Calling all USS Long Beach CGN-9 fans

[Cliffy B]

That is awesome!!!! Love the swapping of the training round for the live round. Nice find

[HvyCgn9]

Now if he would just make it smaller.....1/72 would be nice!!

[Seasick]

The USS Long Beach is gigantic in 1/700. I don't know why the Navy left the large box superstructure on the Long Beach. Its the absolute inverse of low observable.

[Tony Bunch]

Hi Guys,
I have not pre-read this thread yet, but I can't remember having posted here before. No matter.
Well..........I just got my SSY 1/96 scale CGN-9 hull, plans, fittings and motors yesterday. This project will be one of my full focus some time soon. Also, this will be a fully operational R/C model. You guys should see this thing! The hull length is 90", and is quite impressive!
I have a few other 1/96 Cold War USN ship projects being built currently, but none of these are anywhere near 90" long. I have a 96 scale Adams class DDG that's not quite 1/2 finished, and I just got rolling on a 1/96 scale Knox Class FF. The DDG and the FF are being built in their early 70's fit, so I'll do Long Beach likewise. There will come a day when I bring with me all three Cold Warriors to our 96th scale, "Fleet Runs", that take place locally three or four times a year. Also, most Saturday's are available to the, "scale electrics", at the Model Yacht Basin in San Diego's Mission Bay area.
Here's what I hope to find out here:
1) Does anyone have any drydock pics of Long Beach?
I have found none! I know, I know, she's nuclear powered etc etc, but the magazine, "Proceedings", once had an awesome pic of CGN-36's props/rudders.
Long Beach's 4 bladed screws are having said to be 16 feet in diameter, but the scale drawings I have show them to be 13'3"diameter. Sometimes, we can deduce information by doing similar comparisons. For example, the Nuc cruiser California had 15' screws.
The similarities are:
twin screws / twin rudders
similar mission
similar powerplant
Why would Long Beach's screws be 2-3 feet smaller whilst propelling a larger warship?
Also, DLGN-25 had 15' screws too.
Any help with this and what I'm sure will become more questions is greatly appreciated.
She's big, she's beautiful and she's disctinctive!
Gotta love LONG BEACH!!!
Best wishes from SoCal, Tony

[HvyCgn9]

G'day Tony,

USS Long Beach had an excellent hull to beam ratio which in simple terms mean't she would have needed less power to slip thru the h2o (i think thats how it works!!) I had been running my 1/72 CGN9 with 55mm 5 blade props (she now has new 57mm props) and she is faster than the 1/72 Tico's and Burkes running 78mm props!! I'm running a pair of Graupner 900bb torque motors so that could have something to do with it as well!!

Cheers Bruce

[HvyCgn9]

PS the only drydock pic I have come across is one from when she was on the slipway being built.

Bruce

[Tony Bunch]

Hi Guys,
Thanks Bruce.
I'll continue my search and post here any worthwhile findings.
Take care, Ton y

[HvyCgn9]

Here is a pic of my big CGN-9 at speed with her new bow section

Bruce

[Tony Bunch]

Hi Guys,
Bruce,
I can't imagine a hull that's 25% larger than that monster in my shop!
72 scale R/C is definitely an Aussi thing. Here in the states, it's 1/96 or 1/100 scale almost exclusively; FWIW.
I think that you should keep up the good work!
Also, is that d/d pic of LB you previosuly mentioned readily available on navsource?
Thanks, Tony

[HvyCgn9]

Thanks Tony,

here is the pic of LB under construction, I couldn't copy the larger version of the image the website wouldn't load up...!

Bruce

[HvyCgn9]

Found another unusual one LB is in the background berthed behind 2 Tico's.

[SumGui]

Sad Day.

Could we all get together and buy the 1:1 scale version?

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/v ... vertTo=USD

[HvyCgn9]

Definitely a sad day! She (and the other CGN's) were decom'd too soon. It will be interesting to see how they go about her dismemberment....

Bruce

PS Probably making room for BIG E.....

[navydavesof]

I just got a message from one of my NAVSEA friends. I asked him this:

• I see the Long Beach is up for scrap sale. I have heard she's been kept around simply to reduce her radioative signiature. I have also heard from guys like you that her hull was in fact being kept for a possible strike cruiser modernization. What's the truth?
  
  "The truth is that you're right. She was kept for a possible strike cruiser modernization. The Mk41 VLS offered us the ability to arm her with about twice as many VLS tubes as any other ship. With the nuke plants she would be able to sail anywhere we wanted, and she'd carry something like 256 VLS missile tubes with her. She'd be a great platform to test the AMDR on. Yes we would have put either the full DDG-1000 AGS or AGS Light on her, one forward mount, one aft...I don't know why we've gotten rid of her. It'd be a lot cheaper to modernize her than getting rid of her."
  . -NAVSEA PMS-400

There you have it. Long Beach, CGN-9 was kept in ready reserve all this time as a potential reactivation asset. Now, she's to be cut up and thrown away...

[navydavesof]

Definitely a sad day! She (and the other CGN's) were decom'd too soon.

The CGN-42s could have gotten Aegis and VLS with little real conversion concern. With the Albany rebuilds under their belts a super structure rebuild would have been no problem...

...but they were wasted instead...

[Russ2146]

It would be nice if the House Armed Services Committee were to demand that the Navy explain why she is being trashed.

[Cadman]

IIRC Long Beach was stripped to the deck of all topside superstructure and gear a long time ago. There is really nothing to preserve now.

[Russ2146]

The idea is to use her, not preserve her as built, at least that seems to be why some at Navsea kept her around.
Again,
"She was kept for a possible strike cruiser modernization. The Mk41 VLS offered us the ability to arm her with about twice as many VLS tubes as any other ship. With the nuke plants she would be able to sail anywhere we wanted, and she'd carry something like 256 VLS missile tubes with her. She'd be a great platform to test the AMDR on. Yes we would have put either the full DDG-1000 AGS or AGS Light on her, one forward mount, one aft...I don't know why we've gotten rid of her. It'd be a lot cheaper to modernize her than getting rid of her."
. -NAVSEA PMS-400

[Rick E Davis]

I don't understand comments about NAVSEA "saving" LONG BEACH for further use, she was Stricken in 1995 which means the USN was ready to dispose of her at that point and the latest photos of her posted in 2009 show a stripped down relic. The reason they didn't scrap her before this, was the backlog in Nuke Subs needing to be cut-up. I doubt very much that a "modernization" would be cheap ... DoD doesn't do cheap ... certainly not as cheap as taking her apart for scrap at this point.

[Guest]

I spent 3 years on LB and am very fond of her as well, but this is the first I have heard of any idea of rebuilding her. To do so would involve building brand new power plants as the existing ones absolutely could not be restored to operation. No parts available is only the beginning of the troubles there. It would still be possible to preserve the bow, but that would be about it. I assume the silver service and stuff went back to Long Beach Cal. In many ways it is actually cheaper to build a new boat then to rebuild an old one. The Battleships are the only exception there but that is due to their unique weapons system. I've heard a number of questions about the decking, weapons and stuff. I was a glow worm so only know second hand weapons info. About the screws. I was told while serving on her that the original screws had been replaced. The whys and wherefores I can not say. I used to lean over the bow and watch dolphins dance on our bow wave so I can confirm the bow was fairly bulb like. Even without the phased arrays the Beach was very tippy. I am glad the old girl has such a following here.