The Fargo-class cruisers were a modified version of the Cleveland-class cruiser design; the main difference was a more compact pyramidal superstructure with single trunked funnel, intended to improve the arcs of fire of the anti-aircraft (AA) guns. The same type of modification differentiated the Baltimore and Oregon City classes of heavy cruisers, and to a lesser degree the Atlanta and Juneau classes of light cruisers.[2] Changes were made in order to reduce the instability of the Cleveland-class light cruisers, especially their tendency to roll dangerously.[3] The main battery turrets sat about a foot lower and the wing gunhouses (the 5-inch, twin gun mounts on the sides of the ship) were lowered to the main deck. The medium (40 mm) anti-aircraft mounts were also lowered.[4]
 USS Huntington in August 1948
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fargo-class |
| Builders | New York Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Cleveland class |
| Succeeded by | Worcester class |
| Built | 1943–1946 |
| In commission | 1945–1950 |
| Planned | 13 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Cancelled | 11 |
| Retired | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| Preserved | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Light cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 608 ft .25 in (185.3 m) |
| Beam | 66 ft 4 in (20.2 m) |
| Draft | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
| Range | 20000km at 15kn |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 × lifeboats |
| Complement | 1,100 officers and enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| Aircraft carried | 4 × floatplanes[1] |
| Aviation facilities | 2 × stern catapults |
In all, 13 ships of the class were planned but only Fargo and Huntington were ever completed, the rest being cancelled at varying states of completion with the de-escalation and eventual end of World War II.[5]
Fargo, the lead ship of the class, was launched on 25 February 1945, but was not commissioned until 9 December 1945, four months after the war ended. Huntington was commissioned early in 1946. The two ships were decommissioned in 1949–1950, and never reactivated.[citation needed]
Ships in class
edit| Ship name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo | CL-106 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 23 August 1943 | 25 February 1945 | 9 December 1945 | 14 February 1950 | Struck 1 March 1970; Sold for scrap, 18 August 1971 |
| Huntington | CL-107 | 4 October 1943 | 8 April 1945 | 23 February 1946 | 15 June 1949 | Struck 1 September 1961; Sold for scrap, on 16 May 1962 | |
| Newark | CL-108 | 17 January 1944 | 14 December 1945 | — | — | Construction canceled 12 August 1945 when 67.8% completed, launched on 14 December 1945, for use in underwater explosion tests, sold on 2 April 1949 for scrapping | |
| New Haven | CL-109 | 28 February 1944 | — | — | — | Construction cancelled 12 August 1945 and scrapped on slip | |
| Buffalo | CL-110 | 2 April 1944 | |||||
| Wilmington | CL-111 | William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 5 March 1945 | ||||
| Vallejo | CL-112 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | — | — | — | — | Construction cancelled 5 October 1944 |
| Helena | CL-113 | ||||||
| Roanoke | CL-114 | ||||||
| — | CL-115 | ||||||
| Tallahassee | CL-116 | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia | 31 January 1944 | — | — | — | Construction cancelled 12 August 1945 and scrapped on slip |
| Cheyenne | CL-117 | 29 May 1944 | |||||
| Chattanooga (ex-Norfolk) | CL-118 | 9 October 1944 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Terzibashitsch 1988, p. 311.
- ^ Norman Friedman, U.S. Cruisers, An Illustrated Design History 1984 ISBN 978-0-87021-718-0
- ^ James J. Fahey, "Pacific War Diary, 1942-1945: The Secret Diary of an American Sailor" 1972 ISBN 978-0395640227
- ^ "USS Fargo Class - US warships of WW2".
- ^ M. J. Whitley, Cruisers Of World War Two, An International Encyclopedia 1995 ISBN 978-1-86019-874-8
Bibliography
edit- Terzibashitsch, Stefan (1988). Cruisers of the US Navy 1922-1962. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-974-X.
External links
edit
- Global Security.org - Fargo-class cruiser
- Global Security.org - Fargo-class cruiser specifications
- Hazegray - US Cruisers List: US Light/Heavy/AntiAircraft Cruisers, Part 2
- Fargo Class Light Cruisers
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