Oregon City class Cruiser

The need to improve stability and AA firepower, notably the fire arc of light AA and secondary guns led BuShips (Bureau of Ships) to design in 1942 an improvement of the design, leading to the creation of the Oregon City class, of which only three ships (out of ten ordered) were completed. The fourth one, USS Northampton, was converted instead in a command ship. USS Cambridge, Bridgeport, Kansas City, Tulsa, Norfolk and Scranton were ordered at Bethlehem NyD and Philadelphia NyD (last two) but never laid down, and cancelled on 12 August 1945, three days before Japan surrendered. USS Oregon City, Albany and Rochester had a relatively long Cold War service lives, stricken in 1970, 74 and even 1980 for Albany, which was in between converted as a missile cruiser (CG-10) in 1958-62 and class namesake.

Development

The Oregon City-class cruisers differed from the Baltimore only in superstructure details, essentially as they were planned as Baltimore-class cruisers but on modified plans. Nine ships were planned, only three completed, all postwar in 1946. The main differences were clearly visible in appearance, with a reduction to a single-trunked funnel, redesigned forward superstructure was placed 40 feet (12 m) further aft notably to decrease top-heaviness and an increase in fire arc for the guns. It was in a nutshell, the same approach taken for the Fargo class, a sub-class from the Cleveland class cruisers, with exactly the same drive, apart in that case, the stability issue was even more acute.
The fourth Oregon City-class cruiser, Northampton, was completed as a light command cruiser (see below). Strangely, she had a heavy cruiser hull and nearly reached 15,000 tonnes standards, but was still classed as a “light cruiser” due to her armament reduced to just four 5-inch guns.

The legacy of this design is also present in the next Des Moines-class cruisers, a brand-new heavy cruiser design to improve upon the Baltimore, with a basic deck and machinery layout mostly unchanged, but fully automated high-caliber guns, improved damage protection features and reduced superstructures to improve the arc of fire. These became somewhat useful Cold War ships, Albany seeing action in Korea and Vietnam.

Design of the class

Hull and general design

From the keel to the main deck, the ships were basically copies of the Baltimore class cruisers, with a displacement of 13,260 long-tons (standard) for an overall length of 664 ft (202 m) at the waterline and 673 ft 5 in (205.26 m) overall, a beam of 70 ft 10 in (21.59 m) and a draft of 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m). But the main differences were in the way the superstructures were managed. The objective were double, make it small and more efficient and close to the center of the ship to increase the fire arc. As a result, the bridge became a more compact pyramidal superstructure with a single trunked funnel instead of two, the two raked pole masts were closer together. Other details were also modified to improve the arcs of fire of the anti-aircraft (AA) guns. The light structures also benefited to the available extra weight that could led to the addition of AA guns, twin 20 mm Oerlikon and more quad and twin Bofors. For their large crews, over 2100, they only carried two lifeboats, completed by many life rafts.

Powerplant

Essentially the same as the Baltimore. They had four shafts, two inner and two outer ones on struts, powered all by their own General Electric steam turbine, fed in turn by four double-entry Babcock and Wilcox boilers, for a grand total of 120,000 hp (89,000 kW). Top speed was 32.4 knots (60 km/h; 37.3 mph). Of course in the 1970s these performances degraded as the engines never had a full overhaul.

Protection

Essentially the same as the Baltimore class:
The armour belt was 6-inches (150mm) amidships between barbettes down to 4-inches (100mm) on their outer ends
The armour deck was 2.5 inches thick (64mm) at the waterline over the machinery space and ammunition magazines
The main gun barbettes were 6.2 inches (160 mm)
The main turrets were protected by 8-in (200mm) for the front and sides
The Conning Tower was 6-inches (150 mm) thick with a 3-inches (76 mm) roof.

Armament

Three triple 8-in/55 Mk 15

Two turrets superfiring forward, one aft on deck. The USN found them too slow.
Gun barrel weight 17.17 tons, 449 in (11.405 m) long, Muzzle Velocity (AP Mark 21): 2,500 fps (762 mps)
Rate Of Fire: 3-4 rounds per minute. Avg. Individual storage: 150 shells.
Turret weight: 303 tons (307.7 mt), Elevation 10.6°/second, Traverse 5.3°/second but loading angle +9 degrees
AP shell range 41.0°: 30,050 yards (27,480 m) with 54.7°. Penetration 10,800 yards (9,880 m)/10 in to 4 in at 28,600 yards (26,150 m).

