of the class were considered wanting and, during their first major reconstruction, these were much improved with extra pumping capability, improved fire-fighting equipment and much more emergency electrical generating capacity.

The Reconstruction Program
USNC-Gettysburg03.jpg
The CVB-43 Gettysburg class deck plan changes. The top picture is of the ships (except Appomattox) as built, the center picture shows the ships following their first reconstruction (Appomattox being built to this configuration) while the bottom picture shows the final deck plan of the ships. (Source: United States Navy)
The First Reconstruction (1952 - 1959)
USNC-Gettysburg04small.jpg
USS Gettysburg after first reconstruction (Note: drawing contains some parts taken from Shipbucket.com)

At the end of the Second World War, the United States Navy was by far the most powerful navy on Earth and a cggod case could be made that its size and combat power exceeded that of all the other (surviving) navies of the world put together. The Navy deployed 39 fleet carriers, 100 escort carriers (with a total embarked aircraft strength of 3,744 and 3,200 aircraft respectively), 26 battleships, 6 large cruisers, 40 heavy cruisers, 66 light cruisers, 560 destroyers, 230 destroyer escorts and over 200 submarines. While the need to confront the Japanese in the Pacific was still extant, the fleet obviously needed rationalization and reduction to the level that a peacetime establishment could support. There was much pressure in the navy to retain the surplus ships in reserve but this was rejected on the grounds that any future war would, as far as the United States was concerned, be nuclear and last only as long as it took to utterly destroy the enemy. The war would be fought with what the U.S. had, not with what it could mobilize from the reserve fleet. The result was a deluge of surplus ships descending on the scrapyards. All pre-war construction was scrapped within five years of the end of the war and the wartime construction was severely pruned.

The exception to this was the aircraft carriers. The six surviving pre-war carriers (Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Wasp, Yorktown and Hornet) were kept in the fleet through to the mid-1950s to cover the gap while the Essex and Gettysburg class ships were rebuilt. By the end of the Second World War, it was becoming apparent that increasing aircraft weights made the traditional launching practices impractical and that, in future, catapult assisted launches would be the norm. In addition, the introduction of an angled deck (first tried out on the Saratoga with both Lexington and Saratoga being equipped with an early version of the angled deck by 1947) greatly eased aircraft handling and operations. Finally, the batsman who had controlled landings on U.S. Navy carriers for decades was partially replaced by a new "mirror landing sight". This was the result of an intelligence report that Japanese carriers had such equipment and included photographs of the system. The U.S. Navy reverse engineered it from that basis.

The first reconstruction of the Gettysburg class was extensive. The entire bow section was rebuilt with the hull plating carried up to the flight deck to give a totally enclosed bow. This bow section was equipped with two catapults of a new type that drew its power directly from steam generated by the ship's boilers. The bow elevator was enlarged and reshaped to handle larger aircraft. The midships section and stern of the flight deck were rebuilt to include and angled deck with a third steam catapult being installed in the ship's waist. The aft elevator (the site of the explosion that had turned Shiloh's condition from moderate damage to critical, was removed and replaced by a starboard-side deck edge elevator. The ship's island was further enlarged and re-arranged with a mast installed aft to carry extra radar equipment. Perhaps ironically considering the sinking of the Shiloh, the anti-aircraft armament was drastically reduced. A detailed examination of the sinking had shown that the ship's anti-aircraft firepower had been virtually ineffective and that it had actually compromised the most effective defense of the ship, her fighter aircraft. Furthermore, a detailed examination of the damage control logs had shown that the critical factor in her sinking had been the explosion of the ship's forward five-inch magazines. So, it was argued, the provision of a heavy anti-aircraft battery was not only of questionable value but it had actually endangered the ship. Accordingly, most of the guns were removed, the five inch L54 battery being reduced to four guns while the three inch battery was removed completely. The magazine spaces for those guns were converted to other uses, significantly reducing congestion on board.

The last of the CVB-43 class, USS Appomattox was modified under construction and completed to this design. The other eleven ships came in over the next seven years, each reconstruction taking an average of 26 months (the longest taking 30 months and the shortest 22 months. As the first six ships rejoined the fleet in their modernized configuration, the old pre-war U.S. carriers were decommissioned and scrapped (the USS Lexington being preserved as a museum ship in Charleston, South Carolina by a fortuitous coincidence, the volume of ships being scrapped was so great that she spent several years waiting her turn and this allowed a group of South Carolina ship enthusiasts to organize her preservation). By the middle of 1959 all 12 CVB-43 ships had been rebuilt to the new standards.

Second Reconstruction 1968 - 1974
USNC-Gettysburg02small.jpg
USS Seven Pines after second reconstruction (Note: drawing contains some parts taken from Shipbucket.com
While the first reconstruction had modernized the basic CVB-43 design, there were numerous shortcomings with the ship. Flight deck area was still too small for the latest generation of aircraft while the position of the port deck-edge elevator meant it was only useful when neither landing nor take-off operations were being conducted. Since the forward centerline elevator could not be used when flying off aircraft, this reduced the ships to the starboard deck-edge elevator. Accordingly, the ships were modernized with a new and much enlarged flight deck, the port deck edge elevator was moved aft and the forward centerline elevator was removed completely. A new starboard deck-edge elevator was installed forward of the bridge As a result, the operational flow of aircraft was much improved. The waist catapult was removed and two much more powerful bow catapults installed. The bridge was enlarged yet again and a new radar suite was installed. The extra topweight involved was such that stability was dangerously reduced and the ships were bulged to restore stability margins to a safe level. Unfortunately, this exagerrated the ship's tendancy to roll and pitch.

Due to age and short remaining life, the first five of the CVB-43 class were not rebuilt to the new standard and only the last seven saw service in their final form.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CVB-41 Shiloh 1942 1942 1944 1945 Sunk by German air attack June 6, 1947
CVB-42 Bull Run 1942 1942 1944 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1975
CVB-43 Gettysburg 1942 1942 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1974
CVB-44 Chickamauga 1943 1943 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1976
CVB-54 Malvern Hill 1943 1943 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1977
CVB-55 Sharpsburg 1943 1943 1945 1946 Decommissioned and scrapped 1978
CVB-56 Chancellorville 1944 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1982
CVB-57 Fredericksburg 1944 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1983
CVB-58 Seven Pines 1944 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1984
CVB-59 Manassas 1944 1945 1947 1948 Decommissioned and scrapped 1985
CVB-60 Murfreesburo 1944 1945 1947 1949 Decommissioned and scrapped 1986
CVB-61 Spotsylvania 1944 1945 1948 1951 Decommissioned and scrapped 1987
CVB-62 Appomattox 1947 1948 1951 1953 Decommissioned and scrapped 1988

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CVN-65 Enterprise Class
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 1,102.0
Beam 133 ft
Draft 36 ft
Displacement (Standard) 75,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 89,600 tons
Performance Speed (max) 35 knots
Armament Aircraft (1964) 12 F6D, 36 F9U, 24 F4H, 12 A3J, 4 W2F, 4 S2F
Aircraft (1986 36 F13F, 24 F4H, 12 A2U, 12 A3J 4 W2F, 4 S2F
Background
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the ninthU.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. She honors two predeccessors that fought in World War Two, the Yorktown class CV-6 that was sunk off New York in December 1942 and the Essex class carrier CV-10 that was decommissioned and sold to France in 1960. Like her predecessors she was nicknamed the "Big E." Enterprise was intended to be the first of a class of six, but the rapid advance of nuclear warship technology meant that a more advanced class, the CVN-67 Texas class was adopted and the Enterprise class was restricted to two hulls, the second being the USS Shiloh. A major debate during her construction was whether she should be missile armed; the originally intended complement being two twin Terrier missile launchers. It was eventually decided these impacted too much on her aircraft carrying capability and they were never fitted. Late in their careers both ships were fitted with Sea Falcon surface-to-air missiles.

Enterprise and Shiloh were equipped with an eight-reactor propulsion design was rather conservative, with each A2W reactor taking the place of one of the conventional boilers in earlier designs. She was also fitted with four rudders compared to two for later classes. The two carriers also featured a phased array radar system designed to provide improved tracking of multiple airborne targets relative to conventional rotating antenna radars. This was topped by a distinctive "beehive" that housed high-precision ESM and ECM equipment. The original radars were replaced by SPY-1 AEGIS systems in the late 1970s, the Enterprise class thus being the only CVNs to carry AEGIS

In common with the other CVNs, the Enterprise and Shiloh have long suffered from grossly exagerrated reports of their maximum speed. Over the years, these reports have attributed speeds of 40, 50 or even 60 knots to these ships. This causes much amusement in Navy circles.

In 1988 - 1990, both ships were converted to training ships, Enterprise serving as the Pacific training ship and Shiloh as the Atlantic Training Ship. The conversion saw their forward elevators removed and the forward half of the hangars converted into schoolrooms and demonstration laboratories. Since the ships were equipped with AEGIS they served as fleet electronics training ships as well as carrier training ships. In this role they were designated as CVTNs and served the fleet well for a further 15 years until they were withdrawn from service in 2007/08.

Under U.S. Law all aircraft carriers are to be named after states. However, a specific exception was made for the Shiloh and this name will be assigned to the next CVN to be launched.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CVN-65 Enterprise 1958 1958 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 2007
CVN-66 Shiloh 1959 1959 1962 1964 Decommissioned and scrapped 2008

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CVN-67 Texas Class
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 1,102.0
Beam 133 ft
Draft 36 ft
Displacement (Standard) 75,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 89,600 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Aircraft (1964) 12 F6D, 36 F9U, 24 F4H, 12 A3J, 4 W2F, 4 S2F
Aircraft (1986 36 F13F, 24 F4H, 12 A2U, 12 A3J 4 W2F, 4 S2F
Background
The problem with the two ships of the CVN-65 Enterprise class was that they proved to be over-engineered and at once too conservative and too radical. In particular their machinery proved to be over-complex. Their radars proved to be both over-complex for the tasks imposed on them and, if run at maximum power actually endangered flight operations. Accordingly, the remaining four ships of the class were redesigned with a much-simpler two-reactor plant (which reduced speed by two knots), twin rudders rather than four and a much simpler bridge. Once again, there was a major debate during her construction was whether she should be missile armed; the originally intended complement being two twin Terrier missile launchers. It was eventually decided these impacted too much on her aircraft carrying capability and they were never fitted. Late in their careers both ships were fitted with Sea Falcon surface-to-air missiles.

