Cruiser Baseline (CGBL) 1986
The Cruiser Baseline (CGBL) was a 1980s-era design study which sought to combine the weapons capacity of Ticonderoga class cruisers with newer technologies and engineering standards introduced on the Arleigh Burke destroyers. CGBL would have addressed a number of limitations with the Ticonderoga class cruisers, which stemmed from its relatively small and old hull design derived from the Spruance class destroyers. To provide greater weight margins, electrical power and cooling capacities, the size of CGBL grew to over 13,500 tons, with a wider 21-meter beam, which made it better able to accommodate newer radars and weapons that consumed more power and were bulkier. The U.S. Navy also felt that the new design should be tougher and be able to fight while hurt; with the invention of VLS cells and self-guided missiles, it was possible for ships to attack even after losing some missile cells or sensors. Therefore, the CGBL included steel instead of aluminium superstructures, reductions in its radar signature, a backup command centre, and 580 tons of spaced armor around its VLS cells to improve survivability over the Ticoderogas.
Cruiser Baseline remained merely a design study and did not become a formal program. The successors to the Ticoderoga class cruisers eventually came in the form of Flight III Arleigh Burkes, which suffered from similar problems in the forms of limited cooling, electrical power generation and weight-carrying capacity.
Length: 179m/ 587 ft
Beam: 21m/ 69 ft at the waterline (23.8m including strakes)
Speed: 32 Knots via 102,000 shaft horsepowers driving two screws
Weapons:
108 x RIM-174 SM-6 Surface to Air Missiles in MK41 VLS cells
20 x AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles in MK41 VLS cells
8 x RGM-84 Harpoon missiles in two quad launchers
2x 5 inch /54 calibre gun
2x Phalanx CIWS
4x 20mm autocannon.
2x torpedo launchers
