Designed from hard-won war experience, the Baltimore class carried a much heavier dual-purpose anti-aircraft battery than earlier US heavy cruisers, reflecting how badly the fleet needed protection from Japanese air attack by the middle years of the Pacific war.
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Bremerton (CA-130) passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, California (USA), in April 1955.USN [1] photo [2] · Public domain · sourceU.S. Navy crewmen in the Main Battery Plot of the guided missile cruiser USS Canberra (CAG-2) work to obtain firing solutions from the ship's fire control computers, during bombardment operations off Vietnam, in March 19Chief Journalist Robert D. Moeser, U.S. Navy · Public domain · sourceTwo Vought OS2U "Kingfisher" floatplanes warming up on the fantail of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-71) prior to catapult launching, probably at the time of the Invasion of Southern France, August 1944. NoteUnknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source