USS Des Moines (CA-134)

The USS Des Moines (CA-134) was a Des Moines-class heavy cruiser in service in the United States Navy from November 16, 1948 to July 6, 1961. It would later spend the next forty-three years decommissioned before being rebuilt as part of the USN's CGX Program to design and build a large multi-role cruiser to replace the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers. It would be commissioned on September 18, 2006 at Bath, Pennsylvania. Des Moines' rebuild would cost over $1 billion USD.

Des Moines ' rebuild would replace almost its entire superstructure, and the engines were replaced with the de-rigeur GE gas turbines and GM cruise diesels that powered all other CF vessels, linked to the shafts via gearboxes. The five-inch guns were rebuilt, so that three of the two-gun turrets still existed, but each of the six guns had an automatic loader, which could fire as fast as the similar guns of the Spruance, Ticonderoga and Arleigh Burke-class vessels. The rear five-inch turrets were removed entirely, their space fitted with a Mk-41 Vertical Launch assembly and four Harpoon missile launchers, as well as all of the radars and electronics neccessary for them. The single stack was removed and two much smaller ones were fitted to the sides of the old stack locations, while the space where the stack used to be was filled with desalinization gear and the second large electronics tower. Two 3" guns, two Phalanx CIWS units, a pair of Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers, a Beartrap-equipped helicopter pad and electronic warfare systems completed the rebuild. The ship's crew was dropped all the way from 1,670 to 800, and those 800 had the best accomodations in the USN, taking advantage of the latest communications technologies to allow internet access, televisions, a gym, satellite telephones and multiple-area climate control.

Specifications (2004 Rebuild)

 * Type: Heavy Cruiser (Hull designation symbol CA)
 * Rebuilders: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Pennsylvania
 * Characteristics
 * Length: 740 feet 6 inches (225.7 meters)
 * Beam: 76 feet 6 inches (23.32 meters)
 * Draft: 27 feet 6 inches (8.38 meters)
 * Displacement: 22,650 tons (full load)
 * Crew: 805 (126 officers and 679 enlisted)
 * Power: 162,000 shp
 * Propulsion: 4 x General Electric LM2500+ Gas Turbines, 4 x General Motors Model 265 turbodiesel cruise engines, CODAG propulsion
 * Range: 12,500 nautical miles (23,150 km) at 15 knots
 * Speed: 32.5 Knots (60.19 Kilometers/Hour; 37.4 Miles/Hour)
 * Sensor Suite:
 * AN/SPY-1D(V) 3D Search Radar
 * AN/SPQ-9B Fire Control Radar
 * AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar
 * AN/SQS-53C Sonar Array
 * AN/SPS-67(V)2 Surface Search Radar
 * AN/SPS-73(V)12 Surface Search Radar
 * Countermeasures
 * AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures Suite
 * AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare Suite
 * AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF Buoys
 * Mark 36 Mod 12 SRBOC Decoy Launching System
 * Armament:
 * 9 x 8"/55-caliber Mark 71 Mod 1 naval guns
 * 6 x 5"/62-caliber Mark 45 Mod 4 naval guns
 * 2 x 3"/70-caliber Mark 26 Mod 1 naval guns
 * 1 x 64-cell Mk.41 VLS (fits RGM-109 Tomahawk, RUM-139 VL-ASROC, RIM-156 SM-2ER, RIM-161 SM-3, and RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-174 ERAM)
 * 4 x Mk.141 RGM-84 Harpoon missile launchers (16 missiles)
 * 2 x Mk.49 Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers (42 missile cells, plus reloads)
 * 2 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS
 * Armour:
 * Belt: 6 inches (152.4mm)
 * Turrets: 8 inches (203.2mm)
 * Deck: 3.5 inches (88.9mm)
 * Conning Tower: 6.5 inches (165.1mm)
 * Aircraft Carried: 2 x MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters