Baltimore class
_underway_at_sea_on_26_March_1968_(NH_85098-KN).jpg) USS Saint Paul at sea in 1968 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy cruiser , guided missile cruiser after conversion |
| units | 14 built, 0 in service |
| Namesake | Baltimore , Maryland |
| period of service |
1943 to 1980 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
17,031 ts , up to 18,900 ts after conversion |
| length |
205.3 meters |
| width |
21.6 meters |
| Draft |
7.3 meters, up to 8.2 meters after conversion |
| crew |
up to 80 officers, 1500 men |
| drive |
4 propellers, driven by 4 steam turbines; 120,000 shaft horsepower |
| speed |
33 knots |
| Range |
10,000 nm (18,500 km) at 15 kn, with conversions at least 7000 nm at 15 kn |
| Armament |
at the beginning 3 triple towers 203 mm, 6 twin towers 127 mm, up to 40 flak. Later 2 to 4 double-arm launchers for anti-aircraft missiles |
The Baltimore class was a class of heavy cruiser of the United States Navy from the last years of World War II . After the war ended, most of the cruisers were transferred to the reserve fleet , but reactivated during the Korean War. By 1971 all ships of the original design were decommissioned.
However, four units of the class were converted into the world's first guided missile cruisers as early as the 1950s , forming the Boston class and the Albany class . Some of these remained in service until 1980.
history
Planning and construction
_drydocked.jpg)
Immediately after the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939, studies into the construction of a new class of heavy cruisers were initiated in the US Navy, which ultimately led to the construction of the Baltimore class. With the war, the already generous restrictions of the Second London Naval Conference became obsolete - this had completely forbidden the construction of heavy cruisers. The Baltimore class was then based on the one hand on the USS Wichita (CA-45) , a 1937 heavy cruiser that represented the transition from interwar to world war I design, and on the other hand on the Cleveland class, which was under construction at the time .
The construction of the first four Baltimore- class ships was commissioned on July 1, 1940, and four more were ordered during the year. A second package, comprising sixteen additional units, was approved on August 7, 1942. Completion of the units was delayed, however, as the Navy gave preference to building the Cleveland- class light cruisers . Of these, more units could be built for use in aircraft carrier combat groups in a shorter time. When the construction of the first eight Baltimores was slow for this reason, the Navy took the opportunity to reconsider and improve the first design. However, this new, modified design was also delayed, so that a further seven units according to the original design were laid on the keel and completed. Between 1943 and 1946, fourteen Baltimore- class units were put into service with the US Navy, and the construction of a fifteenth cruiser of the class, which was to be named Norfolk , was halted after eight months of construction at the end of the Second World War and the half-finished one Hull scrapped again. Another nine orders were converted to a modified design.
The largest contractor to build the class was Bethlehem Steel , which built eight units at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy , Massachusetts . New York Shipbuilding in Camden , New Jersey built four ships and the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania completed one unit, the second was not completed. The units were named after cities in the United States, the only exception being the Canberra , which was named after the Australian capital in honor of the submerged HMAS Canberra . The classification was CA , a designation that originally stood for armored cruiser ( armored cruiser ), but was later also used for the heavy cruiser , i.e. the heavy cruiser.
Modifications
Further developments
The Baltimore class hull was used for the development of several other classes. The Oregon City- class cruisers differed little from the Baltimores . This consisted of the cruisers originally planned as units of the Baltimore class , but then laid on keel as a modified design. Of the nine planned units, however, only three were completed. The Oregon City class hull was practically identical to that of the Baltimores . The main differences between the two classes of ship were the reduction to just one chimney and a change in the superstructure, mainly to reduce the top-heaviness . The Des Moines class was a further enlarged design . While the basic deck layout was not changed, the three cruisers of this class carried the first fully automatic large-caliber guns on warships. However, none of these ships came into the fleet in time to intervene in the Second World War.
