USS Tallahassee (CL-61) under construction, 1 July 1941
|
|
The USS Tallahassee (CL-61) was laid down as a Cleveland-class light cruiser in June 1941, but early in 1942 she became one of nine unfinished Clevelands that were completed as light aircraft carriers. She became the CVL-23 on 16 February 1942 and the Princeton on 31 March 1942, before being launched on 18 October and commissioned on 25 February 1943. The Princeton was sunk on 24 October 1944, making her the only one of the Cleveland class cruisers or the related Independence class carriers to be sunk by the Japanese. The name Tallahassee was allocated to the Cleveland class cruiser CL-116 but that ship was cancelled at the end of the war.
USS Tallahassee (CL-61) under construction, 1 July 1941
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 [read full review]
