CUS Chicago (CL-1941+)
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Third in the series of "Wichita" cruiser hulls, these were again light cruisers but were acknowledged as one of the best balanced designs of WW2. A new set of bridge superstructures, both fore and aft, designed to carry the new main and secondary directors with better arcs. The deletion of the 'C' triple turret of 6" and its replacement in 'C' and 'X' position with another pair of 4.5" turrets added to the ships already impressive AA arrangement.
This excellent cruiser class served in all theaters of war but with their heavy AA armament they were mainly deployed to the Pacific theater of operations. 50 of the cruisers were ordered from 1938 onwards with 20 ordered in 1942 alone. A dozen of the hulls were completed as Ulysses S Grant light fleet carriers during a time when new carriers were desperately needed.
| Displacement | 12,600 tons std 15,000 tons full load |
| Length | 610 ft |
| Breadth | 62 ft |
| Draught | 23 ft |
| Machinery | 4 shaft steam turbines 100,000shp |
| Speed | 33 knots |
| Range | 10,000 miles at 15 knots |
| Armour | 5" Belt, 3" Turrets, 2" Deck |
| Armament | 12 x 6" (4x3) 12 x 4.5" (6x2) 32 x 40mm (8x4) 26 x 20mm (26x1) |
| Aircraft | 4-5 |
| Torpedoes | nil |
| Complement | 1100 |
| Notes | CUS Chicago |
CUS Chicago under construction early 1940, approx 12 months from completion.