USN – Retired Cruisers

Cruisers (C – CA – CG – CGN) see also current listing

Back to USN Retired Battleships

Des Moines Class CA Heavy Cruisers LOA 716′ / 218.2 m TDISP 21,000 tons (3, 1 preserved)

CA 134 Des Moines NARA
USS Des Moines NARA: 7577504
USS Newport News HFX HS-15365 1951
USS Newport News visiting Halifax, 1951. Credit: Library and Archives Canada / Department of National Defence HS-15365 Copyright belongs to Crown.

USS Des Moines CA-134 (1948-1961) scrapped 2007USS Des Moines Philadelphia 2004USS Des Moines CA-134 Brownsville TX 2006.jpgUSS Salem CA-139 (1949-1959) – Museum Ship since 1994, Quincy MA

USS Salem NH 97607
USS Salem CA-139, 1952 NH 97607 Courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command

USS Salem CA-139 Quincy MA 2018USS Salem CA-139 Quincy MA 2009

CA 148 Newport News NARA
USS Newport News CA-148 Detail of NARA: 7577586

USS Long Beach CGN-9, (hulk) unique Guided Missile Nuclear-powered Cruiser (1961-1995) LOA 721′ / 219.8 m TDISP 15,500 tons

USS Long Beach CGN9 NARA
USS Long Beach CGN-9 1993 NARA: 330-CFD-DN-SC-85-07294 PH3 C. Yebba

USS Long Beach hull Bremerton 2013

Virginia Class CGN guided missile nuclear-powered cruiser LOA 586′ / 178.6 m TDISP 11,600 tons (4, all dismantled)

USS Mississippi CGN-40 (1978-1997) fully dismantled 2007

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USS Mississippi on sea trials 1978 NARA: USN 1172832 (courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command)

USS Mississippi CGN-40 hulk Bremerton 2007.jpg

Worcester Class CL Light Cruiser LOA 680′ / 207.3 m TDISP 18,000 tons (2 retired and scrapped, service 1948-1958) peculiar three turret fore and aft armament for heavy AA fire.

USS Worcester CL-144 NH 91832
USS Worcester CL-144 underway in the Mediterranean with other ships of the Sixth Fleet, June 1950.USN Official photo NH-91832 Courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California
Two Worcester Class light cruisers laid up in the Pacific reserve fleet at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 1960. Note the “igloos” covering up/protecting the secondary armament. These ships are USS Worcester CL-144 and USS Roanoke CL-145 [Detail of NH 888083] Courtesy of Stephen S. Roberts, 1978. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Cleveland Class CL Light Cruiser LOA 608′ / 185.3 m TDISP 14,000 tons (27, 1 preserved)

USS Oklahoma City NH 95754
USS Oklahoma City CL-91 off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, circa 9 April 1945. Courtesy of the U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. Collection of James C. Fahey. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command.NH-95754.

Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California
Two Cleveland Class light cruisers laid up in the Pacific reserve fleet at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 1960. Note the “igloos” covering up/protecting the secondary armament. [Detail of NH 888083] Courtesy of Stephen S. Roberts, 1978. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California
A Cleveland Class light cruisers laid up in the Pacific reserve fleet at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 1960 [Detail of NH 888083] Courtesy of Stephen S. Roberts, 1978. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

Cleveland class Light Cruisers San Francisco 1946
Note the outboard ship shows the large hangar space at the stern of these cruisers. The ships that were upgraded to guided-missile cruisers would be significantly modified

Galveston conversion of Cleveland Class to Guided missile cruisers (CG).

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Cleveland Class and post-conversion Galveston Class guided missile cruisers with enormous Talos missile launchers on quarterdeck. Superimposed models onboard the USS Little Rock, builders unknown. Credit: warsearcher.com

USS Oklahoma City CL-91 CLG-5 CG-5 (1944-1979) Received upgrades late 1950s to become Galveston class guided-missile cruiser. Sunk as target 1999USS Oklahoma City CG-5 Port Hueneme 1994

428-N-1060518
USS Oklahoma City n.d. NARA: 428-N-1060518

USS Little Rock CL-92 CLG-4 CG-4 (1945-1976) Received upgrades late 1950s to become Galveston class guided-missile cruiser. Museum Ship Erie County Naval & Military Park, Buffalo NY