Six twin 5-in/38

These trusted dual-purpose twin turret were located in six positions around the main superstructure: One forward superfiring over “B” turret, one aft superfiring over “C” turret, and four on the sides, creating two “triangles” fore and aft with the best possible arc of fire. The new superstructures of the Oregon city gave them a better crossing arc of fire (when firing backwards). Only notable was the upgrade from the Mk12 to the Mk 32. See the full specs here.

40 mm/45 M1/2 AA

The Oergon city class cruiser were completed with eleven quadruple 40mm/60 Bofors Mk 2, and two twin 40mm/60 Mk 1. The quads were installed as follows: One on the foredeck, two on deck abaft “B” forward turret, two pairs amidship in elevated bandstands, two in deck abaft the sixth 5-in/38 turret, and two on sponsons at the poop. The twin mounts position is unclear. Full specs

20mm/70 Mark 24

These ten twin mounts already showed their limits against Kamikaze in 1945 and in 1946, they were there as a backup against an aircraft’s final approach. Two were located at the prow, two on the upper deck abaft the 5-in/38 and CT, two on deck amidships, two on the upper structure aft, and placed on the aft deck. Full specs.

Sensors

SG-3 Radar
SK-2 Radar
SP Radar
Mk 13 FC Radar
Mk 12.22 Radars: Two installed.

Modifications

The class was modified several times in the Cold War. In the 1950s, the radar suite was altered, as their SK-2 radar was replaced by the SR-6 radar and an SLR-2 ECM suite installed. In 1952-1955, USS Oregon City, Albany, and Rochester saw the removal of all their light AA (all quad and twin 40mm/60, all twin 20mm/70). Instead, they received ten twin 3-in(76mm)/50 Mk 27/33. Full specs here. Between 1960 and 1969 at the occasion of refits, however, USS Oregon City and Rochester lost either three or four of these twin 3-in/50 AA guns as inept against jets. At the same time, their sensors’ suite was modernized. Their SPS-6 radar and SLR-2 ECM suite were replaced by a SPS-37A radar and the WLR-1 ECM suite respectively. In 1958-62 Albany was rebuilt as a guided missile cruiser. There is no upgrade data for her non-converted sisters.

Air Group

Like the other Baltimore class they had two catapults on sponsons on the poop, one either side, and a central space above the hangar to hold two Curtiss SC single-seat reconnaissance planes. Radars in 1946 were accurate enough to make redundant the use of aircraft for spotting, so the latter were merely used for reconnaissance in rugged terrain (like in pacific islands, where the radars were “blind” by the mountains) or beyond radar range reconnaissance. They were probably removed in 1947-48.

USS Oregon City on 1946

USS Oregon City on 1963

⚙ Oregon City CA-122 class specs 1946.
Displacement	13,260 long-tons (standard)
Dimensions	673 ft 5 in x 70 ft 10 in x 26 ft 4 in (205.26 x 21.59 x 8.03 m)
Propulsion	4 shafts, GE steam turbines, 4 boilers, 120,000 hp (89,000 kW)
Speed	32.4 knots (60.0 km/h; 37.3 mph)
Range	Oil 1200-2250t, 10,000 nm/15 kts.
Armament	3×3 8-in/55 Mk 15, 6×2 5-in/38 Mk 32, 11×4 40mm/60 Mk 2, 2×2 40mm/60 Mk 1, 10×2 20mm/70 Mk 24
Protection	Belt 4-in tp 6-in, deck 2.5 in, barbettes 6.2 in, turrets 8-in, CT 6-in (3-in roof)
Sensors	SG-3, SK-2, SP, Mk 13, 2x Mk 12.22 radars
Air Group	2 catapults, 2 seaplanes Curtiss SC
Crew	2040

The Conversion of USS Albany

USS Albany remained in service as she was from June 1946 to 30 June 1958, when she was decommissioned to be converted as a missile cruiser, the most extensive conversion of a conventional heavy cruiser in US history. As a prototype of her converted class (also comprising USS Chicago CG-11 and Columbus CG-12), she was completely rebuilt from the deck up. Only the hull was left untouched, apart some measures to improve stability. She was fitted indeed with a massive new deckhouse taking 2/3 of the deck’s length, with a very tall bridge, 130 feet/40 m above the water to see above her two fire control radars instead of heaving these atop the bridge as common practice (this configuration was never repeated). Masts and funnels were combined into “macks” (smokestacks) supporting electronics platforms, on tops of the funnels. The electronic suite was quite extensive, as their missile suite and to alleviate the new stability issue, aluminium alloy was used extensively to attempt preserving her metacentric height. But this was also a fire hazard.

