Baltimore-class cruiser

USS Bremerton (CA-130) in 1955
Class overview
NameBaltimore class
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byUSS Wichita
Succeeded byOregon City class
Subclasses
CostUS$40 million per ship[1]
Built1941–1945
In commission1943–1971
Planned14
Completed14
Retired14
Scrapped14
General characteristics
TypeHeavy cruiser
Displacement
  • 13,600 long tons (13,818 t) standard
  • 17,000 long tons (17,273 t) full load
Length
  • 664 ft (202 m) wl
  • 673 ft 5 in (205.26 m) oa
Beam70 ft 10 in (21.59 m)
Height112 ft 10 in (34.39 m) (mast)
Draft26 ft 10 in (8.18 m)
Installed power
Propulsion4 screws; 4 steam turbine sets
Speed33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried
2 × lifeboats
Complement61 officers and 1,085 sailors
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Armor
Aviation facilities

The Baltimore-class heavy cruisers were a class of heavy cruisers in the United States Navy commissioned during and shortly after World War II. Fourteen Baltimores were completed, more than any other class of heavy cruiser (the British County class had 15 vessels planned, but only 13 completed), along with another three ships of the Oregon City sub-class. The Baltimores also were the first cruisers in the US Navy to be designed without the limitations of the London Naval Treaty.

Fast and heavily armed, the Baltimore cruisers were mainly used in World War II as anti-aircraft cruisers to protect the fast aircraft carriers in battle groups from air attack. Additionally, their 8-inch (203 mm) main guns and secondary 5-inch (127 mm) guns were regularly used to bombard land targets in support of amphibious landings. After the war, only six Baltimores (St. Paul, Macon, Toledo, Columbus, Bremerton, and Helena) and two Oregon City-class ships (Albany and Rochester) remained in service, while the rest were moved to the reserve fleet. However, all ships except Boston, Canberra, Chicago, and Fall River were reactivated for the Korean War.

Except for St. Paul, all the ships retaining all-gun configurations had very short (18 years or less) service lives, and by 1971 were decommissioned, and started being sold for scrap. However, four Baltimore-class cruisers were refitted and converted into some of the first guided missile cruisers in the world, becoming two of the three Albany-class and two Boston-class cruisers. The last of these was decommissioned in 1980, with the Chicago lasting until 1991 in reserve. No example of the Baltimore class still exists.

  1. ^ "American Cruiser of World War 2 - A pictorial encyclopedia by Steve Ewing