The design for the construction of the two light aircraft carriers of the Saipan class was also developed from the design of the Baltimore fuselage . For example, the arrangement of the machines was adopted. However, these hulls had been widened compared to those of the Baltimore class. These ships were completed in 1947/48. However, since they were too small for the aircraft of the jet age in the mid-1950s, they were converted for other tasks and used as a communications link ship or headquarters ship.
Conversions ( Boston- and Albany- Class)
_underway_in_Guantanamo_Bay_on_10_January_1967.jpg)
As early as the late 1940s, the Navy was planning to equip warships with missiles. In 1946 the former battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) and in 1948 the former seaplane tender USS Norton Sound (AV-11) were converted into test ships for this purpose. Both received, among other things, the RIM-2 Terrier , as it was used from 1952 for the conversion of the first series ships. Two Baltimore cruisers ( Boston and Canberra ) were converted for this purpose . These ships were thus the world's first guided missile cruiser . The two ships of the new Boston class were put back into service in 1955 and 1956 and classified as CAGs . The newly added G stood for guided missile or guided missile, the retention of the A denoted the fact that the cruisers kept their heavy nose guns.
_underway_in_the_Western_Pacific_on_14_March_1978_(USN_1172569).jpg)
In the years that followed, six more Cleveland- class light cruisers were fitted with guided missiles. With the USS Long Beach (CGN-9) the first guided missile cruiser was laid down in 1957. Nevertheless, other ships were converted, so from 1958 two Baltimore cruisers ( Columbus and Chicago ) as well as a unit of the Oregon City class ( Albany ), which were combined to form the new Albany class of guided missile cruisers. These came to the fleet from 1962 to 1964. Two further conversions ( Rochester of the Oregon City class and Bremerton of the Baltimore class) were to follow, but the conversion was no longer carried out for financial reasons. In contrast to the cruisers of the Boston class, the Albany class was completely rebuilt; that is, all weapon systems as well as the complete superstructures were removed and replaced with new ones. This also explains the high conversion costs of 175 million US dollars per unit. Since no large-caliber weapons were left on board here, the CG classification was used.
period of service
_being_reactivated_at_the_Puget_Sound_Naval_Shipyard,_in_1951_(NH_98241).jpg)
Of the fourteen completed units, twelve were added to the fleet before Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945. However, only seven ships of this class took part in battles of the Pacific War, the Quincy was the only Baltimore cruiser to sail in European waters. The remaining units completed test drives during the last days of the war. By 1947 ten units had been decommissioned and assigned to the reserve fleet, four remained in service beyond the end of the war. In the early 1950s, however, six units were reactivated. This left four units out of service: The Fall River was never activated again, the Boston and Canberra were rebuilt and continued as the Boston class. The Chicago was only reactivated in 1958 when it was converted into an Albany cruiser. That meant ten Baltimores were operational during the Korean War . Six of these ships carried out escort operations and coastal bombardments there, the others strengthened the fleet, including in European waters.
After the Korean War, the remaining unmodified cruisers were finally decommissioned from 1954. In 1963 only the Saint Paul was still in service, which was the only one of the units that had not been converted to still be used in the Vietnam War and was not deactivated until 1971.
Boston and Canberra took part in the Vietnam War and were decommissioned in 1970. Since their guided missiles were already out of date at this point, both had been driving again as CA since 1968 . The guided missiles were removed and the missile launcher thus inoperative. Of the Albany class, only the Chicago sailed off Vietnam, the other two units were stationed in the Atlantic. Albany and Chicago remained active until 1980, Columbus until 1975.
