Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:38:10-2:40:14

Scaling US missile destroyers below Long Beach

Even with a 21,000-ton Long Beach, Leahy and Farragut derivatives remain distinctly smaller destroyer leaders rather than matching the flagship cruiser.

Farragut Class Destroyers (1958)Guided Missile CruisersGuided Missile DestroyersLeahy Class Guided-Missile CruisersUS NavyUSS Long Beach (CGN-9)Warship Design
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Question

How large would Leahy- and Farragut-derived missile ships become if Long Beach displaced about 21,000 tons?

Short answer

Likely around 11,000 to 12,000 tons, still much smaller than Long Beach because they remained destroyer-leader designs.

Notes

Historical Leahy-class ships were about half Long Beach's full-load displacement and grew from destroyer-hull thinking. Enlarging Long Beach to roughly 21,000 tons would raise the surrounding design environment without erasing that relationship. Later leaders might fall in the 11,000-to-12,000-ton region rather than above 20,000 tons. The estimate settles slightly above 10,000 tons because a design would be expected to fall clearly below or above that figure, although no detailed design is worked out.