Northampton (CC 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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, 7.5 - a , 4 ' vena.. . A5 . . mf 1, N N ,V 4 ag... - N its ' ,if-.Q-. , , ,, '1 t.. .. 1, , 2 'gfv . - 7 A4 M , ,,, Q , . 33, ff Wilt A, FACTS ABOUT THE COMMAND SHIP NORTHAMPTON The command ship NORTHAMPTON was named for the city of Northampton, Massachusetts, and is the sec- ond ship to bear the name. The ship was begun as a cruiser in 1944, but at the end of World War II, work was halted with the ship half finished. Construction was resumed in 1948, with radical alterations, and the NORTHAMPTON was launched in January 1951. She was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, on March 7, 1953. The NORTHAMPTON sailed to the Mediterranean in November 1954 as the flagship of Commander Striking Force Atlantic, and in 1957, she became his permanent home. Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, former Chief of Naval Operations was embarked in the NORTHAMPTON during the International Naval Review, held in Hampton Roads on June 13, 1957, in connection with the Jamestown 350th Anniversary Exposition. On April 13 and 14, 1962, the NORTHAMPTON sailed as flagship for the late President John F. Kennedy during his review of the Atlantic Fleet's Naval and Amphibious Forces. Since 1957, NORTHAMPTON's crew has visited South America, Scotland, England, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Bermuda, Netherlands, Antilles, Virgin Islands and Haiti. More recently, the NORTHAMPTON visited Newport, R.I.,' Cristobal, Panama, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Boston, Massachusetts, Charleston, S.C.g Fort Lauderdale, Florida and New York City. The NORTHAMPTON displaces 17,200 tons, measures 677 feet in length, has a beam of 70 feet and draws 26 feet of water. Four Babcock and Wilcox boilers, connected thfough reduction gears to propellers, provide steam to her four main engines. Her unique communications system would enable her to assume command of a major concentration of sea power at any time. When comparing NORTHAMPTON's firepower to other cruisers, it is often said she fights more with her brains than her muscles. The heavy cruiser's main battery was eliminated to provide additional staff, command and communication facilities. Her armament consists of four single-barrel, 5-inch, dual-purpose guns in mounts. These guns are fully auto- matic with an extremely high volume of fire. The NORTHAMPTON is outfitted to provide accommodations for a total of 1400 enlisted men and 220 officers. She is air-conditioned with the exception of engine rooms, boiler rooms and storerooms. Four hundred tons of refrigeration capacity are used in her cooling system, which maintains a constant below-deck temperature whether the ship cruises the Arctic Circle or on the Equator. The crewis comfort and convenience are enhanced by two barber shops, a lounge and library, two ship's stores, a cobbler shop, tailor shop and soda fountain. A daily 8-page newspaper is published at sea and a maga- zine, the finest afloat, is printed monthly, in port or at sea. The NORTHAMPTON's photographic laboratory and print shop are among the most versatile afloat: more completely equipped than many ashore. With combined effort they can produce charts, intelligence photo- graphs and educational material. The unusual exterior appearance of the NORTHAMPTON is a result of several unique features: Her hull is one deck higher than standard cruisers. She has two solid-sided towers instead of the usual masts. Her transmitting and receiving antennas are of special Kean-shaped design. The ship can easily be identified by a unique 126-foot, stick-type mast, the tallest afloat unsupported by shrouds or stays-mounted on her main deck. The NORTHAMPTON was designed for defense against atomic, bacteriological or chemical attack. She can be rigged as a closed envelopev in battle. Her smooth contours and painted steel weather decks combine with a salt water washdown system to flush any fallout contamination. -USD-

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We are the men of the second ship to hear the name NORTH AMPTON The first was a heavy cruiser VCCA commissioned and launched at uincy Massachusetts- on September 5 1929 Mrs C3.lV1IlpC0Olldg6 sponsored her and brolcefa bottle of mineral water across her bow. h On the first of December, 194f2, after many months of gallant wartime operations in theiPacific, she was hit and sunk by a Japanese torpedo off Guadalcanal on a night as black' as this page . . --iiml-hiisi. 13,--ff.-gn, :inn ,Ni , ,., , A. .