Originally built as light cruisers (CL) in the United States Navy during World War II, in 1957 three ships were re-designated as ''Galveston''-class guided missile cruiser, guided missile light cruisers (CLG) and fitted with the RIM-8 Talos, Talos long-range surface-to-air missile system. During the two-year refit under project Ship Characteristics Board, SCB 140, the aft superstructure was completely replaced and all aft guns were removed to make room for the twin-arm Talos launcher and a 46-missile storage magazine. Three large masts were also installed in order to hold a variety of radars, missile guidance, and Telecommunication, communications systems. ''Little Rock'' and ''Oklahoma City'' were simultaneously converted into fleet flagships under SCB 140A, which involved removing two forward dual and one triple turrets, and replacing them with a massively rebuilt and expanded forward superstructure. ''Galveston'', in the non-flagship configuration, retained the ''Cleveland''-class's standard forward weapons: three dual and two triple turrets.
A similar pattern was followed in converting three other ships (''Providence'', ''Springfield'', and ''Topeka'') to operate the RIM-2 Terrier, Terrier surface-to-air missile system, creating the . ''Providence'' and ''Springfield'' were outfitted as fleet flagships, but ''Topeka'' was not.
Like the ''Providence'' class cruisers, the ''Galveston'' class ships suffered from serious stability problems caused by the topweight of the missile system. Indeed, the ''Galveston'' class ships were more affected by heavy Talos missile system than the Terrier equipped ships. Weight reduction measures and the use of ballast were necessary to improve stability. The cruisers, particularly ''Galveston'', also suffered from hogging and sagging, hogging of the hull.
All three ''Galveston''-class ships were decommissioned to the reserve fleet between 1970 and 1979. In the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification, 1975 cruiser realignment, ''Little Rock'' and ''Oklahoma City'' were reclassified as guided missile cruisers (CG). The ships were stricken from the Naval Vessel Register between 1973 and 1979. ''Galveston'' was scrapped in the mid-1970s, ''Oklahoma City'' was sunk as a target in 1999, and ''Little Rock'' is a museum ship in Buffalo, NY.
Ships in class
See also
* List of cruisers of the United States Navy
References
External links
hazegray.orgUS Naval Historical Center
{{Galveston class cruiser
Cruiser classes
Galveston-class cruisers,