Cleveland-class cruiser
![]() USS Cleveland at sea in 1942
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Cleveland class |
Operators | ![]() |
Preceded by | |
Succeeded by | Template:Sclass- |
In commission | 1942–1979 |
Planned | 52 |
Completed | 27 |
Cancelled | 3 (9 converted to aircraft carriers, 13 reordered as Template:Sclass-) |
Retired | 27 |
Preserved | 1 (converted to a Template:Sclass- guided missile cruiser) |
General characteristics | |
Type | Light cruiser |
Displacement |
|
Length | |
Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
Height | 113 ft (34 m) |
Draft |
|
Installed power |
|
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h) |
Range | 14,500 nmi (26,900 km; 16,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement |
|
Armament |
|
Armor |
|
Aircraft carried | 4 × floatplanes |
Aviation facilities | 2 × stern catapults |
Notes | Dimensions in feet from Jane's American Fighting ships of the 20th Century, 1991 |
The Cleveland class was a group of light cruisers built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. The ships were designed with the goal of increased cruising range, anti-aircraft armament, torpedo protection, etc., compared with earlier U.S. cruisers.[1] Fifty-two ships of this class were originally planned, but nine of them were completed as the light aircraft carriers of the Template:Sclass-, and two of them were completed to a somewhat different design, with more compact superstructures and just a single stack. These two were called the Template:Sclass-. Of the 27 Cleveland-class cruisers that were commissioned, one (Galveston) was completed as a guided missile cruiser and five were later modified as Template:Sclass- and Template:Sclass- guided missile cruisers. Following the naming convention at the time, all the ships completed as cruisers were named for US cities and towns.[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Cleveland-class_cruiser_technical_drawing.png/220px-Cleveland-class_cruiser_technical_drawing.png)
The Cleveland-class cruisers served mainly in the Pacific Fleet during World War II, especially in the Fast Carrier Task Force, but some of them served off the coasts of Europe and Africa in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. All of these warships, though worked heavily and damaged in some cases, survived the war. All of this class were initially decommissioned by 1950, except for Manchester, which remained in service until 1956, but six were later finished or converted to guided missile cruisers, and these served into the 1970s. The Clevelands suffered from increasing stability problems as anti-aircraft armament and additional radar was added during the war. None were recommissioned for the Korean War, as they required a crew almost as large as the Template:Sclass- ships, and those ships were reactivated instead. All non-converted ships were sold off from the reserve fleet for scrapping beginning in 1959. The six that were completed as or converted into guided missile cruisers were reactivated during the 1950s and then served into the 1970s. All, particularly the Talos-armed ships, suffered from greater stability problems than the original design due to the extra radar equipment and top weight. This problem was particularly severe in Galveston, leading to its premature decommissioning in 1970. Oklahoma City and Little Rock had to have a large amount of ballast and internal rearrangement to allow continued service into the 1970s.[3] The last of these missile ships in service, Oklahoma City, was decommissioned in December 1979.
Only one Cleveland-class ship remains. She is the guided missile cruiser Little Rock, now a museum ship along the Niagara River at Buffalo, New York, along with the Template:Sclass- The Sullivans, and the Template:Sclass-, Croaker.[4]
Ships in class
Ship Name | Hull No. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleveland | CL-55 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 1 July 1940 | 1 November 1941 | 15 June 1942 | 7 February 1947 | Sold for scrap, 18 February 1960 |
Columbia | CL-56 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 18 August 1940 | 17 December 1941 | 29 July 1942 | 30 November 1946 | Sold for scrap, 18 February 1959 |
Montpelier | CL-57 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 2 December 1940 | 12 February 1942 | 9 September 1942 | 24 January 1947 | Sold for scrap, 22 January 1960 |
Denver | CL-58 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 26 December 1940 | 4 April 1942 | 15 October 1942 | 7 February 1947 | Sold for scrap, 4 February 1960 |
Amsterdam | CL-59 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 1 May 1941 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22) | |||
Santa Fe | CL-60 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 7 June 1941 | 10 June 1942 | 24 November 1942 | 29 October 1946 | Sold for scrap, 9 November 1959 |
Tallahassee | CL-61 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 2 June 1941 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23) | |||
Birmingham | CL-62 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 17 February 1941 | 20 March 1942 | 29 January 1943 | 2 January 1947 | Sold for scrap, 12 November 1959 |
Mobile | CL-63 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 14 April 1941 | 15 May 1942 | 24 March 1943 | 9 May 1947 | Sold for scrap, 16 December 1959 |
