Northampton-class cruiser

Contributors to Wikimedia projects

Article Images

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

Class overview
USS Northampton (CA-26)
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
Preserved	0
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 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.

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.

List of cruisers of the United States Navy

^ ^a ^b Silverstone, Paul H (1965). US Warships of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-773-9.
^ 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
^ 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.