Armored cruiser

The armored cruiser was a naval cruiser protected by armor on its sides as well as on the decks and gun positions. This class was used from around 1875 until World War I, and in auxiliary roles in the 1930s and even during World War II.

Armored cruisers in the US Navy

The first armored cruiser of the United States Navy was the USS Maine, whose explosion in 1898 triggered the Spanish-American War. Launched in 1889, she had 7 to 12 inches (178 to 305 mm) of armor around the sides ("belt armor"), and 1 to 4 inches (25 to 102 mm) on the decks. She was redesignated as a "second class battleship" in 1894, an awkward compromise reflecting slowness compared to other cruisers, and weakness versus the first-line battleships of the time.

Related Topics:
United States Navy - USS ''Maine'' - 1898 - Spanish-American War - 1889 - 1894

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

New York (Armored Cruiser No. 2), launched in 1895, was less well protected than Maine, with 3 inches (76 mm) of belt armor, and 3 to 6 inches (76 to 152 mm) of deck armor. The Brooklyn (Armored Cruiser No. 3) was an improved version of the New York and Olympia designs.

Related Topics:
''New York'' (Armored Cruiser No. 2) - 1895 - ''Brooklyn'' (Armored Cruiser No. 3) - ''Olympia''

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shortly after the Spanish-American War, the Navy built six Pennsylvania class armored cruisers, almost immediately followed by five of the Tennessee class.

Related Topics:
''Pennsylvania'' class - ''Tennessee'' class

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On 17 July 1920, when the standard naval hull numbering nomenclature was adopted, all existing US armored cruisers were merged with protected cruisers in a single class "cruiser" with hull classification symbol "CA", bringing to an end the use of the term in the US. The London Naval Treaty of 1930 essentially abolished the term 'armored cruiser', and adopted the terms heavy cruiser and light cruiser. After this, the symbol "CA" was used to designate 'heavy cruiser'.

Related Topics:
17 July - 1920 - Protected cruiser - Hull classification symbol - London Naval Treaty - 1930 - Heavy cruiser - Light cruiser

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~