USS Little Rock (CL-92)

USS Little Rock off Naples, Italy, on 31 July 1967
History
Name	USS Little Rock
Builder	Cramp Shipbuilding Co.
Laid down	6 March 1943
Launched	27 August 1944
Commissioned	17 June 1945
Decommissioned	24 June 1949
Reclassified	As CLG-4, guided-missile cruiser, 23 May 1957
Refit	1957–1960
Recommissioned	3 June 1960
Decommissioned	October 1976
Stricken	22 November 1976
Honours and awards	Flagship of the Sixth Fleet 1969/1970
Fate	Donated to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Buffalo, New York.
General characteristics
Class and type	Cleveland class light cruiser Galveston class guided missile cruiser
Displacement	10,670 t
Length	610 ft 1 in (185.95 m)
Beam	66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft	20 ft (6.1 m)
Speed	33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Complement	1,395 officers and enlisted
Armament	• 3 × 6 in (150 mm) guns in 1 × Mark 16 turret • 2 × 5 in (130 mm) guns • 1 × RIM-8 Talos twin rail missile launcher

USS Little Rock (CG-4 — ex-CL-92, ex-CLG-4) was a United States Navy Cleveland class light cruiser that was later converted to a Galveston class guided missile cruiser. She was laid down by Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 6 March 1943; launched 27 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Sam Wassell; and commissioned 17 June 1945, Capt. W. E. Miller in command.

Service history

1945–1949

After shakedown off Cuba and training along the Atlantic coast, Little Rock departed Newport, R.I., 21 October for South America. Following this five-month cruise to Latin countries, the cruiser returned Norfolk 23 March 1946. For the next two months she performed exercises off the east coast and in the Caribbean, before sailing for Europe 4 June. After operating with the 6th Fleet throughout the summer. Little Rock returned Norfolk 27 September 1946.

From September 1946 to 1949, the cruiser performed east coast exercises; operated in the Caribbean on training maneuvers; and sailed to the Mediterranean during 1947 and 1948. Little Rock decommissioned 24 June 1949 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at New York.

Converted to guided missile cruiser

Reclassified CLG-4 on 23 May 1957, Little Rock began a major conversion to a guided missile light cruiser of the Galveston-class cruiser. This refit included replacing the after six-inch turrets with a Talos missile battery. She recommissioned at Philadelphia 3 June 1960, Capt. J. O. Phillips in command. The cruiser performed shakedown training in the Caribbean, test-firing her Talos missiles to prepare to join the Navy's rapidly expanding fleet of ships armed with guided missiles capable of delivering a nuclear punch.

1961–1976

Departing Philadelphia 9 February 1961, Little Rock sailed for her first European cruise in her new role. After six months operating with the 6th Fleet and NATO units, the guided-missile cruiser returned to Norfolk during September.

While operating in the Caribbean, 18 November 1961, Little Rock was ordered to the waters off Santo Domingo to provide an element of stability during the uncertainty and unrest which plagued that country as rival factions vied to fill the political vacuum created by the assassination of Rafael Trujillo.

For the next four years Little Rock annually sailed to the Mediterranean, joining the 6th Fleet. She relieved USS Springfield, CLG-7, as Sixth Fleet Flag from May to December 1963 as she maintained the peace in southern Europe and the Middle East. During the months between deployments to the Mediterranean, she operated off the east coast, in the Caribbean, and off northern Europe with units of NATO countries. Remaining on the east coast during 1966 for overhaul and refresher training, she resumed a schedule of annual rotation to the Mediterranean in January 1967, and continued to follow that schedule into 1969. She was the Flagship during 1969 and 1970. She was homeported in Gaeta, Italy, but was gone from Gaeta about half of the time. While away from Gaeta, she participated in exercises in the Mediterranean and carried the admiral to foreign ports. During an exercise in mid-1970, she collided with a Greek destroyer, damaging her bow. The bow was temporarily repaired at Malta. In September, she returned to the United States and underwent a major yard overall in the Boston Naval Shipyard from November 1970 to the Spring of 1971. After refresher training, she returned to duty as flagship of the Sixth Fleet.

On 5 June 1975 Little Rock participated in the ceremonies marking the reopening of the Suez Canal. Third in line in the parade of ships she transited the Northern part of the Canal from Port Said to Ismaïlia and demonstrated the new U.S. commitment to Egypt and Middle East peace. After the transit, Little Rock participated in a port visit to Alexandria, Egypt. Leaving Alexandria she crossed the Mediterranean and visited Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, which was then a communist country.

Museum ship

After her decommissioning, Little Rock was taken to Buffalo, New York, where she is open to public touring at the Buffalo Naval & Military Park.

• 
  Little Rock as light cruiser CL-92 at Valparaiso, 1946
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  Little Rock firing a RIM-8 Talos in 1961
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  Little Rock standing by the stricken USS Liberty (AGTR-5), June 1967
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  Little Rock in the Mediterranean Sea, 1974
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  USS Little Rock in the Suez Canal, 5 June 1975
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  USS Little Rock at the Buffalo Naval & Military Park
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  USS Little Rock

External links

• USS Little Rock Association
• Famous Crew Who Served on USS Little Rock
• HNSA Web Page: USS Little Rock

References

This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.