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HISTORY |
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HISTORY |
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Displacement-tons
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10,670 standard, 14,600 full load
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Length-feet
(meters)
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600(182.9) waterline, 610(185.9)overall
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Beam-feet
(meters)
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66.3(20.2)
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Draft-feet
(meters)
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25(7.6)
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Main Engines
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4 geared steam turbines (General Electric),
100,000 shp,4 shafts |
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Boilers
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4 (Babcock & Wilcox)
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Speed
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31.6 knots
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Armament
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Catapults
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Two
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Aircraft
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Three - Curtis SeaHawks
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Cost
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$31,000,000
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On 30 January 1957 LITTLE ROCK entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for conversion. Re-designated CLG 4 on 23 May 1957. The conversion work was done at New York Shipbuilding Corp. (Camden, New Jersey). She became one of a small number of ships that bridged the gap between the all gun Navy to the highly sophisticated missile ships of the new millennium. All but one 6in turret (No 1) and one 5in mount forward were removed. She was fitted with added communications, office and living spaces to accommodate a Fleet Commander and staff. Her complement was 1,680 officers and men (including fleet staff).
After conversion the main battery was the TALOS missile system with one twin launcher aft. The superstructure was enlarged to support new larger radar antenna as well as missile fire control equipment. She carried 46 Talos missiles. (Click on 'TALOS' above for more info) The conversion was completed in June 1960 and she was re-commissioned 3 June 1960.
LITTLE ROCK had served as Flagship for Commander Cruiser Division Four, Commander Second Fleet, and Commander Sixth Fleet up to the time this writer joined the crew in 1965. She was at that time CommSecFleet Flag and soon thereafter was relieved by the USS NEWPORT-NEWS. After an extended ship-yard stay during 1965-66, in Portsmouth Va. at the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Norfolk Naval Shipyard the LITTLE ROCK began her second deployment as Sixth Fleet Flagship when she relieved the USS SPRINGFIELD on 25 January 1967 and changed her home port to Gaeta, Italy.
Her keel was laid with the world in a devastating "HOT" war, during her watch the "COLD" war came about and she was one of the agents of peace and of her country winning that great war. She goes into history with a big 'WELL DONE' knowing she had a part to play in the fall of the USSR and its brand of communism.
She was re-designated to CG-4 in June 1975, de-commissioned and stricken 22 November 1976. She was transferred to Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park!
The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park opened to the public on 30 June 1979. It is the largest inland naval park of its kind in the United States. Not only is it home to the USS Little Rock (CLG-4) ,but also the destroyer USS The Sullivans (DD-537) , and a Submarine USS Croaker (SSK-246) . The USS LITTLE ROCK ASSOCIATION was formed in 1991 and is an association of servicemen and their spouses and or children and grandchildren who support with dues and contributions, repairs and upkeep on the ship, publish a newsletter, and organizes an annual reunion .(Click above to go to their web site and get more information.)
