USS Northampton (CA-26)

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

USS Northampton (CA-26) at Brisbane on 5 August 1941
History
United States
NameNorthampton
NamesakeCity of Northampton, Massachusetts
Ordered18 December 1924
Awarded13 June 1927
BuilderBethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts
Cost$10,675,000 (limit of cost)
Laid down12 April 1928
Launched5 September 1929
Sponsored byGrace Coolidge
Commissioned17 May 1930
ReclassifiedCA-26, 1 July 1931
Stricken1 December 1942
Identification
Nickname(s)"Nora"[1]
Honors and
awards		6 × battle stars
FateSunk during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 1 December 1942.
General characteristics (as built)[2][3]
Class and typeNorthampton-class cruiser
Displacement9,050 long tons (9,195 t) (standard)
Length
  • 600 ft 3 in (182.96 m) oa
  • 569 ft (173 m) pp
Beam66 ft 1 in (20.14 m)
Draft
  • 16 ft 4 in (4.98 m) (mean)
  • 23 ft 2 in (7.06 m) (max)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h)
Range10,000 nmi (12,000 mi; 19,000 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Capacity1,500 short tons (1,400 t) fuel oil
Complement90 officers 606 enlisted
Sensors and
processing systems		CXAM radar from 1940
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 3–3+3⁄4 in (76–95 mm)
  • Deck: 1–2 in (25–51 mm)
  • Barbettes: 1+1⁄2 in (38 mm)
  • Turrets: 3⁄4–2+1⁄2 in (19–64 mm)
  • Conning Tower: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
Aircraft carried4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities2 × Amidship catapults
General characteristics (1941)[4]
Armament
  • 9 × 8 in (203 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3)
  • 8 × 5 in (127 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns
  • 2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns
  • 4 × 1.1 in (27.9 mm)/75 anti-aircraft guns

USS Northampton (CL/CA-26) was the lead Northampton-class cruiser in service with the United States Navy. She was commissioned in 1930, originally classified a light cruiser because of her thin armor but later reclassified a heavy cruiser because of her 8-inch guns. During World War II she served in the Pacific and was sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942. She was named after the city of Northampton, Massachusetts, the home of former President Calvin Coolidge.[2]

  1. ^ "Ship Nicknames". zuzuray.com. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Ships' Data, U. S. Naval Vessels". US Naval Department. 1 July 1935. pp. 16–23, 337. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  3. ^ Toppan, Andrew (22 January 2000). "Northampton class heavy cruisers". US Cruisers List: Light/Heavy/Antiaircraft Cruisers, Part 1. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  4. ^ Rickard, J (26 February 2014). "Northampton Class Heavy Cruisers". Historyofwar.org. Retrieved 13 November 2015.