During the funding process for these ships, Congress mandated that all aircraft carriers be named after states. Accordingly, the first two ships were renamed to comply with this mandate.

Between 1988 and 1992 these carriers underwent a service life extension program (SLEP) that will extend their life to fifty years. Thus, Texas and Oregon will serve as the Atlantic and Pacific training carriers respectively until 2021 and 2022 while Maine and Massachusetts will serve as fleet carriers until 2023.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CVN-67 Texas (ex-Lexington) 1965 1965 1968 1970 Derated to training ship 2007
CVN-68 Oregon (ex-Saratoga) 1966 1966 1969 1971 Derated to training ship 2008
CVN-69 Maine 1967 1967 1970 1972 In service as of 2009
CVN-70 Massachusetts 1968 1968 1971 1973 In service as of 2009

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CVN-71 Ohio Class
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 1,215.0ft
Beam 145 ft
Draft 37 ft
Displacement (Standard) 95,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 110,600 tons
Performance Speed (max) 31 knots
Armament Aircraft (1974) 36 F9U, 24 F4H, 12 A3J, 4 EA3J, 4 W2F, 4 S2F, 4 KW2F
Aircraft (1986 36 F13F, 24 F4H, 12 A2U, 12 A3J, 4 EA3J, 4 W2F, 4 S2F, 4 KW2F
Background
The Ohio class aircraft carriers are a follow-on from the Texas class but feature a new, fuller hull form that gives them greatly increased internal volume but whose extra water resistance costs approximately two knots in top speed. This has been a major cause of criticism throughout the ship's careers to date. They have a greatly improved and much more elaborate electronics outfit compared with the Texas class. Eight ships of this class were built, all remain in service following major overhauls in the 1990s. They are expected to serve for at least 50 years although the last three ships may be replaced before that time.

This class of carriers established the even construction rate of one nuclear-powered carrier every year with consequent economies in production costs. However, the last three were delayed by funding reductions during the years of the Carter presidency and these three took two years longer to build than the other five. They were also significantly more costly as a result. Despite this extra cost, they were not as well-built as the first five ships and their mid-life upgrades were significantly more expensive than for the earlier ships. In recent years there has been talk of retiring these three ships early and replacing them with new CVNs.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CVN-71 Ohio 1969 1969 1972 1974 In service as of 2009
CVN-72 Nebraska 1970 1970 1973 1975 In service as of 2009
CVN-73 Connecticut 1971 1971 1974 1976 In service as of 2009
CVN-74 New York 1972 1972 1975 1977 In service as of 2009
CVN-75 California 1973 1973 1976 1979 In service as of 2009
CVN-76 Montana 1974 1974 1977 1980 In service as of 2009
CVN-77 Florida 1975 1975 1979 1981 In service as of 2009
CVN-78 Georgia 1976 1976 1980 1983 In service as of 2009

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CVN-79 North Dakota Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 1,235.0ft
Beam 150 ft
Draft 39 ft
Displacement (Standard) 102,950 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 120,750 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Aircraft (1986) 36 F13F, 24 F4H, 12 A2U, 12 A3J, 4 EA3J, 4 W2F, 4 S2F, 4 KW2F
Aircraft (2008) 24 F14F, 24 F10U, 24 A2H, 12 A4J, 4 EA4J, 4 W3F, 4 S3F, 4 KS3F
Background
The North Dakota class were lineal developments of the Ohio class aircraft carriers but featured a the new multi-functional phased array antennas that allowed a simplified bridge structure. An unseen feature of the North Dakota class was that it had a greater height between decks to allow for additinal cabling without constricting internal space. Also, a new bulbous bow significantly reduced drag, allowing speed to increase back to 33 knots.

North Dakota was actually ordered in 1977 although President Carter refused to include her in the 1977 budget request, vetoed the defense budget when funds for her construction were added by Congress and then had to see his veto overturned. However, no additional ships of this class were ordered under his administration and construction was only resumed when President Reagan was elected in 1980. In order to make up for lost time, two carriers of this class were ordered in 1980 and a fourth in 1981. North Dakota saw service before she was officially commissioned when she "ran trials" in the South Pacific off Chile before the Falklands War. The first four of these ships saw the completion of the planned 18-CVN fleet. Construction then continued at a slow rate to replace the four oldest CVNs. The USS Azores is the last of this class; a new CVN is being designed that will start to enter the fleet in 2022. The first of these ships is expected to be laid down in 2015 and they will be built at three-year intervals to maintain the 18 CVN fleet.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CVN-79 North Dakota 1977 1977 1981 1983 In service as of 2009
CVN-80 Nevada 1980 1980 1984 1986 In service as of 2009
CVN-81 Arkansas 1980 1980 1984 1986 In service as of 2009
CVN-82 Utah 1981 1981 1985 1987 In service as of 2009
CVN-83 Tennessee 1983 1984 1989 1991 In service as of 2009
CVN-84 Kentucky 1984 1985 1990 1992 In service as of 2009
CVN-85 Iceland 1996 1997 2001 2004 In service as of 2009
CVN-86 Azores 2000 2001 2005 2008 In service as of 2009

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CL-51 Atlanta Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 541 ft
Beam 53 ft
Draft 20.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 6,720 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 8,340 tons
Performance Speed (max) 32.5 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 8,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Medium Guns 16 5 inch L38
Light guns 10 40mm L60
Armor Belt 3.75 inches
Deck 1.25 inches
Background
Intended to serve as destroyer flotilla leaders, four Atlanta (CL-51) class light cruisers were authorized during the pre-World War II build-up program. This class was intended to replace the 1920s era Omaha class light cruisers. This class was developed to satisfy the need for a light displacement, high speed vessel whose mission was primarily combating large scale attack by aircraft, but which also possessed the ability to perform certain types of cruiser duty. Their initial purpose, contrary to popular belief, was not only that of an anti-aircraft cruiser but that of a small, fast scout cruiser that could operate in conjunction with destroyers on the fringes of the battle line in addition to the defense of the battle line against destroyer and aircraft attack. While they were not designed to "slug it out" with heaver ships, they were well suited to close surface action in bad weather (poor visibility) and to night actions, where their fast firing 5"/38's and eight 21" torpedos could be used to advantage.

The design consisted of many novel features, including the provision of an inner bottom extending to the second deck and following the contour of the outer shell. The side armor was of watertight reverted construction forming part of the watertight envelope of the hull. Armor protection was moderate, due to the weight limitation dictated by speed requirements, and consisted of side armor in way of the machinery spaces, bulkheads enclosing magazines, conning tower and steering engine room, with lighter protection on decks and on the boundaries off other vital areas. The propelling machinery was of improved design based on experience gained in the operation of destroyer machinery. Manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, each set of turbines consisted of one cruising, one high pressure and one double flow low pressure. The cruising turbine connected to the forward end of the high-pressure turbine rotor shaft through a single reduction gear.

The first group of four ships had a disastrous entry to service. With the eruption of the German submarine onslaught on the Atlantic coast in November 1942, the four new Atlanta class cruisers were committed to the ASW battle, apparently due to the provision for depth charges and throwers on their stern and in the belief that their larger size would make them more suitable for hunting submarines in the bad weather of an Atlantic winter. This was a catastrophic mistake since three of the four cruisers were torpedoed and sunk within as many months. Only the name ship of the class survived and she was hastily withdrawn from the battle and sent to the Pacific. She would return to the Atlantic in 1946 where she would be part of the escort assigned to the two search -and rescue carriers Wright and Kittyhawk. Following the end of the war, Atlanta was decommissioned and placed in reserve pending conversion to a dedicated ASW configuration. This never took place and she was sold for scrap in 1954.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CL-51 Atlanta 1940 1940 1941 1942 Decommissioned 1947 and scrapped 1954
CL-52 Juneau 1940 1940 1941 1942 Torpedoed and sunk by U-99 11/1942
CL-53 San Diego 1940 1940 1941 1942 Torpedoed and sunk by U-131 1/1943
CL-54 San Juan 1940 1940 1941 1942 Torpedoed and sunk by U-100 12/1942
Modified Atlanta Class
usnc-fresnosmall.jpg
(some parts and underwater details taken from Shipbucket.com)
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 541 ft
Beam 53 ft
Draft 20.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 6,720 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 8,340 tons
Performance Speed (max) 32.5 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 8,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Medium Guns 12 5 inch L38
Light guns 20 40mm L60
Armor Belt 3.75 inches
Deck 1.25 inches
Background
With the sinking of three of the four original Atlanta class cruisers, a batch of three replacement ships was ordered. These gained from experience with the first group of four ships and had greatly reduced topweight. The beam 5 inch twin turrets were deleted and the superimposed mounts dropped a deck. In addition, the bridge structure was moved aft and the funnels were placed closer together. The three ships of this class joined Atlanta in the Pacific for two years before being returned to the Atlantic to screen the new search and rescue aircraft carriers. Wright and Kittyhawk. Following the end of the war, all three were decommissioned and placed in reserve pending conversion to a dedicated ASW configuration. This never took place and they were sold for scrap in 1954.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CL-95 Oakland 1942 1943 1944 1944 Decommissioned 1947 and scrapped 1954
CL-96 Reno 1942 1943 1944 1944 Decommissioned 1947 and scrapped 1954
CL-97 Flint 1942 1943 1944 1944 Decommissioned 1947 and scrapped 1954
CLK Atlanta Class
usnc-fresno02small.jpg
(some parts and underwater details taken from Shipbucket.com)
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 541 ft
Beam 53 ft
Draft 20.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 6,720 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 8,340 tons
Performance Speed (max) 32.5 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 8,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Medium Guns 2 5 inch L54
Light guns 4 3 inch L70
ASW Weapons 4 Weapon Able
Armor Belt 3.75 inches
Deck 1.25 inches
Background
A third group of Atlanta class cruisers was assigned to the 1944 building program but growing doubts over the ship's general utility resulted in construction being very slow. Experience with the Atlanta and Modified Atlanta class ships proved them to be too small to be suitable for cruiser duties in the Atlantic. However, the same experience also showed the Gearing class destroyers were also too small to be considered effective ASW ships. Accordingly, the four remaining Atlanta class ships were redesigned as ASW cruisers with the new designation of CLK. All existing guns were stripped off and replaced by two single 5 inch L54s and two twin 3 inch L70s along with four of the new Weapon Able ASW rocket launchers. Interestingly, teh combination of 5 inch and 3 inch L70 guns was considered at least equivalent to the original armament of 12 5 inch L38s. The internal arrangement of the ships was changed and a (for the time) complex sonar array fitted. In this mode, the ships entered service in 1950. In parallel with their conversion, a dedicated ASW cruiser was designed, the USS Norfolk (CLK-1) while a destroyer version was also produced, initially as DLK-1, later simply as DL-1. Experience with these three designs quickly showed that the converted cruisers were by far the least effective of the three concepts since they lacked the sound insulation and large, slow-turning propellers of the other designs. Careful evaluation showed that the CLKs had very little advantage over the DLs yet cost almost twice as much. Accordingly, the DLs were selected as the basis for the future fast fleet escorts. The four converted Atlantas soldiered on until the mid-1960s when they were decommissioned and scrapped. Plans to convert the rest of the Atlantas to this configuration were abandoned.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CLK-98 Tucson 1944 1945 1948 1951 Decommissioned and scrapped 1964
CLK-119 Fresno 1944 1945 1948 1950 Decommissioned and scrapped 1964
CLK-120 Spokane 1944 1945 1948 1950 Decommissioned and scrapped 1964
CLK-121 Trumbull 1944 1945 1948 1950 Decommissioned and scrapped 1964

[Calder]

CGN-160 Long Beach Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 721.2 ft
Beam 73.2 ft
Draft 31 ft
Displacement (Standard) 14,200 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 17,100 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Strategic missiles 6 Regulus 2
Long-range SAM/ABM 52 Talos
Medium-range SAM 120 Terrier
Background
USS Long Beach was the first nuclear powered cruiser and first large combatant in the US Navy with its main battery consisting of guided missiles. She was also the first American cruiser since the end of World War II to built entirely new from the keel, up. Built in Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, Massachusetts, the ship's keel was laid on December 2, 1957. The ship was later launched on July 14, 1959. USS LONG BEACH got underway on nuclear power for the first time on the morning of July 5, 1961. On September 9, 1961, the ship was commissioned at the Boston Navy Shipyard. The ship was designed as part of the screen for the new generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the long-term plan being to replace the existing carrier task groups (then with two large Gettysburg and two smaller Essex class carriers) screened by three to six cruisers and up to 16 destroyers) with a group consisting of a single CVN, two nuclear-powered cruisers and four nuclear-powered destroyers. The Long Beach was armed with a large array of anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile missiles while for land attack she carried six of the new Regulus II cruise missiles. Guns were conspicuously absent from the ship's arsenal and she would remain gunless for the whole of her operational career. This led to the design being criticized at first since she apparently had no anti-ship firepower. In reality, both Talos and Terrier had anti-ship modes and gave the Long Beach a formidable anti-ship punch.

The most striking part of the new ship was her superstructure, dominated by the phased array radars built into the bridge faces. These gave the ship unsurpassed battle management capabilities and opened up a whole new range of abilities. In fact, the radars provided so much data that they swamped the ability of the crew to handle that information. As a result of these problems plus the serious teething problems experienced with the Talos and Terrier missiles, she spent much of her early career in test and development work, getting the bugs wrung out of her. From 1962 onwards she was jointed by the new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and the Long Beach's sister-ship the USS Hartford. With the new nuclear-powered "frigates" (actually large destroyers) also joining the fleet, this gave the US Navy its first wholly nuclear-powered task force. In 1963, a second nuclear-powered task force built around the USS Shiloh also joined the fleet.

Six ships of the CGN-160 class were built before production shifted to the larger Improved Long Beach class

In 1974, the class started entering the shipyards for mid-life upgrades. This saw the Talos and Terrier missiles replaced by the new Standard-ER and MR missiles while the radars and combat systems were upgraded. The Regulus handling facility admidships had been much-criticized and it was rebuilt to match the standard of the CGN-166 class. These upgrades saw the class remaining effective up to the time they were withdrawn from service in the early 1990s.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CGN-160 Long Beach 1957 1957 1959 1961 Decommissioned and scrapped 1991
CGN-161 Hartford 1958 1958 1960 1962 Decommissioned and scrapped 1992
CGN-162 Cheyenne 1959 1959 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 1993
CGN-163 Richmond 1959 1959 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 1993
CGN-164 Madison 1960 1960 1962 1964 Decommissioned and scrapped 1994
CGN-165 Trenton 1960 1960 1962 1964 Decommissioned and scrapped 1994

[Calder]

CGN-166 Portland (Improved Long Beach Class)

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 925 ft
Beam 95.5 ft
Draft 35 ft
Displacement (Standard) 26,500 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 31,200 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Strategic missiles 10 Regulus 3
Long-range SAM/ABM 52 Talos
Medium-range SAM 120 Terrier
Short-range SAM 32 Sea Falcon
ASW Missiles 24 ASROC
Aircraft Kaman Defender Rotodynes 4
Background
The Portland Class originated as a modified Long Beach class with the original change simply involving the redesign of the after superstructure to incorporate a hangar and flight deck. This plan was then ammended to include the new AEGIS air warfare defense system and a much-improved command and control facility. A further addition was the provision of an effective ASW capability by the addition of the very powerful SQS-26 bow sonar and the enlargement of the forward missile magazines to include ASROC missiles in addition to the normal Terrier loadout. By the time all the necessary work had been completed, the ship had gained almost 200 feet in length and doubled in displacement. This led to the cruisers bearing their first nickname in U.S. Navy service, the "Cunning Bastard Class" reputedly the comment made by President Lyndon Johnson when he realized that the U.S. Navy had bamboozled Congress into authorizing these huge cruisers by pretending they were just a "modified Long Beach class". The ships, larger in size that an Iowa class battleship, stretched the definition of cruiser almost to breaking point and for many years the naval reference book "Dane's Frightening Slips" referred to them as "battle-cruisers." In later years, when cruisers in other navies caught up with the CGN-166 in size, this definition tended to fade away.

In appearance the Portland class were much more conventional than the Long Beach. They even appeared to have a funnel amidships although this was actually just a deckhouse to carry the two aft phased array SPY-1 antennas for the AEGIS radars. The hangar aft was capable of housing four rotodynes which usually carried out anti-submarine duties but could also serve as airborne radar platforms for command and control purposes. In this configuration, the Portland class could use their nuclear-tipped Talos missiles to hit targets over 150 miles away. It is interesting to note that the two Portland class cruisers assigned to escort each nuclear-powered aircraft carrier carry as many nuclear warheads between them as were used against Germany in 1947.

The first four ships launched carried no point defense systems but the fifth ship onwards were equipped with four eight-round box launchers for Sea Falcon point defense missiles. These were refitted to the first four ships in yard periods early in their career. It should go without saying that the Sea Falcons also had nuclear warheads. The Regulus launch system amidships was modified, the hangar being enlarged to accommodate 10 missiles and the launchers themselves simplified. The Regulus 2 was replaced by Regulus 3, essentially the same missile as the earlier version but with its warhead section modified to a multi-role bay that could accommodate reconnaissance or electronic warfare packages as well as the standard 350 kiloton nuclear warhead. Later in the ship's career, regulus 3 was replaced by Regulus 4, a re-engined and redesigned missile that could achieve Mach 3.6 at 95,000 feet, this being the maximum performance achievable without relying on scramjets. Regulus 2 and Regulus 3 had ranges of 1,380 nautical miles, Regulus 4 could reach out to 1,600 miles.

The first pair of Portland class cruisers were ordered in 1964. The original plan was to build six ships of the CGN-166 class with production then shifting to a further improved design with a larger hangar. However, at this point financial realities (not to mention common sense) cut in and the design was frozen at the existing Portland stage. 12 more cruisers of this class would be built to the same design, the standardization thus achieved greatly reducing unit costs. After the 18 Portland class cruisers had been completed, the design shifted to the new Phoenix Class class that replaced the existing rail launchers with vertical launch silos but otherwise remained identical to the Portland class.

In 1974, the Portland class started entering the shipyards for mid-life upgrades. This saw the Talos and Terrier missiles replaced by the new Standard-ER and MR missiles while the radars and combat systems were upgraded. The rail launchers were replaced by vertical launch silos, this increasing the missile load to 160 Standard MR/ASROC and 64 Standard ER. This modification effectively merged the Portland and Phoenix classes and the two became regarded as a single entity.

