CUS Augusta (CA-1942+)
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The CUA Navy would have been quite pleased to have kept on producing the nine 8" gunned cruisers of the Wichita type. Unfortunately the rest of the world went to 12 gun heavy cruisers or as in the Japanese and German ships 10"-12" (CB) Armoured Cruisers that were mini-battlecruisers. To not have their ships outclassed by these vessels the CUA Navy followed with a twelve gun 8" cruiser. It ended up looking like the Chicago class on steroids.
The Augusta class were magnificent ships but by the time they entered the Pacific war, the battles were down to carrier duels where the oponents only saw each others aircraft and it was the excellent AA armament of these ships that made them more than useful escorts to the big carrier fleets. The Augusta class was the first CUS Navy cruisers, for 20 years, to not have aircraft handling facilities fitted.
| Displacement | 16,700 tons std 19,900 tons full load |
| Length | 673 ft |
| Breadth | 76 ft |
| Draught | 27 ft |
| Machinery | 4 shaft steam turbines 125,000shp |
| Speed | 33 knots |
| Range | 10,000 miles at 15 knots |
| Armour | 6" Belt, 6" Turrets, 2.5" Deck |
| Armament | 12 x 8" (4x3) 20 x 4.5" (10x2) 44 x 40mm (11x4) 26 x 20mm (26x1) |
| Aircraft | nil |
| Torpedoes | nil |
| Complement | 1800 |
| Notes | CUS Augusta |
Fore end and 40mm gun mounting of Augusta class cruiser, note Philadelphia class cruiser moored next berth over, the one over from that seems to be a Chicago class cruiser.