The U.S. Navy’s WWII-era Alaska-class ships were unique and powerful warships, essentially a hybrid of a battlecruiser and a heavy cruiser. -Armed with nine 12-inch guns, they were faster than ...

Summary and Key Points: The Baltimore-class heavy cruisers, although less famous than Iowa-class battleships, played a key role in World War II by protecting U.S. Navy carrier groups and ...

In 1968, the Boston-class guided-missile cruisers were reclassified back to heavy cruiser (CAs), in large part because of consistent shore bombardments during the Vietnam War using their 8-inch guns.