Providence-class cruiser

300px USS Providence
Class overview
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	Galveston-class cruiser
Succeeded by:	Long Beach-class cruiser
In commission:	1959 - 1974
Completed:	3
Retired:	3
Preserved:	0
General characteristics
Type:	Guided missile cruiser
Displacement:	15,025 tons
Length:	608 ft (185.3 m)
Beam:	64 ft (19.5 m)
Draft:	23 ft 6 in (7.1 m)
Propulsion:	4 634 psi boilers steam turbines 4 shafts 100,000 shp
Speed:	32.5 knots (60 km/h)
Complement:	1,120 officers and enlisted
Armament:	Providence and Springfield (fleet flagship) 3 × 6 in (152 mm) guns in 1 Mark 16 turret 2 × 5 in/38 cal guns in 1 Mark 32 mount 1 × twin-rail Mark 9 RIM-2 Terrier missile launcher Topeka (non-flagship) 6 × 6 in (152 mm) guns in 2 Mark 16 turrets 6 × 5 in/38 cal guns in 3 Mark 32 mounts 1 × twin-rail Mark 9 RIM-2 Terrier missile launcher

Originally built as Cleveland-class light cruisers (CL) in the United States Navy during World War II, in 1957 three ships were re-designated as Providence-class guided missile light cruisers (CLG) and fitted with the Terrier surface-to-air missile system. During the two year refit, the aft superstructure was completely replaced and all aft guns were removed to make room for the twin-arm Terrier launcher and a 120 missile storage magazine. Three large masts were also installed in order to hold a variety of radars, missile guidance, and communications systems. Providence and Springfield were simultaneously converted into fleet flagships, which involved removing two forward dual and one triple turrets, and replacing them with a massively rebuilt and expanded forward superstructure. Topeka, in the non-flagship configuration, retained the Cleveland-class's standard forward weapons: three dual and two triple turrets.

A similar pattern was followed in converting three other Cleveland-class ships (Galveston, Little Rock, and Oklahoma City) to operate the Talos surface-to-air missile system, creating the Galveston class. Little Rock and Oklahoma City were outfitted as fleet flagships, but Galveston was not.

Like the Galveston class cruisers, the Providence class ships suffered from serious stability problems caused by the topweight of the missile system, requiring the use of ballast to improve stability. The cruisers also suffered from hogging of the hull.

All three Providence-class ships were decommissioned to the reserve fleet between 1969 and 1974. In the 1975 cruiser realignment, Providence and Springfield were reclassified as guided missile cruisers (CG). The ships were stricken from the Naval Vessel Register between 1974 and 1980, and eventually sold for scrap.

Ships in class

	Keel laid	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned
Providence (CLG-6)	July 1943	December 1944	September 1959	August 1973
Springfield (CLG-7)	February 1943	March 1944	July 1960	May 1974
Topeka (CLG-8)	April. 1943	August 1944	March 1959	June 1969

External links

• hazegray.org
• US Naval Historical Center