All fourteen Baltimore- class units were sold to demolition companies after their retirement and scrapped, the Chicago being the last in 1991.
units
| Identification number | Surname | In service | Off-duty | Whereabouts / fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA-68 | Baltimore | April 15, 1943 | May 31, 1956 | scrapped |
| CA-69 / CAG-1 | Boston | June 30, 1943 | May 5th 1970 | scrapped |
| CA-70 / CAG-2 | Canberra | October 14, 1943 | February 16, 1970 | scrapped |
| CA-71 | Quincy | December 15, 1943 | 2nd July 1954 | scrapped |
| CA-72 | Pittsburgh | October 10, 1944 | August 28, 1958 | scrapped |
| CA-73 | Saint Paul | February 17, 1945 | 5th May 1971 | scrapped |
| CA-74 / CG-12 | Columbus | June 8, 1945 | January 31, 1975 | scrapped |
| CA-75 | Helena | September 4, 1945 | June 29, 1963 | scrapped |
| CA-130 | Bremerton | April 29, 1945 | July 29, 1960 | scrapped |
| CA-131 | Fall River | July 1, 1945 | October 31, 1947 | scrapped |
| CA-132 | Macon | August 26, 1945 | March 10, 1961 | scrapped |
| CA-133 | Toledo | October 27, 1946 | May 21, 1960 | scrapped |
| CA-135 | los Angeles | July 22, 1945 | November 15, 1963 | scrapped |
| CA-136 / CG-11 | Chicago | January 10, 1945 | March 1, 1980 | scrapped |
Damage
_underway_after_she_lost_her_bow_in_June_1945_(80-G-325746).jpg)
During the World War, only the Canberra was damaged by enemy fire; on October 13, 1944, it suffered an air torpedo hit that killed 23 people in the engine room. A year later, the repair in the Boston Naval Shipyard was completed and the ship was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. The entire bow section of the Pittsburgh was torn away in a typhoon in June 1945 , and there were no victims. After the ship had struggled through 70-knot winds to Guam and could be repaired there, a complete restoration was finally carried out in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard .
During the Korean War, a fire in the front turret on April 12, 1952 killed 30 Saint Paul men . In 1953 the same ship was hit by a coastal battery, but no one was injured. The same happened to Helena in 1951 and Los Angeles in 1953.
The Boston fell victim to friendly fire in June 1968 when she and her companion, the Australian destroyer HMAS Hobart (D39) , were mistaken for enemy targets by aircraft of the United States Air Force and attacked with AIM-7 Sparrow s . Only the Hobart was seriously damaged - the warhead of a missile that hit the Boston did not detonate.
technology
hull
_underway_on_27_April_1959_(NH_97388).jpg)
_underway_off_San_Diego_on_19_February_1965_(NH_82722-KN).jpg)
The hull was not changed during the conversions to the Boston or Albany class, so the size specifications of the ships apply to all three classes. The cruisers were 205.3 meters long and 21.6 meters wide. As a result of the modifications, all other values differ depending on the class.
The original Baltimores , fully laden, displaced around 17,031 ts , their draft was 7.3 meters. At the bow the upper edge of the hull was 10.1 meters above the water surface, and at the stern 7.6 meters. The chimneys were 26.2 meters high, the highest point on the masts was 34.2 meters. The superstructures took up about a third of the length amidships and were divided into two deckhouses. Facing the gap between these there were two thin chimneys, further to the bow and stern, respectively, two pole masts to accommodate the location electronics.
The side armor was 152 mm vertically and the top armor horizontally up to 76 mm. The turrets were also armored between 76 and 152 mm, the command tower had the strongest armor at 203 mm.
The Boston- class ships were about half a meter deeper in the water and displaced about 500 ts more than their former sister ships. Since the Boston class was only a partial renovation, the front third remained essentially untouched. The first significant change was the merging of the formerly two chimneys into a single thick one, which was placed in the previously existing gap between the deckhouses. Since the guided missiles required more control electronics, the front pole was also replaced by a four-legged lattice mast with an enlarged platform. The most noticeable change, however, was the installation of the missile starters and the associated magazines, which took up the entire aft third of the ships and displaced the guns there.
