US Navy Heavy and Light Cruisers: USS Fargo ((CL-106)
Late Second World War
As the Navy gained experience with Second World War combat conditions, it was decided that the Atlanta, Cleveland, and Baltimore classes needed improvement. However, major improvements would cause unacceptable delays in the construction programs. A new generation of cruisers with minor improvements would consist of the Juneau and Fargo classes of light cruisers (respectively 5-inch and 6-inch main batteries), and the Oregon City-class of heavy cruisers. The major noticeable difference would be that the Fargo and the Oregon City classes would have their engine exhausts trunked into a single funnel to aid anti-aircraft fire. Due to the near-total destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the number of the ships of this generation to be completed as gun cruisers would be small: three Juneau-class, two Fargo-class, and three Oregon City-class cruisers. A fourth Oregon City-class cruiser would be completed postwar as a command cruiser. Seventeen hulls from among the three classes were canceled. (Wikipedia)
Late in the war the Baltimore-class would also serve as the basis of the two Saipan class light aircraft carriers (CVLs).
Fargo class
(CL-106) Fargo (1945).
(CL-107) Huntington (1946).
(CL-108) Newark – canceled after construction started.
(CL-109) New Haven – canceled after construction started.
(CL-110) Buffalo – canceled after construction started.
(CL-111) Wilmington – canceled after construction started.
(CL-112) Vallejo – canceled.
(CL-113) Helena – canceled.
(CL-114) Roanoke – canceled.
(CL-115) – canceled unnamed.
(CL-116) Tallahassee – canceled after construction started.
(CL-117) Cheyenne – canceled after construction started.
(CL-118) Chattanooga – canceled after construction started.
USS Fargo (CL-106)
USS Huntington (CL-107)
USS Newark (CL-108)
USS New Haven (CL-109)
USS Buffalo (CL-110)
USS Wilmington (CL-111)
USS Vallejo (CL-112)
USS Helena (CL-113)
USS Roanoke (CL-114)
Unnamed (CL-115)
USS Tallahassee (CL-116)
USS Cheyenne (CL-117)
USS Chattanooga (CL-118)
Juneau class
(CL-119) Juneau (1946).
(CL-120) Spokane (1946).
(CL-121) Fresno (1946).
USS Juneau (CL-119)
USS Spokane (CL-120)
USS Fresno (CL-121)
Oregon City class
(CA-122) Oregon City (1946).
(CA-123) Albany (1946) – later converted to CG-10.
(CA-124) Rochester (1946) – Korea: 6 battle stars.
(CA-125) Northampton (completed as CLC-1)
(CA-126) Cambridge – canceled after construction started.
(CA-127) Bridgeport – canceled after construction started.
(CA-128) Kansas City – canceled after construction started.
(CA-129) Tulsa – canceled.
USS Oregon City (CA-122)
USS Albany ((CA-123)
USS Rochester (CA-124)
USS Northampton ((CA-125)
USS Cambridge (CA-126)
USS Bridgeport (CA-127)
USS Kansas City (CA-128)
USS Tulsa (CA-129)
Baltimore class
(CA-130) Bremerton (1945) – Korea: 2 battle stars.
(CA-131) Fall River (1945) – Operation Crossroads nuclear test participant.
(CA-132) Macon (1945).
(CA-133) Toledo (1946) – Korea: 5 battle stars.
USS Bremerton (CA-130)
USS Fall River (CA-131)
USS Macon (CA-132)
USS Toledo (CA-133)
Post-Second World War
The Navy agreed in the waning days of the war to construct a small number of cruisers for the purpose of operationally testing new gun designs and other major improvements incorporating the lessons learned of World War II combat: the ‘CL-154’ and Worcester classes of light cruisers (respectively 5-inch and 6-inch main batteries), and the Des Moines-class of heavy cruisers. Initially the Navy wanted at least one squadron of six ships of each class, but in the end only two Worcester-class and three Des Moines-class cruisers would be completed, and the CL-154 class would be cancelled in its entirety. A total of seventeen hulls from among the three planned classes would be canceled. (Wikipedia)
Des Moines class
(CA-134) Des Moines (1948).
USS Des Moines (CA-134)
Baltimore class
(CA-135) Los Angeles (1945) – WW2: 1 battle star, Korea: 5 stars.
(CA-136) Chicago (1945) – WW2: 1 battle star, later converted to CG-11.
USS Los Angeles (CA-135)
USS Chicago (CA-136)
Oregon City class
(CA-137) Norfolk – canceled after construction started.
(CA-138) Scranton – canceled after construction started.
USS Norfolk (CA-137)
USS Scranton (CA-138)
Des Moines class
(CA-139) Salem (1949), museum ship.
(CA-140) Dallas – canceled after construction started.
CA-141 to 143 – canceled unnamed.
USS Salem (CA-139)
USS Dallas (CA-140)
Unnamed CA-141 to 143
Worcester class
(CL-144) Worcester (1948) – Korea: 2 battle stars.
(CL-145) Roanoke (1949).
(CL-146) Vallejo – canceled after construction started.
(CL-147) Gary – canceled after construction started.
USS Worcester (CL-144)
USS Roanoke ((CL-145)
USS Vallejo (CL-146)
USS Gary (CL-147)
Des Moines class
(CA-148) Newport News (1949) – Vietnam: 3 battle stars.
(CA-149) – canceled unnamed.
(CA-150) Dallas – canceled.
CA-151 to 153 – canceled unnamed.
USS Newport News (CA-148)
Unnamed (CA-149)
USS Dallas (CA-150)
Unnamed CA-151 to 153
CL-154 class
CL-154 to 159 – canceled unnamed.
The last ship to be assigned a hull number in the Heavy and Light Cruiser sequence would be the 1950s era nuclear powered Long Beach, though this ship would be assigned another number and designation under the guided missile cruiser hull classification before launch.
Long Beach class
(CLGN/CGN-160) Long Beach, completed as CGN-9 (1961)
USS Long Beach (CLGN/CGN-160)