The heavy cruiser Des Moines, the second ship of the same name in the US Navy, was the leading ship in the class of heavy ships.
Des Moines was put into production a year after the end of WWII by the Bethlehem Metallurgical Company, launched by the Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts. Ship production was sponsored by Ms. E.T. Meredith. The cruiser was put into operation 3 years later. This ship was the first in its class to install semi-automatic 8-inch Mark 16 turrets and new Sikorsky HO3S-1 seaplanes instead of the usual ones. Photos of the Des Moines cruisers of various types can be seen in this article. All of them are quite typical in their appearance.
These ships are considered classics among all people keen on the history of the Navy. They are present in numerous strategies devoted to naval battles, where they are in the first lines in strength and power. Whether the Des Moines class ships were really like that is a very big question.
The story of the Des Moines cruisers
Between 1949 and 1957, the ship went to the Mediterranean Sea, serving as the flagship for the 6th operational fleet (known as the 6th fleet since 1950) for the first seven years. In 1952, and each subsequent cruiser of 1957 transported midshipmen for summer training cruises to northern European ports. He also participated in Northern Europe in NATO exercises in 1952, 1953 and 1955. On February 18, 1958, he once again sailed from Norfolk to the Mediterranean Sea, this time being the flagship of the 6th Fleet until July 1961.
Hard way
The history of the creation of the cruiser Des Moines is very archetypal. Due to its Mediterranean exploits, Des Moines was one of the reasons for the 6th Fleet's success in representing American power and interests in the countries of Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. He also contributed to events such as NATO exercises throughout the Mediterranean. The story of this ship sailing with other ships of the US 6th Fleet was reflected in the production of the movie "John Paul Jones" with Robert Stack in the title role.
Removal from service
After decommissioning in 1961, the cruiser was "mothballed" in the South Boston Naval Wing and ultimately placed in the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Center in Philadelphia, in a reserve reserve. In 1981, the US Congress ordered the Navy to conduct a survey to determine whether the Des Moines and its sister ship Salem (instead of two Iowa class battleships) could be re-commissioned to support the Navy fleet of 600 ships proposed by the Reagan administration. The study concluded that, although both ships would be useful in an active fleet, there wasn’t enough space on the deck to add modern weapons systems (Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Phalanx CIWS mounts, radars and communication systems). In addition, the costs of reactivation and modernization of the ship (which were deemed feasible) were close to the costs of Iowa, but for a much less capable ship. Therefore, both ships remained in reserve until they were removed from the list of reserves in August 1993.
After trying to turn the cruiser into a museum ship in Milwaukee in 2005, it was sold and then towed to Brownsville, Texas, for scrap. By July 2007, the ship was completely dismantled. On August 16, 2007, his status officially changed to "disposed of and dismantled." Two of his twin 5-inch guns were donated to the USS Lexington Museum (CV-16) in Corpus Christi, Texas.
His sister ship Newport News was sent for recycling in New Orleans in 1993. The third Des Moines cruiser, the Salem, is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts. You will learn about it below.
Des Moines Cruisers
What about ships of this type? Des Moines class cruisers were a trio of US Navy heavy cruisers. They were the last of the heavy cruisers equipped with all the guns, the size of which in the US Navy was superior only to the Alaska class cruisers, who occupied positions between the heavy cruiser and the battle cruiser. Two of them were decommissioned by 1961, but one, Newport News (CA-148), served until 1975. Salem (CA-139) is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Derived from Baltimore-class heavy cruisers, they were larger in size, had an improved layout and a new design of the self-loading 8-inch / 55th gun (Mk16). The Mk16's improved guns were the first 8-inch auto-loading guns exhibited by the U.S. Navy and provided a much higher rate of fire than earlier designs capable of withstanding seven rounds per minute per barrel, or about twice as much as the previous heavy cruisers.
The automatic loading mechanism could function at any height, giving even these large-caliber guns some anti-air capabilities. While the additional battery of six dual 5-inch / 38 Mk12 DP guns remained virtually unchanged compared to the cruisers class "Oregon City" and "Baltimore". The Des Moines class had a more powerful battery of small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, including 12 dual 3-inch / 50 Mk27s and later Mk33 guns, which were considered superior to the earlier 40-mm “Beauforts” of older ships (especially against the then existing airborne threats).