The three Albanys were demolished down to deck level and completely rebuilt, which is why they did not even resemble their former sisters after the renovation. The deckhouse was now two thirds of the length of the ship and was almost continuously two decks high. Above it was the box-shaped command bridge, which became a distinctive feature of these ships. The two masts and chimneys were connected to so-called “ macks ”, as they were first used on the Leahy class ships . The platforms for the electronics were attached to the top of the chimneys instead of the conventional masts on deck. The highest point on the front Mack was more than 40 meters above the surface of the water. Such heights could only be achieved through the use of aluminum alloys , which were used to a large extent for the superstructures in the construction of the Albanys . Nevertheless, the displacement of the units rose to over 18,000 ts with a full load.
drive
The Baltimore- class units were powered by steam turbines . Each ship had four shafts, each with a propeller. These were driven by four steam turbines, which in turn obtained their steam from four boilers that built up a pressure of up to 615 psi (about 43 bar ) at full speed . While the original design had two chimneys for two engine rooms, this was changed for the Bostons , where there was only one chimney for all four turbines. The maximum speed of the ships was around 33 knots (around 61 kilometers per hour). The system output was around 120,000 shaft horsepower .
With the unmodified Baltimores , up to 2250 ts of fuel could be carried, so the maximum cruising range at a cruising speed of 15 knots was around 10,000 nautical miles (18,500 kilometers). Due to the higher displacement at the Bostons and Albanys , their range fell to 9,000 nautical miles ( Boston ) and 7,000 nautical miles ( Albany ), and this despite an increase in the fuel supply to 2,600 ts and 2,500 ts respectively.
Armament
_provides_gunfire_support_off_South_Vietnam,_circa_in_October_1966_(80-G-K-33437).jpg)
The main armament of the ships of the Baltimore class consisted of three turrets, each with three barrels, each with a caliber of 203 mm and a caliber length of 55. Of these, two were located at the bow and the third at the stern. The range of these guns was 27.8 kilometers. Secondary armament were six twin towers, 127 mm caliber, 38 caliber length, two of them on each side of the superstructure, the remaining two behind the main batteries. These guns could be used to fight enemy ships and aircraft as well as for coastal fire. Their range for bombarding surface targets was 16 kilometers, and aircraft at heights of up to 9.8 kilometers could still be reached by the projectiles. In addition, the units had very powerful anti-aircraft armament , consisting of twelve 40-mm quadruple flak from Bofors (or eleven quadruples and two twins for the ships that had only one aircraft crane aft) and, depending on the ship and the time of commissioning, 20 to 28 20 -mm machine guns. The small-caliber weapons were soon removed, however; the 20-mm anti-aircraft guns were already without replacement shortly after the war, as they were too ineffective against the Japanese aircraft, while the 40-mm Bofors were replaced by up to 20 76-mm anti-aircraft guns in the 1950s .
Four units ( Toledo , Helena , Macon and Los Angeles ) were also from 1956 to 1958 with three cruise missiles of the type SSM-N-8A Regulus stocked. Ultimately, however, the stationing of such nuclear-armed missiles on surface ships remained an attempt that was only made until the 1960s. The following UGM-27 Polaris was only carried by nuclear submarines .
_fires_a_Terrier_missile_in_February_1957_(NH_98398).jpg)
On the guided missile cruisers of the Boston class, the armament on the forecastle was left in its original state. So the two units kept two 203mm turrets and five of the 127mm batteries. Twelve 76 mm cannons were used as flak at the beginning of 1955, and a short time later eight 76 mm cannons.
_fires_a_RIM-24_Tartar_missile,_in_1965_(KN-11658).jpg)
The real heart of the new armament, however, were two double-arm launchers for medium-range anti- aircraft missiles of the RIM-2 Terrier type on the stern. The range of this rocket was initially around 10 nautical miles (18 kilometers), later versions had twice the range. Two elongated magazines for the missiles were installed under the starters, in which a total of 144 terriers could be stored. Since the Terrier - the US Navy's first sea-based anti-aircraft guided missile - was quickly made obsolete by newer Standard Missile 1 models , the systems on both ships were deactivated in 1968, but the starters were left on board.