Despite their huge size and capital cost, the Portland class proved to be economical ships. The firepower they packed into a single hull meant they replaced large numbers of older screening ships and this reduced total crew requirements by an order of magnitude. This proved to be a vital concern in a volunteer force era where manpower was a significant cost factor. In effect, two Portland Class cruisers and four destroyers replaced two battleships, six to eight gun cruisers and up to 16 destroyers - yet offered much greater defensive firepower to the carrier they were assigned to protect. As a result, as the new nuclear-powered task groups joined the Navy and the old war-built ships were retired, the number of ships in the U.S. Navy plummeted. By the time the "nuclear navy" was completed in the late 1980s ("nuclear navy" was a misnomer since the amphibious fleet remained fossil-fuelled) the numerical number of combatants had dropped to less than 300. Of course, those 300 outgunned the old fleet by orders of magnitude. It is a common war-gamers scenario to put a single modern nuclear-powered carrier battlegroup into the Battle of the Orkneys in place of Halsey's Armada. The modern group wins of course, every time.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CGN-166 Portland 1964 1964 1967 1969 Decommissioned and scrapped 1999
CGN-167 Juneau 1964 1964 1967 1969 Decommissioned and scrapped 1999
CGN-168 Montpelier 1964 1964 1967 1969 Decommissioned and scrapped 2000
CGN-169 Sacramento 1965 1965 1968 1970 Decommissioned and scrapped 2000
CGN-170 Austin 1965 1965 1968 1970 Decommissioned and scrapped 2002
CGN-171 Little Rock 1965 1965 1968 1970 Decommissioned and scrapped 2002
CGN-172 Mongomery 1967 1967 1970 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2003
CGN-173 Denver 1967 1967 1970 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2003
CGN-174 John C Stens 1967 1967 1970 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2004
CGN-175 Dover 1968 1969 1973 1974 Decommissioned and scrapped 2005
CGN-176 Atlanta 1970 1970 1973 1975 Decommissioned and scrapped 2005
CGN-177 Honolulu 1971 1971 1974 1976 Decommissioned and scrapped 2006
CGN-178 Boise 1972 1972 1975 1977 Decommissioned and scrapped 2006
CGN-179 Springfield 1973 1973 1976 1978 Decommissioned and scrapped 2007
CGN-180 Indianapolis 1974 1974 1978 1979 Decommissioned and scrapped 2008
CGN-181 Des Moines 1975 1975 1979 1980 In service as of 2009
CGN-182 Topeka 1976 1976 1980 1982 In service as of 2009
CGN-183 Baton Rouge 1978 1978 1982 1983 In service as of 2009

[Calder]

CGN-184 Phoenix Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 925 ft
Beam 95.5 ft
Draft 35 ft
Displacement (Standard) 26,850 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 31,800 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Strategic missiles 10 Regulus 4
Long-range SAM/ABM 64 Standard ER
Medium-range SAM 144 Standard MR
Short-range SAM 32 Sea Falcon
ASW Missiles 24 ASROC
Aircraft Kaman Defender Rotodynes 4
Background
The Phoenix Class originated as a repeat Improved Long Beach class witha few minor modifications such as new radars. However, shortly after the first group of six were ordered as part of the 1982 Budget supplemental ordered by President Reagan, the virtues of the British vertical launch system were displayed during the Falklands fighting and the design was recast to put the primary missile armament in vertical launch silos. This delayed their construction but added greatly to their value. The earlier Long Beach class were later modified to the same standard. With the construction of the 12 ships of this class, the target of having two nuclear cruisers for each of the 18 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers was finally reached. A further eight ships were constructed to replace the Long Beach class. The long, slended and relatively shallow hull proved to have been an ill-considered design decision and the ships proved to be weaker than desirable. This contributed to a relatively short service life and the design problem was rectified with the CGN-204 Augusta class

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CGN-184 Phoenix 1982 1983 1986 1988 In service as of 2009
CGN-185 Frankfort 1982 1983 1986 1988 In service as of 2009
CGN-186 Annapolis 1982 1983 1986 1988 In service as of 2009
CGN-187 Lansing 1983 1984 1987 1989 In service as of 2009
CGN-188 Jefferson City 1983 1984 1987 1989 In service as of 2009
CGN-189 Helena 1983 1984 1987 1989 In service as of 2009
CGN-190 Santa Fe 1984 1984 1988 1990 In service as of 2009
CGN-191 Salem 1984 1984 1988 1990 In service as of 2009
CGN-192 Pierre 1984 1984 1988 1990 In service as of 2009
CGN-193 Lajes 1985 1985 1989 1991 In service as of 2009
CGN-194 San Juan 1985 1985 1989 1991 In service as of 2009
CGN-195 Olympia 1985 1985 1989 1991 In service as of 2009
CGN-196 Tallahassee 1986 1986 1990 1992 In service as of 2009
CGN-197 Boston 1986 1986 1990 1992 In service as of 2009
CGN-198 St Paul 1987 1987 1991 1993 In service as of 2009
CGN-199 Lincoln 1987 1987 1991 1993 In service as of 2009
CGN-200 Carson City 1988 1988 1992 1994 In service as of 2009
CGN-201 Concord 1988 1988 1992 1994 In service as of 2009
CGN-202 Reykjavík 1989 1989 1993 1995 In service as of 2009
CGN-203 Albany 1990 1991 1995 1997 In service as of 2009

[Calder]

CA-68 Baltimore Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 673.5 ft
Beam 71 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 13,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 17,200 tons
Performance Speed (max) 34 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 9,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Heavy Guns 9 8 inch L55
Medium Guns 12 5 inch L38
Light guns 52 40mm, 20 20mm
Armor Belt 6 inches
Deck 3 inches
Background
Studies for a new heavy cruiser began in September 1939 similar to Wichita (CA-45), which would form the basis for this class, though her stability problem would have to be remedied. Machinery arrangement would be similar to that of the Cleveland (CL-55) class with the armored belt extending further foreward to protect against magnetic mines. Four ships were authorized on 1 July 1940; their construction was delayed due to the emphasis on light cruiser construction during the pre-war period. Sixteen more (CA-122 to 138) were ordered on 7 August 1942. Shortly prior to christening, it was decided to change the name of CA-70 from the planned Pittsburgh to Canberra, a very rare case of a U.S. ship being named after a non-U.S. city although the name was actually selected in honor of the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra. The decision to make the change was taken as a result of an incident in which an American troopship, the USS Lafayette with the better part of an infantry division on board was sailing to the Philippines when she hit a mine off Mindanao. She was drifting helplessly in what was believed to be a mined area and there was the prospect of a major disaster. The Australian cruiser, HMAS Canberra was on the scene. Although the Captain of the Lafayette sent a message to her, warning her of the mines and advising her to keep clear, the Australian cruiser replied by signalling "Blood is thicker than water". Then, she sailed into the minefield, prepared a very hasty salvage line arrangement and towed the troopship clear of danger. Once the two ships were clear of mines, the tow was rearranged to more conventional standards and the Canberra then towed the Lafayette to Cavite in Luzon. The incident made major headlines in a United States that was gearing up for a war against Nazi Germany more or less by itself and the Navy responded to this public pressure by renaming CA-70.

Of the original class, Baltimore (CA-68) was the first to commission, in April 1943; Toledo (CA-133) was the last, in July 1946. CA-122 to 129 and 137-138 were re-ordered in late 1942 with design changes including boiler uptakes trunked into a single funnel, shortened superstructure, repositioned directors, and smaller hangar. This became the Modified Baltimore (CA-122) class. Fourteen Baltimore class heavy cruisers were ulitimately built, and 10 of the Modified Baltimore class.

Resembling the Cleveland class, the Baltimores carried three triple 8-inch/55 gun turrets (Mk12 or 15) with an elevation of 41 degrees. They were the first heavy cruisers built with the twin 5-inch L38 DP secondary armament. Their anti-aircraft battery was only surpassed by battleships in the US fleet. This resulted in the almost sole role of these ships, being the escort of the heavy and light carriers. They proved the most successful of the U.S. cruiser designs under the demanding conditions of the North Atlantic, the CL-55 Cleveland class being regarded as too limited in stability while the Atlanta class were seen as being too small for fleet operations in the heavy seas that characterized the North Atlantic Environment. Although the Baltimore class was originally planned to have four quad 1.1-inch AA guns; this was changed to four quad 40mm AA guns during construction and this was supplemented with 20mm AA guns. The 20mm guns were found to be a major liability during operations in the North Atlantic and were largely removed from 1945-46 onwards, some being replaced by additional 40mm quads. From the end of 1945 onwards, the 40mm quads started being replaced by 3 inch L50 twin mounts (a total of 11 such mounts being carried) and many of the Modified Baltimore class were completed with these guns.

Of the 14 ships of the class, only Canberra suffered damage, being hit by a torpedo from a German submarine off Churchill in Nova Scotia. Oregon City suffered severe weather damage in December 1945, just prior to the Battle of the Orkneys and returned to New York Navy Yard for repairs. A survey showed she was structurally defective, her keel being more than 6 inches out of true while serious welding faults were discovered in her bows and superstructure. As a result, she was withdrawn from active service in January 1946 (her place in the fast carrier fleet being taken by Wichita) and assigned to Norfolk as an alongside test and experimental ship. She remained in this unglamorous role until 1960 when she was towed away and scrapped.

Postwar, the Baltimore and Modified Baltimore classes remained in service, providing the screen for the new carrier groups. Following the initial, experimental conversions of Boston and Canberra, a standardized conversion scheme was devised that relied largely on prefabricated assemblies. This was applied to all the Modified Baltimore class other than Oregon City and three of the original Baltimore class to give a total of 12 missile cruisers that were regarded as a separate class, the CG-123 Albany Class. At that point, the flood of new-construction missile ships entering the Navy was such that further conversions were deemed unnecessary. Of the nine surviving Baltimore class gun cruisers, six were sold to other navies while the last three were scrapped in 1965.

Missile Conversion.
usnc-boston02small.jpg
(some parts and underwater details taken from Shipbucket.com)
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 673.5 ft
Beam 71 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 13,300 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 17,500 tons
Performance Speed (max) 34 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 9,000 nm. at 25 knots
Armament Heavy Guns 6 8 inch L55
Medium Guns 10 5 inch L38
Missiles 144 Terrier
Armor Belt 6 inches
Deck 3 inches
Originally, it was planned that each carrier task group would eventually have four eight inch and four six inch cruisers as part of its screen. With the splitting of the six wartiime task groups to twelve peace-time task groups post-war, this was also halved to give two eight inch and two six inch cruisers per group. During the 1950s, it was intended to replace these ships with missile cruisers and an initial start was made by means of an experimental conversion of the cruisers Boston and Canberra to carry two twin Terrier missile launchers aft. The six forward eight inch guns were retained, resulting in the two ships carrying the hybrid designation CAG. The ships were designed to carry vertical-load magazines but the early conversion work showed this to have been a bad mistake since the depth of the magazines effectively meant the whole rear of the ship had to be gutted. Horizontal-load magazines would be preferred from this point onwards and were used in the definitive "Tall Lady" conversions. Also, it was found that inadequate numbers of missile guidance radars had been provided and there was a gross missmatch between the ship's engagement capability and the number of rounds carried. Boston and Canberra were never regarded as being anything more than experimental ships and, when adequate numbers of better missile cruisers were available, they were stripped of their missile equipment and sold to Argentina.

