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_off_San_Francisco_in_1955.JPG) USSBremerton (CA-130) in 1955 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Baltimore class |
| Builders |
|
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | USS Wichita |
| Succeeded by | Oregon City class |
| Subclasses | |
| Cost | US$40 million per ship[1] |
| Built | 1941–1945 |
| In commission | 1943–1971 |
| Planned | 14 |
| Completed | 14 |
| Retired | 14 |
| Scrapped | 14 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 70 ft 10 in (21.59 m) |
| Height | 112 ft 10 in (34.39 m) (mast) |
| Draft | 26 ft 10 in (8.18 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 4 screws; 4steam turbine sets |
| Speed | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 ×lifeboats |
| Complement | 61 officers and 1,085 sailors |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
| Aviation facilities |
|
TheBaltimore-class heavy cruisers were a class ofheavy cruisers in theUnited States Navy commissioned during and shortly afterWorld War II. FourteenBaltimores were completed, more than any other class of heavy cruiser (the BritishCounty class had 15 vessels planned, but only 13 completed), along with another three ships of theOregon City sub-class. TheBaltimores also were the first cruisers in the US Navy to be designed without the limitations of theLondon Naval Treaty.
Fast and heavily armed, theBaltimore cruisers were mainly used in World War II as anti-aircraft cruisers to protect the fastaircraft 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 ofamphibious landings. After the war, only sixBaltimores (St. Paul,Macon,Toledo,Columbus,Bremerton, andHelena) and twoOregon City-class ships (Albany andRochester) remained in service, while the rest were moved to thereserve fleet. However, all ships exceptBoston,Canberra,Chicago, andFall River were reactivated for theKorean War.
Except forSt. Paul, all the ships retaining all-gun configurations had very short (18 years or less) service lives, and by 1971 weredecommissioned, and started being sold for scrap. However, fourBaltimore-class cruisers were refitted and converted into some of the firstguided missile cruisers in the world, becoming two of the threeAlbany-class and twoBoston-class cruisers. The last of these was decommissioned in 1980, with theChicago lasting until 1991 in reserve. No example of theBaltimore class still exists.
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Immediately after the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the US Navy initiated studies regarding a new class of heavy cruiser that led to construction of theBaltimore class. With the start of the war, the limitations instituted by theSecond London Naval Treaty, which had completely banned the construction of heavy cruisers, became obsolete. TheBaltimore class was based partly onUSS Wichita, a heavy cruiser from 1937, which represented the transition from inter-war to World War II designs. It was also based partly on theCleveland class, alight cruiser that was then being built. In profile, theBaltimores looked very much like theCleveland-class light cruisers, the obvious difference being that the largerBaltimores carried nine 8-inch (203 mm) guns in three triple turrets, compared to the twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four triple turrets of theClevelands.
The construction of the first four ships of theBaltimore class began on 1 July 1940, and four more were ordered before the year was out. A second order, which consisted of 16 more ships, was approved on 7 August 1942. Despite the heavy losses in cruisers during the first 14 months of the Pacific War, the completion of the ships was delayed because the Navy gave priority to the construction of the lighterCleveland-class ships, as more of the lighter ships could be completed more quickly for deployment incarrier groups. With the construction of the first eightBaltimore-class ships moving slowly, the US Navy used the time to review the initial plans and improve them. The new, modified design was itself delayed, so that construction had begun on a further six ships—for a total of 14—using the original design before the revisions were completed. The final three ships ordered were converted to the second design, known as theOregon City class. Between 1943 and 1947, 17 ships of theBaltimore andOregon City classes entered service. Construction of the eighteenth ship (Northampton) was suspended, to eventually be completed as a flagship/command ship in 1950. Five more were laid down but cancelled and scrapped before launch, and one was never started before being cancelled.
The largest contractor for the construction of theBaltimore-class ships wasBethlehem Steel, which produced eight ships at theFore River Shipyard inQuincy, Massachusetts.New York Shipbuilding inCamden, New Jersey, built four and thePhiladelphia Naval Shipyard inPhiladelphia completed two. The ships were named after cities in the United States, the only exception beingUSS Canberra, which was named in honor ofHMAS Canberra (sunk at thebattle of Savo Island), which had been named afterCanberra, theAustralian capital. The classification "CA" originally stood for "armored cruiser" but was later used for heavy cruisers.