The total conversions of the Albany -class were originally intended to no longer contain guns at all and only to be armed with guided missiles. Only after an intervention by the then US President John F. Kennedy were two 127 mm single cannons installed amidships , as was previously the case on the nuclear cruiser Long Beach . A double-arm launcher each for the long-range anti-aircraft guided missile RIM-8 Talos with a range of up to 50 nautical miles (over 90 kilometers) and a magazine capacity for a total of 104 missiles was created at the bow and aft . To the side of the superstructure, two double-arm launchers for the RIM-24 Tartar short-range missile (range 7.5 nautical miles or 14 kilometers, later improved to 17.5 miles or over 30 kilometers) were set up; the reload capacity here was 84 missiles. Amidships became the submarine defense a eight-way starter for rocket torpedoes type RUR-5 ASROC erected, and two triple torpedo launchers for Mark 46 lightweight torpedoes .
electronics
Location electronics
_underway_on_11_October_1955_(NH_98248).jpg)
Initially, the cruiser had Baltimore class radars type SG for surface and SK for air targets. The range for ground targets was, depending on the size of the target, between 15 and 22 nautical miles (28 and 40 kilometers), the SK was able to locate bombers at medium altitudes of around 100 miles or 180 kilometers. For the Korean War, more powerful radars were then retrofitted, these were of the type SPS-6 (from Westinghouse ) or later SPS-12 (from the Radio Corporation of America ) as 2D radar and the associated SPS-8 as height finder. With these radars, the detection range against bombers was increased to up to 145 miles. Ships that have been active for a longer period of time have received an SPS-37 air surveillance radar (also from Westinghouse) for SPS-6 or SPS-12 , and a SPS-10 from Raytheon as a surface search radar . This made it possible to achieve a location range of over 400 kilometers compared to aircraft.
The modified units received a far more diverse package of radar systems. On Boston and Canberra , in addition to a CXRX radar (a modified SPS-8 that never went into series production), an SPS-30 height finder was added. In the 1960s, the SPS-6 and SPS-8 were replaced by the SPS-37 . The Albanys received - along with the complete new construction of the superstructure - also a completely new electronics package. This was the beginning of the 1960s from an approximately 145 miles acting SPS-39 , a real 3D radar of Hughes and SPS-43 , an air surveillance radar Hughes / Westinghouse with a range of over 200 miles. Two SPS-30s were used as height finders and again SPS-10s as surface search radar . SPS-39 was soon replaced by the more modern SPS-52 (also by Hughes). This allowed small aircraft to be ordered at 60 miles, large aircraft at 245 miles. With this equipment, the ships were ultimately deactivated.
Fire control electronics
_aft_superstructure,_in_1965_(KN-11658).jpg)
The cruisers of the Baltimore -class had from the beginning electronic fire control devices (FLG) for determining the gun parameters , with which targets behind the horizon could also be attacked. The main artillery was controlled by two FLG Mark 34s , coupled with a flight control radar Mk. 8 , the flak received its target data from two FLG Mk. 37 with Mk.-4 radar. The fire control radars were later modernized analogous to the main radars . The fire control devices remained the same, but were reinforced by four Mk. 56 with radar Mk. 35 when the 76 mm flak entered .
The Boston- class units equipped with guided missiles retained a forward-facing Mk. 34 and a Mk. 37 for the barrel weapons, the aft FLG of these types were removed in favor of control units for the Terrier missile . A fire control system (FLA) Mk. 71 was used for this, paired with two control radars Mk. 25 , later replaced by SPQ-5 . The flak were controlled by six Mk. 56 . The Albany -class ships received two FLA Mk. 77 for the Talos guided missiles, which were combined with two radar illuminators of the types SPG-49 and SPW-2 , and two FLA Mk. 74 for the Tartar , associated with radar illuminators SPG- 51 . Two Mk. 56 were on board for the flak .
Other electronics
The Albany class got with the conversion, a sonar system type SQS-23 , whose centerpiece was a the diameter of 20 feet (6.1 meters) of large transformers. The system was placed in the bow of the ships.
