Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:29:11-4:29:46

Missile cruisers descended from the Alaska class

A design-lineage counterfactual contrasts destroyer-derived Ticonderoga with the enormous missile capacity of an Alaska-descended cruiser.

Alaska Class Large CruisersCruisersStrike CruiserTiconderoga Class CruisersUS NavyVertical Launch Systems
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Question

What might US missile cruisers look like if their design lineage continued from the Alaska class into the nuclear age?

Short answer

They would resemble the large strike-cruiser concepts rather than Ticonderoga, with far greater displacement and perhaps 192 or more VLS cells.

Notes

The discussion distinguishes Ticonderoga's destroyer-leader lineage from the proposed continuation of a large-cruiser line. Following the latter path would produce something closer to the strike-cruiser studies. Starting specifically from Alaska would lead to especially large ships. Their hypothetical magazine capacity is put at 192 or more vertical-launch cells.