Belknap class cruiser
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 USS Belknap, lead ship of her class |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | In honor of Rear Admiral George Eugene Belknap |
| Builders: | Several |
| Operators: | United States Navy |
| Preceded by: | Leahy class cruiser |
| Succeeded by: | California class cruiser |
| Subclasses: | Truxtun-class cruiser |
| Built: | 1962-1967 |
| In commission: | 1964-1995 |
| Completed: | 9 |
| Retired: | 9 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Guided missile cruiser |
| Displacement: | 7,930 tons [1] (8,057 metric tons) |
| Length: | 547 ft (167 m) [1] |
| Beam: | 55 ft (17 m) [1] |
| Draft: | 29 ft (8.8 m) [2] |
| Propulsion: | four 1200 psi (8300 kPa) boilers, two geared steam turbines, two shafts. 85,000 shp (63,384 kW)[1] |
| Speed: | 32 knots [1] (59 km/h) |
| Complement: | 27 officers, 450 enlisted [1] |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPS-48 3D air search radar AN/SPS-49 2D air search radar AN/SPG-55 missile firecontrol radar |
| Armament: | (final configuration) 1 × Mk. 26 Guided Missile Launching System with standard missiles 1 × Mk. 16 ASROC 2 × 4 Harpoon missile launchers 2 × 3 Mark 46 torpedo launchers 1 × 5 Inch/54-caliber Mk. 42 gun 2 × Phalanx CIWS.[2][1] |
| Armor: | none [2] |
| Aircraft carried: | (final configuration) 1 × SH-2 Seasprite [1] |
The Belknap class cruiser was a class of single-ended guided missile cruisers (their missile armament was installed only forward, unlike "double-ended" missile cruisers with missile armament installed both forward and aft) built for the United States Navy during the 1960s. They were originally designated as DLG frigates (destroyer leaders; the USN use of the term frigate from 1950 to 1975 was intended to evoke the power of the sailing frigates of old), but in the 1975 fleet realignment, they were reclassified as guided missile cruisers (CG).
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[edit] Description
The derivative Truxtun class was virtually identical to the Belknap class in weapons systems, but was nuclear-powered, larger, and often had the weapons systems in different locations (such as the missile system, which was an aft-firing). [3]
When commissioned, the main armament of the Belknap class was a 5 Inch/54-caliber Mk. 42 gun on the quarterdeck and a twin-rail RIM-2 Terrier Mk 10 Missile Launcher on the foredeck. [3] The class used two twin 3"/50 caliber guns for AAW. [2] During the NTU program in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the class had its Terrier systems replaced with Mk. 26 Guided Missile Launching Systems utilizing standard missiles, the 3 inch guns were replaced with two Harpoon missile launchers, and two Phalanx CIWS systems were installed. [2]
[edit] The Belknap class ships
| Keel laid | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belknap (CG-26) | 1962 February | 1963 July | 1964 November | 1995 February |
| Josephus Daniels (CG-27) | 1962 April | 1963 December | 1965 May | 1994 January |
| Wainwright (CG-28) | 1962 July | 1965 April | 1966 January | 1993 November |
| Jouett (CG-29) | 1962 September | 1964 June | 1966 December | 1994 January |
| Horne (CG-30) | 1962 November | 1964 October | 1967 April | 1994 February |
| Sterett (CG-31) | 1962 September | 1964 June | 1967 April | 1994 March |
| William H. Standley (CG-32) | 1963 July | 1964 December | 1966 July | 1994 February |
| Fox (CG-33) | 1963 January | 1964 November | 1966 May | 1994 April |
| Biddle (CG-34) | 1963 December | 1965 July | 1967 January | 1993 November |
Five of the 9 ships of this class are moored in Suisun Bay, California as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. They can be viewed here on Google Maps.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Belknap-class frigates at Destroyer History Foundation
- FAS write-up
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