Tuesday, November 03, 2015 - 10:05 PM UTC
The latest pictorial (Number 43) from CWP is for the Alaska Class cruisers. 6 were planned but only two of these vessels were built.
From Wikipedia:
They were officially classed as large cruisers (CB), but others have regarded them as battlecruisers. They were all to be named after territories or insular areas of the United States, signifying their intermediate status between larger battleships and smaller heavy and lighter cruisers. Alaska and Guam (the only two built) served with the U.S. Navy for the last year of World War II as bombardment ships and fast carrier escorts. They were decommissioned in 1947 after spending only 32 and 29 months in service, respectively.

The idea for a large cruiser class originated in the early 1930s when the U.S. Navy sought to counter Deutschland-class "pocket battleships" being launched by Germany. Planning for ships that eventually evolved into the Alaska class began in the late 1930s after the deployment of Germany's Scharnhorst-class battleships and rumors that Japan was constructing a new battlecruiser class. To serve as "cruiser-killers" capable of seeking out and destroying these post-Treaty heavy cruisers, the class was given large guns of a new and expensive design, limited armor protection against 12-inch shells, and machinery capable of speeds of about 31–33 knots (36–38 mph, 58–61 km/h).

Listed for $18.00 (US) plus shipping from the CWB webstore.
Click Star to Rate
2 readers have rated this story.
Get a daily email with links to all our latest news, reviews, and features.

Comments

This a must have, especially with two 1/350 kits due. As for two built (Alaska and Guam) there was also Hawaii which was launched and was fitting out but never completed.
NOV 03, 2015 - 11:01 PM
I have talked to my distributor at Merit and they have not determined the release date yet. Can't wait till they do. They are a must have along with this reference
NOV 04, 2015 - 06:01 AM
Dave I can't wait for these from Merit, I was going to get the Blue Ridge resin ones but Merit saved my wallet. The reference will come in handy and I've liked these ships since I first came across them many years ago. They were a bit of a weird ship though in that they were not a Battlecruiser per say but also too big to be heavy cruisers so the US Navy called them large cruisers.
NOV 04, 2015 - 12:29 PM
Just checked and found I can order this book and add it to the store inventory. As we said, a must have.
NOV 04, 2015 - 04:16 PM
THIS STORY HAS BEEN READ 3,989 TIMES.
ADVERTISEMENT

Classic Warships Publishing ReviewsMORE

ADVERTISEMENT