USS Atlanta (CL-104)

USS Atlanta, Seattle, June 1948
History
United States
NameAtlanta
NamesakeCity of Atlanta, Georgia
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Laid down25 January 1943
Launched6 February 1944
Sponsored byMargaret Mitchell
Commissioned3 December 1944
Decommissioned1 July 1949
Stricken1 October 1962
Reinstated15 May 1964
Stricken1 April 1970
FateSunk as a target ship, 1 October 1970
General characteristics
Class and typeCleveland-class light cruiser
Displacement
Length610 ft 1 in (185.95 m)
Beam66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range11,000 nmi (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement1,285 officers and enlisted
Armament
Armor
Aircraft carried4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities2 × stern catapults

USS Atlanta was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy, which were built during World War II. The class was designed as a development of the earlier Brooklyn-class cruisers, the size of which had been limited by the First London Naval Treaty. The start of the war led to the dissolution of the treaty system, but the dramatic need for new vessels precluded a new design, so the Clevelands used the same hull as their predecessors, but were significantly heavier. The Clevelands carried a main battery of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four three-gun turrets, along with a secondary armament of twelve 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose guns. They had a top speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph).

The ship was laid down on 25 January 1943 at Camden, New Jersey, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, launched on 6 February 1944, sponsored by Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone with the Wind, who also sponsored the previous USS Atlanta), and commissioned on 3 December 1944, Captain B. H. Colyear in command.