Untitled Document
“Baltimore” – Class Heavy Cruiser.
The success of the “Cleveland” light cruiser led to creation of several other cruiser types based on her, among which was “Baltimore”. And “Baltimore”, in turn, is famous for giving birth to the most types of American cruisers, among which are “Oregon-City”, “Fargo”, “Huntingdon”, “Alaska”, and “Guam”.
The “Baltimore” herself had the following parameters: displacement 13600 tons, length 205 m, top speed 32.5 knots, armor thickness 102-152 mm, deck armor 65 mm. Weapons: 9 203/55mm guns, 12 127/38mm guns, 48 40mm “Bofors” AA-guns, 24 20mm “Erlikon” AA-machineguns.
The first ship of the series was founded before the war with Japan, on May 26, 1941, and came into service almost two years later, on April 15, 1943.
This type cruisers’ participation in battles isn’t marked with anything special. Cruisers have gained their “Battle Stars” for making strikes and supporting troop landing on the numerous islands of the Pacific. Not a single cruiser was destroyed. After the war those ships were transferred to the reserve from 1946 to 1971.
“Baltimore” Cruiser in the "Pacific Storm"
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