The Juneau-class cruisers were United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 light cruiser

Light cruiser

A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...

s which were modified version of the design. The ships had the same main armament as with a much heavier antiaircraft battery, while the anti-submarine depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

 tracks and torpedo tubes were removed along with a redesigned superstructure to reduce weight and increase stability. Three ships were ordered and built, all completed shortly after World War II, and only saw action during the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

.

Redesign

The Atlanta-class cruisers increased wartime complement and armament and loss of Atlanta and Juneau revealed weaknesses in their stability and hull integrity of the ships which was addressed in a 1942 redesign at the same time as the modified , the . The ships had the same main armament as , but the bridge and superstructure were redesigned to remove weight and increase visibility, and the reduction in weight allowed increased antiaircraft guns to be added with increased stability. Watertight integrity was improved by removing doors on the lowest decks of the ship between bulkheads. In addition, all the anti-submarine

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 armament was removed, along with the torpedo battery.

Specifications

The main gun battery of the Juneau-class was composed of six dual 5 inch/38 caliber (127 mm) gun mounts (12 5-inch guns). The class was designed with a secondary anti-aircraft armament of thirty-two Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and sixteen 20 mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft cannons

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...

 with high-explosive shells. After the war, the ships were planned to convert to a 3 inch/50 caliber (3 inches (76.2 mm)) secondary armament to replace the 40mm guns, but only the Juneau was converted.

The class was powered by the same equipment as the Atlanta-class: four 665 psi boilers, connected to 2 geared steam turbines producing 75000 hp, and the ships could maintain a top speed of 33.6 knots (66 km/h). On trial the Juneau made 32.48 knots (64 km/h) at 78,985 SHP. The ships of the Juneau-class had the same armor as the Atlanta-class: a maximum of 3.5 in (88.9 mm) on their sides, with the captain's bridge and the 5-inch gun mounts being protected by a mere 1.25 in (31.75 mm). The ships were originally designed for 47 officers and 695 men.

Service history

Three ships were built and none of the ships served during World War II; the lead ship of this class, the which was named after the war loss , was launched on 15 July 1945 and commissioned on 15 February 1946. was launched on 22 September 1945, and commissioned on 17 May 1946. was launched on 5 March 1946 and commissioned on 27 November 1946.

Spokane and Fresno were decommissioned in 1949 and 1950 prior to the start of the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, but Juneau, at this point redesignated as an anti-aircraft cruiser CLAA-119, participated in the conflict. On 2 July 1950, Juneau, along with HMS Jamaica, and HMS Black Swan

HMS Black Swan (L57)

HMS Black Swan , named after the Black Swan, was the name ship of the Black Swan-class of sloops of the British Royal Navy. This class was admired for its sea-going qualities...

 were attacked by 4 torpedo boats and 2 motor gunboats of the North Korean navy, and the combined firepower of the Anglo-American ships sank three enemy torpedo boats and both gunboats near Chumonchin Chan. Shortly after the war she was decommissioned in 1955. All three ships were considered for refitting as guided missile cruisers or ASW ships but ultimately were sold in the 1960s.