Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Baltimore-class cruiser
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|Class of US Navy heavy cruisers}} {{redirect|Baltimore class|the virus classification system|Baltimore classification}} {{more citations needed|date=August 2014}} {{Use American English|date=October 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {|{{Infobox ship begin}} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:USS Bremerton (CA-130) off San Francisco in 1955.JPG | Ship caption = USS ''Bremerton'' (CA-130) in 1955 }} {{Infobox ship class overview | Name = ''Baltimore'' class | Builders = * [[Bethlehem Steel Corporation|Bethlehem]], [[Fore River Shipyard|Fore River]], MA (8) * [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation|New York Ship]], NJ (4) * [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]], PA (2) | Operators = {{naval|United States}} | Class before = {{USS|Wichita|CA-45|6}} | Class after = {{sclass|Oregon City|cruiser|4}} | Subclasses = * {{sclass|Boston|cruiser|4}} * {{sclass|Albany|cruiser|4}} | Cost = US$40 million per ship<ref>"American Cruiser of World War 2 - A pictorial encyclopedia by Steve Ewing</ref> | Built range = 1941β1945 | In service range = | In commission range = 1943β1971 | Total ships building = | Total ships planned = 14 | Total ships completed = 14 | Total ships active = | Total ships laid up = | Total ships lost = | Total ships retired = 14 | Total ships scrapped = 14 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship type = [[Heavy cruiser]] | Ship displacement = * {{convert|13600|LT|t|abbr=on|lk=in|sigfig=5}} standard * {{convert|17000|LT|t|abbr=on|sigfig=5}} full load | Ship length = * {{convert|664|ft|abbr=on}} [[Waterline|wl]] * {{convert|673|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|oa]] | Ship beam = {{convert|70|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} | Ship height = {{convert|112|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} (mast) | Ship draft = {{convert|26|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} | Ship propulsion = 4 screws; 4 [[steam turbine]] sets | Ship power = * 4 Γ [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s * {{cvt|120000|shp|lk=in}} | Ship speed = {{convert|33|kn}} | Ship range = | Ship complement = 61 officers and 1,085 sailors | Ship sensors = * Mk34 GFCS * 2 Γ Mk37 GFCS * '''Early''': * [[SK-2 radar|SK-2]] [[air search radar|air-search radar]] * [[SM radar#|SP radar]] fighter-direction radar * '''Later''': * [[AN/SPS-6]] air-search radar * [[AN/SPS-8|AN/SPS-8A]] [[height-finding radar]] * [[AN/SPS-10]] surface-search radar * [[AN/SPS-12]] air-search radar * [[AN/SPS-37]] [[early-warning radar]] (''Saint Paul'') * [[AN/SPS-43]] air-search radar (''Helena'') * [[AN/URN-3]] [[Tactical air navigation system|TACAN]] * [[Mark 56 Gun Fire Control System|Mark 56]] [[fire-control system]] | Ship EW = | Ship armament = * 3 Γ triple [[8-inch/55-caliber gun]]s * 6 Γ twin [[5-inch/38-caliber gun]]s * 12 Γ quad [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm gun]]s * 24 Γ single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]s | Ship armor = * [[Belt armor]]: {{convert|4|-|6|in|0|abbr=on}} * [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|2.5|in|abbr=on}} * [[Gun turret|Turrets]]: {{convert|1.5|-|8|in|0|abbr=on}} * [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|6.3|in|0|abbr=on}} * [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|6.5|in|0|abbr=on}} * [[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{convert|6|in|0|abbr=on}} | Ship notes = | Ship boats = 2 Γ [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]]s | Ship aircraft facilities = * 2 Γ [[aircraft catapult]]s * [[Helipad]] (later conversion) }} |} The '''''Baltimore''-class heavy cruisers''' were a class of [[heavy cruiser]]s in the [[United States Navy]] commissioned during and shortly after [[World War II]]. Fourteen ''Baltimore''s were completed, more than any other class of heavy cruiser (the British {{sclass2|County|cruiser|4}} had 15 vessels planned, but only 13 completed), along with another three ships of the {{sclass|Oregon City|cruiser|5}} sub-class. The ''Baltimore''s also were the first cruisers in the US Navy to be designed without the limitations of the [[London Naval Treaty]]. Fast and heavily armed, the ''Baltimore'' cruisers were mainly used in World War II as anti-aircraft cruisers to protect the fast [[aircraft carrier]]s in battle groups from air attack. Additionally, their {{convert|8|in|mm|0|adj=on}} main guns and secondary {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns were regularly used to bombard land targets in support of [[amphibious warfare|amphibious landings]]. After the war, only six ''Baltimore''s (''St. Paul'', ''Macon'', ''Toledo'', ''Columbus'', ''Bremerton'', and ''Helena'') and two ''Oregon City''-class ships (''Albany'' and ''Rochester'') remained in service, while the rest were moved to the [[reserve fleet]]. However, all ships except ''Boston'', ''Canberra'', ''Chicago'', and ''Fall River'' were reactivated for the [[Korean War]]. Except for ''St. Paul'', all the ships retaining all-gun configurations had very short (18 years or less) service lives, and by 1971 were [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]], and started being sold for scrap. However, four ''Baltimore''-class cruisers were refitted and converted into some of the first [[guided missile cruisers]] in the world, becoming two of the three {{sclass|Albany|cruiser|0}} and two {{sclass|Boston|cruiser|0}} cruisers. The last of these was decommissioned in 1980, with the ''Chicago'' lasting until 1991 in reserve. No example of the ''Baltimore'' class still exists.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)