USS Houston (CL-81)

USS Houston (January 1944)
History
United States
Namesake	City of Houston, Texas
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Launched	19 June 1943
Commissioned	20 December 1943
Decommissioned	15 December 1947
Stricken	1 March 1959
Fate	Sold for scrap on 1 June 1961
General characteristics
Class and type	Cleveland-class light cruiser
Displacement	Standard: 11,744 long tons (11,932 t) Full load: 14,131 long tons (14,358 t)
Length	610 ft 1 in (185.95 m)
Beam	66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft	24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Installed power	4 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 100,000 shp (75,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 × steam turbines 4 × screw propellers
Speed	32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range	11,000 nmi (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	1,285 officers and enlisted
Armament	12 × 6 in (152 mm) Mark 16 guns 12 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber guns 24 × 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 21 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns
Armor	Belt: 3.5–5 in (89–127 mm) Deck: 2 in (51 mm) Barbettes: 6 in (152 mm) Turrets: 6 in (152 mm) Conning Tower: 5 in (127 mm)
Aircraft carried	4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities	2 × stern catapults

USS Houston (CL-81) 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).

She was active in the Pacific War and survived two separate aerial torpedo hits in October 1944.