USS Boston: История крейсера

US Navy guided missile cruiser

USS Boston (CA 69/CAG 1), a heavy cruiser and later a guided missile cruiser, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the U. S. city of Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was launched 26 August 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, sponsored by Mrs Helen Noonan Tobin, wife of the Mayor of Boston, Maurice J. Tobin, and commissioned 30 June 1943.

Boston reported to the Pacific Fleet, arriving at Pearl Harbor 6 December 1943. She joined Task Force 58 (TF 58) in January and took part in the raids on the Marshall Islands in support of the invasions of Kwajalein, Majuro, and of Eniwetok (31 January – 28 February 1944).

While on her last Vietnam cruise thought and funding was given to overhauling Boston (and sister ship Canberra). Her Terrier missile system would have been upgraded to Standard Missile ER with new radars and equipment for the modern missiles. Her gunnery systems, hull and electronics would have also been overhauled. With the reduction in defense spending, funds were reallocated to more modern ships and Boston sailed for a last visit and family day at her namesake city in late 1969 before decommissioning. Senator Edward Kennedy had expressed views that she should be retained as a museum ship on the city's waterfront but no plans materialised so she began the inactivation process at Boston Navy Yard's Naval Annex, on the 5 May 1970, was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1973 and sold for scrapping in March 1975. Scrapping was completed in 1976.