Juneau-class cruiser

The ''Juneau''-class cruisers were United States Navy light cruisers that were modified version of the design. The ships had the same dual-purpose main armament as with a much heavier secondary antiaircraft battery, while the anti-submarine depth charge tracks and torpedo tubes were removed along with a redesigned superstructure to reduce weight and increase stability. Three ships were ordered and built, all completed shortly after World War II, but only remained active long enough to see action during the Korean War.

Redesign

The s increased wartime complement and armament; and loss of ''Atlanta'' and ''Juneau'' (here referring to the ''Juneau'' of the ''Atlanta''-class, not to be confused with the lead ship of the ''Juneau''-class) revealed weaknesses in their stability and hull integrity of the ships which was addressed in a 1942 redesign at the same time as the modified , the . The ships had the same main armament as , but the bridge and superstructure were redesigned to remove weight and increase visibility, and the reduction in weight allowed increased antiaircraft guns to be added with increased stability. Watertight integrity was improved by removing doors on the lowest decks of the ship between bulkheads. In addition, all the anti-submarine armament was removed, along with the torpedo battery.

Specifications

The main gun battery of the ''Juneau'' class was composed of six dual 5-inch/38 caliber (127 mm) gun mounts (twelve 5-inch guns). The class was designed with a secondary anti-aircraft armament of thirty-two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and sixteen 20 mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft cannon with high-explosive shells. After the war, the ships were planned to convert to a secondary armament to replace the 40 mm guns, but only ''Juneau'' was converted.

The class was powered by the same equipment as the ''Atlanta'' class: four boilers, connected to two geared steam turbines producing , and the ships could maintain a top speed of . On trial ''Juneau'' made at . The ships of the ''Juneau'' class had the same armor as the ''Atlanta'' class: a maximum of on their sides, with the 5-inch gun mounts being protected by and the conning tower by . The ships were originally designed for 47 officers and 695 men.

Service history

Three ships were built and none of the ships served during World War II; the lead ship of this class, which was named after the war loss , was launched on 15 July 1945 and commissioned on 15 February 1946. was launched on 22 September 1945, and commissioned on 17 May 1946. was launched on 5 March 1946 and commissioned on 27 November 1946.

''Spokane'' and ''Fresno'' were decommissioned in 1949 and 1950 prior to the start of the Korean War, but ''Juneau'', at this point redesignated as an anti-aircraft cruiser CLAA-119, participated in the conflict. On 2 July 1950, ''Juneau'', along with , and were attacked by four torpedo boats and two motor gunboats of the North Korean Navy, and the combined firepower of the Anglo-American ships sank three enemy torpedo boats and both gunboats near Chumonchin Chan. She was decommissioned in 1955, shortly after the war ended. All three ships were considered for refitting as guided missile cruisers or ASW ships but ultimately were sold for scrap in the 1960s.

Ships in class

See also

* List of cruisers of the United States Navy

Footnotes

References

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External links

{{WWII US ships

Cruiser classes