USS Albany (CA-123)

USS Albany (CA-123) was a United States Navy Oregon City-class heavy cruiser, later converted to the guided missile cruiser CG-10. The converted cruiser was the lead ship of the new Albany guided missile cruiser class. She was the fourth ship to carry the name Albany.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Albany.
"CA 123" redirects here. For the highway in California, see California State Route 123.

USS Albany (CA-123), during her visit to Copenhagen, Denmark, between 18 and 23 June 1951.
USS Albany (CG-10) in the 1970s. Note the radical difference in her appearance after her conversion to a guided-missile cruiser from a gun cruiser.
History
United States
Name: Albany
Namesake: Albany, New York
Builder: Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, Massachusetts
Laid down: 6 March 1944
Launched: 30 June 1945
Sponsored by: Elizabeth F. Pinckney
Commissioned: 15 June 1946
Decommissioned: 30 June 1958
Reclassified: Guided-missile cruiser, CG-10, 1 November 1958
Recommissioned: 3 November 1962
Decommissioned: 1 March 1967
Recommissioned: 9 November 1968
Decommissioned: 29 August 1980
Stricken: 30 June 1985
Motto: Assiduity (as CG-10)
Fate: Sold for scrapping 12 August 1990
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Oregon City-class heavy cruiser (1946-1958)
Displacement: 13,700 tons
Length: 673 ft 5 in (205.26 m)
Beam: 70 ft 10 in (21.59 m)
Draft: 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)
Speed: 32.6 knots
Complement: 1,969 officers and enlisted
Armament:
General characteristics
Class and type: Albany-class guided-missile cruiser (1962-1980)[1]
Displacement: 17,500 tons full load
Length: 673 ft 5 in (205.26 m)
Beam: 70 ft 10 in (21.59 m)
Draft: 26 ft 11 in (8.20 m)
Propulsion: Geared turbines, 120,000 shp (89.5 MW)
Speed: 32.5 knots
Complement:
  • 1,010
  • As flagship with staff embarked 1,205
Armament:
Aircraft carried: None

The ship was laid down on 6 March 1944 at Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Bethlehem Steel Company, launched on 30 June 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth F. Pinckney, and commissioned on 15 June 1946 at the Boston Navy Yard, Captain Harold A. Carlisle in command.

Service history

Following outfitting and a shakedown cruise in the vicinity of Casco Bay, Maine, Albany began operations along the east coast of the United States punctuated with cruises to the West Indies. During the ensuing months, the cruiser made a number of voyages for the purpose of training naval reservists and NROTC midshipmen. Albany continued to perform such duty until 11 September 1948, when she stood out of Chesapeake Bay for her first tour of duty with the American naval forces operating in the Mediterranean Sea, recently made a permanent establishment as the 6th Fleet. That deployment set the tone for the next decade. The cruiser alternated five assignments to the 6th Fleet with operations along the east coast of the United States and in the West Indies and made three cruises to South American ports. During one of the South American voyages, Albany carried the official United States representative to the inauguration of the President of Brazil in January 1951.[2]

For two years, stretching at least until the autumn of 1955, Albany served as flagship for Commander, Battleship-Cruiser Force, Atlantic.[3]

Conversion to Guided Missile Cruiser

On 30 June 1958, Albany was placed out of commission at the Boston Naval Shipyard to begin conversion to a guided missile cruiser. On 1 November 1958, she was redesignated CG-10. The warship spent the next four years at Boston undergoing very extensive modifications as part of the conversion; stripped down to her hull to be fitted with a new superstructure. Albany was recommissioned at Boston on 3 November 1962 with Captain Ben B. Pickett in command. For almost five years, she alternated deployments to European waters – both to the Mediterranean Sea and to the North Atlantic – with operations along the east coast and in the West Indies. During that time, the cruiser visited many foreign ports and participated in a number of exercises with units of friendly navies. On 1 March 1967, she was decommissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard once again to undergo extensive modifications. Some 20 months later, on 9 November 1968, Albany was placed back in commission at Boston with Captain Allan P. Slaff in command. In 1973, the ship was again decommissioned for overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. It was recommissioned in May 1974 and homeported in Norfolk, VA under the command of Captain John J. Ekelund. Shortly thereafter it became the flagship of the 2nd Fleet.

Between 1976 and 1980, Albany was the flagship of the 6th Fleet, and homeported in Gaeta, Italy.

Decommissioning and disposal

Albany was decommissioned on 29 August 1980 and laid up on the Elizabeth River across from the Norfolk Navy Yard. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 June 1985 but she remained at her berth and held for possible donation as a museum ship in her name sake city for a further 5 years. Though there was serious interest in saving the ship, a feasible museum and financial plan was never realized and she was sold for scrapping on 12 August 1990.[4]

Commemoration

A portion of Albany's bow resides at the Albany County Fairgrounds in Altamont, New York.[5]

The original 14-foot-long (1/48th-scale) brass model of the ship built by the United States Navy to help determine where antenna arrays would go on the actual-size ships was restored in 2013 and is on display at the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center.[6] USS Albany’s bridge equipments like Ship Wheel, Clock, Window, Telephone and more, dining silver sets and items from crew members, shipbuilder plaque and bell are all on display at USS Albany Heritage Exhibit.

Awards

References
  1. Date from navysite.de USS Albany (CG 10)
  2. Stefan Terzibaschitsch: Kreuzer der U.S. Navy. Koehler, Herford 1984. p. 242 ISBN 3-7822-0348-8
  3. John B. Hattendorf, Adm Richard G. Colbert: Pioneer in Building Global Maritime Partnerships, Naval War College Review, Summer 2008, Vol. 61, No. 3, 115.
  4. "Cruiser Photo Index CA-123 / CG-10 USS ALBANY - Navsource - Photographic History of the U.S. Navy".
  5. Stefan Terzibaschitsch: Kreuzer der U.S. Navy. Koehler, Herford 1984. p. 280 ISBN 3-7822-0348-8
  6. Matthew Hamilton (3 September 2013). "Restored to former glory". Times Union.

Bibliography
  • Wright, Christopher C. (1977). "The Tall Ladies...Columbus, Albany & Chicago". Warship International. XIV (2): 104–134. ISSN 0043-0374.

Further reading
  • Albany (Ship : CA-123). USS Albany CA-123: Mediterranean Cruise of 1951. [Place of publication not identified]: [publisher not identified], 1951. OCLC 30880411
  • Albany (Ship : CA-123). The USS Albany: 1955 Mediterranean Cruise. [Place of publication not identified]: [publisher not identified], 1955. OCLC 30881092

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

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