Originally built as Cleveland-class light cruisers in the American People's 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 5-inch (127 mm) and one triple 6-inch (152 mm) 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 5-inch (127 mm) and two triple 6-inch (152 mm) 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.
Specifications[]
APNS Little Rock and APNS Oklahoma City[]
- Type: Guided Missile Light Cruiser
- Service Period: 1958-1974
- Characteristics:
- Length: 610 feet 1 inch (185.95 meters)
- Beam: 66 feet 3 inches (20.19 meters)
- Draft: 24 feet 7 inches (7.49 meters)
- Displacement: 15,025 tons
- Crew: 1,120 officers and enlisted
- Propulsion: 4 × 634 psi boilers, steam turbines, 4 shafts, 100,000 shp
- Range:
- Speed: 32.5 knots (60.19 km/h)
- Armament:
- 3 x 6"/47-caliber Mk.XV naval guns (1x3)
- 2 x 5"/38-caliber Mk.XII dual purpose naval guns (1x2)
- 1 x Mk.9 twin arm missile launcher (fires RIM-2 Terrier SAMs)
- Armour:
- Belt: 5-inches (127mm)
- Turrets: 6-inches (152.4mm)
- Bridge: 2-inches (50.8mm)
- Conning Tower: 6-inches (152.4mm)
APNS Topeka[]
- Type: Guided Missile Light Cruiser
- Service Period: 1958-1974
- Characteristics:
- Length: 610 feet 1 inch (185.95 meters)
- Beam: 66 feet 3 inches (20.19 meters)
- Draft: 24 feet 7 inches (7.49 meters)
- Displacement: 15,025 tons
- Crew: 1,120 officers and enlisted
- Propulsion: 4 × 634 psi boilers, steam turbines, 4 shafts, 100,000 shp
- Range:
- Speed: 32.5 knots (60.19 km/h)
- Armament:
- 6 x 6"/47-caliber Mk.XV naval guns (2x3)
- 6 x 5"/38-caliber Mk.XII dual purpose naval guns (3x2)
- 1 x Mk.9 twin arm missile launcher (fires RIM-2 Terrier SAMs)
- Armour:
- Belt: 5-inches (127mm)
- Turrets: 6-inches (152.4mm)
- Bridge: 2-inches (50.8mm)
- Conning Tower: 6-inches (152.4mm)
Unit Run[]
- APNS Providence (CLG-06)
- APNS Springfield (CLG-07)
- APNS Topeka (CLG-08)