View source for Alaska-class cruiser

{{Short description|Late WWII-era class of "large cruisers" of the U.S. Navy}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Alaska (CB-1) underway in the Atlantic Ocean in August 1944 (80-G-K-5580).jpg
| Ship caption = ''Alaska'' during her shakedown cruise in August 1944
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Alaska'' class
| Builders = [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation|New York Ship]], NJ (2)
| Operators = {{naval|United States}}
| Class before = 
| Class after = 
| Cost = 
| Built range = 17 December 1941 – 11 September 1944
| In service range = 
| In commission range = 17 June 1944&nbsp;– 17 February 1947
| Total ships planned = 6
| Total ships completed = 2
| Total ships cancelled = 4
| Total ships scrapped = 2
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[Cruiser|Large cruiser]]
| Ship displacement = *{{cvt|29771|LT}} (standard)
*{{cvt|34,253|LT}} (full load)<ref name=Dulin184>Dulin and Garzke, 184.</ref>
| Ship length = *{{convert|808|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} overall<ref name=Dulin184/>
*{{convert|791|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} waterline
| Ship beam = {{convert|91|ft|9.375|in|m|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}<ref name=Dulin184/>
| Ship height = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|27|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}} (mean)<ref name="Alaska DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Alaska | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb1.txt | access-date=14 October 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081026002852/http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb1.txt| archive-date= 26 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
{{convert|31|ft|9.25|in|m|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} (maximum)<ref name=Dulin184/>
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = *4-shaft General Electric steam turbines, double-reduction gearing,<ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 59">Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed., Volume 1, 59.</ref> 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers<ref name="Conway's"/> 
*{{convert|150000|shp|abbr=on}}<ref name=Dulin184/>
| Ship speed = {{convert|33|kn}}<ref name="Guam DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Guam | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb2.txt | access-date=14 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081026002859/http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb2.txt| archive-date= 26 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="Conway's"/><ref name=Worth305/><ref name=Miller200>Miller, 200.</ref>
| Ship range = {{convert|12000|nmi}} at {{convert|15|kn}}<ref name=Dulin184/>
| Ship endurance = 
| Ship complement = 1,517<ref name="Conway's">Gardiner and Chesneau, 122.</ref><ref name=Miller200/>–1,799<ref name=Osbourne245>Osbourne, 245.</ref>–2,251<ref name="Alaska DANFS"/><ref name="Guam DANFS"/>{{efn-ua|Sources vary greatly on just how many people composed the complement of the ships.}}
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *9 × [[12"/50 caliber Mark 8 gun|{{convert|12|in|mm|0|adj=on}}/50 caliber Mark 8]] guns<ref name= Dulin184/> (3 × 3)
*12 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}}/38 caliber dual-purpose]]<ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 59" /> guns<ref name=Dulin184/> (6 × 2)<ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 59" />
*56 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] (1.57 in)<ref name=Dulin184/> Bofors (14 × 4)<ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 59" />
*34 × 20mm [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon]] (34 × 1)<ref name=Dulin184/><ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 59" />
| Ship armor = *Main side [[Belt armor|belt]]: {{convert|9|in|mm|abbr=on}} gradually thinning to {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}, sloped at 10 degrees<ref name="Conway's"/>
*Armor [[Deck (ship)|deck]]: {{convert|3.8|-|4|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
*Weather (main) deck: {{convert|1.4|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name=Dulin184/><ref name="Conway's"/>
*Splinter (third) deck: {{convert|0.625|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
*[[Barbette]]s: {{convert|11|-|13|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
*[[gun turret|Turret]]s: {{convert|12.8|in|mm|abbr=on}} face, {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}} roof, {{convert|5.25|-|6|in|mm|abbr=on}} side and {{convert|5.25|in|mm|abbr=on}} rear.<ref name="Conway's"/>
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|10.6|in|mm|abbr=on}} with {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}} roof<ref name="Conway's"/><ref name=Miller200/>
| Ship aircraft = 4 × [[OS2U Kingfisher]] or [[SC Seahawk]]<ref>Swanborough and Bowers, 148.</ref>{{efn-ua|The Seahawk made its operational debut upon ''Guam'' on 22 October 1944.}}
| Ship aircraft facilities = Enclosed hangar located amidships<ref name="Conway's"/><ref name="Global Security">{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cb-1.htm |title=CB-1 ''Alaska'' Class |access-date =19 October 2008 |last=Pike |first=John |year=2008 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081020120645/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cb-1.htm| archive-date= 20 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

The '''''Alaska''-class''' were six [[#.22Large cruisers.22 or .22battlecruisers.22|large cruisers]] ordered before [[World War II]] for the [[United States Navy]] (USN), of which only two were completed and saw service late in the war. [[United States ship naming conventions|The USN designation]] for the ships of this class was 'large cruiser' (CB), a designation unique to the ''Alaska''-class, and the majority of leading reference works consider them as such. However, various other works have alternately described these ships as [[battlecruisers]] despite the USN having never classified them as such, and having actively discouraged the use of the term in describing the class. The ''Alaskas'' were all named after territories or [[insular area]]s of the United States, signifying their intermediate status between larger [[battleship]]s (which were mostly named after states) and smaller [[heavy cruiser|heavy]] and [[light cruiser]]s (which were named after cities).{{efn-ua|With only one exception (USS ''Kearsarge''), USN battleships, such as {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}} or {{USS|New Jersey|BB-62|6}}, were named for states, while cruisers, like {{USS|Wichita|CA-45|6}}, were named for cities, in-line with [[United States ship naming conventions]]. Alaska and Hawaii were insular areas of the United States at the time; they became the forty-ninth and fiftieth States in 1959.}}

