USS Des Moines (CA-134)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Des Moines.

41°42′11″N 93°42′42″W / 41.7029543°N 93.7116003°W / 41.7029543; -93.7116003

USS Des Moines
History
United States
NameDes Moines
NamesakeDes Moines, Iowa
Ordered25 September 1943
BuilderBethlehem Steel Company
Laid down28 May 1945
Launched27 September 1946
Commissioned16 November 1948
Decommissioned6 July 1961
Stricken9 July 1991
Identification
Honours and
awards		See Awards
FateScrapped, 16 August 2007
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeDes Moines-class heavy cruiser
Displacement
  • 17,255 long tons (17,532 t) (standard)
  • 20,933 long tons (21,269 t) (full load)
Length
  • 700 ft (210 m) wl
  • 716 ft 6 in (218.39 m) oa
Beam76 ft 6 in (23.32 m)
Draft22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion
  • 4 shafts
  • General Electric turbines
  • 4 boilers
  • 120,000 shp (89,000 kW)
Speed33 kn (61 km/h)
Range
  • 10,500 nmi at 15 knots
  • 19,400 km at 28 km/h
Boats & landing
craft carried		2-4 × lifeboats
Complement1,799 officers and enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 4-6 in (102-152 mm)
  • Deck: 3.5 in (89 mm)
  • Turrets: 2-8 in (51-203 mm)
  • Barbettes: 6.3 in (160 mm)
  • Conning tower: 6.5 in (165 mm)
Aviation facilities

USS Des Moines (CA-134) was the lead ship of the class of United States Navy (USN) heavy cruisers. She was the first USN ship to mount the auto-loading 8-inch (203 mm) Mark 16 guns, the first large-caliber auto-loading guns in the world. She was the second ship of the USN to be commissioned with the name of the city of Des Moines, capital of Iowa. Launched 1946, she was commissioned in 1948. She saw duty around the world until her decommissioning in 1961 when she was permanently mothballed. A 1981 survey was done to determine if she was worthy of reactivation for the 600-ship Navy, but the cost was too great so she remained in the reserve. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1993, which was followed by a campaign to turn her into a museum ship. The campaign failed, and in 2005 she was sold for scrapping, and she was broken up by July 7. Parts of the ship have been donated to various places for display, including at the USS Salem museum, which is the only Des Moines-class ship to avoid the scrapyard.