Displacement rose to 14,400 long tons standard (18,777 tons FL). The core of the design and main reason of their costly and long conversion was to operate two twin launchers for the Talos SAM (52 missiles) and two twin Tartar SAM (42), completed by an ASROC ASW missiles and 324mm ASW torpedo tubes for close range ASW combat. The Talos were large missiles, essentially high altitude, high-speed “soviet bomber killers”. The Tartar were more of a self-defence SAM, or intermediate range. The type evolved later into the SM standard family, whereas the Talos essentially disappeared as a first generation long range SAM.
Albany class guided missile cruiser

The case of USS Northampton

USS Northampton was laid down as the fourth Oregon City class cruiser, CA-125 at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, on 31 August 1944. Construction was suspended as the USN in 1945 was thinking of possible further uses, thinking there were enough heavy cruisers to complete the Pacific war already. The idea to create a large AA command ship remained however a concept which needed to mature more.
She was launched on 27 January 1951 on a brand-new design, that needed to also revise her hull completely. She was now still a flush-decked ship, but with no heavy turrets or the associated ammunition, and protection partly removed, her freeboard rose considerably. From 1945 to 1951 new technologies were developed in order to produce the world’s first command cruiser, and she really was a pioneer in that matter. Some concepts would mature still many years later to ultimately gave birth to more command ships and eventually to the AEGIS command and control system that was installed on the Ticonderoga class cruiser. She was reclassified CLC-1 (note the “CL” for light cruiser here) and commissioned on 7 March 1953. Evaluation started in 1954, she was operational the same year, and was refitted and modernized, recommissioned as CC-1 on 15 April 1961, then in service until 1970 mostly used for long range communication between the Navy HQ back in the US and Carrier Battle Groups overseas. She was stricken in 1977. Her case is very interesting and she deserves her own article.

⚙ Northampton CLC-1 1953 specs.
Displacement	13,700 long tons (13,920 t)
Dimensions	Length 674 ft 11 in (205.71 m)
Propulsion	4 Steam turbines, 120,000 shp (89 MW), 4 boilers
Speed	33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range	As the Baltimore
Armament	4× 5″/54 Mark 42 guns, 4×2 3 in/70 AA
Protection	Belt 6 in (150 mm), Deck 2.5 in (64 mm)
Sensors	AN/SPS-2
Air Group	None fixed, helipad
Crew	c600

Career of the Oregon City class

USS Oregon City was laid down at Bethlehem Steel Corp., Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, on 8 April 1944. She was launched on 9 June 1945 and commissioned on 16 February 1946 with special guests as related by newspapers showed later, including celebrated radio, film and television personality Bing Crosby for her launching. She departed Boston on 31 March 1946 for shakedown off Guantanamo Bay and back to Boston in mid-May for fixes. She became flagship of the 4th Fleet on 3 July and started dockside training of reservists in Philadelphia. On 6-19 October she made a Reserve Training Cruise, to Bermuda and back to Boston, remaining until March with a reduced crew.

Reassigned to the 2nd Fleet from January 1947 in full strength, she returned for another shakedown at Guantanamo Bay on 30 March, spent three weeks in exercises and back to Boston, staying there for 6 June. She sailed with midshipmen at Annapolis on the 21st t Panama and the Canal Zone and Caribbean (summer training cruise), and back to Norfolk by mid-August. She was next deactivated at Philadelphia, decommissioned on 15 December 1947 and not selected for conversion to a missile ship. Her bell was sent back to Oregon, and after her time in the reserve she was stricken 1 November 1970, sold for BU on 17 September 1973, to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp. of NYC, scrapped in Kearny, New Jersey in 1974, with secondary guns still kept there in the 1990s at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

