The Cleveland (CL-55) class gun cruiser was derived from an
extensively improved Brooklyn (CL-40) class design. They had
four triple 6-inch gun turrets as a main battery as opposed to
the five turrets in the Brooklyn class. Forty of these cruisers
were ordered in all. Of these forty, ten would be completed as
Independence (CVL-22) class light aircraft carriers and two were
cancelled. Twenty eight cruisers were built, six of these would
later be converted to missile cruisers in the late 1950s. CL-55
thru 58 were laid down in mid to late 1940 by New York
Shipbuilding Co. and commissioned mid to late 1942. These four
ships would decommission in 1946-47, were stricken in 1959 and
scrapped in 1960. CL-59 and 60 were laid down in mid 1941 by
NYSB and the former was ordered completed as an aircraft carrier
(CVL-22) which commissioned in January 1943 as the USS
Independence. CL-60 commissioned in November 1942. CL-60 was
decommissioned in 1946 and scrapped in 1960. CVL-22 also
decommissioned in 1946 and was used in t