Video
Leahy Class(+Bainbridge Class): Comment Response
Guided Missile CruisersLeahy Class Guided-Missile CruisersNaval Air DefenceNaval LogisticsNaval ProcurementNuclear PropulsionShip ClassificationSurface-to-Air MissilesUS NavyUSS Bainbridge (CGN-25)
Study Leahy Class(+Bainbridge Class): Comment Response, a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 23 Jun 2023, with 14 time notes. Topics include Guided Missile Cruisers, Leahy Class Guided-Missile Cruisers, Naval Air Defence.
Time notes
- 0:28QuestionWhat might Britain have had to give up if it had remained part of the SALT negotiations near the end of the Cold War?AnswerQ&A
Probably little directly, although treaty proportionality might indirectly have forced the Royal Navy to maintain a more balanced fleet.
- 1:23QuestionWould the US Navy benefit from a nuclear-powered Arleigh Burke-type cruiser or destroyer?AnswerQ&A
Possibly, but chiefly as a small carrier-linked escort force whose endurance and sustained speed reduce one major logistical constraint.
- 4:35Missile fits shaped US Navy roles and classificationsNotable Point
Talos, Terrier, and Tartar fits help explain the chronology and equipment behind American cruiser, frigate, and ASW escort roles.
- 7:27NTU performance and naval technology lifecyclesNotable Point
A New Threat Upgrade firing anecdote leads into a broader lesson about mature systems outperforming their early replacements.
- 10:02QuestionWhy were DLG ships described as destroyer leaders, frigates, and later cruisers?AnswerQ&A
The terms reflect a mix of build designation, mission, and changing US Navy classification practice rather than one fixed ship type.
- 11:16QuestionShould the US Navy have continued building nuclear destroyer leaders or cruisers, and what might a nuclear Burke-based cruiser look like?AnswerQ&A
Perhaps, but a credible design would need a larger strengthened hull, a defined command-and-aviation role, and a costed solution for reactor and electrical-system demands.
- 12:37Tartar, Terrier, Talos, and the Standard lineageChapter
The dimensions and shared engineering behind Tartar, Terrier, Talos, and later Standard variants reveal a branching missile lineage.
- 13:21VLS cell length as a fleet-design constraintNotable Point
Vertical-launch cell dimensions explain why nominally similar missile ships can have very different weapon options.
- 15:14Standard Missile chronology and shared guidanceNotable Point
A correction separates service-entry dates from the way guidance technology moved between Tartar, Terrier, Talos, and Standard Missile development.
- 16:40Long Beach, armour, and cruiser lineageNotable Point
A claim that USS Long Beach was the last armoured cruiser prompts a useful distinction between thick structural steel and purpose-designed armour.
- 17:22What NTU changed beyond the missileNotable Point
The New Threat Upgrade combined more engagement channels and command guidance with a stronger booster and added protection around missile spaces.
- 17:59QuestionWould a nuclear-powered Burke reduce carrier-group logistics enough to justify the dockyard and personnel burden?AnswerQ&A
Only in a specialized carrier-escort role, where sustained speed and range can outweigh concentrated maintenance and nuclear-engineering costs.
- 19:39QuestionWould political concern over a reactor accident keep nuclear surface escorts too far from combat to be useful?AnswerQ&A
A nuclear carrier group already takes a carrier and usually a nuclear submarine into the same operational risk.
- 20:48A nuclear escort as command and sensor shipNotable Point
The most persuasive nuclear-cruiser concept adds aviation, squadron command, powerful radar, and electrical margin rather than only more missile cells.