Why USS Long Beach stands out among nuclear cruisers

What was the best nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser operated by the United States Navy?

Dr. Clarke chooses USS Long Beach because she was the last American cruiser hull designed from the outset as a guided-missile ship, despite her boxy superstructure.

The Virginia class also earns praise, but Long Beach represents a distinct purpose-built guided-missile cruiser rather than a smaller derivative. Her box-like superstructure reflected the technology and arrangement of an early missile ship. The panel treats that appearance as an aesthetic quirk rather than a reason to discount the purpose-built hull and its place in American cruiser development. The preference rests on design intent and cruiser identity rather than nuclear propulsion alone.