The idea for a large cruiser class originated in the early 1930s when the USN sought to counter the {{sclass|Deutschland|cruiser|0}} "[[pocket battleship]]s" being launched by Germany. Planning for ships that eventually evolved into the ''Alaska''-class began in the late 1930s after the deployment of Germany's {{sclass|Scharnhorst|battleship|2}}s and rumors that Japan was constructing a new large cruiser class, the [[Design B-65 cruiser|B-65 "super cruiser."]]<ref name=Worth305>Worth, 305.</ref>{{efn-ua|''[[Jane's Fighting Ships|Jane's]]'' thought that this... battlecruiser, the notional ''Chichibu''-class, would have six 12-inch guns and {{convert|30|kn}} speed packed into a 15,000-ton ship. See Fitzsimons, Volume 1, 58 and Worth, 305.}} To serve as "cruiser-killers" capable of seeking out and destroying these post-[[London Naval Treaty|treaty]] heavy cruisers, the class was given large guns of a new and expensive design, limited armor protection against 12-inch shells, and machinery capable of speeds of about {{convert|31|–|33|kn}}.

Of the six planned, {{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}} and {{USS|Guam|CB-2|2}} were the only two to be commissioned; a third, ''Hawaii'', was close to completion at the war's end and had its construction suspended on 16 April 1947, while the remaining three were cancelled. ''Alaska'' and ''Guam'' served with the USN for the last year of World War II as bombardment ships and fast carrier escorts. They were decommissioned in 1947 after spending only 32 and 29 months in service, respectively.

== Background ==
Heavy cruiser development formalized between World War I and World War II due to the terms of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] and successor [[Second London Naval Treaty|treaties and conferences]], where the United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy agreed to limit [[heavy cruiser]]s to 10,000&nbsp;tons [[Displacement (ship)|displacement]] with 8-inch main armament. Up until the ''Alaska'' class, US cruisers designed between the wars followed this pattern.<ref>Bauer and Roberts, 139.</ref>

The initial impetus for the ''Alaska'' design came from the deployments of Germany's so-called [[pocket battleships]] in the early 1930s.<ref name="warhistoryonline.com">{{Cite web|last=Knupp|first=Chris|date=17 April 2017|title=The Awesome Alaska Class: America's (Not Quite) Battlecruisers|url=https://www.navygeneralboard.com/the-alaska-class-americas-not-quite-battlecruisers/|access-date=20 July 2021|website=Navy General Board|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720213158/https://www.navygeneralboard.com/the-alaska-class-americas-not-quite-battlecruisers/|url-status=live}}</ref> Though no actions were immediately taken, these thoughts were revived in the late 1930s when intelligence reports indicated Japan was planning or building "super cruisers" of the [[Design B-65 cruiser|B-65 class]] that would be much more powerful than the current US heavy cruisers.<ref name="Hawaii DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Hawaii | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb3.txt | access-date=14 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080928005847/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb3.txt| archive-date= 28 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="Conway's"/><ref name="Global Security"/><ref name=Scarpaci17>Scarpaci, 17.</ref>{{efn-ua|Japan actually developed plans for two super cruisers in 1941, though it was mostly in response to the new ''Alaska'' ships. However, the ships were not ordered due to the greater need for carriers. See [[Design B-65 cruiser]].}} The navy responded in 1938 when the [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]] asked the [[Bureau of Construction and Repair]] to conduct a "comprehensive study of all types of naval vessels for consideration for a new and expanded building program".<ref name=Dulin189>Dulin and Garzke, 189.</ref> The US president at the time, [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], may have taken a lead role in the development of the class with his desire to have a counter to raiding abilities of Japanese cruisers and German pocket battleships.<ref>Dulin and Garzke, 24 and 179.</ref> While these claims are difficult to verify,<ref name="Conway's"/><ref name=Morison85>Morison and Polmar, 85.</ref> others have speculated that their design was "politically motivated"<ref>Dulin and Garzke 267.</ref> rather than strategic.

=== Design ===
One historian described the design process of the ''Alaska'' class as "torturous" due to the numerous changes and modifications made to the ship's layouts by numerous departments and individuals.<ref name=Worth305/> Indeed, there were at least nine different layouts,<ref>Dulin and Garzke, 179–183.</ref> ranging from 6,000-ton {{sclass|Atlanta|cruiser|0}} anti-aircraft cruisers<ref name=Dulin179/> to "overgrown" [[heavy cruisers]]<ref name=Worth305/> and a 38,000-ton mini-[[battleship]] that would have been armed with twelve 12-inch and sixteen 5-inch guns.<ref name=Dulin179>Dulin and Garzke, 179.</ref> The General Board, in an attempt to keep the displacement under 25,000&nbsp;tons, allowed the designs to offer only limited underwater protection such that they were vulnerable, by comparison with a battleship, to torpedoes and to shells that fell short of the ship.<ref name=Dulin183>Dulin and Garzke, 183.</ref> The final design was a scaled-up {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser|4}} that had the same machinery as the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s. This ship combined a main armament of nine 12-inch guns with protection against 10-inch gunfire into a hull that was capable of {{convert|33|kn}}.<ref name=Scarpaci17/>

