Virginia Museum Of TransportationDescription
USS Roanoke CL-145 was capable of carrying out scouting operations and leading a flotilla of destroyers. It had the fuel capacity for long voyages and speeds to overtake other vessels and maneuver quickly. It could provide armored protection against gunfire and carried guns that were capable of out-shooting enemy cruiser units while simultaneously repelling mass air attacks.
During its commission, Roanoke was used by the United States Navy in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. Roanoke completed its final Mediterranean deployment in May 1955 and prepared for transfer to the Pacific Fleet. On September 22, 1955, Roanoke departed Norfolk, Virginia, for the Panama Canal. It conducted nine Naval Reserve tours and completed two Western Pacific tours before being decommissioned. Roanoke was sold for scrap in February 1972.
Specifications
TYPE: Light Cruiser
DISPLACEMENT: 17,000 tons
LAUNCHED: June 16, 1947
COMMISSIONED: April 4, 1949
LENGTH: 680 feet
WIDTH: 71 feet
SPEED: 33 knots
CREW: 1,401
BUILT: New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, NJ
DECOMMISSIONED: October 31, 1958
On loan from the Historical Society of Western Virginia. This model was constructed by Captain F. H. Doucette who was an ensign aboard the USS Roanoke CL-145.
