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| Originally intended as enlarged Olympia
class protected cruisers, the three ships of the St. Louis class (St.
Louis, Milwaukee and Charleston) grew considerably in the design stage.
Ongoing disputes over the merits of protection vs speed resulted in a series of
questionable "cut the baby in half" compromises. The intended 8" main
armament was sacrificed for lighter 6" guns and, presumably, more speed. But the
"more protection" faction demanded - and got - more side armour at the
waterline. This cost speed, which necessitated a larger and heavier powerplant ...and so
on. Friedman's "American Cruisers"
mentions this class as an early example of "mission creep" during the design
stage. Given all that, I still like the look of this class. The Smithsonian Museum of US History in Washington, D.C., has a beautiful 1:48th scale USS St. Louis in a striking dazzle scheme. I've combined my Smithsonian photos with archival pictures from the US Naval Historical Center, shown below.
USS St. Louis |
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| US
Navy Historical Center Photos Click thumbnail image to view full size picture |
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