USS Alaska (CB-1) was the main Alaska-class ship of a large cruiser ship with the United States Navy during the end of World War II. He is the first of his two class vessels to be completed, followed only by Guam ; four other ships were ordered but not finished before the end of the war. Alaska is the third US Navy ship named after what became Alaska territory. He was laid down on December 17, 1941, ten days after the outbreak of war, launched in August 1943 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, in Camden, New Jersey, and commissioned in June 1944. He was armed with a nine 12 main battery in (300 mm) three three towers and has a top speed of 33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph).
Due to being commissioned at the end of the war, Alaska saw relatively limited services. He participated in operations from Iwo Jima and Okinawa in February-July 1945, including providing anti-aircraft defenses for various operator task forces and conducting limited coastal bombing operations. He shot down several Japanese aircraft from Okinawa, including missiles that may have been driven by Ohka. In July-August 1945 he participated in a sweep for Japanese shipping in Eastern China and the Yellow Sea. After the end of the war, he helped the Korean occupation and sent a contingent of US Army troops back to the United States. He was disabled in February 1947 and placed as a reserve, where he stayed until he was stricken in 1960 and sold for destruction the following year.
Video USS Alaska (CB-1)
Design
Alaska is 808 feet 6 inches long (246.43 m) and has a 91 × 1 in (27.76 m) beam and a draft of 31 × 10 in (9.70 m). He displaced 29,779 tonnes long (30,257 t) as designed and up to 34,253 tonnes long (34,803 t) at full combat load. The vessel is powered by four General Electric driven steam turbine shafts and eight Babcock & amp; The Wilcox boiler is rated at 150,000 horsepower shafts (110,000 kW), resulting in a top speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). The vessel has a cruising range of 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km, 14,000 mi) at a speed of 15 kn (28 km/h, 17 mph). He was carrying four OS2U Kingfisher or SC Seahawk seaplanes, with a pair of steam catapults mounted in the middle of the ship.
The vessel is armed with a main battery of nine 12-inch L/50 Mark 8 weapons in three three-gun turrets, two in a superfiring pair to the front and one rear of the superstructure. The secondary battery consists of twelve L-38 5-inch dual-purpose weapons in six twin towers. Two are placed in the superfiring centerline above the main battery tower, front and rear, and the four remaining towers are placed in the superstructure corner. The lightweight anti-aircraft battery consists of 56 40-mm Bofors 40-mm mounted and 34-OA 20mm (0.79 inches). A pair of weapon directors Mk 34 aided guns laid for the main battery, while two Mk 37 directors controlled 5-inch weapons and 57 Mk director assisted a 40 mm rifle. The main armored belt is 9Ã, (229 mm) thick, while the arms tower has a 12.8 in (325 mm) thick face. The main armored deck is 4 inches (102 mm) thick.
Maps USS Alaska (CB-1)
Service history
Alaska was authorized under the Fleet Expansion Act on 19 July 1940, and ordered on 9 September. On December 17, 1941 he was put to sleep at New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey. He was launched on August 15, 1943, sponsored by Mother Dorothy Gruening (nÃÆ' Â © e Smith) wife of Governor Ernest Gruening of Alaska, after which the installation work was done. The ship was completed in June 1944, and was assigned to the US Navy on June 17, under the command of Captain Peter K. Fischler.
After the commission, Alaska is steamed to Hampton Roads, escorted by destroyers Simpson and Broome . The ship was then deployed for a shakedown voyage, first at Chesapeake Bay and then to the Caribbean, off Trinidad. On the cruise ship he was escorted by destroyers Bainbridge and Decatur . After completing the Alaska voyage back to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for some minor changes, including the installation of four Mk 57 fire control directors for his 5-inch weapon. On November 12, he left Philadelphia accompanied by the destroyer-minelayer Thomas E. Fraser, who had served two weeks of sea trials at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On 2 December he left Cuba to the Pacific, transit the Panama Canal two days later, and reached San Diego on December 12th. There his weapons crew were trained for beach bombing and anti-aircraft fire.
