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_at_sea%2c_in_October_1963_(NH_98840).jpg) USSGalveston in October 1963 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Boston class |
| Succeeded by | Providence class |
| Subclasses | Cleveland class |
| In commission | 1958—1979 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| Scrapped | 1, 1 sunk as target |
| Preserved | 1(USSLittle Rock) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Guided missile cruiser |
| Displacement | 15,205tons |
| Length | 610 ft (185.9 m) |
| Beam | 66 ft (20.1 m) |
| Draft | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 × 634 psi boilers, steam turbines, 4 shafts |
| Speed | 32.5knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
| Complement | 1,395 officers and enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 1 ×UH-2B orSH-3G |
| Aviation facilities | Helipad |
Originally built asCleveland-classlight cruisers (CL) in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II, in 1957 three ships were re-designated asGalveston-classguided missile light cruisers (CLG) and fitted with theTalos long-rangesurface-to-air missile system. During the two-year refit under projectSCB 140, the aft superstructure was completely replaced and all aft guns were removed to make room for the twin-arm Talos launcher and a 46-missile storage magazine. Three large masts were also installed in order to hold a variety ofradars,missile guidance, andcommunications systems.Little Rock andOklahoma City were simultaneously converted into fleetflagships under SCB 140A, which involved removing two forward dual 5-inch (127 mm) and one triple 6-inch (152 mm) turrets, and replacing them with a massively rebuilt and expanded forward superstructure.Galveston, in the non-flagship configuration, retained theCleveland-class's standard forward weapons: three dual 5-inch (127 mm) and two triple 6-inch (152 mm) turrets.[1]
A similar pattern was followed in converting three otherCleveland-class ships (Providence,Springfield, andTopeka) to operate theTerriersurface-to-air missile system, creating theProvidence class.Providence andSpringfield were outfitted as fleet flagships, butTopeka was not.
Like theProvidence class cruisers, theGalveston class ships suffered from serious stability problems caused by the topweight of the missile system. Indeed, theGalveston class ships were more affected by heavy Talos missile system than the Terrier equipped ships. Weight reduction measures and the use of ballast were necessary to improve stability. The cruisers, particularlyGalveston, also suffered fromhogging of the hull.
All threeGalveston-class ships were decommissioned to the reserve fleet between 1970 and 1979. In the1975 cruiser realignment,Little Rock andOklahoma City were reclassified as guided missile cruisers (CG). The ships were stricken from theNaval Vessel Register between 1973 and 1979.Galveston was scrapped in the mid-1970s,Oklahoma City was sunk as a target in 1999, andLittle Rock is a museum ship in Buffalo, NY.
| Ship Name | Hull No. | Converted at | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston | CLG-3 | Philadelphia Naval Shipyard | 20 February 1944 | 22 April 1945 | 28 May 1958 | 25 May 1970 | Sold for scrap, 16 May 1975 |
| Little Rock | CLG-4 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation | 6 March 1943 | 27 August 1944 | 3 June 1960 | 22 November 1976 | Museum ship,Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park,Buffalo, New York |
| Oklahoma City | CLG-5 | Bethlehem Steel,San Francisco | 8 December 1942 | 20 February 1944 | 7 September 1960 | 15 December 1979 | Sunk as target by Republic of Korea SubmarineLee Chun (SS 062), 25 March 1999 |