Cleveland class

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Cleveland- class
USS Cleveland 1942
USS Cleveland 1942
Overview
Type Light cruiser
units 27 built, 0 in service
Namesake Cleveland , Ohio
period of service

1942–1979 after renovation

Technical specifications
Information applies to the type ship, later construction lots showed deviations
displacement

11,744 ts

length

186.0 m

width

20.2 m

height
  • 23.5 m chimney
  • 34.5 m mast
Draft

7.5 m

crew

54 officers, 938 men (peace)

drive

4 boilers, 4 steam turbines , 4 shafts , 100,000 hp

speed

32.5  kn

Range

11,000  nautical miles at 15 kn

Armament
  • 1942
    • 12 × 6 "(152 mm) L / 47 in 4 triplet towers
    • 12 × 5 "(127 mm) L / 38 in 6 twin towers
    • 12 × 40mm L / 56
    • 20 × 20 mm
  • 1944/45:
    • 12 × 6 "(152 mm) L / 47
    • 12 × 5 "(127 mm) L / 38
    • 28 × 40mm L / 56
    • 10 × 20 mm

The Cleveland-class cruiser was a class light cruiser of the United States Navy . Between June 1942 and October 1946, 27 cruisers of the class were put into service, they remained in service until 1956. The cruisers were mainly used in the Pacific theater of war , but some also in Europe and off the coast of North Africa . Only one ship - the USS Manchester  - operated during the Korean War . Nine others already a Cruiser on keel laid hulls were from 1941 to 1943 as a light aircraft carrier of the Independence class completed. Between 1957 and 1960, six of the ships were converted into guided missile cruisers , which were then divided into the Galveston and Providence classes and remained in service until 1979.

history

Planning and construction

The lead ship, the Cleveland , under construction at New York Shipbuilding

The Cleveland class was designed in the late 1930s as a further development of the Brooklyn class , which was planned and built under the conditions and restrictions of the 1922 Washington Naval Agreement . After the abolition of the contractually regulated arms and tonnage limits and after the first experiences of other warring states with their cruisers, increased attention was paid to a greater range and better protection against air attacks with the new cruisers. In order to achieve these goals without increasing the tonnage too much, the new design did without the fifth triplet tower, which was still characteristic of the appearance of the Brooklyn class. The improvement of the reconnaissance electronics was also taken into account, the bridge superstructures were given additional space for evaluation rooms and improved communication links. The underwater protection has also been reinforced compared to the previous classes.

The government approved the construction of a total of 39 Cleveland-class cruisers at a unit price of $ 31 million, but the actual construction costs of the war units exceeded $ 40 million. 33 units were included in the 1940 fiscal year and three each in 1941 and 1942. The orders were distributed to five shipyards on the east coast of the United States, with New York Shipbuilding in Camden , New Jersey receiving the largest single order with 17 ships . Nine of the cruisers were then completed as light aircraft carriers . Eight cruisers were laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News , Virginia . Six cruisers were the Fore River Shipyard of Bethlehem Steel in Massachusetts and at William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia built. The construction contract for two cruisers, which had gone to the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Kearny , New Jersey, was canceled on December 16, 1940, well before construction began, so that the shipyard could concentrate on building destroyers . There were considerations to build a total of up to 52 Cleveland-class cruisers.

units

Below is an overview of all 36 planned cruisers, including the conversions to light aircraft carriers.

