Alaska Bureau Project
Alaska · Tier ★ · Cruiser · U.S.A. · 12 segments. Updated 2026-08-31.
Super-Heavy Cruiser
The introduction of German pocket battleships in the early 1930s, which were potentially very dangerous raiders, led to some concerns in the United States - the Americans didn't have ships capable of overtaking them at that time. Another concerning factor was that the combat characteristics of Japanese heavy cruisers exceeded those of their American counterparts. In the late 1930s, when the reconnaissance indicated that the Japanese were building more powerful combat units, the Americans started searching for an adequate response - creating the super-heavy cruiser.
Choosing the Class of the New Cruiser
Determining the concept of the future cruiser wasn't an easy task. From 1938 through 1940, many draft designs with between four and twelve 305 mm guns were considered. In July 1940, in the midst of World War II, the United States Congress approved a shipbuilding program of an unprecedented scale, the so-called "Two-Ocean Navy" program. Among hundreds of combat units planned for construction, there were six "large cruisers" with 305 mm artillery.
Designing the Hull
One of the main characteristics of the new ships was their high speed. Already during the early stages of the design process, the protection of the carrier task force was added to the list of tasks of the large cruisers. At the same time, the space for the propulsion was limited by the condition that the ship was supposed to be less expensive and, consequently, smaller than a battleship. Creating optimal ship lines that would allow for reaching high speed in such a case was essential.
Propulsion Plant
By the early 1940s, the United States' industry was supplying the fleet with powerful and compact engines. The main zest of these engines were boilers with elevated steam conditions. American shipboard power supplies outmatched those of other countries. To save time and resources when building new ships, their propulsion plants were made consistent and unified. Thus, propulsion plants of large cruisers were identical to those of Essex-class aircraft carriers, which, in turn, was a double propulsion plant of Atlanta-class cruisers.
Main Battery Artillery
Starting in 1939, and lasting for three years, development of a 305 mm Mark 8 gun with a 50-caliber barrel length began, solely for large Alaska-class cruisers. Their long-range firing capabilities and stopping power exceeded those of all artillery systems of the same caliber in the world. Initially, it was planned to install combined armament with twin and triple turrets on Alaska-class cruisers, but naval constructors were actually able to install three triple turrets, thus increasing their firepower.
Dual-Purpose Artillery
The first "dual-purpose" twin turrets with 127 mm Mark 12 guns were introduced in 1939 and became the centerpiece of the AA artillery of almost all large ships of the United States Navy at that time. Large cruisers received Mark 32 mounts. Hefty power drive and solid mechanisms ensured a very high aiming speed. The Mark 32 had a base rate of fire of 15 rounds/min, yet they were capable of increasing it to 22 rounds/min for a short period of time, with each round weighing around 25 kg.
Ship Defense
The task to ensure that the large cruisers had devastating firepower, top speeds, and travel distance without increasing their size to that of battleships, made constructors compromise on ship protection. As a result, the ships didn't have an anti-torpedo armored bulkhead, which significantly reduced their ability to withstand torpedo attacks. But at the same time, the protection of large cruisers had certain advantages - the armor of the main battery guns and steering gears was very solid.
Radio and Electronic Equipment
The field of radio electronics demonstrated rapid progress in the early 1940s. Very quickly, radar equipment began to play a key role in the combat effectiveness of ships. The project of installing the most advanced radio and electronic equipment on Alaska-class cruisers was already in place during their construction. Among numerous antennas on the superstructures of those ships, SK-type radar stood out. With the help of its massive angular-shaped antenna, it was able to detect large, high-flying targets - bombers that were 190 km away, for instance.
Sea Hawk
The order to design a new floating reconnaissance plane to replace the aircraft that were accepted into service in late 1930s was given to Curtiss in mid-1942. One of the aircraft's distinct features was its versatility - it was easy to replace sponsons with wheeled chassis and vice versa. This allowed their use on both land aerodromes and aircraft carriers, as well as with catapults of battleships and cruisers. In October 1944, one of the Alaska-class cruisers received the first production models named Seahawk.
Laying Down the Ships
In September 1940, as a part of the "Two-Ocean Navy" program, an order for the construction of six large cruisers was issued before the design works were over. The order was received by a shipbuilding corporation from New York. It had a wealth of experience in building large ships and sufficient production capacity. On December 17, 1941, at the bank of the Delaware River in Camden, the lead cruiser was laid down.
Cruiser Construction and Launch
The first two ships had extremely high construction rates. On August 15, 1943, only one year and nine months after the ship was laid down, the hull of the lead cruiser, Alaska, was launched. Three months later, she was followed by same-class Guam. The fact that the ships stood somewhere between cruisers and battleships was reflected in their names. Large cruisers were named after the so-called "US territories", as opposed to battleships and cruisers that were named after states and cities.
Entering Service
Cruiser Alaska was commissioned on June 17, 1944. Despite the war being at its peak, the new ship wasn't rushed into battle as the crew had to test the cruiser and check all her systems. By the end of the year, the cruiser had been in two exercise cruises to the West Indies and the Caribbean. After that, she took part in ship-to-shore bombardment training as well as preparations for dealing with airstrikes. It was not until January 8, 1945, that Alaska began her career, setting a course for Pearl Harbor.
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