Alaska class cruiser
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The Alaska class of large cruisers was a small class of United States Navy vessels; while six were originally planned, only two were ever completed. Although the gunnery and displacement of this class is midway between heavy cruisers and battleships, most auhorities feel that the Alaskas should not be considered as battlecruisers. Rather than being reduced battleship designs, they were an outgrowth of conventional heavy cruiser design.
In recognition of their intermediate role, the Navy designated this class as "Large Cruisers" and named them after US territories. At the time, tradition dictated that battleships were named after states and cruisers were named after cities.
The design of heavy cruisers had been held steady between World War One and World War Two by the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. In this treaty, the United States, Great Britain, Japan, France, and Italy had agreed to limit heavy cruisers to 10,000 tons displacement and 8-inch main armament. US heavy cruisers designed between the wars between the wars followed this pattern. After the Treaty lapsed in 1936, these designs were slightly enlarged into the Baltimore class cruisers.
The Alaskas were constructed as "cruiser-killers" to seek out and destroy this type of heavy cruiser. To facilitate this, they were given large guns of a new (and expensive) design, armor protection against 12" shells, and machinery capable of 33 knot speed.
Changes in naval warfare meant that these ships never fulfilled this role. The events of the war reduced the traditional cruiser role of fleet scout, overtaken by aircraft carrier-borne scout planes. Instead of chasing down other cruisers and destroying them in gun battles, the Alaskas were used as escorts for US carrier groups. Many regarded them as "white elephants" and the project was cancelled after completion of the Alaska and Guam.
Their operational life was brief. Both were commissioned in 1944, operated with the Fast Carrier Task Force as escorts during 1945, and saw limited shore bombardment duty. They were also assigned to the group that protected the damaged carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) off Japan. Neither saw further service, being mothballed after the war and then sold for scrap in the early 1960's
External link
- The Genesis of the Alaska Class Large Cruisers: Part One (http://www.modelwarships.com/features/current/alaska_genesis/alaska_mq.htm)
| Alaska-class large cruiser |
| Alaska | Guam | Hawaii | Philippines | Puerto Rico | Samoa |
| List of cruisers of the United States Navy |