USS Des Moines

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Q1781903




USS Des Moines (CA-134) was the lead ship of the class of United States Navy (USN) heavy cruisers. She was the first USN ship to mount the auto-loading 8-inch (203 mm) Mark 16 guns, the first large-caliber auto-loading guns in the world. She was the second ship of the USN to be commissioned with the name of the city of Des Moines, capital of Iowa. Launched 1946, she was commissioned in 1948. She saw duty around the world until her decommissioning in 1961 when she was permanently mothballed. A 1981 survey was done to determine if she was worthy of reactivation for the 600-ship Navy, but the cost was too great so she remained in the reserve. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1993, which was followed by a campaign to turn her into a museum ship. The campaign failed, and in 2005 she was sold for scrapping, and she was broken up by July 7. Parts of the ship have been donated to various places for display, including at the USS Salem museum, which is the only Des Moines-class ship to avoid the scrapyard.

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CA-134; Des Moines
speed 33 knot, 
Des Moines-class cruiser, heavy cruiser, Bethlehem SteelUnited States Navy

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Location: 41.703, -93.7116, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
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  • USS Des Moines
    1946 Des Moines-class cruiser
1945-05-28T00:00:00Z
1945-05-28T00:00:00Z
keel laying
1961-07-06T00:00:00Z
1961-07-06T00:00:00Z
ship decommissioning
1946-09-27T00:00:00Z
1946-09-27T00:00:00Z
ship launching
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USS Des Moines (CA-134) underway at sea, circa in the late 1950sUSS Des Moines (CA-134) underway at sea, circa in the late 1950s
USS Des Moines (CA-134) underway, circa in the late 1950sUSS Des Moines (CA-134) underway, circa in the late 1950s
USS Des Moines (CA-134) underway, circa in 1954USS Des Moines (CA-134) underway, circa in 1954
USS Des Moines (CA-134) and USS Northampton (CLC-1) at Mallorca c1960USS Des Moines (CA-134) and USS Northampton (CLC-1) at Mallorca c1960
CA 134 Des Moines (19-NN-CA 134 Des Moines-136385) - DPLA - 97ec7f5a4e193b8acecd65cca215879bCA 134 Des Moines (19-NN-CA 134 Des Moines-136385) - DPLA - 97ec7f5a4e193b8acecd65cca215879b
USS Des Moines (CA-134) at anchor c1951USS Des Moines (CA-134) at anchor c1951
HMS Warrior (R31), USS Des Moines (CA-134) and HMS Gambia (48) at Malta, circa in 1951 (IWM A32043)HMS Warrior (R31), USS Des Moines (CA-134) and HMS Gambia (48) at Malta, circa in 1951 (IWM A32043)
USS Manley (DD-940) passing USS Des Moines (CA-134) c1959USS Manley (DD-940) passing USS Des Moines (CA-134) c1959
CA 134 Des Moines (19-NN-CA 134 Des Moines-133136) - DPLA - 094e44882fa7c3fec3bef0d99c8535c5CA 134 Des Moines (19-NN-CA 134 Des Moines-133136) - DPLA - 094e44882fa7c3fec3bef0d99c8535c5
CA 134 Des Moines (19-NN-CA 134 Des Moines-133135) - DPLA - 979004b740540f790e7a6ef009a44cf3CA 134 Des Moines (19-NN-CA 134 Des Moines-133135) - DPLA - 979004b740540f790e7a6ef009a44cf3