Class Members
Baltimore Class

Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CA-68 Baltimore 1940 1941 1942 1943 Sold to Argentina 1958
CA-69 Boston 1940 1941 1942 1943 Converted to missile cruiser CAG-69 1952 - 1954
CA-70 Canberra 1940 1941 1943 1943 Converted to missile cruiser CAG-70 1952 - 1954
CA-71 Saint Paul 1940 1941 1943 1943 Sold to Argentina 1958
CA-72 Pittsburgh 1942 1943 1944 1944 Sold to Brazil 1958
CA-73 Rochester 1942 1943 1944 1945 Sold to Brazil 1958
CA-74 Columbus 1942 1943 1944 1945 Sold to Spain 1960
CA-75 Danbury 1942 1943 1945 1945 Sold to Spain 1960
CA-130 Bremerton 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1965
CA-131 Fall River 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1965
CA-132 Macon 1942 1943 1944 1945 Decommissioned and scrapped 1965
CA-133 Toledo 1942 1943 1945 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-133 1954 - 1956
CA-135 Los Angeles 1942 1943 1944 1945 Converted to missile cruiser CG-135 1956 - 1958
CA-136 Chicago 1942 1943 1944 1945 Converted to missile cruiser CG-136 1955 - 1957
Modified Baltimore Class

Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CA-122 Oregon City 1943 1944 1945 1945 Decommissioned 1946 and scrapped 1960
CA-123 Albany 1943 1944 1945 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-123 1954 - 1956
CA-124 Litchfield 1943 1944 1945 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-124 1956 - 1959
CA-125 Rockville 1943 1944 1945 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-125 1955 - 1958
CA-126 Cambridge 1943 1944 1946 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-126 1956 - 1959
CA-127 Bridgewater 1943 1944 1946 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-127 1956 - 1959
CA-128 Kansas City 1943 1944 1946 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-128 1955 - 1958
CA-129 Tulsa 1943 1944 1946 1946 Converted to missile cruiser CG-129 1955 - 1958
CA-137 Norfolk 1943 1945 1946 1947 Converted to missile cruiser CG-137 1954 - 1957
CA-138 Scranton 1943 1945 1946 1947 Converted to missile cruiser CG-138 1954 - 1957
Boston Class CAG

Number Name Ordered Conversion started Conversion completed Recommissioned Fate
CAG-69 Boston 1951 1952 1954 1955 Sold to Argentina 1964
CAG-70 Canberra 1951 1952 1954 1955 Sold to Argentina 1964

[Calder]

CG-123 Albany Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 673.5 ft
Beam 71 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 13,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 17,200 tons
Performance Speed (max) 34 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 9,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Long-range SAMs 96 Talos
Short-range SAMs 80 Tartar
Armor Belt 6 inches
Deck 3 inches
Background
The experimental conversion of the cruisers Boston and Canberra to carry two twin Terrier missile launchers aft had shown grave shortcomings. The ships were redesigned to carry vertical-load magazines but the early conversion work showed this to have been a bad mistake since the depth of the magazines effectively meant the whole rear of the ship had to be gutted. Horizontal-load magazines would be preferred from this point onwards and were used in the definitive "Tall Lady" conversions. Also, it was found that inadequate numbers of missile guidance radars had been provided and there was a gross missmatch between the ship's engagement capability and the number of rounds carried. The magazines were too large and the number of guidance radars too small so that most of the magazine capacity was wasted.

The definitive Albany class conversions addressed these problems. Horizontal-loading magazines were adopted for the Talos missiles. Although vertical loading was adopted for teh tartar short-range missiles, these were much shorter than Terrier/Talos and did not pose any structural problems. The conversions were carefully designed so that all the major construction work was above main deck level. In addition, the new superstructure had a very high aluminum content, this decision being eased by the large numbers of B-36 bombers being scrapped that were swamping the scrap metal market with aluminum and aluminum alloys. This led to a curious development in warship design and construction. The components for the superstructure of the Albany class were produced by aluminum fabricators who had experience in the problems of handling this metal from the B-36 program. This work expanded as the expertise of these companies was exploited and quickly reached the point where the superstructures of the ships were being built in thise companies, many of them far inland. Since the structure of the bridges and other areas were being built at those companies, it made sense to install as much of the equipment as possible in those structures. This ended up with the aluminum fabricators shipping what amounted to complete superstructures to the shipyard. In effect, the work on these conversions took place with the shipyards stripping the original hull to the main deck while the aluminum fabricators were building the ship from the main deck up. At the appropriate time, the completed superstructure modules were delivered, placed on the hulls and the shipyard married the two up. This worked surprisingly well and led to a much wider adoption of modular construction techniques.

The early days also saw an unseemly race between the teams working on the conversions of the CG-123 Albany and the CG-133 Toledo. Knowing that whoever got their ship commissioned first would see the class named after their ship, both groups were grimly determined that it would be theirs that won. This spread to component suppliers and even state governments with, for example, Toledo steel workers rushing through orders for "their" cruiser while taking their time over deliveries for "the other one". In New York, the state government offered economic rewards and state contracts to companies that delivered systems for Albany ahead of schedule while it was quietly made known that the state treasury smiled on companies that delayed deliveries to Toledo. These machinations probably cancelled each other out and in the end, Albany won the race by a mere three days.

Most of the cruisers converted were the later Modified Baltimore class, these having hulls and machinery that was in better condition. By the time the program ran to an end with the 1956 batch of conversions, nine Modified Baltimore and three Baltimore class ships had been converted to Tall Ladies. Plans to convert additional ships were cancelled at this point due to the remaining Baltimore hulls being older and strained by arduous service in the North Atlantic. Ironically, conversion of the older Baltimore class ships proved to be easier than the later Modified Baltimore class since the configuration of the new missile cruisers with their twin uptakes was closer to the original design.

The decision to push through the missile conversions so early in the development of the weapons that armed them was much criticised and several times there were moves to delay the programs while the many and varied problems with the Talos and Tartar missiles were eliminated. The Navy, however, decided to push on with performing the conversions at the maximum rate permitted by construction capacity and allowing the missile problems to surface in, and be solved in, a seagoing operational environment. Throughout the late 1950s, the Tall Ladies were joining the fleet with systems that barely worked at all (it being a common joke that in a shooting war, these ships would have to rely on the Commanding Officer's M1911A1 as the only operational weapon on board). However, with twelve ships working at sea, the problems with the systems were debugged and corrected. Unfortunately, this process also meant that the ever-increasing roll of modifications and alterations meant that no two ships had identical equipment or performance. Finally, in 1962 when the majority of missile problems had been solved, there was a "Project Look-Alike" effort that saw all twelve ships brought up to the standard of the most modern of the class. This was carried out between 1962 and 1966.

By the mid-1970s, the need for conventionally-powered cruisers with the carrier groups was fading quickly as nuclear-powered task groups replaced the older oil-burning groups. The missile crusier conversions were, therefore, transferred to the amphibious fleet, one being assigned to each of the 18 amphibious ready groups. They spent the autumn of their years with those groups, slowly disappearing from the fleet as old age and the growing obsolescence of their systems caught up with them. The last of the CG-123 Albany class cruisers had left the fleet by 1990.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Conversion started Conversion completed Recommissioned Fate
CG-123 Albany 1953 1954 1956 1956 Decommissioned and scrapped 1977
CG-124 Litchfield 1955 1956 1959 1959 Decommissioned and scrapped 1988
CG-125 Rockville 1954 1955 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1979
CG-126 Cambridge 1955 1956 1959 1959 Decommissioned and scrapped 1989
CG-127 Bridgewater 1955 1956 1959 1959 Decommissioned and scrapped 1989
CG-128 Kansas City 1954 1955 1957 1958 Decommissioned and scrapped 1988
CG-129 Tulsa 1954 1955 1958 1958 Decommissioned and scrapped 1989
CG-133 Toledo 1953 1954 1956 1956 Decommissioned and scrapped 1978
CG-135 Los Angeles 1955 1956 1959 1960 Decommissioned and scrapped 1990
CG-136 Chicago 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1979
CG-137 Norfolk 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1977
CG-138 Scranton 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1978

[Calder]

CA-134 Des Moines Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 716.5 ft
Beam 76.3 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 17,000 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 21,500 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 10,500 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Heavy Guns 9 8 inch L55
Medium Guns 12 5 inch L38
Light guns 24 3 inch L50
Armor Belt 6 inches
Deck 3.5 inches
Background
The Des Moines class heavy cruisers were the last gun cruisers to be built for the U.S. Navy. They were developed as an improved version of the CA-68 Baltimore Class with new machinery, increased internal armor, superior fire control and, most importantly, a new model 8 inch gun that could rival the 6 inch L47 as mounted on contemporary light cruisers for rate of fire. Thus, the Des Moines class offered the volume of fire capability of the 6 inch cruiser with the heavy shells of the 8 inch ships. During the design process, it became apparent that any really satisfactory cruiser would be similar in displacement regardless of whether she was armed with 6 inch or 8 inch guns. The new 8 inch guns meant that the six inch ships had no real advantage over the 8 inch model and plans to build the CL-144 Worcester were cut back from 16 to four ships with the orders being reprogammed as Des Moines class cruisers.

The 1943 cruiser building program was controversial for those reasons. originally, this program had consisted of six CL-106 Fargo class and six Improved Baltimore class cruisers. However, experience gained in the Atlantic. had shown that the smaller and less stable Cleveland class were badly affected by bad weather. Also, experience had shown that the Clevelands were far from ideal in that their gun layouts suffered from mutual interference and they were severely crowded. The even smaller Atlanta class suffered from similar problems. The problems with the Clevelands were not addressed by the Fargo class that was derived from them. This led to the six 1943 program Fargo class cruisers being cancelled and replaced by four of the Worcester class cruiers that represented a near-equivalent in resource terms. Since the Des Moines class was ready for construction and offered multiple advantages over the Baltimore class, six CA-134 Des Moines class cruisers replaced teh Modified Baltimore class. The same arguments resurfaced in the 1944 building program that proposed the construction of a further six Worcester class and six Des Moines class. The Des Moines class was approved but the six Worcesters were dropped in favor of a smaller light cruiser that would have the same general layout but be armed with five inch L54 guns. These also were dropped when the design was considered immature and a further six Des Moines class ships were added to the program. Pressure on shipyards then caused those six ships to be deferred until the 1945 building program.

