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Galveston-class cruiser

Class of American warships (1958–1979)


Class of American warships (1958–1979)

FieldValue
section1{{Infobox ship/image
imageUSS Galveston (CLG-3) at sea, in October 1963 (NH 98840).jpg
image_captionUSS Galveston in October 1963
section2{{Infobox ship/class overview
operators
class_before
class_after
subclasses
in_commission_range1958—1979
total_ships_completed3
total_ships_retired3
total_ships_scrapped1, 1 sunk as target
total_ships_preserved1 (USS Little Rock)
section3{{Infobox ship/characteristics
typeGuided missile cruiser
displacement15,205 tons
length610 ft (185.9 m)
beam66 ft (20.1 m)
draft25 ft (7.6 m)
propulsion4 × 634 psi boilers, steam turbines, 4 shafts
speed32.5 kn
complement1,395 officers and enlisted
sensors*Little Rock and *Oklahoma City*:
armament*Little Rock and *Oklahoma City*:
aircraft1 × UH-2B or SH-3G
aircraft_facilitiesHelipad
  • AN/SPS-2 height-finding radar
  • AN/SPS-10 surface-search radar
  • AN/SPS-17 air-search radar
  • AN/SPG-49 fire-control radar
  • AN/SPS-42 reflector antenna
  • AN/SRN-6 TACAN
  • Galveston:
  • AN/SPS-10 surface-search radar
  • AN/SPS-30 height-finding radar
  • AN/SPS-43 air-search radar
  • AN/SPS-52 air-search radar
  • AN/SPG-49 fire-control radar]
  • AN/SRN-6 TACAN
  • 1 × triple 6-inch/47-caliber guns
  • 1 × dual 5"/38 caliber guns
  • 1 × dual Mark 7 RIM-8 Talos missile launcher
  • Galveston:
  • 2 × triple 6"/47 cal guns
  • 3 × dual 5"/38 caliber guns
  • 1 × dual Mark 7 RIM-8 Talos missile launcher

Originally built as light cruisers (CL) in the United States Navy during World War II, in 1957 three ships were re-designated as Galveston-class guided missile light cruisers (CLG) and fitted with the Talos long-range surface-to-air missile system. During the two-year refit under project SCB 140, the aft superstructure was completely replaced and all aft guns were removed to make room for the twin-arm Talos launcher and a 46-missile storage magazine. Three large masts were also installed in order to hold a variety of radars, missile guidance, and communications systems. Little Rock and Oklahoma City were simultaneously converted into fleet flagships under SCB 140A, which involved removing two forward dual 5 in and one triple 6 in turrets, and replacing them with a massively rebuilt and expanded forward superstructure. Galveston, in the non-flagship configuration, retained the Cleveland-class's standard forward weapons: three dual 5 in and two triple 6 in turrets.

A similar pattern was followed in converting three other ships (Providence, Springfield, and Topeka) to operate the Terrier surface-to-air missile system, creating the . Providence and Springfield were outfitted as fleet flagships, but Topeka was not.

Like the Providence class cruisers, the Galveston class ships suffered from serious stability problems caused by the topweight of the missile system. Indeed, the Galveston class ships were more affected by heavy Talos missile system than the Terrier equipped ships. Weight reduction measures and the use of ballast were necessary to improve stability. The cruisers, particularly Galveston, also suffered from hogging of the hull.

All three Galveston-class ships were decommissioned to the reserve fleet between 1970 and 1979. In the 1975 cruiser realignment, Little Rock and Oklahoma City were reclassified as guided missile cruisers (CG). The ships were stricken from the Naval Vessel Register between 1973 and 1979. Galveston was scrapped in the mid-1970s, Oklahoma City was sunk as a target in 1999, and Little Rock is a museum ship in Buffalo, NY.

Ships in class

Ship NameHull No.Converted atLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
GalvestonCLG-3Philadelphia Naval Shipyard20 February 194422 April 194528 May 195825 May 1970Sold for scrap, 16 May 1975
Little RockCLG-4New York Shipbuilding Corporation6 March 194327 August 19443 June 196022 November 1976Museum ship, Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Buffalo, New York
Oklahoma CityCLG-5Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco8 December 194220 February 19447 September 196015 December 1979Sunk as target by Republic of Korea Submarine Lee Chun (SS 062), 25 March 1999

References

References

  1. Friedman, Norman. (1984). "U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History". [[United States Naval Institute]].
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