USS Northampton (CLC-1) / (CC-1)

History of USS Northampton (CLC-1) / (CC-1)

The USS Northampton (CLC-1) was one of ten planned ships of the United States Navy's (USN) Oregon City-class heavy cruiser group during World War II (1939-1945). Six of these lots were eventually cancelled when the war ended in August 1945, with Northampton itself halting construction as authorities reassessed post-war needs.

The aircraft carrier USS Northampton, eventually reclassified as a tactical command ship, appeared in her revised role in 1953.

USS Northampton was built by the Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, and was laid on August 31, 1944, but construction ceased in August 1945. Construction resumed in 1948 and started on March 27, 1951.

USS Northampton (CLC-1) officially entered service with the United States Navy on March 7, 1953.

Because her role on the battlefield was rewritten while she was still under construction, the USS Northampton is not equipped with traditional heavy cruiser armament. Instead, she carried a modest payload led by 4 x 5 in/54 caliber Mark 42 main guns arranged in four single-gun turrets.

The only other armament was an 8 x 3"/70 caliber secondary gun, housed in four twin gun turrets.

Her profile focuses on most of the superstructure amidships, including dedicated antennas, communications, and various arrays. The overall length is 675 feet, the beam is 70.9 feet, and the draft is 26.3 feet. There are 2,000 crew members on board. Electricity comes from four boilers that power a steam turbine that produces 120,000 horsepower and drives 4 shafts under the stern.

The helipad is located above the stern of the warship and is capable of launching and picking up a helicopter. The ship has a displacement of 14,000 tons. Armor protection ranges from 6 inches on the belt to 2.5 inches on the deck.

Her first mission took her to Atlantic waters, where the new global threat was the Soviet Union. She and her crew evaluated her various systems for several months until, in 1954, she was awarded flagship status as Commander of the Amphibious Forces, then Commander of the 6th Fleet, and finally Commander of the Assault Forces.

In the mid-1950s, the warship underwent a much-needed overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard before being transferred to Caribbean waters to train new crew members. From there she embarked on a career that took her to Atlantic and European waters, calling at friendly ports in the Allies and training exercises with NATO forces in preparation for war with the Soviet Union.

In fact, it was revealed later that the ship would serve as a central "base of operations" for White House officials and related personnel if the continental United States was worst hit by a Soviet nuclear attack. This has given the ship special attention, and she is also equipped with the same special equipment because of this status.

In April 1961, USS Northampton was reclassified as "CC-1" and stationed in Atlantic waters for the remainder of his career. The ship was finally decommissioned on April 8, 1970, and her name was removed from the Naval Register on December 1, 1977.

That same month, her dismantled hull was sold as scrap and completed in March 1980, officially ending her sailing career.

USS Northampton received two Defense Service Medals at sea.

Specification

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Armor

AIR WING