Pacific Deployment
On January 8, 1945, Alaska left California for Hawaii, arriving in Pearl Harbor on January 13th. There he participated in further training and was assigned to the 12.2 Task Group, which departed for Ulithi on 29 January. The Task Force reached Ulithi on February 6 and was merged into the 58.5 Task Group, part of Task Force 58, Rapid Assignment Task Force. The 58.5 Task Group is assigned to provide anti-aircraft defense for aircraft carriers; Alaska is assigned to the Enterprise and Saratoga operators. The fleet sailed for Japan on February 10 to conduct air strikes against Tokyo and surrounding airfields. Japan did not attack the fleet during the operation. Alaska then moved to 58.4 Task Group and was assigned to support the attack on Iwo Jima. He served on screen for the aircraft carrier from Iwo Jima for nineteen days, after which he had to return to Ulithi to refuel and supplies.
Alaska fixed with TG 58.4 for Okinawa Battle. He was assigned to screen out operators Yorktown and Intrepid; the fleet left Ulithi on March 14 and reached its operational area in southeast Kyushu four days later. The first air strikes in Okinawa began that day, and claimed 17 Japanese aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Here, Alaska finally sees the battle, when Japan launches a major air raid on the American fleet. His anti-aircraft shooters destroyed a Yokosuka P1Y bomber who tried to crash into Intrepid . Shortly after, Alaska was warned that American planes were in the vicinity. About ten minutes later, his gunmen saw an unidentified plane, approaching what they thought was a threatening way; they shot down that turned out to be a F6F Hellcat fighter, although the pilot was unharmed. Later that afternoon, Alaska shot down the second Japanese bomber, Yokosuka D4Y.
The following day, the Franklin aircraft carrier was badly damaged by several bomb and kamikaze attacks. Alaska and his sister Guam , two other cruisers, and several destroyers were separated to create a 58.2.9 Task Group to escort limps Franklin back to Ulithi. On the way back to the harbor, another D4Y bomber attacked Franklin, although the ships could not shoot down. A shot from one of the 5-inch guns inadvertently causes a burn on some people standing nearby; this was the only victim suffered by his crew during the war. Alaska then took on the role of combat aircraft director; using his air search radar, he scrambles fighters to intercept and destroy the big Kawasaki Ki-45 fighter. On March 22, the ships reached Ulithi and Alaska were separated to rejoin TG 58.4.
Upon returning to his unit, Alaska continues to filter out aircraft carriers from Okinawa. On March 27 he separated to do the Minamidait bombardment ?. He joined Guam, two light cruisers, and a Destroyer Squadron 47. On the night of March 27-28, he fired forty-five shells 12 inches and three hundred and fifty-two inches five inches. rounds on the island. The ships were reunited with TG 58.4 at the refueling point, after which they returned to Okinawa to support the landing when they started on April 1st. On the night of April 11, Alaska shot down a Japanese plane, helped destroy the others, and claimed what was probably an Ohka pilot rocket. On April 16, the ship shot down three other planes and was assisted by three other aircraft. Throughout the rest of the month, his heavy anti-aircraft shots managed to expel the Japanese bombers.
Alaska then return to Ulithi to supply, arriving on May 14th. He was then assigned to TG 38.4, a reorganized organizing task force. The fleet then returns to Okinawa, where Alaska continues its anti-aircraft defense role. On June 9, he and Guam bombarded Oki Dait ?. TG 38.4 is then steamed to San Pedro Bay at Leyte Bay for rest and maintenance; the ship remained from 13 June to 13 July, when he was assigned to Cruiser Task Force 95 along with his sister Guam , under the command of Rear Admiral Francis S. Low. On July 16, Alaska and Guam sweeps to the East of China and the Yellow Sea to sink Japanese ship ships. They only had limited success, and returned to the fleet on July 23. They then joined a major attack, including three warships and three escort carriers, to the mouth of the Yangtze River off the coast of Shanghai. Again, the operation encountered limited success.
Postwar operations
In his ministry during World War II, Alaska was awarded three fighting stars. On August 30 Alaska left Okinawa to Japan to participate in the 7th Armada occupation forces. He arrived in Incheon, Korea on September 8 and supported Army operations there until September 26, when he left for Tsingtao, China, arriving the following day. There, he supported the 6th to Nov 13th Marine Division, when he returned to Incheon to take the Army's army as part of the Magic Carpet Operation, mass repatriation of millions of American soldiers from Asia and Europe. Alaska left Incheon with a troop contingent heading for San Francisco. After reaching San Francisco, he left for the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, which he transited on 13 December. The ship arrived at the Boston Navy Yard on December 18, where preparations were made to place the reserve ship. He left Boston on February 1, 1946 for Bayonne, New Jersey, where he would be tethered as a reserve. He arrived there the next day, and on August 13, he was expelled from active service, although he would not be disabled until February 17, 1947.
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