USS Chicago

 

Four United States Navy ships have been named USS Chicago, after the city of Chicago, Illinois.

• USS Chicago (1885) was a protected cruiser launched in 1885 and active in World War I as a submarine tender, then a barracks ship, finally being renamed Alton in 1928 and lost at sea while under tow in 1936.
• USS Chicago (CA-29) was a Northampton-class heavy cruiser commissioned in 1931 and active in World War II, until lost at the Battle of Rennell Island in January 1943.
• USS Chicago (CA-136) was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, commissioned in 1945; later converted to an Albany-class guided missile cruiser and redesignated CG-11, then struck in 1984.
• USS Chicago (SSN-721) is a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine commissioned in 1986, retired from active service in 2023.

USS Chicago CA-136 began her career as a Baltimore Class heavy cruiser. She saw action during the bombardment of the Japanese Islands in the closing months of World War II. After the war, the ship was converted to a guided missile cruiser and re-designated CG-11. The ship served with distinction including 5 deployments to Vietnam during the war. On her fifth cruise, the Chicago along with USS Long Beach was protecting A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II aircraft during the mining of Hai Phong harbor. On May 9, 1971 she downed a MiG at long range using her forward Talos missile battery. The ship was eventually decommissioned in 1980 and broken up. Her anchor survives on display at Navy Pier in Chicago, Ill.