USS Birmingham (CL-2)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Birmingham.

USS Birmingham (CS-2), 1908
History
United States
NameBirmingham
NamesakeCity of Birmingham, Alabama
Ordered27 April 1904
Awarded17 May 1905
BuilderFore River Shipyard, Quincy Point, Quincy, Massachusetts
Cost$1,566,000 (contract price of hull and machinery)
Laid down14 August 1905
Launched29 May 1907
Sponsored byMiss Mary Campbell
Commissioned11 April 1908
Decommissioned1 December 1923
ReclassifiedCL-2, 17 July 1920
Identification
FateSold for scrap, 13 May 1930
General characteristics (As built)[1]
Class and typeChester-class Scout cruiser
Displacement
  • 3,750 long tons (3,810 t) (standard)
  • 4,687 long tons (4,762 t) (full load)
Length
  • 423 ft 1 in (128.96 m) oa
  • 420 ft (130 m) pp
Beam47 ft 1 in (14.35 m)
Draft16 ft 9 in (5.11 m) (mean)
Installed power
  • 12 × Fore River boilers
  • 16,000 ihp (12,000 kW)
  • 15,670 ihp (11,690 kW) (produced on Trial)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
  • 24.33 knots (45.06 km/h; 28.00 mph) (Speed on Trial)
Complement42 officers 330 enlisted
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 2 in (5.1 cm)
  • Deck: 1 in (25 mm) (aft)
General characteristics (1921)[2][3]
Complement64 officers 332 enlisted
Armament
  • 4 × 5 in (130 mm)/51 caliber guns
  • 2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber rapid-fire guns
  • 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun
  • 2 × 3-pounder (47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns
  • 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Birmingham (CS-2/CL-2), named for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was a Chester-class scout cruiser, reclassified a light cruiser in 1920. Entering service in 1908, the ship became known for the first airplane takeoff from a ship in history in 1910. During World War I, Birmingham escorted convoys across the Atlantic. The cruiser was decommissioned in 1923 and sold for scrap in 1930.

  1. ^ "Ships' Data, U. S. Naval Vessels, 1911–". US Naval Department. 1 January 1914. pp. 40–47.
  2. ^ "Ships' Data, U. S. Naval Vessels, 1921–". US Naval Department. 1 July 1921. pp. 60–67. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  3. ^ Toppan, Andrew (22 January 2000). "Chester class scout cruisers". US Cruisers List: Light/Heavy/Antiaircraft Cruisers, Part 1. Hazegray.org. Retrieved 12 November 2015.