All of the first batch of six ships were completed as gun cruisers with the first pair reaching the fleet just before The Big One abruptly ended World War Two. None of these ships ever fired their guns in anger. By the end of 1947 they were openly regarded as being battleship-substitutes, offering equivalent command facilities at much lower cost in terms of operating expense and manpower requirements. They served in this role until the late 1960s when they were all broken up for scrap.

The 1944 program ships had still not been launched when the war ended. Two of the ships had already been taken out of the construction program and were being redesigned as command cruisers. The other four were suspended while a decision was taken as to their fate. In 1953 it was decided to complete them as missile cruisers using the same standardized conversion scheme based on prefabricated assemblies that was being applied to the Baltimore and Worcester classes. The larger hull of the Des Moines class meant that these ships could retain a hangar aft that was used for Regulus 1 missiles. The missile conversions remained in service until 1996, having received a mid-life upgrade in the mid-1980s.

The 1945 program ships were theoretically laid down in 1947 although in some cases it appears that only the collection of raw materials took place and no actual construction was started. All six ships were cancelled in June 1947 and any materials on the slips were broken up.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CA-134 Des Moines 1943 1944 1945 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1967
CA-139 Salem 1943 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1967
CA-140 Dallas 1943 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1967
CA-141 Brooklyn 1943 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1968
CA-142 Savannah 1943 1944 1946 1947 Decommissioned and scrapped 1968
CA-143 Newport News 1943 1944 1946 1948 Decommissioned and scrapped 1968
CA-148 Honolulu 1944 1945 1950 1954 Reprogrammed as CAC-148 in 1946
CA-149 Omaha 1944 1945 1950 1954 Reprogrammed as CAC-149 in 1946
CA-150 San Diego 1944 1945 1955 1957 Reprogrammed as CG-150 in 1953
CA-151 San Juan 1944 1945 1956 1958 Reprogrammed as CG-151 in 1953
CA-152 Marblehead 1944 1945 1957 1959 Reprogrammed as CG-152 in 1953
CA-153 Niagara Falls 1944 1945 1958 1960 Reprogrammed as CG-153 in 1953
CA-154 Sioux Falls 1945 1947 Cancelled June 1947
CA-155 Dover 1945 1947 Cancelled June 1947
CA-156 Oil City 1945 1947 Cancelled June 1947
CA-156 Abilene 1945 1947 Cancelled June 1947
CA-156 Dodge City 1945 1947 Cancelled June 1947
CA-156 El Paso 1945 1947 Cancelled June 1947
Command Cruiser Conversion
usnc-desmoines03small.jpg
(some parts and underwater details taken from Shipbucket.com)
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 716.5 ft
Beam 76.3 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 18,500 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 22,500 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 10,500 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Guns 4 5 inch L54 Mark 42, 8 3 inch L50
Armor Belt 6 inches
Deck 3.5 inches
Background
By mid-1946, it was becoming apparent that the atomic bomb offered the user an unprecedented ability to deliver destruction upon a target while the long-range, ultra-high altitude bomber offered a secure means of delivering these weapons to those targets. In fact, it was obvious at that time no means of defense existed against such an attack and that it would be years before an effective defense became possible. This raised the ugly possibility that the United States could also be a victim of such an attack and attention began to be diverted towards defending against it. The first priority was to ensure that national command and control would be protected. Any land target could be destroyed but a ship afloat would be a much more difficult proposition, especially given the fact that the U.S. navy dominated the world's oceans. Thus, the concept of a National Emergency Command Post Afloat (NECPA, colloquially known as Neckpain) was raised. Two Des Moines class cruiser hulls were selected for conversion to this role. For security reasons, they were referred to as amphibious warfare command ships with the cover story that they were the command ships for the invasion of Europe.

The conversion was massive. All the armament was stripped out and an extra deck built into the hull to provide command space. The ship layout was determined by the demands of those command spaces and the communications antennas required to fulfil the ship's functions. The new armament, originally intended to be four twin 5 inch L38, these being replaced by four single 5 inch L54 Mark 19s and finally by four single 5 inch L54 Mark 42s, was placed so that not one of the mounts was actually on the ship's centerline, all being offset due to the office space requirements in their vicinity. A combination of the extent of the redesign and the post-war work slow-down meant that they were not launched until 1950 and did not enter service until 1954.

Their life in the NECPA role was short. By 1960, the growth of NORAD and ARADCOM defenses meant that the territory of the United States was more or less secure and the NECPA role was stood down. The Honolulu and Omaha were therefore retasked as fleet flagships for the Pacific Fleet in anticipation of a war against Chipan. They remained in this assignment until 1975 when a new generation of larger and more capable command ships was built to replace them.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CAC-148 Honolulu 1944 1945 1950 1954 Decommissioned and scrapped 1975
CAC-149 Omaha 1944 1945 1950 1954 Decommissioned and scrapped 1976
Missile Conversion.
usnc-desmoines02small.jpg
(some parts and underwater details taken from Shipbucket.com)
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 716.5 ft
Beam 76.3 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 17,000 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 21,500 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 10,500 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Long range SAM 92 Talos
Short range SAM 80 Tartar
Anti-Surface Missiless 4 Regulus 1
Armor Belt 6 inches
Deck 3.5 inches
Background
With 12 active task forces, there was a requirement for 24 large missile cruisers and 24 small missile cruisers to screen them. The planned CG-123 Albany and Worcester class conversions provided 16 large missile cruisers, leaving the fleet eight short. The four remaining incomplete Des Moines class ships offered to fill half this requirement and it is possible to guess that the 1947 decision to scrap the third group of six was deeply regretted. However, work on the four hulls was started and these ships were the last of the Tall Lady conversions to be implemented. They received the New Threat Upgrade in 1984 - 86 that gave them Regulus III missiles, Sea Falcon CIWS, Standard AAW missiles and new radars. They were finally decommissioned in 1996 with the last of the class, CG-153 Niagara Falls being preserved as a museum, the only U.S. cruiser to survive.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CG-150 San Diego 1944 1945 1955 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1996
CG-151 San Juan 1944 1945 1956 1958 Decommissioned and scrapped 1996
CG-152 Marblehead 1944 1945 1957 1959 Decommissioned and scrapped 1996
CG-153 Niagara Falls 1944 1945 1958 1960 Decommissioned and presereved as museum 1996

[Calder]

CL-144 Worcester Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 679.5 ft
Beam 70.7 ft
Draft 25 ft
Displacement (Standard) 14,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 18,500 tons
Performance Speed (max) 32 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 9,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Main Guns 12 6 inch L47
AA guns 26 3 inch L50
Armor Belt 5 inches
Deck 5 inches
Background
The Worcester class had their origins in a pre-war project for a six-inch cruiser that would be armored against long-range 8 inch gunfire. This obviously required a heavy armored deck and would imply the construction of a large ship. The design went through many iterations and eventually emerged as a merger of the Atlanta and Cleveland class cruiser lines of development, carrying her 12 6 inch guns in six twin turrets. The guns themselves were of a new, fully automatic design, that would, it was thought, provide a heavy anti-aircraft barrage. The design was ready in time for inclusion in the 1943 building program.

At this point, controversy arose. The ships were very large for six-inch cruisers and only a small further increase would give an 8 inch cruiser that also had a rapid-fire main battery (the the CA-134 Des Moines class. Surely it made more sense to build eight inch gun ships if a cruiser this large was to be accepted? There was added pressure against the Worcester class due to experience gained in the Atlantic. While the big CA-68 Baltimore class rode out the North Atlantic weather well, the smaller and less stable Cleveland class were badly affected. Also, experience had shown that the Clevelands were far from ideal in that their gun layouts suffered from mutual interference and they were severely crowded. The even smaller Atlanta class suffered from similar problems. The problems with the Clevelands were not addressed by the Fargo class that was derived from them and six of the twelve Fargo class cruisers were cancelled. Eventually, it was decided to build four of the Worcester class in the 1943 program (these being a near-equivalent in resource terms to six Fargos) more, it is suspected, to get the 6 inch AA gun to sea than anything else. The same building program included six CA-134 Des Moines class cruisers. The same arguments resurfaced in the 1944 building program that proposed the construction of a further six Worcester class and six Des Moines class. The Des Moines class was approved but the six Worcesters were dropped in favor of a smaller light cruiser that would have the same general layout but be armed with five inch L54 guns. These also were dropped when the design was considered immature and a further six Des Moines class ships were added to the program. Pressure on shipyards then caused those six ships to be deferred until the 1945 building program

Of the four ships actually ordered, only USS Worcester actually fired her guns in anger, shooting down a German reconnaissance aircraft on the last day of the war. Unfortunately, by the time that brief engagement was over, seven of her twelve guns had jammed, putting five of her six turrets out of action. This proved to be prophetic, all members of the class had extreme problems with their twin six inch mounts that defied any attempt at solution. By 1950, all four ships had been withdrawn from service and were being held in reserve while a decision was taken on their future with the likely probability they would be scrapped.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CL-144 Worcester 1943 1944 1946 1947 Converted to missile cruiser CG-144 1954 - 1957
CL-145 Roanoke 1943 1944 1946 1947 Converted to missile cruiser CG-145 1954 - 1957
CL-146 Vallejo 1943 1944 1946 1948 Converted to missile cruiser CG-146 1954 - 1957
CL-147 Gary 1943 1944 1946 1948 Converted to missile cruiser CG-147 1954 - 1957
CL-154 Unnamed 1944 Reprogrammed as CA-154 in FY45
CL-155 Unnamed 1944 Reprogrammed as CA-155 in FY45
CL-156 Unnamed 1944 Reprogrammed as CA-156 in FY45
CL-157 Unnamed 1944 Reprogrammed as CA-157 in FY45
CL-158 Unnamed 1944 Reprogrammed as CA-158 in FY45
CL-159 Unnamed 1944 Reprogrammed as CA-159 in FY45
Missile Conversion.
USNC-Worcester02small.jpg
(some parts and underwater details taken from Shipbucket.com)
Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 679.5 ft
Beam 70.7 ft
Draft 25 ft
Displacement (Standard) 14,700 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 18,500 tons
Performance Speed (max) 32 knots
Speed (Cruising) 15 knots
Endurance 9,000 nm. at 15 knots
Armament Long-range SAM 96 Talos
Short-range SAM 80 Tartar
Armor Belt 5 inches
Deck 5 inches
In 1953, the CG-123 Albany class conversions were being planned, using the Baltimore class as a basis. At that point, the Worcester class were remembered and it was noted that they were more or less the same size as the Baltimores (actually, the Worcesters being 6 feet or so longer) and they offered four brand new, barely used hulls that were eminently suitable for conversion. Since all the Tall Lady conversions involved work above the main deck, very little redesign was necessary although the work required inside the hull was more extensive than for the Baltimores. nevertheless, all four ships were converted becoming CG-144 to CG-147. In appearance they were almost identical to the Albany class, the visible differences being limited to a different bow profile, the lack of reinforcement to the ship's sides and the retention of (empty) three inch gun tubs at the stern. One of these was used to house refuelling equipment for helicopters, the other as a crew swimmimg pool.