Vincennes | CL-64 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 7 March 1942 | 17 July 1943 | 21 January 1944 | 10 September 1946 | Sunk as target, 28 October 1969 |
Pasadena | CL-65 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 6 February 1943 | 28 December 1943 | 8 June 1944 | 12 January 1950 | Sold for scrap, 5 July 1972 |
Springfield | CL-66 CLG-7 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 13 February 1943 | 9 March 1944 | 9 September 1944 2 July 1960 |
30 September 1949 15 May 1974 |
Sold for scrap, 11 March 1980 |
Topeka | CL-67 CLG-8 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 21 April 1943 | 19 August 1944 | 23 December 1944 | 18 June 1949 | Sold for scrap, 20 March 1975 |
New Haven | CL-76 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 11 August 1941 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) | |||
Huntington | CL-77 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 17 November 1941 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25) | |||
Dayton | CL-78 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 29 December 1941 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) | |||
Wilmington | CL-79 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 16 March 1942 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28) | |||
Biloxi | CL-80 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 9 July 1941 | 23 February 1943 | 31 August 1943 | 29 August 1946 | Sold for scrap, 5 March 1962 |
Houston | CL-81 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 4 August 1941 | 19 June 1943 | 20 December 1943 | 15 December 1947 | Sold for scrap, 1 June 1961 |
Providence | CL-82 CLG-6 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 27 July 1943 | 28 December 1944 | 15 May 1945 17 September 1959 |
14 June 1949 31 August 1973 |
Sold for scrap, 15 July 1980 |
Manchester | CL-83 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts | 25 September 1944 | 5 March 1946 | 29 October 1946 | 27 June 1956 | Sold for scrap, 31 October 1961 |
Buffalo | CL-84 | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey | Cancelled, 16 December 1940 | ||||
Fargo | CL-85 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 11 April 1942 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Langley (CVL-27) | |||
Vicksburg | CL-86 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 26 October 1942 | 14 December 1943 | 12 June 1944 | 30 June 1947 | Sold for scrap, 25 August 1964 |
Duluth | CL-87 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 9 November 1942 | 13 January 1944 | 18 September 1944 | 25 June 1949 | Sold for scrap, 14 November 1960 |
Newark | CL-88 | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey | Cancelled 16 December 1940 | ||||
Miami | CL-89 | William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 2 August 1941 | 8 December 1942 | 28 December 1943 | 30 June 1947 | Sold for scrap, 20 July 1962 |
Astoria | CL-90 | William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 6 September 1941 | 6 March 1943 | 17 May 1944 | 1 July 1949 | Sold for scrap, 12 January 1971 |
Oklahoma City | CL-91 CLG-5 | William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 8 December 1942 | 20 February 1944 | 22 December 1944 7 September 1960 |
30 June 1947 15 December 1979 |
Sunk as target, 25 March 1999 |
Little Rock | CL-92 CLG- 4 |
William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 6 March 1943 | 27 August 1944 | 17 June 1945 3 June 1960 |
24 June 1949 22 November 1976 |
Donated to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park
as a Museum ship, 1 June 1977 |
Galveston | CL-93 CLG-3 | William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 27 August 1943 | 22 April 1945 | 28 May 1958 | May 1970 | Sold for scrap, 16 May 1975 |
Youngstown | CL-94 | William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 4 September 1944 | Contract cancelled, 12 August 1945 | |||
Buffalo | CL-99 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 31 August 1942 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Bataan (CVL-29) | |||
Newark | CL-100 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 26 October 1942 | Reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) | |||
Amsterdam | CL-101 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 3 March 1943 | 25 April 1944 | 8 January 1945 | 30 June 1947 | Sold for scrap, 11 February 1972 |
Portsmouth | CL-102 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 28 June 1943 | 20 September 1944 | 25 June 1945 | 15 June 1949 | Sold for scrap, 26 February 1974 |
Wilkes-Barre | CL-103 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 14 December 1942 | 24 December 1943 | 1 July 1944 | 9 October 1947 | Sunk in testing, 12/14 May 1972 |
Atlanta | CL-104 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 25 January 1943 | 6 February 1944 | 3 December 1944 | 1 July 1949 | Sunk in testing, 1 October 1970 |
Dayton | CL-105 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 8 March 1943 | 19 March 1944 | 7 January 1945 | 1 March 1949 | Sold for scrap, 6 April 1962 |
References
- ^ Norman Friedman, U.S. Cruisers, An Illustrated Design History 1984 ISBN 978-0-87021-718-0
- ^ M.J. Whitley, Cruisers Of World War Two, An International Encyclopedia 1995 ISBN 978-1-86019-874-8
- ^ Those Cleveland Class Cruisers. An exercise in expediency in N.Wilder Post.' Sea Classics Oct 2013, V46, No 10', pp18-25 & 65
- ^ "Ships". Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)