USS Atlanta Class light Cruiser ww2

Description

USS Atlanta (CL-51)
of the
United States Navy
was the
lead ship
of the
Atlanta class
of eight
light cruisers
. She was the third Navy ship named after the city of
Atlanta
, Georgia. Designed to provide
anti-aircraft
protection for US naval task groups, Atlanta served in this capacity in the naval battles
Midway
and the
Eastern Solomons
. Atlanta was heavily damaged by Japanese and friendly gunfire in a night surface action on 13 November 1942 during the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
. The cruiser was sunk on her captain's orders in the afternoon of the same day.
USS Atlanta (circa November 1941)
History
United StatesNameAtlantaNamesakeCity of
Atlanta, Georgia
Builder
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
,
Kearny, New Jersey
Laid down22 April 1940Launched6 September 1941Sponsored by
Margaret Mitchell
Commissioned24 December 1941Stricken13 January 1943Identification
Hull symbol
:CL-51Honors and
awards
5 ×
battle stars
Presidential Unit Citation
FateScuttled after severe damage in
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
by Japanese Torpedo fire and friendly fire from
USS San Francisco
, 13 November 1942NotesApproximate location of sinking:
9°23′S 159°58′E
General characteristics (as built)
[1]
[2]
Class and type
Atlanta-class
light cruiser
Displacement
6,718 long tons (6,826 t) (standard)
8,340 long tons (8,470 t) (max)
Length541 ft 6 in (165.05 m)
oa
Beam53 ft (16 m)Draft
20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) (mean)
26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) (max)
Installed power
4 ×
Steam boilers
75,000 shp (56,000 kW)
Propulsion
2 ×
geared turbines
2 ×
screws
Speed32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)Complement673 officers and enlistedSensors and
processing systems
2 x FD fire control radar in
Mk 37 director
1 x
SC Air search radar
(in 1942)
Armament
16 ×
5 in (127 mm)/38
caliber
Mark 12 guns (8×2)
12 ×
1.1 in (28 mm)/75
anti-aircraft guns
(3×4)
8 × single
20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon
anti-aircraft cannons
8 ×
21 in (533 mm)
torpedo tubes
Armor
Belt
: 1.1–3+3⁄4 in (28–95 mm)
Deck
: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
Turrets
: 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm)
Conning tower
: 2+1⁄2 in (64 mm)
Atlanta, in some works, is designated CLAA-51 because of her primary armament as an anti-aircraft cruiser. Hence, all of the Atlanta-class ships are sometimes designated as CLAA. However, her entire battery of 5-inch (127 mm) guns were dual-purpose (DP) guns, and were capable of being used against both air and surface targets, able to fire anti-aircraft,
high-explosive
and
armor-piercing
shells.
The Atlanta-class ships were lightly armored, making them poor surface combatants compared to a typical light cruiser. In terms of armament, the Atlanta class was closer to a
destroyer
, being armed with 5-inch guns, than a light cruiser, which were generally equipped with 6-inch guns; but at well over 500 feet (152 m) in length, and combined with their large battery of sixteen 5-inch (127 mm) guns (reduced to twelve in number for later ships of the class), they were designated as light cruisers. Typical destroyers of the time only carried five or six 5-inch guns.
Despite being under-armored for light cruisers, they had thicker armor than destroyers, which were notoriously underprotected.