The four ships received a major upgrade in the early 1980s, designated the "New Threat Upgrade" that gave them Standard-ER and Standard-SR missiles, Sea Falcon CIWS and a new radar suite. In retrospect, this money was wasted since they only served another four to six years before being scrapped as part of the Clinton era defense reductions.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Conversion started Conversion completed Recommissioned Fate
CG-144 Worcester 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1993
CG-145 Roanoke 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1993
CG-146 Vallejo 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1993
CG-147 Gary 1953 1954 1957 1957 Decommissioned and scrapped 1993

[Calder]

DLGN-11 Bainbridge Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 564 ft
Beam 56 ft
Draft 26 ft
Displacement (Standard) 7,600 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 8,430 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Guns 4 3 inch L50
Medium-range SAM 40 Terrier
ASW 40 ASROC
Background
The Bainbridge class were the U.S. Navy's first effort at designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier escort. Although their prominent missile launchers fore and aft plus the extensive guidance radars for those missiles suggested they were AAW ships, in fact the Bainbridges were primarily ASW vessels with the ASROC missiles fired from their missile launchers being their primary armament. The envisioned tactical role for the DLGNs was to destroy hostile submarines by bombarding them with nuclear depth charges. This proved to be something of an illusory difference since the submarine threat to the carrier task forces never really became prominent and air/missile defense took center stage. The lack of provisions for operating a helicopter or rotodyne also severely limited the ASW capabilities of the Bainbridge class. However, the Bainbridge class remained extremely useful, not least due to the effectiveness of their ASROC missiles against surface targets.

With the design of the DLGNs, classification of U.S. Navy missile ships gained a level of rationality. Cruisers (CG/CGN) carried the long-range Talos missile, frigates (DLG/DLGN) carried medium-range Terrier missiles while destroyers (DDG/DDGN) carried the short-range Tartar missile. This distinction gradually lbecame blurred as technical development saw missile ranges increasing so that late-generation Tartar-type missiles were approaching early-generation Talos missiles in range. The Bainbridges were particularly affected by this since their horizontal loading arrangements meant they could handle the very long range Standard-ER missiles, technically giving them cruiser performance. Their ability to handle the anti-missile capable Standard-ER also gave these ships an unusually long service life.

In 1963, the Bainbridge, Truxton, Porter and Dewey joined the cruisers Long Beach and Hartford and the aircraft carrier Enterprise to form the U.S. Navy's first all-nuclear task group, Task Force One. TF-1 deployed to the Pacific where the seven ships started to develop the tactical doctrine for formations of nuclear-powered ships. In 1964, the Winslow, Howard, Cowles and Winterhalter joined the cruisers Cheyenne and Richmond and the carrier Shiloh to form Task Force Two. TF-2 was deployed to the Mediterranean where they was joined by TF-1 and the two nuclear-powered groups took part in the complex maze of events that eventually led to the destruction of Jaffo. Subsequently, TF-1 returned to the Pacific while TF-2 continued to servce in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The task forces remained together until the Enterprise and Shiloh were withdrawn from front-line service and converted to training carriers. After that point, the Bainbridges were used on independent deployments until they were finally decommissioned.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
DLGN-11 Bainbridge 1956 1956 1959 1960 Decommissioned and scrapped 2000
DLGN-12 Truxton 1958 1958 1960 1962 Decommissioned and scrapped 2002
DLGN-13 Porter 1958 1958 1960 1962 Decommissioned and scrapped 2002
DLGN-14 Dewey 1958 1958 1960 1962 Decommissioned and scrapped 2003
DLGN-15 Winslow 1959 1959 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 2004
DLGN-16 Howard 1959 1959 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 2004
DLGN-17 Cowles 1959 1959 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 2005
DLGN-18 Winterhalter 1959 1959 1961 1963 Decommissioned and scrapped 2005

[Calder]

DLGN-43 Fletcher Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 596 ft
Beam 61 ft
Draft 31.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 9,561 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 10,450 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Guns 1 5 inch L54
Medium-range SAM 60 Terrier
ASW 20 ASROC
Aircraft 1 helicopter
Background
The Fletcher class started life as an evolved version of the Bainbridge class correcting the deficiencies of the first group. Originally the design was to have included two five inch guns, one forward, one aft, but the aft mount was replaced by a hangar and flight deck for a medium helicopter early in the design process. The Fletcher class was primarily seen as a screen for the Texas class aircraft carriers. With a force level of four DLGNs per carrier and four Texas class carriers projected, the class number was set at 16 ships.

The design evolved considerably during the gap between the Bainbridge and Fletcher class orders. A key factor was the introduction of a new command and control system that integrated all the ship's functions into a centralized architecture. This was the cause of acute problems in the early days of the class since it was discovered, during the lead ship's trials, that all the weapons systems relied on computers that used different internal standards and thus none of them would interact with each other or the command system. Although Fletcher was actually ready for commissioning in 1970, her electronics suite was completely inoperable and this delayed commissioning of the class by two years. Other ships in the class were delayed by comparable periods and the problems were only finally solved with the delivery of the last four ships, some three years behind schedule.

By the time the last Fletcher class DLGN was delivered in 1974, the U.S. Navy had six nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in commission with sixteen nuclear-powered cruisers (Six Long Beach and ten Improved Long Beach class) and 24 DLGNs (eight Bainbridge and sixteen Fletcher class). Thus, the Navy had six fully-equipped nuclear-powered task forces in full service with a seventh carrier working up but not yet commissioned.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
DLGN-43 Fletcher 1965 1965 1968 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2008
DLGN-44 Mayo 1965 1965 1968 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2008
DLGN-45 Caperton 1965 1965 1968 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2008
DLGN-46 Benson 1965 1965 1968 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2008
DLGN-47 Knight 1966 1966 1969 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2009
DLGN-48 Sims 1966 1966 1969 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2009
DLGN-49 Wilson 1966 1966 1969 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2009
DLGN-50 Rodham 1966 1966 1969 1972 Decommissioned and scrapped 2009
DLGN-51 Gleaves 1967 1967 1970 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-52 Coontz 1967 1967 1970 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-53 Strauss 1967 1967 1970 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-54 Jones 1967 1967 1970 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-55 Eberle 1968 1968 1971 1974 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-56 Anderson 1968 1968 1971 1974 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-57 Robison 1968 1968 1971 1974 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-58 Hughes 1968 1968 1971 1974 In active service as of 2009

[Calder]

DLGN-59 Jackson Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 610 ft
Beam 65 ft
Draft 32.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 10,820 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 11,850 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Guns 1 5 inch L54
Medium-range SAM 60 Terrier
ASW 20 ASROC
Torpedoes 6 14 inch.
Aircraft 2 rotodynes
Background
The Jackson class started life as a further evolution of the Fletcher class with the aft hangar enlarged to handle two rotodynes. Up to this point, the size constraints implicit in the existing AEGIS air defense system had meant that DLGNs could not carry the equipment and used less capable systems. However, it was hoped that the Jackson class would be the first recipients of a downized version of AEGIS that would equal the capabilties of the system installed on the CGNs. The Jacksons were designed with this system in mind but it turned out that the electronic problems involved were much greater than had been anticipated. Accordingly, the Jacksons could either be delayed until the new system was ready or built with legacy radars. In view of the severe shortage of nuclear-powered escorts for the CVNs now entering service, the legacy radar solution was adopted. This had the virtue that the lessons from the Fletcher class could be exploited. As a result, teh ships were built quickly, entering service at the same time as the last eight of the Fletchers.

One effect of the original AEGIS design was that the superstructure of the Jackson class was a deck higher than the Fletchers. This extra deck offered much valuable space and was adopted for use as additional command facilities. For this reason, the Jacksons had a command capability midway between a DLGN and a CGN and frequently substituted in nuclear-power task groups for a CGN when the shortage of those ships meant that an unfilled slot existed .

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
DLGN-59 Jackson 1969 1969 1971 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-60 Wiley 1969 1969 1971 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-61 Bristol 1969 1969 1971 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-62 De Steiguer 1969 1971 1970 1973 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-63 Pratt 1970 1970 1972 1974 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-64 Nulton 1970 1970 1972 1974 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-65 McVay 1970 1970 1972 1974 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-66 Schofield 1970 1970 1972 1974 In active service as of 2009

[Calder]

DLGN-67 Chase Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 610 ft
Beam 65 ft
Draft 32.5 ft
Displacement (Standard) 10,850 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 11,900 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Guns 1 5 inch L54
Medium-range SAM 60 Standard SM-1MR
ASW 20 ASROC
Torpedoes 6 14 inch.
Aircraft 2 rotodynes
Background
The Chase class were essentially the Jackson class as originally designed with the new version of the AEGIS system but lacking the group command capability of the Jackson class. The original plan was to build four ships of this class per year but their construction coincided with the effort to re-equip SAC with the new B-70 bomber. As a result construction was cut, first to three per year and then to two. This was followed by the Carter presidency that saw the construction rate drop to one per year and the construction time was extended due to low funding. This exacerbated the severe shortage of escorts for the nuclear-powered carriers. By 1983 there were 48 DLGNs in service as against a requirement for 60 (with an equal shortfall in the number of CGNs, there being 24 in service as opposed to a requirement for 30. The cruiser requirement was made up by using Jackson class DLGNs in their place but this further cut the number of DLGNs available to 42. With a deficiency of 18 DLGNs and more carriers requiring escorts due to commission, the screening problem in the late 1970s and early 1980s was severe. Even the deployment of Leahy class DLGs with the nuclear-powered groups was unable to fill the gaps.

