![]() ![]() The new ships were to carry more 5in guns, all in double mounts. ![]() The Wichita had carried eight 5in/38 guns in single mounts. Over time extra demands were added to the design, and the size increased. The first design was similar to the Wichita, but with the beam increased by two feet to improve stability. The outbreak of the Second World War meant that the treaty limits no longer applied, and so the new ships could be significantly larger than the Wichita. Work on the Baltimore class began in September 1939. ![]() This was partly achieved by getting closer to the treaty limits, and partly by the need to protect a smaller area. ![]() She was also more heavily armoured than the previous class, with 6in of belt armour, up from 4in. She carried the same number of 8in guns - nine in three triple turrets, but in an improved turret. She was visibly different from the previous New Orleans class, in particular because her aircraft were moved from a position amidships to the new fantail. The last of the treaty heavy cruisers, USS Wichita (CA-45), was based on the Brooklyn class, using a similar hull form and the same general layout. Instead the US Navy focused on light cruisers, preferring to build a larger number of Brooklyn class ships. The various naval treaties had limited the United States to eighteen 8in cruisers, but only sixteen treaty heavy cruisers were built. This was itself developed from the Brooklyn class of light cruisers, which were believed to be a superior design to the standard American treaty cruisers. The Baltimore Class Heavy Cruisers were the only American heavy cruisers not limited by the pre-war Naval Treaties to see service with the US Navy during the Second World War, and were developed from the last of the treaty cruisers, USS Wichita. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |