The USS Alaska (CB-1) was a large, powerful and extremely capable ship built during the Second World War. Going by statistics alone, one could easily confuse her for a battleship, despite the fact she was a large cruiser. This formidable vessel was fast and armed to the teeth, but, due to her late commissioning and the drastically different war conditions from when she was ordered, she had limited use in the conflict.
The USS Alaska was the lead ship in the Alaska-class of large cruisers. The class was intended to be a family of six vessels, but only Alaska and the USS Guam (CB-2) were completed, while a third was canceled during construction.
They were the largest cruisers built by the United States during World War II, and were unique, as they were the middle ground between cruisers and battleships. Conventional cruisers are fast, heavily-armed and thinly-armored vessels that are useful in situations that need plenty of firepower. The US Navy took a liking to these ships, which, before the war, were limited to 10,000 tons and 8-inch guns by the Washington Naval Treaty.