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Of the seventeen (including the threeOregon Citys) completed ships, twelve were commissioned before theJapanese capitulation on 2 September 1945, though only seven took part in the battles of thePacific Theater and one in theEuropean Theater. By 1947, nine of theBaltimores had been decommissioned and placed in the reserve fleet, while seven (Helena,Toledo,Macon,Columbus,Saint Paul,Rochester, andAlbany) remained in service. However, at the start of the 1950s, six were reactivated (Macon had been decommissioned for four short months: June–October 1950), making thirteen available for deployment in theKorean War. Six of these were used for escort missions and coastal bombardment in Korea, while the other seven reinforced fleets in other areas of the globe. Four ships remained out of service: theFall River was never reactivated, theBoston andCanberra were refitted asBoston-class guided missile cruisers (CGs), and theChicago was reactivated after being converted to anAlbany-class CG.
After the Korean War ended and due to the high cost of keeping them in service; starting in 1954 withQuincy, some of theBaltimores were decommissioned for good. By 1969, only six ships were still in commission; five (Boston,Canberra,Chicago,Columbus,Albany) as CGs (guided missile cruisers), and only one unmodified ship, theSaint Paul, which remained active to serve in theVietnam War, providing gunfire support.Saint Paul was the only member of the class to serve continuously from commissioning (serving 26 years) and was finally decommissioned in 1971.Boston andCanberra retired in 1970,Columbus (serving 29.5 years) in 1975, and finallyChicago in 1980. Starting in 1972 all fourteen of the originalBaltimores were sold for scrap after being decommissioned, withChicago being the final one broken up in 1991.
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In World War II, only theCanberra was damaged through enemy fire, when she was struck with an air-droppedtorpedo on 13 October 1944, which killed 23 men in the engine room and left the ship immobilized. The ship was hit amidships and bothboiler rooms were flooded with 3,000 tons of seawater. She was towed away bysister shipBoston, and as a result, both ships missed the crucialBattle of Leyte Gulf. A year later, repairs were completed at the Boston Naval Shipyard, andCanberra was assigned to theAtlantic Fleet. In June 1945,Pittsburgh had her entire bow ripped off in a typhoon, but there were no casualties. The ship struggled through 70-knot (130 km/h; 81 mph) winds toGuam, where provisional repairs were made before sailing to thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard for a full reconstruction.Pittsburgh's detached bow stayed afloat, and it was later towed into Guam and scrapped.
During the Korean War, a fire in a forwardgun turret on 12 April 1952, killed 30 men onSt. Paul. Then, in 1953, the same ship was hit by a coastal battery, though without injury to the crew.Helena in 1951 andLos Angeles in 1953 were also struck by coastal batteries without injuries during the war.
In June 1968,Boston, along with its escort, theAustraliandestroyerHMAS Hobart, were victims offriendly fire when planes of theUS Air Force mistook them for enemy targets and fired on them withAIM-7 Sparrow missiles. OnlyHobart was seriously damaged; althoughBoston was hit, the warhead of the missile failed to detonate.
By the latter half of the 1940s, the US Navy was planning and experimenting with warships equipped with guided missiles. In 1946 thebattleshipUSS Mississippi and in 1948 theseaplane tenderUSS Norton Sound were converted to test this idea. Both were equipped with, among other weapons,RIM-2 Terrier missiles, which were also used after 1952 on the first series of operational missile cruisers. TwoBaltimore-class cruisers were refitted in this first series,Boston andCanberra. These were the first operational guided missile cruisers in the world. They were designated theBoston class and returned to service in 1955 and 1956 respectively, reclassified as CAG-1 and CAG-2—"G" for "guided missile" and maintaining the "A" because they retained their heavy guns.
In the following years, six light cruisers of theCleveland class were retrofitted to be equipped with guided missiles, and in 1957, the first warship designed from the start to be a missile cruiser was completed (Long Beach). Other ships also continued to be converted, so starting in 1958, twoBaltimore-class cruisers,Chicago andColumbus, along with anOregon City-class cruiser, (considered a sub-class of theBaltimore class)Albany, were converted to the newAlbany class. These were recommissioned in 1962 and 1964, respectively. Two more ships were planned to be refitted asAlbanys, theBaltimore classBremerton and theOregon City classRochester, but these conversions were cancelled because of cost. As opposed to theBoston-class refit, theAlbany-class refit required a total reconstruction. Both entire weapons systems and the superstructure were removed and replaced with new ones; the cost of one refit was $175 million. Because no high-caliber guns were retained, theAlbany class ships received the designationCG rather thanCAG.
In addition to the operational conversions, fourBaltimore-class ships,Helena,Los Angeles,Macon, andToledo, received modifications to operate theSSM-N-8 Reguluscruise missile between 1956 and 1958 on an experimental basis. Regulus was a nuclear-armed weapon that was primarily used by the US Navy in thenuclear deterrent role. Although associated primarily with submarines, the fourBaltimore-class cruisers fitted to operate the missile undertook operational taskings with it to the Western Pacific during the experimental period.
