USS Alaska (CB-1)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: | USS Alaska |
| Namesake: | Territory of Alaska |
| Ordered: | 9 September 1940 |
| Builder: | New York Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down: | 17 December 1941 |
| Launched: | 15 August 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 17 June 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | 17 February 1947 |
| Struck: | 1 June 1960 |
| Honors and awards: |
Three battle stars for World War II service |
| Fate: | Scrapped in 1960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Alaska-class large cruiser |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 808 ft 6 in (246.4 m) |
| Beam: | 91 ft 1 in (27.8 m) |
| Draft: | 31 ft 10 in (9.7 m) |
| Installed power: | 153,000 shp (114,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
| Range: | 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Crew: | 1,517 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 4 |
USS Alaska (CB-1) was the lead ship of the Alaska class of large cruisers which served with the United States Navy during the end of World War II. She was the first of two ships of her class to be completed, followed only by Guam; four other ships were ordered but were not completed before the end of the war. Alaska was the third vessel of the US Navy to be named after what was then the territory of Alaska. She was laid down on 17 December 1941, ten days after the outbreak of war, was launched in August 1943 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, in Camden, New Jersey, and was commissioned in June 1944. She was armed with a main battery of nine 12 in (300 mm) guns in three triple turrets and had a top speed of 33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph).
Due to being commissioned late in the war, Alaska saw relatively limited service. She participated in operations off Iwo Jima and Okinawa in February–July 1945, including providing anti-aircraft defense for various carrier task forces and conducting limited shore bombardment operations. She shot down several Japanese aircraft off Okinawa, including a possible Ohka piloted missile. In July–August 1945 she participated in sweeps for Japanese shipping in the East China and Yellow Seas. After the end of the war, she assisted in the occupation of Korea and transported a contingent of US Army troops back to the United States. She was decommissioned in February 1947 and placed in reserve, where she remained until she was stricken in 1960 and sold for scrapping the following year.
Alaska was 808 feet 6 inches (246.43 m) long overall and had a beam of 91 ft 1 in (27.76 m) and a draft of 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m). She displaced 29,779 long tons (30,257 t) as designed and up to 34,253 long tons (34,803 t) at full combat load. The ship was powered by four-shaft General Electric geared steam turbines and eight oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers rated at 150,000 shaft horsepower (110,000 kW), generating a top speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). The ship had a cruising range of 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at a speed of 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph). She carried four OS2U Kingfisher or SC Seahawk seaplanes, with a pair of steam catapults mounted amidships.
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