Identification number Surname In service Off-duty Whereabouts / fate
CL-55 Cleveland June 15, 1942 February 7, 1947 canceled
CL-56 Columbia July 29, 1942 November 30, 1946 canceled
CL-57 Montpelier September 9, 1942 January 24, 1947 canceled
CL-58 Denver October 15, 1942 February 7, 1947 canceled
CL-59 Amsterdam (completed as Independence )
CL-60 Santa Fe November 24, 1942 October 19, 1946 canceled
CL-61 Tallahassee (completed as Princeton )
CL-62 Birmingham January 29, 1943 January 2, 1947 canceled
CL-63 mobile March 24, 1943 May 9, 1947 canceled
CL-64 Vincennes January 21, 1944 September 10, 1946 canceled
CL-65 Pasadena June 8, 1944 January 12, 1950 canceled
CL-66 / CLG-7 / CG-7 Springfield September 9, 1944 May 15, 1974 canceled
CL-67 / CLG-8 Topeka December 23, 1944 5th June 1969 canceled
CL-76 New Haven (completed as Belleau Wood )
CL-77 Huntington (completed as Cowpens )
CL-78 Dayton (completed as Monterey )
CL-79 Wilmington (completed as Cabot )
CL-80 Biloxi August 31, 1943 October 29, 1946 canceled
CL-81 Houston December 20, 1943 December 15, 1947 canceled
CL-82 / CLG-6 / CG-6 Providence May 15, 1945 July 1, 1973 canceled
CL-83 Manchester October 29, 1946 May 27, 1956 canceled
CL-85 Fargo (completed as Langley )
CL-84 unnamed Construction suspended on December 16, 1940
CL-86 Vicksburg June 12, 1944 June 30, 1946 canceled
CL-87 Duluth September 18, 1944 June 25, 1946 canceled
CL-88 unnamed Construction suspended on December 16, 1940
CL-89 Miami December 28, 1943 June 30, 1947 canceled
CL-90 Astoria May 17, 1944 June 1, 1947 canceled
CL-91 / CLG-5 / CG-5 Oklahoma City December 22, 1944 15th December 1979 Sunk in 1999 as a target ship
CL-92 / CLG-4 / CG-4 Little rock June 17, 1945 November 22, 1976 Museum ship in Buffalo
CL-93 / CLG-3 Galveston May 28, 1958 May 25, 1970 canceled
CL-94 Youngstown Construction canceled on August 12, 1945, scrapped
CL-99 Buffalo (completed as Bataan )
CL-100 Newark (completed as San Jacinto )
CL-101 Amsterdam January 8, 1945 June 30, 1946 canceled
CL-102 Portsmouth June 25, 1945 June 15, 1949 canceled
CL-103 Wilkes-Barre July 1, 1944 October 9, 1947 Sunk in 1972
CL-104 / IX-304 Atlanta December 3, 1944 April 1, 1970 Sunk in 1970 as a target ship
CL-105 Dayton January 7, 1945 March 1, 1949 canceled

Modifications and conversions

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, nine Cleveland-class cruisers were converted into light aircraft carriers in an emergency program and entered into service with the US Navy as Independence-class .

In order to prevent the cruisers from being too bulky, the armor of the superstructure was reduced from the eighth ship of the class, and modifications to the armament and electronics were made during the war. For the same reasons, a further developed cruiser class was designed in 1942, which should be given greater stability through various modifications to the superstructure and armament. Of these ships classified as Fargo class , however, only two copies were completed, which only reached operational readiness after the end of the war.

In the 1950s, six cruisers ( Galveston , Little Rock , Oklahoma City , Providence , Springfield , Topeka ) were converted into guided missile cruisers. Instead of the aft 152 mm guns, they received a twin launcher for radar-guided anti - aircraft missiles . The three ships equipped with the Talos system were classified as the Galveston class, the three ships with the Terrier FK system were classified as the Providence class. There were differences within the classes. Two ships of each class ( Little Rock , Oklahoma City , Providence , Springfield ) were given larger bridge structures with staff rooms instead of the second heavy front turret so that they could be used as fleet flagships. The third ship of the class retained two 152-mm triple towers each.

At the beginning of the 1960s, work began on converting the Atlanta into a “shock test target ship”. It received new superstructures, was equipped with the latest electronics and radar systems and was used from 1965 to research the effects of pressure waves on ships.

Period of service and whereabouts

The 27 completed cruisers of the class entered service between June 1942 and October 1946. Shortly after the end of World War II, most of the ships were mothballed and transferred to the reserve fleet , only the Pasadena and the Manchester remained in the active fleet until 1950 and 1956, respectively. The ships converted to guided missile cruisers were decommissioned between 1969 and 1979.

Only the Little Rock was preserved; today she is a museum ship in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in Buffalo , New York on the shores of Lake Erie . All other ships were either demolished and scrapped or sunk as target ships.

technology

Sketch drawing of a Cleveland- class cruiser

Hull and armor

The hull of a Cleveland-class cruiser was 186 meters long and 20.2 meters wide. The draft was around 7.5 meters, the standard displacement was 11,744 ts , the operational displacement was around 14,100 ts. As a result of modifications during the war, the displacement increased to almost 14,400 ts and the draft was 7.6 meters. The post-war guided missile conversions had a lower empty displacement of 10,670 ts than the original version during the war, which was mainly due to the removal of the heavy turrets. The maximum displacement of the guided missile cruisers was 14,600 ts.

