Cleveland-class cruiser

USS Cleveland (CL-55)
Class overview
Name	Cleveland class cruiser
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	St. Louis-class cruiser Atlanta-class cruiser
Succeeded by	Fargo-class cruiser
Planned	52
Completed	27
Cancelled	3 (9 converted to aircraft carriers, 13 reordered)
Retired	27
Preserved	1 (converted to a Galveston-class guided missile cruiser)
General characteristics
Type	light cruiser
Displacement	11,800 tons (standard), 14,131 tons (full)
Length	600 ft (Waterline) 600 ft (180 m), 608 ft 4 in (Overall) 608 ft 4 in (185.42 m)
Beam	63 ft (20.2 m)
Height	113 ft (34.5 m)
Draft	20 ft mean (7.5 m)
Propulsion	4 Babcock & Wilcox, 634 psi boilers 4 GE geared steam turbines 4 Screws 100,000 hp (75 MW)
Speed	32.5 knots
Range	14,500 nm @ 15 kts
Complement	1,255 Total 70 officers 1,115 enlisted
Armament	Cleveland 1942: 12 × Mk.16 6 inch guns(4×3) 12 × 5 in/38 cal gun (6×2) 12 × 40 mm Bofors guns (2×4, 2×2) 20 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons Vicksburg 1944/1945: 12 × Mk.16 6 inch guns(4×3) 12 × 5 in/38 cal gun (6×2) 28 × 40 mm Bofors guns (4×4, 6×2) 10 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons
Armor	Belt:3.25-5 in Deck:2 in Turrets:1.5-6 in Barbettes: 6 in Conning Tower:2.25-5 in
Aircraft carried	4
Aviation facilities	2 catapults for seaplanes
Notes	Dimensions in feet from Jane's American Fighting ships of the 20th Century, 1991

The United States Navy designed the Cleveland class of light cruisers for World War II with the goal of increased range and AA armament compared to earlier classes.

A total of 52 ships of this class were projected and 3 canceled. Nine ships were reordered as Independence-class light aircraft carriers and 13 changed (of which two were completed) to a slightly different design, with a more compact superstructure and single funnel, known as the Fargo class. Of the 27 Cleveland-class ships actually commissioned, one (USS Galveston) was completed as a guided missile cruiser and five were later refitted as Galveston- and Providence-class guided missile cruisers. Following the naming convention at the time, all the ships completed as cruisers were named for U.S. cities.

The ships were mainly used in the Pacific during World War II, but some saw action in Europe and off the coast of Africa. All survived the war. Except for Manchester, which remained in service until 1956, all were decommissioned by 1950. The six converted into missile ships (CLG and later CG) were reactivated in the late-1950s and retired in the 1970s. The last in service, Oklahoma City (as 7th Fleet flagship), was decommissioned in December 1979.

Only one Cleveland-class ship remains, the CLG- converted Little Rock, which is now a museum ship in Buffalo, New York.

Ships in class

• USS Cleveland (CL-55)
• USS Columbia (CL-56)
• USS Montpelier (CL-57)
• USS Denver (CL-58)
• USS Amsterdam (CL-59) (reordered as the light aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVL-22))
• USS Santa Fe (CL-60)
• USS Tallahassee (CL-61) (reordered as the light carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23))
• USS Birmingham (CL-62)
• USS Mobile (CL-63)
• USS Vincennes (CL-64)
• USS Pasadena (CL-65)
• USS Springfield (CL-66) (refit as the guided missile cruiser CLG-7/CG-7)
• USS Topeka (CL-67) (refit as the guided missile cruiser CLG-8)
• USS New Haven (CL-76) (reordered as the light carrier USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24))
• USS Huntington (CL-77) (reordered as the light carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25))
• USS Dayton (CL-78) (reordered as the light carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26))
• USS Wilmington (CL-79) (reordered as the light carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28))
• USS Biloxi (CL-80)
• USS Houston (CL-81)
• USS Providence (CL-82) (refit as the guided missile cruiser CLG-6/CG-6)
• USS Manchester (CL-83)
• CL-84 (unnamed, cancelled)
• USS Fargo (CL-85) (reordered as the light carrier USS Langley (CVL-27))
• USS Vicksburg (CL-86)
• USS Duluth (CL-87)
• CL-88 (unnamed, cancelled)
• USS Miami (CL-89)
• USS Astoria (CL-90)
• USS Oklahoma City (CL-91) (refit as the guided missile cruiser CLG-5/CG-5)
• USS Little Rock (CL-92) (refit as the guided missile cruiser CLG-4/CG-4)
• USS Galveston (CL-93) (laid up before completion, then completed as the guided missile cruiser CLG-3)
• USS Youngstown (CL-94) (cancelled and scrapped)
• USS Buffalo (CL-99) (reordered as the light carrier USS Bataan (CVL-29))
• USS Newark (CL-100) (reordered as the light carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30))
• USS Amsterdam (CL-101)
• USS Portsmouth (CL-102)
• USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103)
• USS Atlanta (CL-104)
• USS Dayton (CL-105)

External links

• Statistics
• Global Security.org - Cleveland class cruiser