The ''Alaska''s were officially funded in September 1940 along with a plethora of other ships as a part of the [[Two-Ocean Navy Act]].<ref name="Global Security"/><ref name=Rohwer40>Rohwer, 40.</ref>{{efn-ua|Over two hundred other ships were ordered at the same time: two {{sclass|Iowa|battleship}}s, five {{sclass|Montana|battleship|2}}s, twelve {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s, four {{sclass|Baltimore|heavy cruiser}}s, 19 {{sclass|Cleveland|light cruiser}}s, four {{sclass|Atlanta|light cruiser|2}}s, 52 {{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer}}s, twelve {{sclass|Benson|destroyer|2}}s and 73 {{sclass|Gato|submarine}}s.}} Their role had been altered slightly: in addition to their surface-to-surface role, they were planned to protect [[Carrier battle group|carrier groups]]. This carrier escort capability was favored by Admiral King. Because of their bigger guns, greater size and increased speed, they would be more valuable in this role than heavy cruisers, and would provide insurance against reports that Japan was building super cruisers more powerful than the American heavy cruisers.<ref name="Global Security"/> The escort concept would also free the few existing heavy cruisers for scouting (their original purpose).

=== Possible conversion to aircraft carriers ===
[[Image:USS Alaska (CB-1) launching.jpg|thumb|right|upright|{{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}} being [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 15 August 1943]]

Yet another drastic change was considered during the "carrier panic" in late 1941, when the US Navy realized that they needed more [[aircraft carrier]]s as quickly as possible. Many hulls currently under construction were considered for conversion into carriers. At different times, they considered some or all of the {{sclass|Cleveland|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]s, the {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]]s, the ''Alaska'' class, and even one of the {{sclass|Iowa|battleship|3}}s; in the end, they chose the ''Cleveland''s,<ref name=Friedman190>Friedman, 190.</ref> resulting in the conversion of nine ships under construction at the [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]] shipyard as the [[light aircraft carrier]]s comprising the {{sclass|Independence|aircraft carrier|0}}.

A conversion of the ''Alaska'' cruisers to carriers was "particularly attractive"<ref name=Friedman190/> because of the many similarities between the design of the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|2}}s and the ''Alaska'' class, including the same machinery.<ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 58">Fitzsimons, Volume 1, 58.</ref> However, when ''Alaska'' cruisers were compared to the ''Essex'' carriers, converted cruisers would have had a shorter flight deck (so they could carry only 90% of the aircraft),<ref name=Friedman190/> would have been {{convert|11|ft|m}} lower in the water, and could travel {{convert|8000|nmi|km}} less at {{convert|15|kn}}. In addition, the large cruiser design did not include the extensive underwater protections found in normal carriers due to the armor weight devoted to counter shell fire.{{Clarify|What does this bulky sentence mean to convey? Its meaning is unclear as written.|date=April 2021}} Lastly, an ''Alaska'' conversion could not satisfy the navy's goal of having new aircraft carriers quickly, as the work needed to modify the ships into carriers would entail long delays. With this in mind, all planning to convert the ''Alaska''s was abandoned on 7 January 1942.<ref name=Friedman191>Friedman, 191.</ref>

== Construction ==

Of the six ''Alaska''-class cruisers that were planned, only three were laid down. The first two, {{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}} and {{USS|Guam|CB-2|2}}, were completed by the [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]]. Construction of {{USS|Hawaii|CB-3|2}}, the third, was suspended on 16 April 1947 when she was 84% complete.<ref name="Hawaii DANFS"/><ref name=Dulin189/> The last three, ''Philippines'', ''Puerto Rico'', and ''Samoa'', were delayed since all available materials and slipways were allocated to higher priority ships, such as aircraft carriers, [[destroyer]]s, and [[submarine]]s. Construction had still not begun when steel shortages<ref>Fitzsimons, Volume 1, 59.</ref> and a realization that these "cruiser-killers" had no more cruisers to hunt—as the fleets of Japanese cruisers had already been defeated by aircraft and submarines—made the ships "[[white elephants]]".<ref name="Conway's"/> As a result, construction of the last three members of the class never began, and they were officially cancelled on 24 June 1943.<ref name="Philippines DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Philippines | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb4.htm | access-date=15 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081023071417/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb4.htm| archive-date= 23 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="Puerto Rico DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Puerto Rico | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb5.htm | access-date=15 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081023071422/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb5.htm| archive-date= 23 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="Samoa DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Samoa | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb6.htm | access-date=15 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081020163118/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/cb6.htm| archive-date= 20 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

== Service history ==
[[Image:Aerial view of USS Guam (CB-2) off Trinidad, 13 November 1944 (NH 97132).jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Guam|CB-2|2}} during her shakedown cruise on 13 November 1944]]

