Key Points and Summary on Alaska-Class – The U.S. Navy’s WWII-era Alaska-class ships were unique and powerful warships, essentially a hybrid of a battlecruiser and a heavy cruiser.
-Armed with nine 12-inch guns, they were faster than battleships but more heavily armed than cruisers.
-They were conceived in the 1930s to counter German “pocket battleships” and a new class of Japanese super cruisers that never materialized.
-Due to this, and their late entry into the war in 1945, the two completed ships, USS Alaska and USS Guam, were left without a clear mission, primarily serving as anti-aircraft escorts for carriers before being scrapped in the 1960s.
Alaska-class: Fast, Heavily-Armed — and Lacking a Clear Adversary
The United States Navy’s Alaska-class was a relatively short-lived and highly unique class of ships, notable both for their armament and speed, as well as the debate that surrounded their classification within the American Navy during the Second World War era.
In essence, a hybrid class of ships, they were dubbed large cruisers, though they arguably were closer to the battlecruiser designation in actuality.
Compared to heavy cruisers, they were larger and more heavily armed, whereas compared to battleships, they were less armored, though faster.
Origins of the Alaska-Class
The class’ origin story begins with a perceived need in the 1930s to counter Germany’s pocket battleships, such as the Deutschland-class, as well as the super cruisers that the Imperial Japanese Navy was reportedly preparing to bring into service.
Although not rooted in fantasy, the double threat of the Germans in the Atlantic and the Japanese in the Pacific ultimately did not materialize in quite the way American naval planners had anticipated.
Weapons
The Alaska-class’s main batteries, nine 12-inch guns mounted in triple turrets, were to give the ships adequate firepower against even the largest of the capital ships.
Compared to older 14-inch main guns of the previous generation of battleships, the Tennessee-class and New Mexico-class battleships, built before the Washington Naval Treaty which governed the capital ship numbers, tonnage, and other specifics of the world’s leading naval powers during the 1920s and 1930s, the Alaska’s main guns were superior.
Curtailed Service Record
Despite the promise held by the new class of ships, only two of the six planned Alaska-class battleships were completed and saw service: the USS Alaska, the class’s lead ship, and the USS Guam, the second of the class. The U.S. Navy launched a third Alaska-class ship, the USS Hawaii, though that ship was never completed.
The crux of the Alaska-class’s issue was their introduction into service relatively late in World War II. Their limited combat, primarily involving the bombardment of shore targets in support of amphibious assaults and protecting carrier strike groups, led to their decommissioning following Japan’s surrender.
Additionally, the ships lacked a clear adversary, as the types of ships they were built to engage did not materialize in a significant way.
In particular, the war in the Pacific was one fought and won largely by naval aviation and the aircraft carrier. Large battleships and cruisers alike would prove vulnerable to concerted air campaigns, blunting the Alaska-class’s potential usefulness.
“Alaska and Guam left the United States and joined up with Task Force 58 at the Ulithi Atoll fleet anchorage in February and March 1945, respectively. Since the Imperial Japanese Navy was almost all at the bottom of the Pacific by this point in the war, the ships provided anti-aircraft defense for the aircraft carriers and took part in shore bombardment missions,” The National WWII Museum explains.
“For the Alaska and Guam, there would be no battle against Japanese battlecruisers, trading salvo for salvo in an epic struggle for supremacy of the seas.”
Alaska-Class In 4 Words: Obsolete Before They Sailed
“During the summer of 1945, the Alaska and Guam conducted several shore bombardment missions and even sailed into the East China and Yellow Seas to find Japanese shipping, but found few targets. After the surrender of the Japanese, both ships went to Korea to provide assistance in the transfer of power to the Allies,” The National WWII Museum states.
“Both also participated in Operation Magic Carpet, the repatriation of American forces back home from overseas. With the end of the war, the US Navy had hundreds of ships that were either surplus or obsolete and no longer needed. Alaska and Guam were placed in reserve in New Jersey, where they sat until scrapped in the 1960s.”
It probably wasn’t the end that the U.S. Navy anticipated for the Alaska-class. However, very little about their service matched what had been anticipated either.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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