The Chase class introduced the new Standard missile. This was available in three versions, Standard SM1ER (Extended Range) replaced Talos. This had a range of 250 nautical miles and a maximum operational engagement altitude of 200,000 feet. It also had a reasonable anti-missile capability. Standard SM1MR (Medium Range) repleaced Terrier. This had a range of 100 nautical miles and a maximum operational engagement altitude of 150,000 feet but did not have an anti-missile capability. Finally, Standard SM1SR (Short Range) raplaced Tartar. This had a range of 50 nautical miles and a maximum operational engagement range of 80,000 feet. Standard quickly replaced the old 3-T family with the older DLGNs being modified to carry Standard SM1MR. Later, when the Standard SM2 missile replaced the SM1, the ships were again refitted to handle this missile.

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
DLGN-67 Chase 1971 1971 1974 1976 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-68 Taylor 1971 1971 1974 1976 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-69 Leigh 1971 1971 1974 1976 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-70 McNamee 1972 1972 1975 1977 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-71 Sellers 1972 1972 1975 1977 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-72 Upham 1972 1972 1975 1977 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-73 Brumby 1973 1973 1976 1977 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-74 Laning 1973 1973 1976 1977 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-75 Murfin 1974 1974 1977 1978 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-76 Hepburn 1974 1974 1977 1978 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-77 Bloch 1975 1975 1978 1980 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-78 Kalbfus 1975 1975 1978 1980 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-79 Richardson 1976 1976 1980 1982 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-80 Hart 1977 1977 1981 1982 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-81 Stark 1978 1978 1982 1983 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-82 Snyder 1979 1979 1982 1983 In active service as of 2009

[Calder]

DLGN-83 Husband E Kimmel Class

Ship Characteristics
Dimensions Length 666 ft
Beam 68 ft
Draft 33.0 ft
Displacement (Standard) 12,200 tons
Displacement (Full Load) 14,100 tons
Performance Speed (max) 33 knots
Armament Guns 2 5 inch L54
Medium-range SAM 100 Standard SM-1MR
Close-range SAM 16 Sea Falcon
ASW 28 ASROC
Torpedoes 6 14 inch.
Aircraft 2 rotodynes
Background
While DLGN construction almost ground to a halt during the disastrous years of the Carter Presidency, design work did not and was concentrated on producing an entirely new class of DLGN. This design was almost ready for production in 1982 when the Falklands War showed the merits of the British-designed vertical launch system for missiles and it was decided that the new class should include an American version of this concept. This led to some delays in construction as the ships were redesigned to accommodate the new system. The resulting ships were significantly larger than originally planned since, although the 64-round VLS installed fore and aft did not occupy more space than the horizontal-loading magazines (in fact, they actually occupied rather less) the entire length of the magazine had to be clear of the superstructure while in earlier classes the below-decks end of the magazine overlapped the superstructure. The combination of greater hull size and smaller missile magazines meant the ships had a lot of internal space. This allowed for an extra five inch gun to be worked in aft, living accommodation to be greatly improved and two short-range Sea Falcon missile launchers to be installed forward of the bridge. As a result, the final design was considered to be highly satisfactory and was regarded as the "ultimate DLGN".

By 1983 there were 48 DLGNs in service as against a requirement for 60 (with an equal shortfall in the number of CGNs, there being 24 in service as opposed to a requirement for 30. The cruiser requirement was made up by using Jackson class DLGNs in their place but this further cut the number of DLGNs available to 42. With a deficiency of 18 DLGNs and more carriers requiring escorts due to commission, the screening problem in the late 1970s and early 1980s was severe. Even the deployment of Leahy class DLGs with the nuclear-powered groups was unable to fill the gaps. One of the first acts of the Reagan administration was to recognize this deficiency and institute a major construction program that would provice the fleet with 30 Kimmel class DLGNs and 12 new CGNs. This construction program started in 1981 witha budget supplemental that ordered six Kimmel class ships but the redesign described above meant that they could not be ordered and the six ships were reprogrammed as CGNs. The first Kimmel class ships were actually ordered in 1984 with eight ships budgeted in that year.

This led to an interesting controversy. It had been Navy intention to name all the DLGNs after four-star Admirals using surnames only. The next Admiral on the list was Husband E Kimmel and the lead ship was accordingly to have been named the Kimmel. This caused a barrage of complaints from pacific Fleet veterans who regarded the truncated name as an insult to their beloved Admiral. Admiral Kimmel had commanded the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet from 1941 to 1947 and his unprecedented six-year command tenure had raised levels of training and morale in the Pacific Fleet to remarkable levels. His skills both as a commander and a leader had been responsible for making the Pacific Fleet becoming an efficient fighting force despite being equipped with older ships considered not suitable for service in the bitter fighting of the North Atlantic. In addition, the Pacific Fleet served as a massive training ground for newly-commissioned ships that would work up there before joining the Atlantic Fleet. Admiral Kimmel managed to maintain morale in his command despite its obscurity and lack of recognition and his efforts were rewarded by his immense popularity with the officers and enlisted men under his command. Of course, after the Second World War, Admiral Kimmel went on to higher posts, ending up as the Chief of Naval Operations.

Swamped by letters, telegrams and personal complaints from the Pacific Fleet veterans over the perceived insult to their hero, the Navy reversed course and announced that the lead DLGN of the new class would be named the Husband E Kimmel and would be christened as such by the deceased Admiral's son, Admiral Manning Marius Kimmel. When Admiral Manning Kimmel arrived in Norfolk for the commissioning ceremony he found the city crowded with Pacific Fleet veterans who had come from all over the United States to watch the ceremony. The crowd was far more that the shipyard could accommodate so Newport News Shipbuilding set up cinema screens in a variety of nearby locations to show the ceremony live.

The same naming convention that had led to the class being named in honor of Admiral Kimmel also resulted in the class bearing the names of many of the most distinguised Admirals of World War Two. Another controversy resulted when it was decided to omit Admiral Spruance from the list since that Admiral had been held partly responsible for the loss of the Shiloh on the last day of the war. This decision was denounced as being petty and mean-spirited and, in honesty, the Navy itself was rather shame-faced about the decision to omit Admiral Spruance from the list. This gained force later when more dispassionate reviews of the events leading to the sinking suggested that Admiral Spruance's culpability was much less than the immeditae post-war investigations had concluded. Eventually, teh Navy "made it right" by giving him his DLGN late in the construction of the Kimmel class.

With the commissioning of DLGN-114 in 1992, the surge in construction of the Kimmel class had resulted in the number of DLGNs in active service reaching 74, slightly more than enough to meet the corce structure requirements. However, the older Bainbridge class DLGNs were showing their age and, although the Jackson class DLGNs would be released from their quasi-cruiser duties in the near future to replace them, it was decided that another group of eight Kimmel class ships should be built to provide immediate replacements for the Bainbridges and to keep the DLGN design process in being. These eight ships were built at a slow rate during the early 1990s.

The last of the class, DLGN-122 Brown was ordered in 1996 and delivered in 2001. At that time, it was becoming apparent that the older DLGNs were becoming due for replacement and that a new construction program would become necessary. With a required force structure of 72 DLGNs and each ship having an anticipated life of 30 years, a construction rate of three per year was necessary to ensure the modernity of the fleet. The existing Kimmel Class was considered to be a suitable basis for the new class and was simply modified to carry the new equipment that ahd become available in the years since the original class was designed. The first ships of the "Modified Kimmel Class" were ordered in 2003 and entered service in 2008 to start the replacement of the Fletcher Class

Class Members
Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
DLGN-83 Husband E Kimmel 1984 1984 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-84 King 1984 1984 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-85 Nimitz 1984 1984 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-86 Ingersoll 1984 1984 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-87 Halsey 1984 1985 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-88 Ingram 1984 1985 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-89 Horne 1984 1985 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-90 Edwards 1984 1985 1987 1989 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-91 Hewitt 1985 1985 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-92 Kincaid 1985 1985 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-93 Turner 1985 1985 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-94 Robinson 1985 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-95 McCain 1985 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-96 Towers 1985 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-97 Ramsey 1985 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-98 Denfeld 1985 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-99 Cooke 1986 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-100 Mitscher 1986 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-101 Moreell 1986 1986 1988 1990 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-102 Conolly 1986 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-103 Blandy 1986 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-104 Radford 1986 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-105 Sherman 1987 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-106 Fechteler 1987 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-107 Carney 1987 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-108 McCormick 1987 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-109 Duncan 1987 1987 1989 1991 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-110 Stump 1987 1988 1990 1992 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-111 Wright 1988 1988 1990 1992 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-112 Cassady 1988 1988 1990 1992 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-113 Burke 1988 1988 1990 1992 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-114 Briscoe 1988 1988 1990 1992 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-115 Boone 1989 1989 1992 1994 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-116 Felt 1990 1990 1993 1995 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-117 Curts 1991 1991 1994 1996 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-118 Holloway 1992 1992 1995 1997 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-119 Hopwood 1993 1993 1996 1998 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-120 Russell 1994 1994 1997 1999 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-121 Spruance 1995 1995 1998 2000 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-122 Brown 1996 1996 1999 2001 In active service as of 2009
Modified Kimmel Class

Number Name Ordered Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
DLGN-123 Dennison 2003 2003 2006 2008 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-124 Smith 2003 2003 2006 2008 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-125 Sides 2003 2003 2006 2008 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-126 Anderson 2004 2004 2007 2009 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-127 Ricketts 2004 2004 2007 2009 In active service as of 2009
DLGN-128 McDonald 2004 2004 2007 2009 In active service as of 2009