Fargo-class
Worcester-class
Part of the Worcester-class, planned 10 ships, completed Worcester and Roanoke, cancelled Vallejo, Gary and 6 anonymous, preceded by the Fargo-class. The Worcester-class to be used as conventional light cruisers or if needed as anti aircraft cruisers were just like the contemporary Des Moines-class heavy cruisers the last all-gun cruisers completed for account of the US Navy. The main armament of the Worcester-class proved in practice to be a failure lacking a sufficient fire rate. Furthermore didn’t the for anti aircraft fire control realize the expectations. Laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, USA on 15 May 1945, launched by Miss Julia Ann Henebry on 16 June 1947, commissioned on 4 April 1949, decommissioned on 31 October 1958, stricken on 1 December 1970 and sold to the Levin Metals Corporation of San Jose, California, USA on 22 February 1972.
General design technical specifications.
Displacement 14.700 (standard)-17.997 (full load) and as dimensions 207,0 x 21,3 x 7,6 metres or 679.5 x 70.5 x 25 feet. The machinery consisted of 4 geared steam turbines and 4 Westinghouse 620 psi boilers suppling 125.000hp allowing with the 4 screws a speed of 33 knots. The crew numbered 1.560 men. The armour consisted of a 7,62cm/3”-12,7cm/5” belt, a 8,9cm/3.5” (maximum) thick deck with the turrets, barbettes and conning tower protected by respectively 5,08cm/2”-16,51cm/6.5”, 12,7cm/5” and 11,43cm/4.5”. The armament consisted of 6x2-15,2cm/6”/47 Mk1 dual purpose guns (3 fore, 3 aft), 24 7,62cm/3” Mk33 anti aircraft guns 12-2cm/0.78” anti aircraft guns.