{{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}} and {{USS|Guam|CB-2|2}} served with the U.S. Navy during the last year of World War II, forming Cruiser Division 16 commanded by [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Francis S. Low]], USN.<ref>{{cite book |title= History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume 14: Victory in the Pacific, 1945 |last= Morison |first= Samuel Eliot |author-link= Samuel Eliot Morison |year= 2004 |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location= [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn= 978-1-59114-579-0 |pages= 21, 307, 310, 355, 385 |url= http://www.usni.org/store/books/catalog-holiday-2011/books-naval-history-enthusiast-holiday-2011/breaking-bismarcks-barr |access-date= 19 July 2014 |quote= Hereafter referred to as: Morison, ''Victory in the Pacific'' |archive-date= 11 August 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140811054431/http://www.usni.org/store/books/catalog-holiday-2011/books-naval-history-enthusiast-holiday-2011/breaking-bismarcks-barr |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Admiral Francis S. Low, US Navy 15 August 1894&nbsp;– 22 January 1964 |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/low_franciss.htm |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |year=2014 |access-date=11 July 2014 |quote=Adapted from the biographical sketch for Admiral Francis S. Low, Navy Biographies Branch, 23 July 1956; now part of the Modern Biography Files, Navy Department Library, Naval History & Heritage Command. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726131522/http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/low_franciss.htm |archive-date=26 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=United States Pacific Fleet Organization – 1 May 1945 |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/uspacificfleetorg.htm |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |year=2014 |access-date=11 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521235217/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/uspacificfleetorg.htm |archive-date=21 May 2014 }}</ref> Similar to the {{sclass|Iowa|battleship|0}} [[fast battleship]]s, their firepower was useful in [[Naval gunfire support|shore bombardment]], and their speed made them excellent fast carrier escorts, a role for which the two had become celebrated within the fleet by the war's end.<ref name=Miller200/> Both ''Alaska'' and ''Guam'' protected {{USS|Franklin|CV-13|2}} when she was on her way to be repaired in Guam after being hit by two Japanese bombs. Afterward, ''Alaska'' supported the [[Battle of Okinawa|landings on Okinawa]], while ''Guam'' went to [[Leyte-Samar Naval Base|San Pedro Bay]] to become the leader of a new task force, Cruiser [[Task Force 95]], under the overall command of Vice Admiral [[Jesse B. Oldendorf]]. ''Guam'', joined by ''Alaska'', four light cruisers, and nine destroyers, led the task force into the [[East China Sea|East China]] and [[Yellow Sea]]s to conduct raids upon shipping; however, they encountered only Chinese [[Junk (ship)|junks]].<ref name="Alaska DANFS"/><ref name="Guam DANFS"/>

After the war, both ships served as part of [[Task Force 71]], the designation for the [[U.S. Seventh Fleet]]'s North China Naval Force. Its mission was to support the [[United States Army Military Government in Korea|American occupation of southern Korea]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= Marolda |first= Edward J. |date= October 2011 |title= Asian Warm-up to the Cold War |url= http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2011-10/asian-warm-cold-war |journal= [[United States Naval Institute#Naval History|Naval History]] |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute]] |volume= 25 |issue= 5 |pages= 27–28 |access-date= 5 July 2014 |archive-date= 12 August 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140812054721/http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2011-10/asian-warm-cold-war |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first= Barlow |last= Jeffrey G. |title= From Hot War to Cold: The U.S. Navy and National Security Affairs, 1945–1955 |year= 2009 |publisher= [[Stanford University Press]] |location= [[Palo Alto, California]] |isbn= 978-0-8047-5666-2 |page= 129 |url= http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=9916 |access-date= 9 July 2014 |quote= Hereafter referred to as: Bartow. ''From Hot War to Cold.'' |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140702011952/http://sup.org/book.cgi?id=9916 |archive-date= 2 July 2014 }}</ref> This included executing various show-the-flag operations along the western coast of Korea as well as in the [[Bohai Sea]]. These naval demonstrations preceded [[Battle of Inchon|Operation Chromite]], the amphibious landing of U.S. Army ground forces at [[Incheon]], Korea, on 10 September 1950.<ref>Bartow. ''From Hot War to Cold,'' pp. 129–130.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan dated 9 May 1946 |url= http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438971.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140727001951/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438971.pdf |url-status= live |archive-date= 27 July 2014 |access-date= 11 July 2014 |quote=Part III – THE SURRENDER AND OCCUPATION OF KOREA, p. 111}}</ref> Subsequently, both ships returned to the United States in mid-December 1945, and they were decommissioned and "[[Reserve fleet|mothballed]]" in 1947,<ref name="Alaska DANFS"/><ref name="Guam DANFS"/> after having spent 32&nbsp;months (''Alaska'') and 29&nbsp;months (''Guam'') in service.<ref name=Dulin179/>

In 1958, the [[Bureau of Ships]] prepared two feasibility studies to explore whether ''Alaska'' and ''Guam'' could be suitably converted into [[guided-missile cruiser]]s. The first study involved removing all of the guns in favor of four different missile systems. At $160&nbsp;million, the cost of this proposed removal was seen as prohibitive, so a second study was initiated. The study left the forward batteries (the two 12-inch triple turrets and three of the 5-inch dual turrets) unchanged, and added a reduced version of the first plan on the stern of the ship. Even though the proposals would have cost approximately half as much as the first study's plan ($82&nbsp;million), it was still seen as too expensive.<ref name=Dulin187>Dulin and Garzke 187.</ref> As a result, both ships were stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 1 June 1960. ''Alaska'' was sold for scrap on 30 June 1960, and ''Guam'' on 24 May 1961.<ref name="Alaska DANFS"/><ref name="Guam DANFS"/>
The still-incomplete {{USS|Hawaii|CB-3|2}} was considered for a conversion to be the Navy's first guided-missile cruiser;{{efn-ua|A similar proposal was made to convert the uncompleted ''Iowa''-class battleship {{USS|Kentucky|BB-66|6}} into the first guided-missile battleship, but as with the proposal for ''Hawaii'' this conversion never materialized, and ''Kentucky'' was scrapped in 1958.}} this thought lasted until 26 February 1952, when a different conversion to a "[[command ship|large command ship]]" was contemplated. In anticipation of the conversion, her [[hull classification symbol|classification]] was changed to CBC-1. This would have made her a "larger sister" to {{USS|Northampton|CLC-1|2}},<ref name="Conway's"/> but a year and a half later (9 October 1954) she was re-designated CB-3. ''Hawaii'' was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 9 June 1958 and was sold for scrap in 1959.<ref name="Hawaii DANFS"/>