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Baltimore-class cruisers were 673 feet 7 inches (205.31 m) long and 70 feet 10 inches (21.59 m) wide. Since the hull was not altered in either theAlbany or theBoston class, these numbers were the same for those ships as well, but the alterations differentiated them in all other categories.
Fully loaded, originalBaltimores displaced 17,031long tons (17,304 t) of water. Their draft was 23 feet 11 inches (7.29 m). At the bow, the top level of the hull lay 33 feet (10 m) above the water; at the stern, 25 feet (7.6 m)[citation needed]. Thefunnels were 86 feet (26 m) high, and the highest point on the masts was at 112 feet (34 m). Thesuperstructure occupied about a third of the ship's length and was divided into two deckhouses. The gap between these housed the two thin funnels. Two masts, one a bit forward and the other a bit aft of the funnels, accommodated the positioning electronics.
The verticalbelt armor was 6 inches (152 mm) thick and the horizontal deck armor was up to 3 inches (76.2 mm) thick. The turrets were also heavily armored, between 1.5–8 in (38–203 mm) thick, while the conning tower had up to 6.5 inches (165 mm).
TheBoston class had a draft about 20 inches (510 mm) deeper in the water and displaced about 500 long tons (510 t) more water than their former sister ships. Because theBostons were only partially refitted, the forward third of the ship remained virtually untouched. The first serious change was the combination of what were two funnels on theBaltimores to just one, thicker funnel, which still stood in the gap between the two deckhouses. Because the missiles required more guiding electronic systems, the forward mast was replaced with a four-leggedlattice mast with an enlarged platform. The most conspicuous change was of course the addition of the missile-launching apparatus and its magazine of missiles, which took up the entire back half of the ship and replaced the guns which had been there.
The threeAlbanys were completely rebuilt from the deck level up; except for the hull, they bore very little resemblance to their former sister ships. The deckhouse now took up nearly two-thirds of the ship's length and was two decks high for almost the entire length. Above that lay the box-shapedbridge which was one of the most recognizable markers of the class. The two masts and funnels were combined into the so-called "macks", combining "mast" and "stack" (smokestack), where the electronics platforms were attached to the tops of the funnels rather than attached to masts rising all the way from the deck. The highest points on the forward mack were more than 130 feet (40 m) above the water line. Such heights could only be achieved with the use ofaluminum alloys, which were used to a great extent in the construction of the superstructures. Despite this, the fully loaded displacement of theAlbanys grew to more than 17,500 long tons (17,800 t).
TheBaltimore cruisers were propelled withsteam power. Each ship had four shafts, each with apropeller. The shafts were turned by foursteam turbines, the steam produced by fourboilers, which at full speed reached pressures of up to 615pounds per square inch (4,240 kPa). TheBaltimores each had two engine rooms and two funnels, although this was changed in theBostons, which had only one funnel for all four boilers, as noted above. The high speed was around 33 knots (61 km/h) and the performance of the engine was around 120,000horsepower (89 MW).
The originalBaltimores could carry up to 2,250 long tons (2,290 t) of fuel, putting the maximum range at a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h) at about 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km). The increased displacement of the modifiedBoston andAlbany classes meant their range was reduced to about 9000 and 7,000 miles (11,000 km) respectively, despite increases in fuel capacity to 2600 and 2500 tons.
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The main armament of theBaltimore class consisted of three turrets, each with three Mark 158"/55 caliber guns (Mark 12 inBaltimore). Two of these were located forward and one aft. They fired a 335-pound (152 kg) shell out to a maximum range of 30,050 yards (27,480 m). The armor-piercing shell could penetrate six inches of armor plating at 20,800 yards (19,000 m). The secondary armament consisted of twelve5"/38 caliber guns in six twin mounts. Two mounts were located on each side of the superstructure and two were behind the main batteries fore and aft. These guns could be used against aircraft and surface targets. Their maximum range for surface targets was 17,575 yards (16,071 m) and they could reach aircraft at altitudes of up to 12,400 yards (11,300 m). In addition, the ships had numerous light anti-aircraft weapons: 12 quadruple mounts ofBofors 40 mm guns (or 11 quadruple mounts and 2 twin mounts on ships with only one rear aircraft crane) as well as 20–28Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, depending on when a given ship was commissioned. After World War II the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns were removed without replacement, due to limited effectiveness againstkamikaze attacks, and because it was expected they would be completely ineffective against postwar jet aircraft. The 40 mm Bofors were replaced with3"/50 caliber guns in the 1950s.
