Long Beach (CGN 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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In 1943 such concepts as guided missile cruisers which would provide their own air umbrella were not even in the dream stages of most naval officers and naval architects The advent of guided missiles into the naval arsenal brought conversions and new designa tions, a pair of Baltzmore class heavy cruisers had their after turrets and mounts removed to be replaced with Terrier missile systems in 1956, becoming CAG's. And then, in 1961, USS Long Beach was launched as the first Nuclear Power- ed Guided Missile Cruiser - CGJVZ9. CCN-9, the third ship of the fleet to be named for the city of Long Beach, California, is only the second to have been so planned, designed, and built for military purposes from its inception. A German Steamer, Hohenklde, constructed in 1892, was acquired by the U. S. Navy and com- missioned for wartime service in Charleston, South Carolina on 20 December, 1917 as a cargo ship- USS Long Beach KAK-9j. She had a speed of 8.5 knots, displaced 5,800 tons and was 330 feet in length. Armed with a single 3,' 50 caliber antiaircraft gun and two machine guns, her assigned mission was transporting coal and lumber between eastern United States cities and ports in England, Ireland, and France in 1918 and 1919. The next Long Beach was a frigate, QPE3-ifj 12 The heel of USS Long Beach was laza' on December 2 1957 m the Fore Rzver Shzpyard ofthe Bethlehem Steel Com pany Qumcy Massachusetts She was launched on june 14 1959 Thecruzser got underway on nuclearpower uh: 5 1961 and was commzsszoned September 9 the same year built by the Consolidated Steel Corporation in Wilmington California she was commissioned on September 8 1943 at Terminal Island Cali fornia She drsplaced 1 430 tons was 304 feet in length and could attain a speed of over 20 knots Departing the United States for Australia in early 1944, she embarked on a busy career in the Far East, she served as a screening escort for troop transports, merchant tankers, and am- phibious vessels between Cape Sudest, New Guin- ea, Humboldt Bay, Wake Island, Maffin Bay and several other Pacific ports. During her Far Eastern tour of 1944, the frigate earned battle stars for her participation in the Bismarck Archipelago Operation, Admiral- ty Islands Landingsg Hollandia Operationg West- ern New Guinea Operationsg and the Leyte Land- ings. She also received the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge. Following her wartime service, Long Beach was placed out of commission in July, 1945, and was transferred to the Russian Navy under terms of the Lend-Lease Act. The U. S. Navy re- gained custody of the ship in late 1949, and in November 1953, she was loaned to the Govern- ment of japan under the Mutual Defense Assist- ance Program. She now bears the name Shit in the japanese Maritime Defense Forces. . . - V .wfwfe ia.---w ' at --v-vw - - --- ------- --4---A.. -. - ---.. .t .... .. .. . uh.'!.1,,,, .:,..,..f ,f...Vg1'Lgm,,.,,,mm4,,,

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'- V, W-.--- , ,. - , ,,71T -i ......- -- i H E E I In I l Weapons Department 'iThere is no subject more intimately connected with the history of the world, from the remotest period, than the history of arms, the fate of na- tions having always depended either on the su- periority ofthe arms employed, or on the supe- rior discipline and dexterity of those who used them, wholly independent of the numbers by which they were opposed. These words, written by Henry Wilkinson in 1841 in his book, Engine of War, have been reproven many times in the intervening decades. The weapons aboard Long Beach, from the conventional 5 guns to the Talos and Terrier missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, promote confidence in ship's offensive and de- fensive capabilities. The research and develop- ment which is continuously taking place world- wide to create more efficient and potent vehicles of destruction makes many of today's weapons obsolete almost before they can be installed upon the ships for which they have been designed. This desire for better engines of warn' has raged since the dawn of pre-history, resulting in a fascinating evolution. One of the earliest weapons adaptable for nau- tical employment was the sling. This invention, tracing back to biblical days, is credited by various sources to the inhabitants of the Balearic Islands Qin which Majorca liesj or to thegreat empire of Phoenicia, whose powerful naviescon- trolled the Mediterranean so long ago. -If' the latter civilization didn't actually invent the sling, they certainly used it effectively as a weapon in their naval battles. In later centuries the bow and finally the cross- bow were developed, and while suited particular- ly well for land operations, they also proved effective as one sailing vessel closed another for boarding and capture. An interesting sidelight in the history of naval weaponry, although out of the field of ordnance, was a kind of crane described by Plutarch, which Hhoisted Roman vessels by the prow, and plunged them to the bottom of the sea. The crane on the fantail of Long Beach has never, at least intentionally, so dispatched any craft, be 14 . .ihilw ZLv.f'A4-x vl ' .. ...-.ma they foes or liberty boats. A unique piece of naval ordnance was reported- ly used by Richard I for when he H. . .set out against the Holy Land, he had in his barges and galleys mills turned by the wind, which, by the force of the sails, threw fire and stones. Gunpowder, as it was introduced into one civili- zation after another, provided a revolution in weaponry. According to the Encyclolbedia Bri- tannica, gunpowder is HA mechanical mixture of saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur. Prepared in the correct proportions it will, when ignited, burn with great rapidity, evolving large quantities of gas. Inflamed in a confined space, the expansile force of the pent-up gases so produced can be used for the propulsion of missiles. There is no certainty as to the actual date of the invention of gunpowder, which was probably somewhat related to the history of the Greek fire. There is evidence that the Chinese knew of the effects of gunpowder several centuries before our era. The common assumption that one Berthold Schwartz invented gunpowder cannot be sub- stantially substantiated. Roger Bacon, who is also frequently mentioned in this connection, was apparently unaware of the propellent qualities of the powder which he described. In fact, saltpetre, the most important ingredient of gunpowder, was not available in refined form Qand the crude vari- ety is useless for military purposesj prior to Bacon's time. It seems, however, that since the second half of the 13th century' gunpowder was employed to expel missiles from projectile weapons. The evolution of weapons during the iweniieth century has been remarkable. Long Beachis Terrier missile system is the shzjnis primary defense against air- borne attack. In the background is the worldfs first nuclear-powered jrzgate USS Bainbridge. . . .. . .W - ....