== "Large cruisers" or "battlecruisers" ==
[[Image:USS Missouri (BB-63) and USS Alaska (CB-1) at Norfolk, Virginia, 1944.jpg|thumb|left|An ''Iowa''-class battleship ({{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}}), {{cvt|887|ft|m|abbr=on}} and {{cvt|57,540|LT|t}}, the largest U.S. Navy battleship class (top), and {{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}}, {{cvt|808|ft|m|abbr=on}} and {{cvt|29,771|LT|t}}, moored at the same pier]]

The ''Alaska'' class, along with the Dutch [[Design 1047 battlecruiser]] and the Japanese [[Design B-65 cruiser]], were specifically to counter the heavy cruisers being built by their naval rivals. All three have been described as "super cruisers", "large cruisers" or even "unrestricted cruisers", with some (up to Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II itself) advocating that they even be considered as [[battlecruiser]]s. However, they were ''never'' officially classified as capital ships, as that designation was reserved for true battlecruisers and battleships.<ref>Chesneau, p. 388; Garzke & Dulin, p. 86; Friedman 1984, p. 288; McLaughlin 2006, p. 104</ref> Early in its development, the class used the US battlecruiser [[Hull classification symbol|designation]] CC, which had been planned for the {{sclass|Lexington|battlecruiser|4}}. However, the designation was changed to CB to reflect their new status, "large cruiser", and the practice of referring to them as battlecruisers was officially discouraged.<ref name=Morison85/> The U.S. Navy then named the individual vessels after [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]], rather than states (as was the tradition with battleships) or cities (for which cruisers were traditionally named), to symbolize the belief that these ships were supposed to play an intermediate role between heavy cruisers and fully-fledged battleships.<ref name=Worth305/>

The ''Alaska'' class certainly resembled contemporary US battleships (particularly the {{sclass|North Carolina|battleship|4}}, {{sclass|South Dakota|battleship (1939)|4}}, and {{sclass|Iowa|battleship|4}}) in appearance, including the familiar 2-A-1 main battery and massive columnar mast. Their displacement was twice that of the newest heavy cruisers (the {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser|4}}),<ref name=Morison84>Morison, Morison and Polmar, 84.</ref> being only 5,000&nbsp;tons less than the Washington Treaty's battleship standard displacement limit of 35,000 long tons (36,000 t) (unchanged through the final naval treaty, the [[Second London Naval Treaty|London Treaty of 1936]]). They were also longer than several treaty battleships such as the {{convert|745|ft|1|in|m|1|abbr=on}} {{sclass|King George V|battleship (1939)|4}} and {{convert|724|ft|abbr=on}} ''North Carolina'' class.

In overall terms, the design of the ''Alaska'' class was scaled up from that of the {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser|4}} (themselves the first cruisers in the US Navy to be designed without the limitations of the London Naval Treaty, and exceeding 10,000 tons standard displacement).<ref name="Conway's"/> The armor scheme of the ''Alaska''s was deemed sufficient to provide protection against not only 8″ heavy cruiser shells but even the larger 11″ shells used by Germany's {{sclass|Deutschland|cruiser|0}} "pocket battleships" and {{sclass|Scharnhorst|battleship|5}}-class battleships. However, they lacked the comprehensive [[Torpedo belt|underwater protection systems]] found on the larger US battleships or even on smaller, earlier battleships like the French {{sclass|Dunkerque|battleship|5}} and German ''Scharnhorst'' classes. Thus, the ''Alaska''s were potentially as vulnerable to torpedoes as a heavy cruiser was, as well as to effects from near-misses and 'shorts' (where enemy gunnery misses the ship proper, instead impacting the sea; this could still damage the target ship, as the shell may have enough energy to impact beneath the waterline, or if a shell detonated underwater, the shockwave could damage the target ship).<ref name=Worth305/><ref name="warhistoryonline.com"/>

