"Alaska" ( eng. USS Alaska ) - an American battle cruiser , the lead ship of the same type , was laid down on November 17, 1941 , launched on August 15, 1943, and entered service on June 17, 1944 .
| "Alaska" | |
|---|---|
| USS Alaska (CB-1) | |
 USS Alaska in the Philadelphia Raid July 30, 1944 | |
| Service | |
 USA | |
| Class and type of vessel | Battle cruiser |
| Manufacturer | New York Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Ordered to build | September 9, 1940 |
| Construction started | December 17, 1941 |
| Launched | August 15, 1943 |
| Commissioned | June 17, 1944 |
| Withdrawn from the fleet | February 17, 1947 put on conservation |
| Status | June 30, 1960 sold for scrap. |
| Main characteristics | |
| Displacement | Standard - 29 779 t , full - 34 253 t |
| Length | 241.2 / 246.4 m |
| Width | 27.7 m |
| Draft | 9.7 m |
| Reservation | belt - 127 ... 229 mm; traverses - 260 mm; decks - 36 + 96-102 + 16 mm; towers GK - 325 mm; barbets - 280 ... 330 mm; conning tower - 269 mm |
| Engines | 4 TZ General Electric |
| Power | 150 000 l. from. (110.3 MW ) |
| Mover | four |
| Speed | 33 knots (61.2 km / h ) |
| Sailing range | 12,000 miles at 15 knots |
| Crew | 1517 people |
| Armament | |
| Artillery | 3 × 3 - 305 mm / 50 , 6 × 2 - 127 mm / 38 |
| Flak | 14 × 4 - 40 mm / 56 , 34 × 1 - 20 mm |
| Aviation group | 2 catapults, 4 seaplanes [1] |
Until the beginning of 1945, he was engaged in combat training along with Guam, then he was included in the 58th operational compound ( Task Force 58 ). Participated in the operations to capture Iwo Jima and Okinawa . On March 18, 1945, he achieved the only combat success in his career by shooting down 2 Japanese aircraft. In July 1945, he unsuccessfully acted against Japanese shipping in the Yellow Sea . After the war, was part of the 7th US fleet. February 2, 1947 was put on conservation. [2]
Content
- 1 History of creation
- 2 Construction
- 3 Construction
- 4 Service
- 5 Project Evaluation
- 6 notes
- 7 References
- 8 Literature
Creation History
On July 19, 1940, the US Congress adopted a fleet reinforcement program, according to which, in particular, it was planned to build 6 cruisers of the Alaska project. Since, due to their poor booking and their specific purpose, it was impossible to classify them as battlecruisers , they received the previously unused designation “big cruiser” ( English Big cruisers - CB ). The unusualness of the new ships was emphasized by their names - if the US battleships were named after the states, and the cruisers after the cities, then the big cruisers were named after the US overseas possessions.
Although officially classified as “big cruisers”, it’s more correct to classify them as the traditional class of battle cruisers .
Construction
The Alaska battlecruiser was ordered on September 9, 1940, and on December 17, 1941, it was officially laid down at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation plant in Camden . The ship was launched on August 15, 1943 with the financial support of the wife of the Governor of Alaska, after which construction work began. The cruiser was completed by June 1944 , and was commissioned at the U.S. Navy on June 17 , under the command of Captain Peter C. Fishler.
Design
Service
After completion of acceptance tests in June 1944, the Alaska battlecruiser was included in the operating fleet. Until the beginning of 1945, the ship was engaged in combat training along with Guam, and then became part of the 58th operational compound (TF-58) of the 5th US fleet .
The 58th operational connection consisted of the best ships of the American Navy: 11 heavy aircraft carriers and 5 light , 8 modern battleships , 5 heavy cruisers and 9 light , as well as 77 destroyers .
"Alaska" participated in the operation to capture the island of Iwo Jima , where the ship did not have the opportunity to prove itself. But the next operation - the Battle of Okinawa - became a baptism of fire for the latest battlecruisers. The operational unit withstood massive Japanese air raids, including the Kamikaze attacks. March 18, 1945 "Alaska" celebrated the first and, as it turned out, the only combat success in its history - the crew managed to shoot down two Japanese aircraft. The next day, the cruiser was involved in the cover of the heavily damaged Japanese aircraft carrier Franklin, which was safely withdrawn from the war zone.
On June 9, 1945, Alaska fired at Okininjima Island from main-caliber guns for an hour and a half, and the next day the neighboring Minamijima Island was bombarded even more. However, on this the second round of battle of the battlecruisers ended, and after three months of continuous service at sea, they arrived in Leyte Gulf .
On July 1, 1945, Alaska entered a new operational compound, which also included Guam, 4 light cruisers and several destroyers. The compound was tasked with obstructing the navigation of the enemy in the East China and Yellow Seas . But the meeting with the Japanese fleet did not take place, since the enemy’s shipping was completely paralyzed at this point.
After the surrender of Japan, both Alaska class battlecruisers became part of the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy , which formed part of the occupying forces. Alaska supported the minesweeping forces off the Chinese coast, and on September 8th it reunited with Guam in Incheon , where the landing of the US occupation forces in Korea began . Two weeks later, Alaska embarked on the Qingdao raid and kept the port under control until the Marine Corps disembarked on October 11th . The operation went without resistance, and the now unnecessary heavy ship set off for their native shores.
On February 2, 1947, both Alaska class ships were put into reserve and put on conservation. [2] All projects for the modernization and re-equipment of these ships were rejected and on June 1, 1960 they were removed from the lists of the fleet, and then sold for scrap.
Project Evaluation
Too large and expensive to be used as cruisers and too weak and vulnerable to joint operations with battleships, besides being too late for the birth of the world, they, according to American experts themselves, “were the most useless of the large ships built in World War II era. ”
- Kofman V.L. Supercruiser 1939-1945. "Big cruisers" such as "Alaska".
Notes
- ↑ All data at the time of entry into operation.
- ↑ 1 2 Balakin, Dashyan, 2006 , p. 177.
Links
Literature
- Balakin S. A., Dashyan A. V. et al. Battleships of the Second World War. Fleet shock force. - M .: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2006 .-- 256 p .: ill. - (Arsenal Collection). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-699-18891-6 , LBC 68.54 L59.
- Taras A.E. Encyclopedia of armadillos and battleships. - Moscow: Harvest, AST, 2002. - ISBN 985-13-1009-3 .
- Kofman V.L. Supercruiser 1939-1945 / Large cruisers such as "Alaska" (Russian) // Maritime collection. - M .: Model-Designer, 1995. - No. 06 .
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946. - London: Conway Maritime Press, 1980 .-- ISBN 0-85177-146-7 .
- Osborne EW Cruisers and Battle cruisers. An illustrated history of their impact. - Denver, USA: ABC-CLIO, 2004 .-- ISBN 1-85109-369-9 .