USS Albany (after Albany, New York) was laid down at Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, Massachusetts or 6 March 1944 and launched on 30 June 1945, but commissioned on 15 June 1946. The one-year completion was mostly due to workers layoffs and generalized slow-down of ant Navy ordered past August 1945. After outfitting and shake down cruise in Casco Bay (Maine), USS Albany started operations along the east coast, with cruises to the West Indies in a yearly routine. Like her sister Oregon City she multiplied voyages, training naval reservists and NROTC midshipmen until 11 September 1948. She was in Chesapeake Bay for a first tour of duty with the 6th fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, and assigned there for a decade. She alternated five assignments withing the 6th Fleet, operating along the east coast and West Indies and, with three cruises to South American ports. In one of these South American voyages, she carried an official United States representative for the inauguration of the President of Brazil, in January 1951.
Until the autumn of 1955, she was flagship for the Commander of the Battleship-Cruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet. However, from 30 June 1958, she was decommissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard for a long four-year conversion into a guided missile cruiser. On 1 November 1958, she was reclassified as CG-10. As a guided missile cruiser, she had a very long career until 1980. For more see the Albany class article.

USS Rochester (after Rochester, New York) was laid down at Bethlehem Steel Corp. on 29 May 1944, launched on 28 August 1945 and commissioned on 20 December 1946. She made several reserve training cruise until January 1948b (9th cruiser), before being prepared for Mediterranean service. She left Philadelphia on 20 February and arrived at Gibraltar on 1 March, then she became flagship for Admiral Forrest Sherman (6th Fleet CiC). Furthermore, she showed the flag in several ports, and sailed to the Levant to stand watch in the Palestinian crisis, being based at Suda Bay, northern Crete. This ended on 14 June, and Admiral Sherman swapped to the cruiser Fargo (CL-106). Rochester left for Philadelphia on the 15th, and arrived on 27 June. She resumed reserve training with cruises to Bermuda, and New Brunswick or Jamaica between the summer and winter.

She had shore bombardment drills at Bloodsworth Island by October 1948. Next she was sent to South Boston Naval Shipyard for her first major overhaul (catapults removed, fitted to operate helicopters). In her hangar, she hosted no less than four Sikorsky HO3S-1 utility helicopters.
After a shakedown in the Caribbean and along the North Atlantic coast, she was in Narragansett Bay on 5 January 1950 before heading for the west coast, and being home ported to Long Beach in California.

She made her first trip on April 1950 in the South Pacific via Pearl Harbour to host Admiral Arthur W. Radford (CiC Pacific Fleet), followed Vice Admiral A. D. Struble (Cdt 7th Fleet) at Guam. She headed for the Philippine and while off Sangley Point she heard on the waves president Truman ordering the 7th Fleet to join Carrier Task Force 77 on3 July 1950 and support the U.N. air raids against North Korean forces on the move to the south. On 18-19 July she covered landings on Pohang Dong by the 1st Cavalry Division and went on with TF 77 until 25 August 1950.
As Vice Admiral Struble’s flagship, under Capt. Edward L. Woodyard, she provided support for the landings at Inchon on 13 September. At 05:50 on 17 September, she was attacked by a North Korean Yak-9 and an II-2 while she was at anchor at Wolmi-do. Initially, without IFF, they were believed to be friendly… until they dropped four bombs, but missed. All but one that hit had poop crane and was a dud. Ironically, a Purple Heart was painted on the crane as a reminder. Nearby, the cruiser HMS Jamaica was attacked by the same rogue North Korean II-2, which strafed her (1 killed, 2 wounded), but her AA made short work of the bomber and splashed it, the first and only shoot down with naval gunfire in this War. The Yak-9 fled.

In October, November, December, Rochester remained along the Korean coast for 81 days and provided gunfire support to troops ashore, whereas she ended as a mobile helicopter base. Her helicopter constantly flew personal in and out of ports of Changjon, Koje, Wonsan, Hungnam, and Songjin. She later destroyed six mines by gunfire, and controlled naval air operations in Wonsan for 10 days. Her helicopters rescued survivors from the minesweepers Pirate (AM-275) and Pledge (AM-277), sunk in Wonsan harbour as well.
She was here for 198 days of continuous operations, crossing 25,000 miles, spent 3,265 8-inch and 2,339 5-inch shells. She retired to Sasebo, Japan for a quick refit and crew R&R and then proceeded for home on 10 January 1951. She was at Long Beach, 30 January. She then departed for her scheduled yard overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in San Francisco until late May.
After her refresher training down to San Diego, she trained crews for ships taken out from mothballs to be recommissioned for the Korean War. She departed Long Beach 27 August 1951 to train at the Hawaiian area, and headed for Yokosuka, arriving on 21 November. On the 28th November, she pummelled Kosong and roamed the entire northeastern Korean coastline. When her guns blazed, her helicopters flew rescue missions for TF77 aviators inland. This went on in the spring and moved to the eastern coast.

