Long Beach moved from the light-cruiser designation CLGN-160 through CGN-160 to CGN-9 as the Navy's categories changed around guided-missile ships. Her reported commissioning cost rose from an estimated $250 million to about $320 million. For an unprecedented 1950s nuclear warship, that overrun appears surprisingly modest rather than evidence of simple failure. The section also tracks later Phalanx installation and the replacement of the after Talos launcher by Harpoon while ASROC and the 5-inch/38 guns remained, showing how the ship's weapons mix evolved over her career.
Chapter · 25:24-27:48
Designation, cost growth, and a changing weapons fit
Long Beach's changing designations, roughly 30-percent cost growth, and later Phalanx and Harpoon changes reveal the procurement history of a one-off experimental cruiser.