Northampton-class cruiser

USS Northampton (CA-26)
Class overview
Name	Northampton class
Builders	Bethlehem Fore River, MA (1) New York Shipbuilding, NJ (1) Puget Sound Navy Yard, WA (1) Mare Island Navy Yard, CA (1) Newport News Shipbuilding, VA (2)
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Pensacola class
Succeeded by	Portland class
Built	1928-1931
In commission	1930-1946
Completed	6
Lost	3
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Heavy cruiser
Displacement	9,050 long tons (9,200 t)
Length	582 ft (177 m) wl 600 ft (180 m) oa
Beam	66 ft 1 in (20.14 m)
Draft	16 ft 4 in (4.98 m)
Propulsion	4 × Parsons turbines 8 × White-Forster boilers 4 × screws 107,000 hp (80,000 kW)
Speed	32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Complement	1,100 Officers: 105 Enlisted: 995 [1]
Armament	(1945) 9 × 8 in/55 caliber guns (3×triple turrets) 8 × 5 in/25 caliber guns [1] 2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns 24 × 40 mm Bofors guns (4×quadruple turrets) [2] 28 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons [3]
Armor	Belt 3.75–1 in (95–25 mm) Barbettes 1.5 in (38 mm) Gunhouses 2.5–0.75 in (64–19 mm) Conning tower: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
Aircraft carried	4 × Seaplanes
Aviation facilities	2 × Amidship catapults and Seaplane hangar

The Northampton-class cruisers were a group of six heavy cruisers built for the United States Navy, and commissioned between 1928 and 1931.

The Northamptons saw much action in World War II. 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, which limited cruisers to a maximum of 10,000 tons displacement and a maximum main battery caliber of 8 inches (203 mm). The Northamptons were a reaction to the weight and cost of the immediately preceding Pensacola class, differing in several ways. The Pensacolas mounted a main battery of 10 8-inch (203 mm) guns in four turrets, a twin and superfiring triple fore and aft. In contrast, the Northamptons mounted 9 8-inch (203 mm) 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 Northamptons turned out to be lighter than the Pensacolas, and nearly 1,000 tons below the treaty limitations. Freeboard was increased in the Northamptons 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 keels. The immediately-following Portland class was essentially a modified Northampton.

Ships in class

Construction data

Ship name	Hull no.	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
Northampton	CA-26	Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts	12 April 1928	5 September 1929	17 May 1930	—	Sunk in the Battle of Tassafaronga, 30 November 1942
Chester	CA-27	New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey	6 March 1928	3 July 1929	24 June 1930	10 June 1946	Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap, 11 August 1959
Louisville	CA-28	Puget Sound Navy Yard	4 July 1928	1 September 1930	15 January 1931	17 June 1946	Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap, 14 September 1959
Chicago	CA-29	Mare Island Naval Shipyard	10 September 1928	10 April 1930	9 March 1931	—	Sunk during the Battle of Rennell Island, 30 January 1943
Houston	CA-30	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	1 May 1928	7 September 1929	17 June 1930		Sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait, 1 March 1942
Augusta	CA-31		2 July 1928	1 February 1930	30 January 1931	16 July 1946	Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap, 9 November 1959

See also

• List of cruisers of the United States Navy

References

1. Silverstone, Paul H (1965). US Warships of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-87021-773-9.
2. Note1 – the Nothamptons were originally fitted with four 1.1 in auto cannons in quad mounts at the start of the war in the Pacific and for the first year of that war and then replaced with Bofors. "Waiting for the Main Attack", Fighting For MacArthur, John Gordon, Naval Institute Press, 2011, ISBN   978-1-61251-057-6, p. 67
3. Note2 In addition they had special water cooled .50 caliber machine guns instead of Oerlikon 20mm guns which were fitted later in the war.

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .

External links

• Global Security.org – Northampton class cruiser
• Global Security.org – Northampton class cruiser specifications