Oregon City class cruiser

USS Oregon City (CA-122)
Class overview
Name:	Oregon City class cruiser
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	Baltimore-class cruiser
Succeeded by:	Des Moines-class cruiser
In commission:	1946–1970
Planned:	10
Completed:	4 (1 completed as a command ship USS Northampton (CLC-1)
Cancelled:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Heavy cruiser
Displacement:	17,000 tons Full Load
Length:	673 ft 5 in (205.26 m)
Beam:	70 ft 10 in (21.59 m)
Draft:	26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
Propulsion:	General Electric turbines turning 120,000 hp (89,000 kW)
Speed:	32.4 knots (60.0 km/h; 37.3 mph)
Complement:	1,142 officers and enlisted
Armament:	9 × 8 inch/55 caliber guns (3×3) 12 × 5 inch/38 caliber guns (6×2) 48 × 40 mm Bofors guns 20 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons
Aircraft carried:	Four amphibious scout planes

The Oregon City class were a class of heavy cruisers of the United States Navy. Although it was intended to build ten, only four were completed – one of those as a command ship. The three cruisers were in commission from 1946 to 1970.

Design and development

The Oregon City-class cruisers were a modified version of the previous Baltimore-class design; the main difference was a more compact pyramidal superstructure with single trunked funnel, intended to improve the arcs of fire of the anti-aircraft (AA) guns. The same type of modification also differentiated the Cleveland and Fargo classes of light cruisers.

History

Ten ships were authorized for the class with three being completed and the fourth suspended during construction. The final six ships were cancelled. Construction on the incomplete fourth ship was resumed in 1948 and the ship served as a command ship Northampton (CLC-1). All three completed ships were commissioned in 1946. Oregon City was decommissioned after only 18 months of service, probably the shortest active life of any WWII-era cruiser. Albany was later converted into a guided missile ship, becoming the lead ship of the Albany class and served until 1980. A similar conversion was planned for Rochester but was cancelled.

Ships in class

Data from

Hull Number	Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
CA 122	USS Oregon City	Bethlehem Steel	8 April 1944	9 June 1945	16 February 1946	Stricken 1 Nov 1970
CA 123	USS Albany	Bethlehem Steel	6 Mar 1944	30 Jun 1945	11 Jun 1946	Converted to Guided Missile Cruiser – Stricken 30 June 1985
CA-124	USS Rochester	Bethlehem Steel	29 May 1944	28 August 1945	20 December 1946	Stricken 1 October 1973
CA-125	USS Northampton	Bethlehem Steel	31 August 1944	27 January 1951	7 March 1953	Converted to command ship during construction – Stricken 31 Dec 1977
CA-126	USS Cambridge	Bethlehem Steel	16 December 1944	N/A	N/A	Cancelled 12 August 1945
CA-127	USS Bridgeport	Bethlehem Steel	13 January 1945	N/A	N/A	Cancelled 12 August 1945
CA-128	USS Kansas City	Bethlehem Steel	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cancelled 12 August 1945
CA-129	USS Tulsa	Bethlehem Steel	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cancelled 12 August 1945
CA-137	USS Norfolk	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cancelled 12 August 1945
CA-138	USS Scranton	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cancelled 12 August 1945

See also

• Albany class cruiser

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

• Gardiner, Robert and Stephen Chumbley (editors). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Whitley, M.J. Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Brockhampton Press, 1999. ISBN 1 86019 8740,

External links

• Global Security.org – Oregon City class cruiser
• DANFS