Four ships,Toledo,Macon,Helena, andLos Angeles, were also each equipped with three nuclearcruise missiles of theSSM-N-8 Regulus type between 1956 and 1958. Ultimately, though, the deployment of such missiles on surface ships remained an experiment, which was only undertaken until the 1960s. The successorUGM-27 Polaris was carried only bynuclear submarines. In the late 1950s, plans were made to fit Polaris to missile conversions of these cruisers, but the only missile cruiser conversion ever so equipped was theItalian cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi, (four tubes), and the missiles were never actually shipped.
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Initially, theBaltimores were equipped with SG radar systems for surface targets and SK systems for airborne targets. The range of these systems for surface targets, depending on the size of the target was between 15 and 22 nautical miles (28 and 41 km). The SK could detect bombers at medium altitudes from 100 nautical miles (190 km). The radar systems were replaced in the Korean War with the more effective SPS-6 (built byWestinghouse Electric or later with the SPS-12 (from theRadio Corporation of America combined with an SPS-8 as a height-finder. With these systems, the detection range for bombers was increased to 145 miles (233 km). The ships in active service longer received further upgrades in their final years: the SPS-6 was replaced with the SPS-37 (also from Westinghouse) and the SPS-12 was replaced with the SPS-10 fromRaytheon. With this equipment, planes could be detected at over 250 miles (400 km) away.
TheBaltimore class was equipped from the start with electronic and electromechanicalfire control systems to determine the fire parameters by which targets over thehorizon could be hit. The main guns were controlled by a Mark 34 fire control system connected to an Mk 8 radar. The 5-inch/38 dual-purpose guns were guided by twoMk 37 systems with Mk 4 radar. Later, the fire control radars were replaced along with the main radar systems. The fire control systems remained the same except that the new 3-inch guns were upgraded to Mk 56 with Mk 35 radars.
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The onboard flight systems of theBaltimore-class cruisers during World War II consisted of twoaircraft catapults on the side edges of the aft deck. Between the catapults was a sliding hatchway which was the roof of an onboard hangar. Directly under the hatch was an aircraft elevator. The hangar had room to accommodate up to four aircraft at one time, one to port forward of the elevator, one to port abeam the elevator, one starboard abeam, and one on the elevator itself. The first four ships of the class had two cranes each, while the later models had only one.
At full speed, theVought OS2U Kingfisher could be launched from these catapults and later theCurtiss SC-1 Seahawk. These planes were used for reconnaissance,anti-submarine, and rescue missions. The planes wereseaplanes, and after their missions would land in the water near the cruiser and be lifted back up into the ship by the crane or cranes in the rear and reset upon their catapults. In the 1950s, the catapults and the accompanying capacity to launch airplanes were removed, though the cranes were left and the hangars used to house helicopters, ship's boats or the workings of the Regulus missile system.
Macon in 1948 had a slightly elevatedhelipad installed instead of the catapults. Because of the helipad, the available firing angles for the main guns were sharply narrowed and the experiment was therefore quickly abandoned and not attempted on any other ships of the class. The ships of theAlbany class did have an area on the deck for helicopters to land, but no platform.
The hull of theBaltimore class was used for the development of several other classes. TheOregon City-class cruisers differed only slightly fromBaltimores, because they were originally planned asBaltimore-class cruisers but were constructed based on modified plans. Though nine ships were planned, only three were completed. The main differences between the two classes are the reduction to a single-trunked funnel; a redesigned forward superstructure that was placed 40 feet (12 m) further aft, primarily to decrease top-heaviness; and an increase in the arcs of fire for the guns.
A fourthOregon City-class cruiser, theNorthampton (CLC-1), was ultimately completed as a light command cruiser. Despite having a heavy cruiser hull, she was classed as a light cruiser because her main armament of four 5 inch guns was smaller than the 8 inch guns usually found on heavy cruisers.
TheDes Moines-class cruiser was an entirely new heavy cruiser design that attempted to improve upon theBaltimore class. While the basic deck and machinery layout was largely unchanged, this class carried the first fully automated high-caliber guns on a warship and had improved damage protection features, greatly improving both firepower and survivability. None was constructed in time to take part in World War II.
The plans for theSaipan-classlight aircraft carrier were adapted from the drafts of theBaltimore hull design, including the layout of the engines. The hulls of these ships were, however, significantly widened. TheSaipan-class ships were completed in 1947 and 1948, but by the mid-1950s, they proved too small for the planes of thejet age and were converted for use as communication andcommand ships.