The Santa Fe rolls heavily during a typhoon in 1944

The deck superstructure extended over the middle third of the hull. The first upper deck extended over the entire length of the superstructure, above it was divided between the two chimneys, the tips of which were 23.5 meters above the waterline. The cruiser's highest mast tip was 34.5 meters above the waterline. The superstructures were originally supposed to be made of a light aluminum alloy - but the lack of aluminum during the construction period forced the use of shipbuilding steel . As a result, the cruiser's top-heaviness increased, and the ships were considered to be very unstable and prone to lurching and rolling.

Important ship systems were protected by a 121 meter long armor belt made of 127 mm thick armor steel, the remaining hull armor was 38 mm thick. The thickness of the deck armor was 50 mm, the bulkheads were 127 mm thick. The turrets were reinforced at the front with 165 mm armor steel, the sides and roof each with 76 mm. The armor of the command tower was 127 mm thick on the sides and 76 mm on the roof. From the eighth ship of the class, the USS Vincennes , the armor of the navigating bridge was dispensed with and the citadel was removed in order to reduce the top-heaviness of the ships.

In contrast to older cruiser classes, the ships no longer had portholes or openings in the side walls , which on the one hand increased protection, but on the other hand required complete artificial lighting and ventilation of the lower decks. In addition, the division of the hull into watertight compartments was improved in comparison with the Brooklyn class, which increased the survivability of the ships.

drive

The cruiser's propulsion system consisted of four General Electric geared turbines, which received their steam at 43.7 bar pressure from four Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The propulsion system had a total output of 100,000 hp and enabled a top speed of 32.5 knots . The fuel supply varied depending on the construction lot and was between 1507 and 2100 tons of heavy fuel oil, so the range was 15 knots at 11,000 nautical miles . For emergencies, the ships had two diesel-powered emergency power generators, each with an output of 250 kilowatts.

Armament

Main artillery

The Columbia's aft turrets open fire on the Shortland Islands

The main armament of the cruisers when they were put into service consisted of four turrets , each with three guns in caliber 152 mm (6 inches ), caliber length 47. Two turrets were located in front and aft of the ship superstructures. The gun turrets, each weighing around 170 tons, had a crew of three officers and 53 men. The top two turrets each had an optical range finder.

The semi-automatic guns loaded with a tube weight of 6.6 tons had a cadence of eight to ten rounds per minute. The maximum range was almost 24 kilometers, depending on the type of shell and the tube elevation. The muzzle velocity was, depending on the size of the propellant charges, between 625 and 812 m / s. The maximum pipe elevation was 60 degrees, the minimum minus five degrees. The swivel range of the towers was 300 degrees, the swivel rate 10 degrees per second.

The ship's guns were able to fire super-heavy armor-piercing shells, which had twice the penetration effect of the shells of the Omaha-class guns. The 59 kg grenades could penetrate 20 cm of armor at a distance of up to five kilometers, and up to 80 mm of deck armor in the case of steep fire at great distances.

During the conversion to the guided missile cruiser, the two aft 152 mm turrets were removed from all six ships, the Galveston and the Topeka kept their two front turrets. On the four remaining cruisers, the second of the front towers was removed to make room for the new bridge.

Middle artillery

Medium artillery and anti-aircraft guns on board the Biloxi

The central artillery of cruisers consisted of twelve guns, caliber 5 inches (127 mm) caliber length 38, who were housed in six Mark-32 twin towers. There were two turrets on each side of the superstructure on port and starboard side, one turret each was mounted fore and aft between the superstructure and the upper 6-inch triple turret.

The positions of the aft wing towers were different depending on the series. The second sub-series of the class ( Vincennes class) had not only a different, angular bridge shape and a new arrangement of the fire control devices, but also 5-inch side towers further aft to allow more space for 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in the midship area win.

The gun turrets, which weighed 47 tons, were electrically operated and had a crew of 27 men. The cadence was usually 15 to 20 rounds per minute, well-rehearsed teams achieved up to 30 rounds per minute. Either Mark 49 fragmentation grenades for air defense or armor-piercing Mark 46 grenades were fired. At a distance of 10 km, the 24.5 kg armor-piercing shells, which left the gun barrel at 792 m / s, could penetrate up to 51 mm of hull armor, the maximum range was at 45 ° barrel elevation over 8 nautical miles. The 25 kg anti-aircraft grenades had a muzzle velocity of 762 m / s and a peak height of almost 12 km. When fired, the pipe ran back up to 38 cm while it was hydraulically damped.