In early April 1952, she was the flagship of the Blockade on the West Coast. By late April, she sailed for home. In May-October, she alternated between Long Beach and coastal training operations. In November, she departed tour or duty in Korea, taking back her station at Task Group 77.1 in eastern Korea from 7 December. The winter months saw her harassing NK troops and positions along the coast and inland, or as escort for the fast carrier task force. She sailed home and reached Long Beach on 6 April 1953.
After her scheduled yard time at Mare Island from 4 May to 7 September 1953 she saw the removal of her WW2 AA battery, swapped for modern 3 inch/50 mounts and radar upgrades. After a refresher training she left on 5 January 1954 for the Western Pacific, with port calls, and she reached Yokosuka on 29 May. Next, she headed for the West Coast.
In February 1955, she made her 5th “WestPac” deployment, sailing back on 6 August and at home on the 22d, followed by an overhaul at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard from 19 November 1955, completed 7 March 1956. After her refresher training, she made another WestPac deployment and started a 6th Pacific tour from 29 May, starting at Long Beach. She was back with escorts on 16 December.

In June 1957 Rochester sailed to San Francisco to act as flagship for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, reviewing the 1st Fleet. Back on the 18th, she underwent exercises until her departure on 3 September and made a 7th WestPac, then back to Long Beach on 24 March 1958. She then made two more WestPac deployments from 6 January to 17 June 1959, 5 April to 29 October 1960. At first, it was planned to convert her as a supplementary Albany class guided missile cruiser (CG-13) but the cost of converting her sister was so steep, funds were not appropriated. Instead, she was sent to the Bremerton Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet on 15 April 1961. There she was inactivated and moved to Long Beach on 12 April, then Puget Sound to be decommissioned and mothballed from 15 August 1961. She remained there until stricken on 1 October 1973, sold to Zidell Explorations in Portland, on 31 July 1974 and BU.

USS Northampton was the last of the four Oregon City class ordered. She was laid down at Bethlehem NyD in Quincy, like her sisters, on 31 August 1944. But instead of completing her as a fourth conventional cruise, it was decided to convert her as a command ship. Work was suspended until the design was ready postwar, and resumed in 1949 or 1950. She was launched on 27 January 1951 and commissioned on 7 March 1953. From there, her career is beyond the scope of this article, as she was then a completely different ship with a different pennant and classification. As a command and later communication ships she was a pioneer, and ultimately technology caught up, and she was stricken in 1977.

USS Cambridge was planned to be ordered at Bethlehem Shipyards, but never laid down, cancelled on 12 August 1945.

USS Bridgeport was planned to be ordered at Bethlehem Shipyards, but never laid down, cancelled on 12 August 1945.

USS Kansas City was planned to be ordered at Bethlehem Shipyards, but never laid down, cancelled on 12 August 1945.

USS Tulsa was planned to be ordered at Bethlehem Shipyards, but never laid down, cancelled on 12 August 1945.

USS Norfolk was planned to be ordered at Philadelphia Naval yard, but never laid down, cancelled on 12 August 1945.

USS Scranton was planned to be ordered at Philadelphia Naval yards, but never laid down, cancelled on 12 August 1945.

Read More/Src

Books

Gardiner, Robert and Stephen Chumbley (editors). Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships 1947–1995. NIP
Whitley, M.J. Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Brockhampton Press, 1999.

Links

navypedia.org/ships/ baltimore.htm
en.wikipedia.org Oregon_City-class_cruiser
www.history.navy.mil/ rochester-iii.htm
navsource.net/
hazegray.org/ cruisers/
Oregon_City-class_cruiser
commons.wikimedia.org Category:Oregon_City_class_cruiser
history.navy.mil/index.html
globalsecurity.org ca-122.htm

Model Kits

scalemates.com/ elements for kits

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