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The size of the crew of aBaltimore-class cruiser varied by era and by tactical situation. Different sources also differ on the numbers. Naturally, the crew sizes were larger during wartime. Some cruisers—including all three of the modifiedAlbany class—were used as flagships and therefore housed anadmiral and his staff.
At launch, during, and shortly after the war, the crews consisted of around 60 officers and about 1000 rank-and-file crewmen. When an admiral's staff was aboard during wartime, this number could swell to 80 officers and 1500 crewmen. On theBostons, the standard crew, even in peacetime and without an admiral's staff, was 80 officers and around 1650 crewmen. Because theAlbany class was equipped almost exclusively for guided missiles, it required fewer crew than theBostons and was roughly comparable numerically to the basicBaltimore.
Compared to today's crew sizes, these numbers seem high. The modernTiconderoga-class cruiser is manned by about 400. These differences are mostly due to the much less manpower-intensive nature of modern weapon systems.
(Note: the threeOregon City-class ships are not listed here)
| Ship name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comm./ | Decomm. | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | CA-68 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation,Fore River Shipyard | 26 May 1941 | 28 July 1942 | 15 April 1943 | 8 July 1946 | Struck 15 February 1971, Broken up atPortland, Oregon, 1972 |
| 28 November 1951 | 31 May 1956 | ||||||
| Boston | CA-69 | 30 June 1941 | 26 August 1942 | 30 June 1943 | 29 October 1946 | Struck 4 January 1974; Sold for scrap 28 March 1975 | |
| CAG-1 | 1 November 1955 | 5 May 1970 | |||||
| Canberra (ex-Pittsburgh) | CA-70 | 3 September 1941 | 19 April 1943 | 14 October 1943 | 7 March 1947 | Struck 31 July 1978; Sold for scrap 31 July 1980 | |
| CAG-2 | 15 June 1956 | 2 February 1970 | |||||
| Quincy (ex-St. Paul) | CA-71 | 9 October 1941 | 23 June 1943 | 15 December 1943 | 19 October 1946 | Struck 1 October 1973; Broken up at Portland, Oregon, 1974 | |
| 31 January 1952 | 2 July 1954 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh (ex-Albany) | CA-72 | 3 February 1943 | 22 February 1944 | 10 October 1944 | 7 March 1947 | Struck 1 July 1973; Broken up at Portland, Oregon, 1974 | |
| 25 September 1951 | 28 August 1956 | ||||||
| Saint Paul (ex-Rochester) | CA-73 | 3 February 1943 | 16 September 1944 | 17 February 1945 | 30 April 1971 | Struck 31 July 1978; Broken up atTerminal Island, California, 1980 | |
| Columbus | CA-74 | 28 June 1943 | 30 November 1944 | 8 June 1945 | 8 May 1959 | Struck 9 August 1976; Sold for scrap on 3 October 1977 | |
| CG-12 | 1 December 1962 | 31 January 1975 | |||||
| Helena (ex-Des Moines) | CA-75 | 9 September 1943 | 28 April 1945 | 4 September 1945 | 29 June 1963 | Struck 1 January 1974; Broken up atRichmond, California, 1975 | |
| Bremerton | CA-130 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation,Camden, New Jersey | 1 February 1943 | 2 July 1944 | 29 April 1945 | 9 April 1948 | Struck 1 October 1973; Broken up at Portland, Oregon, 1974 |
| 23 November 1951 | 29 July 1960 | ||||||
| Fall River | CA-131 | 12 April 1943 | 13 August 1944 | 1 July 1945 | 31 October 1947 | Struck 19 February 1971; Broken up at Portland, Oregon, 1972 | |
| Macon | CA-132 | 14 June 1943 | 15 October 1944 | 26 August 1945 | 12 April 1950 | Struck 1 November 1969; Broken up atPort Newark, New Jersey, 1973 | |
| 16 October 1950 | 10 March 1961 | ||||||
| Toledo | CA-133 | 13 September 1943 | 6 May 1945 | 27 October 1946 | 21 May 1960 | Struck 1 January 1974; Broken up at Terminal Island, California, 1974 | |
| Los Angeles | CA-135 | Philadelphia Naval Shipyard | 28 July 1943 | 20 August 1944 | 22 July 1945 | 9 April 1948 | Struck 1 January 1974; Broken up atSan Pedro, California, 1975 |
| 27 January 1951 | 15 November 1963 | ||||||
| Chicago | CA-136 | 28 July 1943 | 20 August 1944 | 10 January 1945 | 6 June 1947 | Struck 31 January 1984; Sold for scrap 9 December 1991 | |
| CG-11 | 2 May 1964 | 1 March 1980 |
