The ''Northampton''-class cruisers were a group of six

heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...

s built for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, and commissioned between 1928 and 1931. The ''Northampton''s saw much action in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Three (''Northampton'', ''Chicago'', and ''Houston'') were lost during the war. The other three were decommissioned soon after the end of the war, and scrapped in 1959–1961.

Design

The design of the ships was heavily influenced by the

Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was a treaty signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. It was negotiated at the Washington Nav ...

, which limited cruisers to a maximum of 10,000 tons displacement and a maximum main battery caliber of . The ''Northampton''s were a reaction to the weight and cost of the immediately preceding , differing in several ways. The ''Pensacola''s mounted a main battery of 10 guns in four turrets, a twin and superfiring triple fore and aft. In contrast, the ''Northampton''s mounted 9 guns in three triple turrets, two forward and one aft, the layout followed in all subsequent U.S. heavy cruisers. Although armor was increased, the ''Northampton''s turned out to be lighter than the ''Pensacola''s, and nearly 1,000 tons below the treaty limitations.

Freeboard In sailing and boating, a vessel's freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship. In commercial vessels, the latter criterion measured relativ ...

was increased in the ''Northampton''s by adopting a high forecastle, which was extended aft in the last three for use as flagships. These ships were also the first U.S. ships to adopt a hangar for aircraft, and bunks instead of hammocks. Their lighter-than-expected weight caused them to roll excessively, which necessitated the fitting of deep

bilge keel A bilge keel is a nautical device used to reduce a ship's tendency to roll. Bilge keels are employed in pairs (one for each side of the ship). A ship may have more than one bilge keel per side, but this is rare. Bilge keels increase hydrodynamic r ...

s. The immediately-following was essentially a modified ''Northampton''.

Ships in class

References

External links

Global Security.org – Northampton class cruiser
{{WWII US ships Cruiser classes

Design

Ships in class

See also

References

External links