Des Moines-class cruiser
_underway_at_sea_on_15_November_1948.jpg) USS Des Moines (CA-134)
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Des Moines-class cruiser |
| Operators | .svg){kind=small} United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Template:Sclass- |
| Succeeded by | None |
| In commission | 1948–75 |
| Planned | 12 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Cancelled | 9[1][2] |
| Retired | 3 |
| Preserved | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 17,255 short tons (15,653 t) (standard) 20,934 short tons (18,991 t) (full load) |
| Length | 716 ft 6 in (218.39 m) |
| Beam | 76 ft 6 in (23.32 m) |
| Draft | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 4 shafts General Electric turbines 4 boilers 120,000 shp (89,000 kW) |
| Speed | 33 kn (61 km/h) |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 10,500 nmi at 15 knots 19,400 km at 28 km/h |
| Complement | 1,799 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 9 × 8 inch/55 caliber guns 12 × 5 inch/38 caliber guns |
| Armor | list error: <br /> list (help) 6 in (150 mm) Belt 8 in (200 mm) Turrets 3+1⁄2 in (89 mm) Deck 6+1⁄2 in (170 mm) Conning Tower |
The Des Moines-class cruisers were a group of U.S. Navy heavy cruisers, commissioned in 1948–1949. They were the last of the all-gun heavy cruisers, exceeded in size in the American navy only by the Template:Sclass-s.
Description
Derived from the Template:Sclass- heavy cruisers, they were larger, had an improved machinery layout, and carried a new design of auto-loading, rapid-fire 8"/55 gun (the Mk16).[3][4][5] The improved Mk16 guns of the main battery were the first auto-loading 8" guns fielded by the US Navy, and allowed a much higher rate of fire than earlier designs, capable of sustaining 12 shots per minute per barrel, or about twice that of the Mk12s found on the Baltimore class.[4] The auto-loading mechanism could function at any elevation, giving even these large-caliber guns some anti-aircraft ability.[4] While the secondary battery of six twin 5"/38 Mk12 DP guns was essentially unchanged from the preceding Template:Sclass- and Baltimore-class cruisers, the Des Moines class carried a stronger battery of small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, including 12 twin 3-inch/50 Mk27 and later Mk33 guns, that were considered superior to the earlier ships' quad-mounted 40mm Bofors against then current airborne threats.[4]
History
Twelve ships of the class were programmed, but only three ships were completed: Des Moines (CA-134), Salem (CA-139), and Newport News (CA-148), with the USS Dallas (CA-140) canceled when she was approximately 28 percent complete. The first two were decommissioned in 1959 and 1961, respectively, but Newport News remained in commission until 1975, serving for a long period (1962–1968) as Second Fleet flagship, and then providing gunfire support off Vietnam 1969–1973. She had the distinction of being the last active all-gun cruiser (serving 25.5 years continuously) and the first completely air-conditioned surface ship in the U.S. Navy. Salem is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts. Newport News was scrapped in 1993, and Des Moines was scrapped in 2006–2007. Dallas (CA-140) and eight other ships (CA-141 through CA-143 and CA-149 through CA-153) were canceled at the end of World War II.[2][4]
Ships in class
| Hull Number | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commission– decommission |
Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA-134 | Des Moines | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 28 May 1945 | 27 September 1946 | 16 November 1948 - 6 July 1961 | Stricken 9 July 1991, scrapped 2007 |
| CA-139 | Salem | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 4 July 1945 | 25 March 1947 | 14 May 1949 - 30 January 1959 | Stricken 12 July 1991, museum ship at Quincy, Massachusetts |
| CA-140 | Dallas | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 15 October 1945 | - | - | Cancelled 6 June 1946 |
| CA-141 | - | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | - | - | - | Cancelled 7 January 1946 |
| CA-142 | - | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 August 1945 |
| CA-143 | - | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 August 1945 |
| CA-148 | Newport News | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia | 1 October 1945 | 6 March 1948 | 29 January 1949 - 27 June 1975 | Stricken 31 July 1978, sold for scrap 25 February 1993 |
| CA-149 | - | Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 August 1945 |
| CA-150 | Dallas | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 March 1945 |
| CA-151 | - | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 March 1945 |
| CA-152 | - | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 March 1945 |
| CA-153 | - | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | - | - | - | Cancelled 12 March 1945 |
References
- ^ Andrew Toppan (2000-04-24). "US Cruisers List: US Light/Heavy/AntiAircraft Cruisers, Part 2". Haze Gray & Underway.
- ^ a b "CA-134 Des Moines – Ship Listing". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "CA-134 Des Moines Class". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ a b c d e "CA-134 Des Moines – Program". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "CA-134 Des Moines Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
External links
- Des Moines class cruiser—NavSource Online
- Des Moines class cruiser—GlobalSecurity.org
- Des Moines class cruiser—National Park Service