US Navy WWII Alaska-Class Battlecruisers “Bombarded” Okinawa

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington DC) The famous WWII-era Alaska-Class Battlecruisers were developed as far back as the 1930s to counter large German ships emerging during the lead-up to WWII. Of a planned class of six ships, only three were actually built and two were commissioned into service during WWII.

USS Alaska, USS Guam and USS Hawaii Ships

The two WWII Alaska-class ships, the USS Alaska and USS Guam, performed critical duties during the war in the Pacific. The USS Alaska and USS Guam were both used to screen and protect aircraft carriers in the Pacific and provided “shore bombardment” at Okinawa.

A third Alaska-class cruiser called the USS Hawaii was built but never commissioned.

The ships were designed and built as major WWII-era maritime warfare platforms with Mk 8 guns mounted in three-gun turrets, according to NavWeapons.com. Such shore-bombardment weapons were of critical importance during the WWII era.

Video Above: Carrier Survivability

It was prior to the advent of precision-fired weaponry able to track and pinpoint targets from greater stand-off ranges. The Alaska-class Battlcruisers proved critical in supporting amphibious assaults by blanketing attacked area defenses with suppressive fire as forces moved onto the land and delivered weapons and equipment.