USS ALASKA CB-1

USS Alaska (CB-1) was an American so-called A large cruiser or (according to other classifications) a linear cruiser, the keel of which was laid in 1941, was launched in August 1943, and entered into service with the US Navy in June 1944. The length of the ship was 246 m, width 27.8 m, and her full displacement - at the time of launching - 34,200 tons. The top speed of the USS Alaska was 31.4 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 305 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 12 127 mm guns. USS Alaska was the first of six ordered and one of two ships of the same-named type, ie Alaska. The main task of units of this type was to fight heavy Japanese cruisers, over which they were clearly superior in terms of firepower. Great importance was also attached to the maximum speed - it was to allow free operation within teams with fast aircraft carriers of the Essex fleet. However, due to the clear dominance of on-board aviation in the operations in the Pacific, it was decided to launch only two of the six ships of this type. USS Alaska (CB-1) began its participation in World War II in January 1945, when it was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. At the beginning of February 1945, the cruiser performed escort functions against aircraft carriers carrying out air attacks against targets located in the Japanese Islands. That same year, it also supported operations in the Okinawa area in April and May, providing air defense to its own aircraft carriers. After the end of World War II, the ship was decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap in 1960.