Chicago received the busiest operational career of the three Albany-class conversions. She made five deployments to Vietnam, remained in commission until 1980, and was not struck until 1984. The cruiser performed heavy work throughout that extended service life. Her record provides a counterweight to the earlier procurement criticism: the rebuild was slow, but the finished ship delivered sustained Cold War employment.
Chapter · 15:00-16:10
Chicago repaid a slow conversion with heavy service
Chicago's five Vietnam deployments and survival in service until 1980 contrast sharply with the five years required to rebuild her.