Three out of twelve
Initially, 12 ships of this type were planned. But only three ships were completed: Des Moines (CA-134), Salem (CA-139) and Newport News (CA-148), with the USS Dallas (CA-140) being canceled when it was completed about 28 percent.
Their speed made them valuable for escorting groups of aircraft carriers, and they were useful in demonstrating strength on "goodwill visits." The first two were decommissioned in 1961 and 1959, respectively, but Newport News remained in operation until 1975. These ships also served as flagships for the U.S. Second Fleet and provided valuable support for the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1973. Ship missions included shelling military targets near the North Vietnam coastline and destroying coastal batteries with counter-battery fire. In August 1972, one of this type of cruisers raided Haiphong harbor at night with other U.S. Navy ships to knock out coastal defense and other valuable targets, including the Cat Bi airfield.
Ship Description
The Newport News had the honor of being the last active cruiser of all guns (serving 25.5 years continuously) and the first fully-air-conditioned surface ship in the US Navy. Salem is a museum ship in Quincy, Massachusetts. Newport News was laid out at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and scrapped in 1993, and Des Moines was disposed of in 2006-2007. The Dallas (CA-140) and eight other ships (from CA-141 to CA-143 and from CA-149 to CA-153) were canceled at the construction stage at the end of World War II.
The USS Salem (CA-139) is one of three Des Moines heavy cruisers completed for the U.S. Navy shortly after World War II. Put into operation in 1949, it became the last heavy cruiser in the world to enter service, and the only one that still exists. It was decommissioned in 1959 after serving in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The cruiser is open to the public as a museum piece in Quincy, Massachusetts.
A ship named after the city of witches
Salem was laid down on July 4, 1945, by the Fore River Shipyard of Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Massachusetts. Launched on March 25, 1947. Sponsor of its construction - Miss Mary J. Coffey. It was commissioned on May 14, 1949 by Captain J.S. Daniel. The cruiser’s main arsenal included the world's first automatic 8-inch guns that used shell munitions instead of shells and bags.
Return to Guantanamo
A review of the Des Moines cruisers and their stories often begin with the Salem. Nevertheless, despite its shocking (by American standards) name, this vessel could be called Guantanamo with the same success, because it was there that the cruiser underwent regular repairs. He went there two years before his official decommissioning. Drawings of the cruiser "Des Moines" are often studied precisely on the example of the "Salem". After all, he, according to many, is the most archetypal representative of the entire series of ships.
In imitation of the Germans
Like many other Des Moines heavy cruisers, the Salem was designed to copy the German battleship Admiral Graf Spy, shown in the 1956 film Battle of the River Plate, although the only German ship was installed a triple gun turret in front of the superstructure, where the Salem has two triple gun turrets. The original Salem hull number is 139, which is also clearly visible on many external images of this wonderful ship. These differences between the two ships were explained by the historical fact that shipbuilders often masked their ships under the German Graf Spee to resemble foreign ships.
In 1958, the cruiser arrived in Monaco to celebrate the birth of Albert II, born to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Princess Grace Kelly. The Des Moines cruisers at that time were already losing their former popularity and fame.
Recent years of operation
The Salem was planned for inactivation after its return from the Mediterranean, but Lebanon’s request for support against the expected coup on August 15, 1958 led to a short reprieve for the cruiser. The Salem freed Northampton on August 11 as the flagship of the 2nd US Navy. On September 2, he left Norfolk, visited Augustus Bay and Barcelona during a ten-day Mediterranean cruise, and returned to Norfolk on September 30. On October 7, he entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for inactivation, on October 25, landed the commander of the 2nd Fleet and was decommissioned on January 30, 1959. He was retained as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at the Philadelphia Navy Shipyard. The ship was examined in 1981 for possible reactivation as part of the Navy's project, and although the inspection results showed that it was in excellent condition, financing the contents of Salem and its sister ships (Des Moines-type cruisers) could not be supported by Congress.