The Galveston and the Topeka kept three of the 127 mm twin towers after the conversion, one in front of and two on each side of the bridge. In the four other missile conversions, only a 127 mm turret was retained between the 152 mm turret and the bridge.

Light armament

In 1942, the cruisers had eight to twelve 40 mm Bofors guns with a caliber length of 70 as anti- aircraft armament, which were set up in four mountings around the superstructure (either four twins or two twins and two quadruplets). The second assembly already came into service with 20 tubes of these weapons (four quadruplets, two twins). In the course of the war, the number of 40 mm guns was increased to up to 28, and twin mounts were replaced by quadruple mounts. The 900 gram shells of the 40 mm guns reached a summit height of 6,797 meters, the maximum range at 45 ° canting point was 10,180 meters. The cadence was around 120 rounds per minute, depending on the speed of the operating team, the muzzle velocity was 881 meters per second.

In addition, the cruisers were equipped with up to around 30 20 mm Oerlikon automatic cannons in single mounts, later also twins. Since these cannons could not effectively stop kamikaze aircraft due to the low projectile weight of only 120 grams, the number of 20 mm guns was reduced in favor of the 40 mm anti-aircraft gun.

The Manchester received from 1952 instead of the 40-mm-guns 16 76-mm anti-aircraft guns with caliber length 50 in twin carriages, which reached a higher peak around 2000 meters of height in the air defense applications.

Guided missiles

The three ships of the Galveston class ( Galveston , Little Rock , Oklahoma City ) had a twin starter for Talos surface-to-air missiles with a range of 160 km and a magazine for 46 missiles aft after the conversion between 1956 and 1960 . The three Providence-class ships ( Providence , Springfield , Topeka ) received a twin starter for Terrier -SAM with a range of 32 km and a magazine for 120 missiles between 1957 and 1960 .

electronics

Location radars

Mast of the Astoria , at the top of the mast the SG radar, underneath the large antenna of the SK-1 radar

The radar equipment of the cruisers was never standardized, the ships were given the latest radar equipment when they were put into service or when they were in the shipyard. The following are the radar systems used in the Cleveland class and the resulting modifications:

SK / SK-2 radar

Due to its square shape (5.2 m × 5.2 m) and the exposed wires known as "bedspring" (bed spring), the radar system was able to locate an approaching bomber at an altitude of 3,000 meters at a distance of 185 kilometers. The successor SK-2, introduced in 1944, had a 5.2 meter round antenna that improved the lateral detection field.

SC-2 radar

Intended as a reserve system for the SK radar, the SC-2 radar with its 4.6 meter by 1.4 meter antenna was able to locate aircraft at an altitude of 3,000 meters at a distance of 150 kilometers, and large ships at almost 40 kilometers.

SG radar

Surface location systems, mostly used in pairs, with a detection range of up to 40 kilometers for surface targets and 27 kilometers for air targets.

SP radar

Use on the cruisers that were still in service after the end of World War II. The detection range against air targets was up to 130 kilometers, against surface targets 64 kilometers. The radar system could also be used as a fighter guidance radar.

SR-3 radar

Like the SP radar, the SR-3 radar was also used on board after the Second World War. It was a long-range air space location system with a detection range of up to 180 kilometers for aerial targets at high altitudes.

SPS-6 radar

The SPS-6 was only introduced on the USS Manchester from 1951 and, with its 5.5 by 1.5 meter parabolic antenna, had a reconnaissance range of up to 260 kilometers, depending on the size of the target.

SPS-8 radar

The SPS-8 was introduced from 1951 on the Manchester and from 1956 on the guided missile conversions. The detection range was up to 305 kilometers. The electrical power consumption was 650 kW.

SPS-10 radar

The SPS-10 was a surface search radar that was used on guided missile cruisers from 1956 until the end of service. The radar system was particularly accurate when tracking small targets such as buoys or submarine periscopes, which could be located at distances of up to 14 kilometers, depending on the height above the water surface.

USS Springfield practicing shooting in the Mediterranean. On the aft mast SPS-39, in front of that SPS-30 and SPS-37
SPS-30 radar

First introduced in 1962, this radar device had a range of 400 km with a power consumption of 2.5 MW. The SPS-30 was mainly recognizable by the 3.7 m × 4.6 m parabolic antenna. Usually it was installed together with the SPS-37/ 43 .

SPS-39

In 1962 it replaced the first used forerunner SPS-42. The 3D radar had a detection range of around 320 kilometers for aerial targets. It also took care of target assignment for the Talos / Terrier FK systems.

