Belknap class
_underway_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_on_21_July_1992_(6480605).jpg) USS Belknap in the Mediterranean in 1992 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Guided missile cruiser |
| units | 9 built, 0 in service |
| Namesake | Rear Admiral George Belknap |
| period of service |
1964 to 1995 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
6570 ts normal, 8957 ts maximum |
| length |
166.7 meters |
| width |
16.8 meters |
| Draft |
9.4 meters |
| crew |
31 officers, 387 men |
| drive |
4 water tube boilers |
| speed |
34 knots |
| Range |
7,100 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 20 knots |
| Armament |
1 double-arm launcher for rockets |
The Belknap-class was a class of guided missile cruisers in the United States Navy . The class was built and put into service in the 1960s and retired in 1995 after a good 30 years of service. The class comprised nine units that were used both off the coast of Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s and in the Persian Gulf in the 1980s and 1990s.
history
The Belknap class was planned in the late 1950s. In 1961 the US Congress approved nine, and in January 1962 a tenth unit of the class. The MPs called for a nuclear drive for the seventh unit . So this unit was built according to a modified design and put into service as the USS Truxtun (CGN-35) . The nine ships of the Belknap class were laid down at four shipyards from February 1962. These were Bath Iron Works for five units ( DLG-26 - -28 , -32 and -34 ), the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for two units ( DLG-29 and -31 ) and the San Francisco Naval Shipyard for one ship each ( DLG-30) and Todd Pacific Shipyards (DLG-33) . Information was never given about the cost of a unit. The commissioning took place between 1964 and 1967, at that time still with the classification as DLG ( Destroyer Leader Guided Missile , German literally: Destroyer leader with guided missiles ). Regardless of this, the ships of this class were usually referred to as Large Frigates (Eng .: large frigates ). This juxtaposition of different designations made it clear that the designation system at that time needed reform. In the course of the abolition of this classification in 1975, the units were reclassified to guided missile cruisers ( CG , Cruiser Guided Missile ).
Around the time of planning and commissioning, several different designs, both with nuclear propulsion ( USS Long Beach (CGN-9) , California class , Virginia class ) and without ( Leahy class ), were built by DLG , all of which differed only slightly differed from each other.
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From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, the ships were subjected to a New Threat Upgrade (NTU, for example: upgrading for new threats ). The armament was reinforced, for which the electronics had to be adapted. In addition, the living quarters and supply rooms for the crew as well as the machinery were renovated.
The ships remained in service until the mid-1990s, after 30 years their planned service life had expired. Even if the units could have remained in service for a few more years thanks to the NTU , they were decommissioned for cost reasons. The class served as one of the few classes of ships in the United States Navy in both the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm . After their decommissioning, the ships were either dismantled and sold as scrap or sunk as target ships. The ships will be replaced by the Ticonderoga-class cruisers .
technology
hull
_underway_in_the_Pacific_Ocean_on_11_December_1984_(6396419).jpg)
The hull of the Belknap-class ships is around 166 meters long and 16 wide, which corresponds to the typical ratio of 1:10. The displacement is fully loaded at 8,957 ts . The deckhouse begins after about 30 meters behind the bow. The front side is at right angles to the deck, behind it the first mast with chimney ( Mack , a combination of mast and stack , German: chimney ). The hangar for the helicopter is in the aft deckhouse, with the second Mack on top . The landing platform is located directly behind the hangar. At the very stern, one level lower than the rest of the hull, is a platform with the gun. The lowering is intended to facilitate the approach of the helicopter over the stern. To reduce the weight of the ship, the superstructures are made entirely of aluminum.
drive
The drive of the Belknap class consisted of two geared turbines. These received steam from four boilers, the pressure in these was up to 1,200 psi (82.7 bar ). The power was 85,000 hp. The ships were propelled by two propellers. The speed of the ships was given as 34 knots. The ships must be able to maintain such speeds in order to be able to keep up with aircraft carriers during take-off and landing. Lower speeds are necessary for continuous journeys, the range fell sharply at speeds over 20 knots. At 15 knots it was 8,000 nautical miles, at 30 knots only 2,500.