In addition, despite being much larger than the ''Baltimore'' class, the secondary battery of the ''Alaska''s was identical, albeit with an improvement in light anti-aircraft battery size. Whereas the ''Alaska'' class carried twelve [[5"/38 caliber gun|5"/38 caliber]] in six twin turrets, fifty-six 40&nbsp;mm, and thirty-four 20&nbsp;mm guns, the ''Baltimore'' class carried the same number of 5"/38s, eight fewer 40&nbsp;mm, and ten fewer 20&nbsp;mm,<ref name="Conway's"/> considerably fewer than new U.S. battleships that had ten (save for {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}}) 5"/38 twin mounts while older refitted U.S. battleships had eight. The lack of anti-aircraft weaponry for a ship of its size was attributed to the amidships aircraft catapult like older US cruisers; while other modern U.S. cruisers and battleships opted for stern-mounted aircraft catapults to free up space along the central superstructure for more secondaries and anti-aircraft guns. In common with U.S. heavy cruisers, they had aircraft hangars and a single large rudder; the single rudder combined with the hull's long length gave the ''Alaska''s a turning radius of {{Convert|800|yard|m|abbr=on}}, which exceeded the turning circles of larger battleships and carriers in the U.S. Navy.<ref name="warhistoryonline.com"/> Author Richard Worth remarked that when they were finally completed, launched, and commissioned, they had the "size of a battleship but the capabilities of a cruiser". The ''Alaska'' class was similarly expensive to build and maintain as contemporary battleships, yet far less capable due to armor deficiencies, while able to put up an anti-aircraft defense comparable only to the much cheaper ''Baltimore'' cruisers.<ref name=Worth305/>

Despite these cruiser-like characteristics, and the U.S. Navy's insistence on their status as cruisers, the ''Alaska'' class has been frequently described as battlecruisers.<ref name=Morison84/> The official navy magazine ''[[All Hands]]'' said "The ''Guam'' and her sister ship ''Alaska'' are the first American battle cruisers ever to be completed as such."<ref>''All Hands'', December 1945, "Sleek, Fast, Deadly- Our New CB's"</ref><!--Some modern historians take the view that this is a more accurate designation. The traditional Anglo-American battlecruiser concept had always sacrificed protection for the sake of speed and armament—they were not intended to stand up against the guns they themselves carried.<ref>Dulin and Garzke, p. 279; see also Jon Tetsuro Sumida, ''In Defence of Naval Supremacy'' (London: Routledge, 1993).</ref>-->

Armament-wise, the ''Alaska''s{{'}} had much larger guns than contemporary heavy cruisers; while the ''Baltimore'' class only carried nine [[8"/55 caliber gun|8"/55 caliber]] Marks 12 and 15 guns,<ref name="8/55 12 and 15">{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = 8"/55 (20.3&nbsp;cm) Marks 12 and 15 | url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_8-55_mk12-15.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 7 February 2008 | access-date =15 October 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081002055750/http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_8-55_mk12-15.htm| archive-date= 2 October 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> the ''Alaska'' class carried nine [[12"/50 caliber Mark 8 gun|12"/50 caliber gun]]s that were as good as, if not superior to, the old [[14"/50 caliber gun]] used on the U.S. Navy's pre-treaty battleships.<ref name="12/50">{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = 12"/50 (30.5&nbsp;cm) Mark 8 | url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_12-50_mk8.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 7 February 2008 | access-date =15 October 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080921170348/http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_12-50_mk8.htm| archive-date= 21 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> The ''Alaska''s{{'}} percentage of armor tonnage, 28.4%, was slightly less than that of [[fast battleship]]s; the British ''King George V'' class, the American ''Iowa'' class, and the battlecruiser/fast battleship {{HMS|Hood}} all had armor percentages between 32 and 33%, whereas the ''Lexington''-class battlecruiser design had a nearly identical armor percentage of 28.5%. In fact, older battlecruisers, such as {{sclass|Invincible|battlecruiser|5}} (19.9%), had a significantly lower percentage.<ref>Friedman, ''Battleship Design and Development'', 166–173</ref>

Contributions to the debate over the classification & type of the ''Alaska'' class can be misleading or poorly considered and/or informed. For example, author Chris Knupp noted that while "other nations fulfilled the battlecruiser role by designing vessels like battleships, but stripped of armor and other features to gain speed", the United States "fulfilled the battlecruiser role by creating a larger, more powerful heavy cruiser...[whose] design already offered less armor and higher speed, but by enlarging the ship they gained the heavier firepower".<ref name="warhistoryonline.com"/> The contribution notably fails to correctly assess or acknowledge the battlecruiser's [[Invincible-class battlecruiser#General characteristics|origins in cruiser development]], inaccurately presenting the earlier concept as 'pared-down' battleships.

== Armament ==

=== Main battery ===
[[Image:USS Guam (CB-2) firing main battery, 1944-45.jpg|thumb|right|''Guam'' firing her main battery during a training session sometime in 1944–1945]]

As built, the ''Alaska'' class had nine [[12"/50 caliber Mark 8 gun|12"/50 caliber]] Mark 8 guns mounted in three triple (3-gun) turrets,<ref name="12/50"/> with two turrets forward and one aft, a configuration known as "2-A-1". The previous 12" gun manufactured for the U.S. Navy was the Mark 7 version, which had been designed for and installed in the 1912 {{sclass|Wyoming|battleship|2}}<nowiki/>s. The Mark 8 was of considerably higher quality; in fact, it "was by far the most powerful weapon of its caliber ever placed in service".<ref>Dulin and Garzke, 190.</ref> Designed in 1939, it weighed {{convert|121856|lb|kg}} including the [[Breech-loading weapon|breech]], and could sustain an average rate of fire of 2.4–3 rounds a minute. It could throw a {{convert|1140|lb|kg|adj=on}} Mark 18 [[Armor-piercing shot and shell|armor-piercing]] shell {{convert|38573|yd|m|0}} at an elevation of 45°, and had a 344-shot barrel life<ref name="12/50"/> (about 54 more than the much larger but similar [[16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun]] found on the ''Iowa'' battleships.).<ref>{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = United States of America 16"/50 (40.6&nbsp;cm) Mark 7 | url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 7 February 2008 | access-date =16 October 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080921165815/http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm| archive-date= 21 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> The ''Alaska''s{{'}} Mark 8 guns were the heaviest main battery of any cruiser of World War II, and as capable as the old [[14"/45 caliber gun]] used on the U.S. Navy's pre-treaty battleships.<ref name="12/50"/>

