INFOGRAPHICS #42: The United States Navy guided missile cruisers 1955 - 2019

Written by D-Mitch

The impressive USS Long Beach entering Sudic Bay, in 1987.

The infographic in this article depicts all the twelve (12) classes of guided-missile cruisers of the United States Navy. These 12 classes of 15 sub-types in total include 65 vessels of which nine (9) were nuclear-powered, from 1955 until today. The vessels CG-1 through 8 and CG-10 through 12 were World War II converted cruisers; specifically former Baltimore-class heavy cruisers (CAG-1, CAG-2, CG-11 and CG-12), Cleveland-class light cruisers (CLG-3, CG-4, CG-5, CG-6, CG-7, CLG-8) and Oregon-class heavy cruisers (CG-10). CAG-1 USS Boston and CAG-2 USS Canberra retained most of their original gun armament and were later returned to their gun cruiser designations CA-69 and CA-70. Before 30 June 1975, ships CG-16 USS Leahy through CGN-38 USS Virginia (thus including also the two 11,550-ton Californias) were designated DLG or DLGN (Destroyer Leader, Guided Missile (Nuclear powered)). They were redesignated cruisers in the 1975 ship reclassification. 

USS Topeka, Providence class

 

USS Boston, Boston class

USS Providence, Providence class

USS Oklahoma City, Galveston class

USS Galveston, Galveston class

USS Long Beach

Two giants, USS Chicago and
USS Long Beach cruisers alongside

USS Chicago, Albany class

The Virginia class cruisers CGN-39 USS Texas and CGN-40 USS Mississippi were laid down as DLGNs but redesignated CGN before commissioning. The first two Ticonderoga class vessels CG-47 Ticonderoga and CG-48 Yorktown were ordered as guided missile destroyers (DDG) but were redesignated to guided missile cruisers (CG) before any ship was laid down. Nevertheless, the CGN-9 Long Beach, CGN-41 Arkansas and CG-49 through 73 were ordered, laid down and delivered as guided missile cruisers. 

USS Bainbridge

USS Belknap, Belknap class

USS Truxtun

USS England, Leahy class

USS California, California class

USS Virginia, Virginia class

USS Lake Champlain, Ticonderoga
class cruiser

USS Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga
class cruiser

The giant 220-meter USS Long Beach was the only cruiser since World War II built on a true "cruiser hull", the world's first nuclear-powered surface combatant, and for over ten years was the only new-build guided missile cruiser in the fleet. At present, the Navy has 22 Ticonderoga-class cruisers (CG-52 through CG-73) in active service, as of May 1st, 2019. The U.S. Navy issued recently its Request for Information (RFI) document for the future Large Surface Combatant (LSC). The LSC is likely to replace the ageing Ticonderoga-class as well as the older Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

USS Chicago (CA-136) as a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser off the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania (USA), on 7 May 1945
and USS Chicago (CG-11) as an Albany-class guided missile
cruiser underway in the Pacific Ocean during exercise
"Valiant Heritage" on 2 February 1976.

USS Boston guided missile cruiser

Regarding the sub-types, in the Galveston-class, Little Rock and Oklahoma City had been converted into fleet flagships, which involved removing two forward dual 5-inch (127 mm) and one triple 6-inch (152 mm) turrets, and replacing them with a massively rebuilt and expanded forward superstructure. Instead, Galveston retained the Cleveland-class's standard forward weapons: three dual 5-inch (127 mm) and two triple 6-inch (152 mm) turrets. Similarly, in the Providence-class, Providence and Springfield had been also converted into fleet flagships while Topeka retained the Cleveland-class's standard forward weapons. In the Ticonderoga-class, the first five of the total 27 vessels, had two twin-arm (Mk-26) launchers instead of the two 61-cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems (VLS) on the rest.

The United States Navy guided missile cruisers 1955 - 2019. For a high resolution image click here.

The United States Navy guided missile cruisers 1955 - 2019 v.II. For a high resolution image click here.