US Navy Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers
This title explores the history of the US Navy's guided missile cruisers, its most powerful surface ships during the Cold War, which were tasked with protecting carrier groups, acting as flagships, and engaging in surface actions from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf.

Faced with an increasingly formidable antiship cruise missile threat from the Soviet Union in the early days of the Cold War, and with the recent memory of the kamikaze threat from World War II, the USN. placed a great priority on developing air defense cruise missiles and getting them to sea to protect the fleet. The first of these missiles were sizable, necessitating large ships to carry them and their sensors, which resulted in the conversion of a mix of heavy and light cruisers. These ships, tasked with protecting carrier groups and acting as flagships, entered service from 1955 and served until 1980.

The cruisers served in the front lines of the Cold War and many saw combat service, engaging in surface actions from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. Complementing the conventionally-powered missile cruisers was a much smaller number of expensive nuclear-powered cruisers, including the Long Beach, the USN's largest-ever missile cruiser. Until replaced by the Ticonderoga and Burke classes of Aegis ships, the USN's 38 missile cruisers were the most capable and important surface combatants in the fleet and served all over the globe during the Cold War. Using specially commissioned artwork and meticulous research, this illustrated title explores the story of these cruisers in unparalleled detail, revealing the history behind their development and employment.

"1130946566"
US Navy Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers
This title explores the history of the US Navy's guided missile cruisers, its most powerful surface ships during the Cold War, which were tasked with protecting carrier groups, acting as flagships, and engaging in surface actions from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf.

Faced with an increasingly formidable antiship cruise missile threat from the Soviet Union in the early days of the Cold War, and with the recent memory of the kamikaze threat from World War II, the USN. placed a great priority on developing air defense cruise missiles and getting them to sea to protect the fleet. The first of these missiles were sizable, necessitating large ships to carry them and their sensors, which resulted in the conversion of a mix of heavy and light cruisers. These ships, tasked with protecting carrier groups and acting as flagships, entered service from 1955 and served until 1980.

The cruisers served in the front lines of the Cold War and many saw combat service, engaging in surface actions from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. Complementing the conventionally-powered missile cruisers was a much smaller number of expensive nuclear-powered cruisers, including the Long Beach, the USN's largest-ever missile cruiser. Until replaced by the Ticonderoga and Burke classes of Aegis ships, the USN's 38 missile cruisers were the most capable and important surface combatants in the fleet and served all over the globe during the Cold War. Using specially commissioned artwork and meticulous research, this illustrated title explores the story of these cruisers in unparalleled detail, revealing the history behind their development and employment.

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US Navy Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers

US Navy Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers

US Navy Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers

US Navy Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers

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Overview

This title explores the history of the US Navy's guided missile cruisers, its most powerful surface ships during the Cold War, which were tasked with protecting carrier groups, acting as flagships, and engaging in surface actions from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf.

Faced with an increasingly formidable antiship cruise missile threat from the Soviet Union in the early days of the Cold War, and with the recent memory of the kamikaze threat from World War II, the USN. placed a great priority on developing air defense cruise missiles and getting them to sea to protect the fleet. The first of these missiles were sizable, necessitating large ships to carry them and their sensors, which resulted in the conversion of a mix of heavy and light cruisers. These ships, tasked with protecting carrier groups and acting as flagships, entered service from 1955 and served until 1980.

The cruisers served in the front lines of the Cold War and many saw combat service, engaging in surface actions from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. Complementing the conventionally-powered missile cruisers was a much smaller number of expensive nuclear-powered cruisers, including the Long Beach, the USN's largest-ever missile cruiser. Until replaced by the Ticonderoga and Burke classes of Aegis ships, the USN's 38 missile cruisers were the most capable and important surface combatants in the fleet and served all over the globe during the Cold War. Using specially commissioned artwork and meticulous research, this illustrated title explores the story of these cruisers in unparalleled detail, revealing the history behind their development and employment.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781472835260
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 02/18/2020
Series: New Vanguard , #278
Pages: 48
Sales rank: 980,336
Product dimensions: 7.00(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Mark E. Stille (Commander, United States Navy, retired) spent his naval career as an intelligence officer serving on the Joint Staff, the faculty of the Naval War College, and in the ship's company of two aircraft carriers. He is the author of over 40 Osprey titles, focusing on the naval history of the Pacific War. He recently retired from government service after a total of 39 years in the intelligence community and now lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Introduction /Missile Cruiser Design and Weaponry/Conventional Cruiser Classes /Nuclear Cruiser Classes /Analysis and Conclusion /Bibliography /Index
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