Northampton-class cruiser

USS Northampton
Class overview
Name:	Northampton class
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	Pensacola class
Succeeded by:	Portland class
Completed:	6
Lost:	3
Retired:	3
General characteristics
Type:	Heavy cruiser
Displacement:	9,050 long tons (9,200 t)
Length:	600 ft 3 in (182.96 m)
Beam:	66 ft 1 in (20.14 m)
Draft:	16 ft 4 in (4.98 m)
Propulsion:	4-shaft 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
Armament:	9 × 8 in/55 caliber guns (3×triple turrets) 8 × 5 in/25 caliber guns 6 × 21-inch torpedo tubes 24 × 40 mm Bofors guns (4×quadruple turrets) 28 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons
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:	2

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

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.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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