The turrets were very similar to those of the ''Iowa''-class battleships, but differed in several ways; for example, the ''Alaska'' class had a two-stage powder hoist instead of the ''Iowa'' class's one-stage hoist. These differences made operating the guns safer and increased the rate of fire. In addition, a "projectile rammer" was added to ''Alaska'' and ''Guam''. This machine transferred shells from storage on the ship to the rotating ring that fed the guns. However, this feature proved unsatisfactory, and it was not planned for ''Hawaii'' or any subsequent ships.<ref name="12/50"/>

Because ''Alaska'' and ''Guam'' were the only two ships to mount these guns, only ten turrets were made during the war (three for each ship including ''Hawaii'' and one spare). They cost $1,550,000 each and were the most expensive heavy guns purchased by the U.S. Navy in World War II.<ref name=Morison85/>

=== Secondary battery ===
The secondary battery of the ''Alaska'' class was composed of twelve dual-purpose (anti-air and anti-ship) [[5"/38 caliber gun]]s in twin mounts, with four offset on each side of the superstructure (two on each beam) and two centerline turrets fore and aft. The 5"/38 was originally intended for use on only [[destroyer]]s built in the 1930s, but by 1934 and into World War II it was being installed on almost all of the U.S.'s major warships, including aircraft carriers, battleships, and heavy and light cruisers.<ref name="5/38">{{cite web|last=DiGiulian |first=Tony |title=United States of America 5"/38 (12.7&nbsp;cm) Mark 12 |url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-38_mk12.htm |publisher=Navweaps.com |date=27 March 2008 |access-date=25 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905181826/http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-38_mk12.htm |archive-date= 5 September 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Anti-aircraft battery ===
[[File:40mm gun practice on USS Alaska (CB-1), 1945.jpg|thumb|upright|Crew of a [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors gun]] on ''Alaska'' mount ammunition clips into the loaders of a pair of guns on 6 March 1945 during the [[Battle of Iwo Jima]]]]

Medium anti-aircraft armament (a key component of area air defence within a Task Group) on the ''Alaska''-class ships was 56 x 40mm [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors gun]]s and for close-in air defence they carried 34 × 20&nbsp;mm guns. These numbers may be compared with; 48 × 40&nbsp;mm and 24 × 20&nbsp;mm on the smaller ''Baltimore''-class heavy cruisers, 60 x 40&nbsp;mm and 36 x 20&nbsp;mm on the larger battleship ''North Carolina'' at the end of the war, and 80 × 40&nbsp;mm and 49 × 20&nbsp;mm on the even larger ''Iowa''-class battleships.<ref name="Alaska DANFS"/><ref>{{cite DANFS | title = Baltimore | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/ca68.txt | access-date=15 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080906103026/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/cruisers/ca68.txt| archive-date= 6 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite DANFS | title = Iowa | url = http://hazegray.org/danfs/battlesh/bb61.htm | access-date=15 October 2008|short=yes|link=no| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080920053724/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/battlesh/bb61.htm| archive-date= 20 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

== Ships in class==
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of ''Alaska''-class cruisers
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Namesake
! scope="col" | [[Pennant number|Pennant]]
! scope="col" style="width:20%;" | Builder
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Ordered
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Laid down
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Launched
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Commissioned
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Decommissioned
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}}
|[[Territory of Alaska]]
|CB-1
|rowspan=3|[[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]], [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]]
|rowspan=6|9&nbsp;September 1940
|17&nbsp;December 1941
|15&nbsp;August 1943
|17&nbsp;June 1944
|rowspan=2|17&nbsp;February 1947
|Broken up at [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], 1961
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Guam|CB-2|2}}
|[[Guam|Territory of Guam]]
|CB-2
|2&nbsp;February 1942
|12&nbsp;November 1943
|17&nbsp;September 1944
|Broken up at [[Baltimore]], 1961
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Hawaii|CB-3|2}}
|[[Territory of Hawaii]]
|CB-3<br>CBC-1
|20&nbsp;December 1943
|3&nbsp;November 1945
|colspan=2{{n/a}}
|Broken up when 84% complete at Baltimore, 1960
|-
! scope="row" | ''Philippines''
|[[Commonwealth of the Philippines]]
|CB-4
|rowspan=3 {{n/a}}
|colspan=4 rowspan=3 {{n/a}}
|rowspan=3|Cancelled June 1943
|-
! scope="row" | ''Puerto Rico''
|[[Puerto Rico|Territory of Puerto Rico]]
|CB-5
|-
! scope="row" | ''Samoa''
|[[American Samoa|Territory of American Samoa]]
|CB-6
|}