Armament
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At the beginning of their careers the main armament of the ships, in addition to smaller guns with a caliber of 7.6 cm for close-range defense, consisted of a 127 mm Mark 42 multi-purpose gun for use against air and ground targets. The Mk 10 rocket starter missed at the beginning of the air defense the Terriers , after its decommissioning then the new Standard Missile SM-1ER ( extended range , dt .: extended range ). After the NTU , the electronics for the improved SM-2ER were set up so that it could replace the SM-1. In addition to 40 of these missiles, 20 ASROC missile torpedoes for use against submarines were also stored in the magazine. This arrangement of the weapon systems is called single-end , since a starter for guided weapons is only installed at one end of the ship. In addition, there was a triple torpedo tube for Mark 46 torpedoes on each side .
In the 1970s, two quad launchers for the anti-ship missile AGM-84 Harpoon were installed on each ship; one placed amidships on each side. In the 1980s, two close-in-weapon systems phalanx were added; they were installed relatively far aft, on both sides of the hangar.
electronics
_at_Barcelona,_Spain,_on_4_October_1990_(6466245).jpg)
When positioning and navigation RADAR the entire period was about the system PLC 10 of Raytheon used. The main task of the ships, air defense, was performed by a combination of SPS-48 on the front mast and, at the beginning, SPS-37 from Westinghouse Electric Corporation , after an upgrade SPS-49 on the aft mast. The SPS-37 or SPS-49 (manufacturer Raytheon) are responsible for finding the direction, while the SPS-48 from ITT-Gilfillan is responsible for finding the height.
A sonar system is located in the bow, the SPQ-26 can detect submarines both actively and passively.
During the New Threat Upgrade , an electronic warfare system consisting of the SLQ-32 was installed. The antennas could be used for telecommunications and electronic reconnaissance as well as jamming .
Aircraft
The Belknap-class cruisers were equipped for the transport and permanent accommodation of a single helicopter . This was a LAMPS- I standard helicopter, i.e. a Kaman SH-2 Seasprite . After the arrival of the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk , it was considered whether the Belknaps should be retrofitted with the necessary technology for this type, but this was not carried out.
Mission profile
The ships of the Belknap class were designed from the beginning to protect the carrier combat groups . In these, their main task was primarily to combat air and ground targets. Submarine hunting could be carried out using the on-board helicopter and the ASROC on board.
Since the retrofitting with Harpoon , they have also been able to fight sea targets, which means that the ships meet the requirements of a cruiser that must be able to operate without a direct connection to a fleet and thereby fulfill tasks such as keeping sea routes clear.
During the Vietnam War, the ships - in addition to their role as escorts for the carriers - also served as RADAR outposts and control centers for the carrier aircraft. The vectors to enemy machines were passed on to their own fighters so that they could be intercepted at an early stage. A helicopter also operated from the landing platform as a combat search and rescue unit. Later missions in the Persian Gulf included the protection of super tankers as part of Operation Earnest Will and as escort for multinational units during the Second Gulf War and during exercises in the following years.
The USS Belknap (CG-26) also served as the flagship of the US Navy's 6th Fleet, headquartered in Italy , in the 1990s .
Accidents
The USS Belknap got under the overhanging flight deck of the carrier USS John F. Kennedy during a maneuver in 1975 . The friction caused a fire on board the Belknap , which raged for several hours and completely melted the aluminum superstructure. Eight sailors died in the accident. This incident caused the Navy to return to building their ships entirely from steel , as it has a much higher melting point and the ships are better protected against fire. The Belknap was not put back into service until 1980 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Short and thick . In: Der Spiegel . No. 26 , 1983, pp. 127-130 ( online - 27 June 1983 ).
- ↑ Jürg Kürsener: The captain is the last to disembark, In: Schweizer Soldat, Volume 87, Issue 3 (March 2012), pp. 44–45
