Conventional Cruise Missile Attack Submarines: USS Grayback, Growler SSG-574, 577. 1958-1964. The first US cruise missile submarines Development In the leading up to the first ballistic submarines, both the USA and USSR experimented with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, which easier to build. The impetus were the first V-1 missiles obtained from Germany, as well as blueprints … Read more
Battleships (1942-44): USS Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin The only cold war battleships in activity This post must be seen in complement to the origins and WW2 service of the class. Iowa class WW2 The Iowa class had the shortest career of all USN battleships in WW2 (except the unfortunate two dreadnoughts sunk at Pearl … Read more
Conventional Attack Submarine 1956-1989. An experimental conventional hunter killer USS Darter (SS-576) was essentially a repeat Tang class incorporating many improvements. Name officially by BuShips project SCB 116, she integrated more sophisticated acoustic, but also completely new electronic and a new fire control gear as new generation hunter-killer submarine close to USS Tang (SS-563) but … Read more
Nuclear Attack Submarine 1958-1985. USS Seawolf (SSN-575) was the third of this name, and the USN second nuclear submarine, and a very interesting as she was the only one ever fitted with a Sodium liquid metal cooled beryllium-moderated nuclear reactor S2G. This was supposed to be the next gen “super-safe” reactor, but it was not … Read more
Nuclear-Powered Guided Missile Cruiser CGN-25 (1961-96). USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25/CGN-25) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy, sole in her class. Originally the tenth planned Leahy class guided missile destroyer leader, she was converted on slip to a nuclear-powered variant as a DLGN (nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer leader) and first nuclear-powered “destroyer” … Read more
9 cruisers (1961-64): USS Leahy, Harry E Yarnell, Worden, Dale, Richmond K Turner, Gridley, England, Halsey, Reeves (DLG-16 to 25). The Leahy class cruisers have a complicated history reflected in their successive denominations, and organizational changes in the USN. After conversion of several WW2 Baltimore and Cleveland class ships into hybrids (or full) missile cruisers … Read more
US Navy Project SCB 172. 1962-80: USS Albany, Chicago, Columbus (CG-10, 11, 12). The “Tall Ladies” Last US cruiser missile conversions The Boston class (1952) were the first missile cruisers conversions of the USN, an interim measure before tailored cruisers were built, like the USS Long Beach (nuclear powered) and the smaller conventional Leahy class. … Read more
US Navy Attack Submarines (SSK) 1949-1984 The Tang class submarines were the first generation postwar diesel attack submarines. Unlike the K class which were prototypes for a wartime simplified "ambush submarines", the Tang class were fully-grown attack submarines integrating as many lessons from the U Boat Type XXI as possible. They were the cradle of … Read more
Cleveland class Missile Conversion SBC 140/140A 146/46A US Navy 1958-79: Galveston & Providence subclasses: USS Galveston, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Providence, Springfield, Topeka (CLG-3-8). USS Oklahoma City (CGL-5) in 1974 The Boston class were the world’s second missile cruisers, based on the concept pioneered by the conversion of two Baltimore class heavy cruisers, the Boston … Read more
US Navy Attack Submarines (SSK) 1951-1974 Third entry into the cold war USN submarine tree, after the GUPPY class and USS Nautilus, here is the Barracuda class SSK (diesel-electric attack submarines). This was the first class of conventionally-powered subs after the end of WW2, an attempt not only to make a clear departure from WW2 … Read more
