Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945
CL-62 USS Birmingham
- Cleveland class Light Cruiser:
- Displacement: 10,000 tons
- Length: 610'-610'1"
- Beam: 66'3"-66'4"
- Draft: 24'7"-26'6"
- Speed: 32.5 knots
- Armament: 12 6"/47, 12 5"/38, 3 planes
- Complement: 1214-1475
- Geared turbines, four screws
- Built at Newport News, Va., and commissioned 29 January 1943
Birmingham may have been the unluckiest of the Cleveland class cruisers: torpedoed and bombed at Empress Augusta Bay (Bougainville), 8-9 Nov 43; severely damaged by an explosion on Princeton at Leyte Gulf, 24 Oct 44 (see photos below) -- 237 killed and 426 injured; and struck by a kamikaze at Okinawa on 4 May 45 -- 51 killed and 81 wounded.
Additional Links:
Alongside burning Princeton
Damaged by Princeton explosion
Close-up of damage
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Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-45: Cruisers
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Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945
Last updated:
May 23, 2000