| Des Moines-class cruiser | |
|---|---|
 USS Des Moines (CA-134) | |
| Class overview | |
| Name: | Des Moines-class heavy cruiser |
| Operators: |
 United States Navy |
| Preceded by: | Oregon City class |
| Succeeded by: | None |
| In commission: | 1948–1975 |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Cancelled: | 9[1][2] |
| Retired: | 3 |
| Preserved: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement: |
17,255 short tons (15,653 t) (standard) 20,934 short tons (18,991 t) (full load) |
| Length: | 716 ft 6 in (218.39 m) |
| Beam: | 76 ft 6 in (23.32 m) |
| Draft: | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion: |
4 shafts General Electric turbines 4 boilers 120,000 shp (89,000 kW) |
| Speed: | 33 kn (61 km/h) |
| Range: |
10,500 nmi at 15 knots 19,400 km at 28 km/h |
| Complement: | 1,799 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Armor: |
6 in (150 mm) Belt 8 in (200 mm) Turrets 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm) Deck 6 1⁄2 in (170 mm) Conning Tower |
The Des Moines-class cruisers were a group of U.S. Navy heavy cruisers, commissioned in 1948–1949. They were the last of the all-gun heavy cruisers, exceeded in size in the American navy only by the Alaska-class cruisers.
Description[]
Derived from the Baltimore-class heavy cruisers, they were larger, had an improved machinery layout, and carried a new design of auto-loading, rapid-fire 8"/55 gun (the Mk16).[3][4][5] The improved Mk16 guns of the main battery were the first auto-loading 8" guns fielded by the US Navy, and allowed a much higher rate of fire than earlier designs, capable of sustaining 12 shots per minute per barrel, or about twice that of the Mk12s found on the Baltimore class.[4] The auto-loading mechanism could function at any elevation, giving even these large-caliber guns some anti-aircraft ability.[4] While the secondary battery of six twin 5"/38 Mk12 DP guns was essentially unchanged from the preceding Oregon City and Baltimore-class cruisers, the Des Moines class carried a stronger battery of small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, including 12 twin 3-inch/50 Mk27 and later Mk33 guns, that were considered superior to the earlier ships' quad-mounted 40mm Bofors against then current airborne threats.[4]
History[]
Twelve ships of the class were programmed, but only three ships were completed: Des Moines (CA-134), Salem (CA-139), and Newport News (CA-148), with the USS Dallas (CA-140) cancelled when she was approximately 28 percent complete. The first two were decommissioned in 1959 and 1961, respectively, but Newport News remained in commission until 1975, serving for a long period (1962-1968 as Second Fleet flagship, and then providing gunfire support off Viet Nam 1969-1973. She had the distinction of being the last active all-gun cruiser (serving 25.5 years continuously) and the first completely air-conditioned surface ship in the U.S. Navy. Salem is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts. Newport News was scrapped in 1993, and Des Moines was scrapped in 2006–2007. Dallas (CA-140) and eight other ships (CA-141 through CA-143 and CA-149 through CA-153) were canceled at the end of World War II.[2][4]
Ships in class[]
- USS Des Moines (CA-134)
- USS Salem (CA-139)
- USS Dallas (CA-140) canceled 1946.
- USS Newport News (CA-148)
References[]
- ↑ Andrew Toppan (2000-04-24). "US Cruisers List: US Light/Heavy/AntiAircraft Cruisers, Part 2". Haze Gray & Underway. http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/cruisers/ca-cl2.htm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "CA-134 Des Moines – Ship Listing". GlobalSecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ca-134-unit.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ↑ "CA-134 Des Moines Class". GlobalSecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ca-134.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "CA-134 Des Moines – Program". GlobalSecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ca-134-program.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ↑ "CA-134 Des Moines Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ca-134-specs.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Des Moines class cruiser. |
- Des Moines class cruiser—NavSource Online
- Des Moines class cruiser—GlobalSecurity.org
- Des Moines class cruiser—National Parks Service
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