USS Chicago (CG-11)

USS Chicago underway in the Pacific Ocean as CG-11
History
United States
Name:	Chicago
Namesake:	Chicago, Illinois
Builder:	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Laid down:	28 July 1943
Launched:	20 August 1944
Commissioned:	10 January 1945
Decommissioned:	6 June 1947
Reclassified:	CG-11 01 November 1958
Recommissioned:	2 May 1964
Decommissioned:	1 March 1980
Struck:	31 January 1984
Identification:	Hull symbol:CA-136/CG-11
Fate:	Sold for scrap to Southwest Recycling, Inc., Terminal Island, CA on 9 December 1991
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, reclassified as an Albany-class cruiser in 1958
Displacement:	13,600 tons
Length:	674 ft 11 in (205.71 m)
Beam:	70 ft 10 in (21.59 m)
Draft:	20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Speed:	33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Complement:	1,142 officers and enlisted
Sensors and processing systems:	After refit: 1 AN/SPS-10 surface search RADAR 2 AN/SPS-30 air search RADAR 1 AN/SPS-43 air search RADAR 1 AN/SPS-48 air search RADAR 4 AN/SPG-49 Talos fire control RADAR 4 AN/SPG-51 Tartar fire control RADAR 2 Mark 35 gun fire control RADAR 1 AN/SQS-23 SONAR
Armament:	As constructed: 9 x 8"/55 caliber guns 12 x 5"/38 caliber guns 48 x 40 mm guns 22 x 20 mm guns After refit: 2 x twin RIM-8 Talos SAM launchers (104 missiles) 2 x twin RIM-24 Tartar SAM launchers (84 missiles) 1 x Mk-16 ASROC 8-tube launcher 2 x 5"/38 caliber gun Mk 24 2 x triple Mk-32 torpedo tubes

USS Chicago (CA-136) was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser laid down on 28 July 1943 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, by the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Launched on 20 August 1944, she was sponsored by Mrs. Edward J. Kelly, wife of the Mayor of Chicago, Illinois, and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 10 January 1945, Captain Richard R. Hartung, USN, in command.

Chicago spent her first six weeks preparing for sea duty before departing on 26 February for Norfolk. After conducting training exercises, and calibrated her compasses in Chesapeake Bay, the cruiser got underway on 12 March for the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad. Arriving on 18 March, the cruiser conducted shakedown training and shore bombardment exercises off Culebra, Puerto Rico, before returning to Norfolk on 11 April. Following inspections and battle problem training, the cruiser sailed to Philadelphia for post-shakedown repair availability on 16 April.

In company with the destroyer Alfred A. Cunningham, the cruiser departed for the Caribbean on 7 May, en route to the Pacific Ocean. Designed to operate offensively with strike and amphibious forces, Chicago spent her transit time conducting various anti-air drills, gunnery exercises, and radar tracking training. After refueling at San Juan, Puerto Rico on 11 May, the ships spent three days conducting gunnery practice before departing for Colon, Canal Zone, on 15 May. With transit complete the next day, the ships arrived at Pearl Harbor on 31 May.

Following another period of gunnery, day battle, anti-aircraft, and shore bombardment exercises off Kahoolawe Island, the cruiser departed for Eniwetok, Marshall Islands, on 28 June. In company with the battleship North Carolina, Chicago arrived at the atoll on 5 July and immediately refueled from Pan American. Underway that same day, with the destroyer , added for anti-submarine screen, the ships joined Rear Admiral Radford's Task Group 38.4 north of the Mariana Islands on 8 July.