* {{USS|Alaska|CB-1}} was commissioned on 17 June 1944. She served in the Pacific, screening aircraft carriers, providing shore bombardment at [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], and going on raiding missions in the East China Sea. She was decommissioned on 17 February 1947 after less than three years of service and was scrapped in 1960.<ref name="Alaska DANFS"/>
* {{USS|Guam|CB-2}} was commissioned on 17 September 1944. She served in the Pacific with ''Alaska'' on almost all of the same operations. Along with ''Alaska'', she was decommissioned on 17 February 1947 and was scrapped in 1961.<ref name="Guam DANFS"/>
* {{USS|Hawaii|CB-3}} was intended as a third ship of the class, but she was never completed. Numerous plans to utilize her as a guided-missile cruiser or a large [[command ship]] in the years after the war were fruitless, and she was scrapped.<ref name="Hawaii DANFS"/>
* USS ''Philippines'' (CB-4), ''Puerto Rico'' (CB-5), and ''Samoa'' (CB-6) were planned as the fourth, fifth, and sixth ships of the class, respectively. All three ships were to be built at [[Camden, New Jersey]], but they were cancelled before construction could begin.<ref name="Philippines DANFS"/><ref name="Puerto Rico DANFS"/><ref name="Samoa DANFS"/>

==See also==
* {{slink|Battlecruiser#Large cruisers or "cruiser killers"}}
* [[Design B-65 cruiser]]
* {{slink|List of battlecruisers of the United States#Alaska class}}
* {{slink|List of cruisers of the United States Navy#Large cruisers (CB)}}
* [[List of ship classes of the Second World War]]
* [[Stalingrad-class battlecruiser|''Stalingrad''-class battlecruiser]]

== Footnotes ==
{{notelist-ua}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Cite book |author1=Bauer, Karl Jack |author2=Roberts, Stephen S. |title=Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1991 |isbn=0-313-26202-0}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=HT1UA3r7RHMC Google books link])
* {{Cite book |author1=Dulin, Robert O. Jr. |author2=Garzke, William H. Jr. |title=Battleships: United States Battleships in World War II |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1976 |isbn=1-55750-174-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/battleshipsunite00garz }} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=oFv4gqBwF1UC&pg=PA179&dq=%22Alaska+class%22#PPA179,M1 Google Books link])
* {{Cite book |editor=Fitzsimons, Bernard |title=Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare |volume=1 |publisher=Phoebus |location=London |year=1978 }}
* {{Cite book |author=Friedman, Norman |title=U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1983 |isbn=0-87021-739-9}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=-UT7MDTeKj8C Google Books link])
* {{Cite book |author1=Gardiner, Robert |author2=Chesneau, Roger |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1980 |isbn=0-87021-913-8}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=bJBMBvyQ83EC&pg=PA178&dq=%22Alaska+class%22#PPA122,M1 Google Books link])
* {{Cite book |title=Illustrated Directory of Warships of the World: From 1860 to the Present |last=Miller |first=David |location=Osceola |publisher=MBI Publishing Company |year=2001 |isbn=0-7603-1127-7 |oclc=48527933}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=yfNkP1-uXLYC Google books link]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})
* {{Cite book |author1=Morison, Samuel Loring |author2=Polmar, Norman |title=The American Battleship |publisher=Zenith Imprint |year=2003 |isbn=0-7603-0989-2}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=SYurkGIlgLMC Google Books link])
* {{Cite book |author=Osborne, Eric W. |title=Cruisers and Battle Cruisers: An Illustrated History of Their Impact |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2004 |isbn=1-85109-369-9}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=PryqSiAk9y4C&pg=PA169&dq=%22Alaska+class%22#PPA245,M1 Google Books link])
* {{Cite book |author=Rohwer, Jürgen |title=Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1992 |isbn=1-59114-119-2}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=TpDlFI453RcC Google books link])
* {{Cite book |last1=Scarpaci |first1=Wayne |title=Iowa Class Battleships and Alaska Class Large Cruisers Conversion Projects 1942–1964: An Illustrated Technical Reference |date=April 2008 |publisher=Nimble Books LLC |isbn=978-1-934840-38-2}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=L4z8UIRymR4C Google Books link])
* {{Cite book |author1=Swanborough, Gordon |author2=Bowers, Peter M. |title=United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911 |publisher=Funk & Wagnalls |year=1968 |id=<!--no ISBN-->}}
* {{Cite book |author1=Tucker, Spencer C. |author2=Roberts, Priscilla Mary |author3=Greene, Jack |author4=Kingseed, Cole C. |author5=Muir, Malcolm |author6=Zabecki, David T. |author7=Millett, Allan R. |title=World War II: A Student Encyclopedia |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1976 |isbn=1-55750-174-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/battleshipsunite00garz }} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=uFtnIh7xdgIC&pg=PA183&dq=%22Alaska+class%22#PPA183,M1 Google Books link]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})
* {{Cite book |author=Worth, Richard |title=Fleets of World War II |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-306-81116-2}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=yfpi2qctZN8C Google Books link]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208080208/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/cru/cb1cl.htm Photographs of the ''Alaska'' class]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20211102142512/http://www.coatneyhistory.com/Alaska.htm ''Alaska'' class Large Cruisers]—From U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence recognition manual ONI 200, issued 1 July 1950
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Ga5AHelj8&ab_channel=Drachinifel Detailed video discussion of the ''Alaska'' Class Cruiser]

{{Large cruisers}}
{{Alaska class large cruiser}}
{{WWII US ships}}

[[Category:Alaska-class cruisers| ]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of the United States| ]]
[[Category:Battlecruiser classes]]
[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:New York Shipbuilding Corporation]]