USS Amsterdam (CL-59)
The USS Amsterdam (CL-59) was laid down as a Cleveland class light cruiser on 1 May 1941 at the Camden shipyards of the New York Shipbuilding Corps. In the emergency caused by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor it was decided to turn a number of the unfinished Cleveland hulls into light aircraft carriers. On 12 February 1942 the Amsterdam was renamed as the Independence (CVL-22), becoming the name ship of the Independence class of carriers. She was launched as a carrier on 22 August 1942 and commissioned on 1 January 1943. The name Amsterdam was then reused on the Cleveland class cruiser CL-101.
US Navy Light Cruisers 1941-45, Mark Stille.
Covers the five classes of US Navy light cruisers that saw service during the Second World War, with sections on their design, weaponry, radar, combat experience. Nicely organised, with the wartime service records separated out from the main text, so that the design history of the light cruisers flows nicely. Interesting to see how new roles had to be found for them, after other technology replaced them as reconnaissance aircraft [
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How to cite this article:
Rickard, J (15 July 2009), USS Amsterdam (CL-59) , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Amsterdam_CL59.html
