Albany - class cruiser The " Albany " Class guided missile cruiser s were converted " Baltimore " and " Oregon City " class heavy cruiser s of the United States Navy . All original superstructure and weapons were removed and replaced . The converted ships had new very high superstructures and relied heavily on aluminum to save weight . Class description . The conversion was extensive , stripping the ships down to their hulls , removing all armament and the ship ' s superstructure . , an Oregon City class cruiser , was converted at Boston Naval Shipyard starting in January 1959 and recommissioning as CG - 10 on November 3 , 1962 . , a Baltimore class cruiser , was converted at San Francisco Naval Shipyard starting in July 1959 and was recommissioning as CG - 11 on May 2 , 1964 . was originally slated to be CG - 12 , but was converted instead . " Columbus " was converted at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard beginning in September 1959 and recommissioning as CG - 12 on December 1 , 1962 . and were also proposed for conversion to CG - 13 and CG - 14 , but those plans were dropped because of the high cost of the conversion and capabilities of newer guided missile frigates . Weapons and systems . The weapon systems carried included the Mk 77 missile fire - control system with four AN / SPG - 49 fire - control radars and two Mk 12 twin launchers for their armament of 104 Talos long - range surface - to - air missile s , one forward and one aft . These cruisers also carried an armament of 84 shorter - ranged Tartar missile s launched from two Mk 11 twin launchers , one to the port of and one to the starboard of the cruiser ' s main superstructure . The Tartar missiles were controlled by the Mk 74 missile fire - control system with four AN / SPG - 51 fire - control radars . Some space was allocated amidships on these cruisers for the possible installation of eight Polaris missile s , but the concept to add these ballistic missiles were dropped in mid - 1959 . For anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) , one eight - cell Mk 112 " matchbox " ASROC missile launcher was installed amidships on each of these cruisers , located between their two stacks . Also for ASW purposes , two triple Mk 32 torpedo tubes for the Mk 46 ASW torpedo were installed . These cruisers were initially converted into all - missile warship s with no naval guns , but later on , two open - mount Mk 24 5 - inch 38 calibre gun s were added to the port side and the starboard side , near their aft exhaust stacks . In the late 1960s " Chicago " and " Albany " underwent major engineering overhauls and both the missile systems ( " Talos " and " Tartar " ) had new digital fire control system upgrades to handle the increasing threat from " Soviet Navy " anti - ship cruise missiles and aircraft . " Columbus " did not receive these missile system upgrades due to lack of funding . The " Talos " system was deactivated on the " Albany class " ( leaving them with the " Tartar " as the only SAM system operational ) and all other ships in the fleet that carried it during 1976 . In late 1979 the two surviving ships ( " Chicago " and " Albany " ) were scheduled for massive overhauls . SM - 1 ( MR ) missiles ( which were to replace the " Tartar " system ) , as well as 2 Phalanx CIWS and 2 four - cell Harpoon missile launchers were planned to be installed , as well as a major refitting of the ships machinery , structure , and electronics . The funding appropriated for this work was diverted however , to other ships and both cruisers were finally decommissioned in 1980 . Service history . All three ships served extensively through the 60 ' s and 70 ' s with Chicago being a long time flagship for the Third Fleet in the Pacific , and the Albany serving likewise as the Second Fleet flagship in the Western Atlantic and as the Sixth Fleet flagship in the Mediterranean . " Columbus " did not receive the extensive Talos fire - control upgrades and extensive refits that the other two ships received in the late 60 ' s , though she did receive engineering overhauls to allow her remain active until she was decommissioned early in 1976 , and then immediately sold for scrap . " Albany " and " Chicago " soldiered on until 1980 , and while funding for massive overhauls for both was appropriated for 1979 , the funds were diverted to other projects , and both ships were laid up in 1980 .