I was on the USS Longbeach from July 76 to July 79
The nuclear powered guided missile cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9) under construction at the Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, Massachusetts on 2 July 1959.
Longbeach was notable for being the last cruiser of the USN to use a traditional cruiser style hull based on those used during World War II. Following cruisers would be built on Frigate or Destroyer hulls.
The United States Navy hoped to refit all of its nuclear cruisers and convert them into AEGIS equipped warships. USS Long Beach would have received a radical new appearance, losing her entire superstructure for a newer, more compact type.
Her weaponry was never sorted out as several different proposals were considered. She would have likely carried a heavy battery of harpoon anti-ship missiles. Proposals show either Mark 26 missile launchers (As seen in the photo) or potentially VLS for the anti-air missiles. For guns, the refitted Long Beach was depicted in both single and doubled ended configurations. More than likely two 5"/54 guns would have been carried, but a few proposals saw as many as two 8"/55 Mark 71 guns being carried.
Unfortunately, budget cuts in the early 1990s as well as a shift away from nuclear powered cruisers saw the proposals canned with Long Beach being decommissioned soon after.
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