Aircraft
,_in_August_1944_(80-G-K-1948).jpg)
The board flight systems on the cruisers of the Baltimore class existed during the Second World War, two on the side edges of the aft deck mounted aircraft catapults , a was between those forward sliding hatch covers, the roof of the underlying lower deck hangar was. The first four units of the class each had two aircraft cranes, the rest only one at the stern.
A Vought OS2U Kingfisher aircraft , later also a Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk, could be launched from the catapults at full speed , which were used for reconnaissance as well as for anti-submarine hunting and sea rescue. The machines were seaplanes, so after a mission they watered close to the cruiser and could be recovered by two cranes in the first four units - later only one - and then lifted back onto their catapult. In the early 1950s, the catapults and with them the ability to take off planes were removed, the cranes were retained.
As early as 1948, instead of the catapults, a slightly raised landing platform for helicopters was installed on the Macon . However, since the sweep angle of the stern gun was greatly narrowed as a result, this attempt was terminated again very quickly and such a platform was no longer used on any sister ship. A space for helicopter landings and VERTREP ( vertical replenishment , i.e. supply by hovering helicopters) was created aft of the last guided missile launcher on the Albany- class units , but this time directly on the deck, not on a platform.
crew
_off_Vietnam,_in_March_1967_(USN_1142153).jpg)
The crew number of the ships varied depending on the time and tactical situation, but the numbers also differ depending on the source. During the war there were more seamen on the ships. In addition, some cruisers, including all three Albanys , were equipped as flagships during a renovation , so they had special rooms for an admiral and his staff.
The manning of the units as they were launched, during and shortly after the Second World War, was around 60 officers and over 1,000 men in peacetime. If a staff was on board during the war, these numbers could rise to up to 80 officers and more than 1,500 men. On the Bostons , 80 officers and more than 1,650 men were the standard crew even in peacetime and without staff. Since the almost pure guided missile equipment of the Albanys required fewer operating personnel, the number of crews sank in peacetime to 60 officers and less than 1,000 men, with staff on average there were 85 officers and 1,120 men on a ship.
However, other sources give much higher numbers. The Naval Vessel Register for the Albany lists over 100 officers and 1,400 men. Compared to today's cruisers, these crew numbers are extremely high. The somewhat smaller Ticonderoga- class cruisers currently in service only need around 400 men, a sign of the advancing automation and computerization on warships, as is being promoted in the Smart Ship Project .
The quarters for the crew members on the Baltimores and guided missile conversions were mainly below deck, command and control rooms were set up in the superstructures, and possibly also the staff rooms.
Mission profile
Fast, artillery-armed ships such as the Baltimore- class were used by the US Navy in World War II mainly to protect fast aircraft carriers in carrier combat groups . Due to its strong anti-aircraft armament, the Baltimore class was able to contribute in particular to the combat groups' air defense. In addition, the 20.3 cm main artillery and also the middle artillery of the ships were regularly used for land target fire in support of amphibious landings .
For battles against Japanese cruisers and destroyers, the US Navy saw heavy cruisers as less suitable due to the low rate of the main armament. Therefore, in contrast to the light cruisers, the ships were not used in the Southwest Pacific.
After the conversion to guided missile cruisers, the ships again served primarily to secure the carrier combat groups. The totally converted Albany -class ships could not only contribute to air defense but also to protection against underwater attacks, and they were preferably used as fleet flagships. The artillery armament of the partially converted ships was still used for land target shelling during the Vietnam War. Towards the end of their service life, this was the main task of the partially converted ships, as the Terrier- type missiles were viewed as outdated and the associated guided missile systems had therefore been decommissioned.
literature
- Stefan Terzibaschitsch : US Navy cruiser. Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-7822-0348-8 .
- Norman Friedman: US Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD 1984, ISBN 978-0-85368-651-4 .
Web links
- globalsecurity.org: Baltimore- class , Boston- class, and Albany- class (English)
Footnotes
- ↑ Conversion on ussalbany.com ( Memento from February 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c d Range according to Terzibaschitsch 1997, page 36ff
- ↑ Figures from Terzibaschitsch 1997, page 320
- ↑ NVR entry for Albany ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (engl.)