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USS Little Rock museum ship at Erie County Naval & Military, Buffalo NY July 2022. Credit: warsearcher.com

USS Little Rock CL-92 Buffalo NY 2006USS Little Rock CL-92 Buffalo NY 2016.jpg

USS Little Rock NHHC NH 83498-KN
USS Little Rock CG-4 1974 USN Official NH 83498-KN, Courtesy of the Naval Heritage and History Command

Ticonderoga Class CG Guided missile cruisers LOA 567′ / 172.8 m TDISP 9,800 tons. First 5 units fitted with MK. 26 missile launchers and without Vertical Launch System were retired. USS Vella Gulf CG-72 is the first with VLS to retire, Aug. 2022. For VLS cruisers see current USN cruisers.Spruance vs. Ticonderoga disposal Philedelphia 2010USS Ticonderoga CG-47 (1983-2004), scrapped 2021-2022.USS Ticonderoga scrapping Brownsville TX 2022

USS Yorktown CG-48 (1984-2004) laid up at Philadelphia, last of the original class in existence. USS Yorktown CG-48 philadelphia 2021

USS Vincennes CG-49 (1985-2005), scrapped 2011USS Vincennes scrap Brownsville TX 2011USS Vincennes CG49 Brownsville TX 2010.jpgTiconderogas at Philedelphia 2019

050415-N-8157F-104
USS Vincennes CG-49 last port of call in Pearl Harbor before decommissioning in 2005 NARA: 330-CFD-DN-SD-07-00535 PH1 Robert C. Foster, Jr., USN

Leahy and Belknap Classes of guided missile cruiser/destroyer leader LOA 533’/ 162.5 m to 547′ / 166.7 m TDISP 7,400 – 7,900 tons (18 retired and scrapped) two similar classes grouped together. Leahy class were “Double-ender” (Terrier missile launchers at bow and stern) with an ASROC launcher immediately forward of the bridge, and were 533-535′ / 162.5-163.1 m LOA. Belknaps were “Single-ender” with the bow missile launcher doubling as an Anti-Submarine Rocket launcher, so no ASROC launcher was installed. They were slightly longer and had a single 5″ gun aft.

USS Gridley DLG-21 (1963-1994) Leahy Class, laid up in reserve at Suisun Bay, CA. Scrapped 2005 Brownsville TX.

USS Gridley E-73141 1963 Esquimalt
USS Gridley newly commissioned arrives in Esquimalt, BC, 1963. Library and Archives Canada / Department of National Defence E-73141 Copyright belongs to the Crown.

Belknap and Leahy CGNs Suisun Bay 2002.jpg

USS Harry E. Yarnell CG-17 Leahy Class cruiser (1963-1993), left partially disassembled, finally scrapped 2002ex-USS Harry E Yarnell CG17 Philedelphia PA 1994.jpg

USS Harry E. Yarnell Maine 1969 NH 106505 Courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command

USS England CG-22 (1963-1994) scrapped Brownsville TX 2004USS England CG-22 scrap Brownsville TX 2004

USS Horne, Belknap Class CG-30 (1967-1994) sunk as target 2008

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USS Horne, Tonkin Gulf 1968 NH 106544 Courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command JO2 Frank Rost

USS Horne CG-30 Suisun Bay CA 2008

Belknap CGN Beaumont 2005
This is most likely ex-USS Fox CG-33, as it is still in a capture later in 2005. Fox was towed to Brownsville TX and was scrapped by International Shipbreaking Ltd, complete by 2007/10.

USS William H. Standley CG-32 (1966-1994) sunk as target June 2005 Exercise Talisman Fury (upper ship)

RIMPAC '86
An aerial view of the guided missile cruisers USS JOUETT (CG 29), USS WILLIAM H. STANDLEY (CG 32) and USS GRIDLEY (CG 21) moored to berth K-3 during Exercise RIMPAC ’86. USN via NARA 330-CFD-DN-SN-87-04102

USS WH Standley CG-32 and USS Decatur SDTS Pearl Harbor 2004

USS Olympia unique Protected Cruiser C-6 (1895-1922) LOA 344′ / 104.9 m TDISP 7,000 tons Museum Ship since 1957, Philadelphia PAUSS Olympia C-6 Philedelphia PA, 2019.jpg

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