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War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Chris Knupp
Determining what would have been the greatest heavy cruiser would be a challenging task. Very successful designs were put to sea by a variety of nations. However, there was one cruiser that was born from all cruisers before it. This class of warship took the lessons from World War 2 and was designed around them. The vessel I speak of is the Des Moines class cruiser. A little-known cruiser due to its late introduction, the Des Moines found itself overshadowed by the emergence of ship-launched missiles. Despite serving for almost 25 years, their capabilities are largely unknown. What makes these ships the greatest heavy cruiser designs and how were they developed as such?
The Design
USS Newport News (Des Moines class) alongside USS Boston (Baltimore class). The Larger size of the Des Moines class is evident, especially her larger turrets.