SPS-37A

Introduced in 1960, the detection range was between 430 and 555 kilometers, depending on the antenna type. The systems with the greater detection range were designated as SPS-43 from 1962.

SPS-52

Introduction from 1967 on the ships of the Providence class, air surveillance radar with a detection range of up to 520 kilometers.

Fire control

SPG-49 target lights aboard the Oklahoma City
Mark 34
Two Mark 34 fire control systems took over the control of the 152 mm triple turrets . They were located amidships on the superstructure and had an optical range finder and a Mark 13 fire control radar.
Mark 37
The 127 mm twin towers were controlled by two Mark 37 fire control systems located on the superstructure, one above the bridge and one aft at the end of the superstructure. The systems were able to track aircraft in level flight up to a speed of 400 knots and in dive flight up to a speed of 250 knots.
Mark 56
The Manchester received together with the introduction of 76-mm guns, four new fire control type Mark 56, which had a maximum target speed of up to 630 knots and were also able to detect and track jet aircraft.
Mark 73
Fire control system for the Terrier system on board the Providence class. It had two SPQ-5 target lights and the Weapon Direction System Mk.3.
Mark 77
Fire control system for the Galveston-class Talos system. Two SPS-49 target lights and the Weapon Direction System Mk.2 could simultaneously target up to six missiles at a distance of up to 329 kilometers.

Aircraft

View over the open hangar on the stern of the mobile

There were two aircraft catapults on the aft deck with which the aircraft on board could be started. Four to eight on-board aircraft were located in the hangar below deck between the two catapults. A single aircraft crane made it possible to pick up the seaplanes from the surface of the water, but could also be used to launch dinghies . Normally, four board airplanes were on the cruisers, the most common was OS2U Kingfisher used which stationed at the beginning of the period of use on board older SOC Seagull - biplane peeled off. The less successful SO3C Seamew and the single-seat SC-1 Seahawk towards the end of the war were also used on board the cruisers. After an airplane catapult had been removed during the war, the aircraft on board were completely abandoned after the end of the war. Instead, a simple wooden landing pad was set up on the aft deck for helicopters , which took over the tasks of the aircraft on board. The aircraft hangar was used to accommodate the cruisers' tenders. During the Korean War, Sikorsky H-5s were used as an observation and rescue helicopter , among other things . On the converted Providence and Galveston class cruisers, there was a landing pad aft for helicopters and for VERTREP operations, i.e. for supply by hovering helicopters (VERTREP: Vertical Replenishment), which prevented the lack of a hangar however, permanent stationing of helicopters on board.

Additional information

literature

Web links

Commons : Cleveland class  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files
Commons : Galveston class  - collection of images, videos, and audio files
Commons : Providence class  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ USS Cleveland in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships , as of July 20, 2008
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Terzibaschitsch: Cruiser of the US Navy. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. P. 174.
  3. ↑ a b c Terzibaschitsch: Cruiser of the US Navy. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. P. 326ff.
  4. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: US Navy cruiser. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. P. 210.
  5. ↑ a b c Terzibaschitsch: Cruiser of the US Navy. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. P. 320.
  6. ^ Adcock: US Light Cruisers in action (Warships No. 12). P. 36.
  7. ↑ navweaps.com 6 "/ 47 (15.2 cm) Mark 16 ; As of July 20, 2008
  8. ↑ a b Terzibaschitsch: Cruiser of the US Navy. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. P. 267.
  9. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. Koehler Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0806-4 , p. 16ff.
  10. ↑ navweaps.com, 40 mm / 56 (1.57 ″) Mark 1, Mark 2 and M1 , as of July 20, 2008
  11. ↑ navweaps.com, 20 mm / 70 (0.79 ″) Marks 2, 3 & 4 , as of July 20, 2008
  12. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: US Navy cruiser. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. P. 329.
  13. ^ Adcock: US Light Cruisers in action (Warships No. 12). P. 47.
  14. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: US Navy cruiser. From the Omaha class to Long Beach. Pp. 339-340, 344.
  15. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 99.
  16. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 94.
  17. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 97.
  18. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 104.
  19. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 107.
  20. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 114.
  21. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 116.
  22. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 118.
  23. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 123.
  24. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 126.
  25. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. Pp. 125, 128.
  26. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 131f.
  27. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 152.
  28. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 153.
  29. ↑ Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 158.
  30. ↑ a b Terzibaschitsch: Combat systems of the US Navy. P. 163.
  31. ^ Adcock: US Light Cruisers in action (Warships No. 12). P. 36f.