USS Brooklyn CL-40 Patch

US NAVY SHIPS THE USS BROOKLYN CL-40 PATCH The Brooklyn class light cruisers were the US Navy's first attempt at a 'light cruiser' built under the terms of the London Treaty of 1930. This treaty banned the construction of 8' gun heavy cruisers, on which the US Navy had previously focused its efforts. Probably the most noticeable feature of the class is the gun layout, an unprecedented fifteen 6' guns in five turrets, three forward and two aft. As the US Navy studied the feasibility of a 10,000 ton cruiser, the Brooklyn design started off from where the New Orleans class heavy cruisers left off. But the advent of Japan's Mogami class cruisers, which featured fifteen 6' guns, led to the requirement that Brooklyn carry at least as many. The distinctive three turrets forward, two aft configuration was unique among US Cruisers, but the Brooklyns shared this configuration with the Japanese Mogamis. The general outline of the gun mounts as undoubtely copied from the Japanese Takao class heavy cruisers. The ships, with its 6' main gun, ended up as a totally revised design, being the source of all subsequent US cruiser designs up to the Des Moines class. The class was unique in different respects, as they were the first flushdeck cruisers, which was necessary because the ships were to receive a hangar in the stern, belowdecks. The Brooklyn class had a number of differences between its member ships, amd the last two units -- St. Louis and Helena -- are treated as a separate class. The first seven ships had a highly different superstructure layout. The final two ships received twin mounts for their secondary armament and the later 127mm L/38, while the earlier ships kept their 127mm L/25 in open mounts. The design of the Brooklyn-class light cruisers was validated through wargaming. The result was very sturdy ships that survived many kamikaze attacks during WWII. All of these ships except Savannah and Honolulu found their way into foreign navies after the end of the War. The only ship of this class lost in combat was the Phoenix during the Falklands Conflict in 1982, she had been sold to Argentina and renamed General Belgrano. - TWILL FLAT EDGE WITH CLOTH BACKING