- Yes
- No
- Tech Tree
- Event/Gift
- Premium
- Squadron
- Indifferent
- I don’t want to see it added
USS Flint
As Outfitted in 1945
USS Flint at anchor, 31st of August, 1945, wearing Measure 33, Design 22D camouflage.
Background
USS Flint was the seventh ship of the Atlanta-class of light cruisers, and the third ship of the Oakland-subclass. She was laid down on the 1st of August, 1941, launched on the 25th of January, 1944, and commissioned into the US Navy on the 31st of August, 1944.
The Oakland-subclass was broadly similar to the Atlanta-class, with the most major difference being the removal of the wing turrets. As a result of stability issues encountered by the first four ships of the class, the next four ships would have no wing 5"/38 turrets, dropping their main gun barrel count to 12 instead of 16, and would be fitted with 40mm Bofors guns from the start. The 1.1-inch "Chicago Piano"s, found on the previous four ships, had been heavily criticized during the first half of the war, as it was prone to jamming and found to be ineffective as an AA weapon. The ships were also fitted with 16 single mount 20mm Oerlikons, in light of wartime experience and the need for more light AA.
USS Flint arrived in theater in late 1944, being present for the landings at Luzon, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. She would be awarded 4 battle stars for her service in WW2. She was decommissioned on the 6th of May, 1947, and would stay in the reserve fleet until stricken in 1965, being sold for scrap the next year.
Service History
After commissioning, USS Flint joined the 3rd Fleet at Ulithi, on the 27th of December, 1944. She then joined TF 38, the Fast Carrier Task Force, in support of the Invasion of Luzon, screening the carriers launching strikes on Luzon, Taiwan, and mainland China.
On the 21st of January, 1945, the Task Force came under kamikaze attack. Flint assisted in providing protective anti-aircraft fire, but was not hit.
After replenishing at Ulithi, in February she would sail with TF 38 as the carriers launched attacks on Tokyo, in preparation for the landings at Iwo Jima. The Force then arrived at Iwo Jima on the 21st of February. Flint provided anti-aircraft cover for the Marines on the island, staying until the 12th of March when she had to withdraw and rearm.
The fleet assembling at Ulithi for the Invasion of Okinawa. Flint is the ship to the left of the minelayer in center frame. Far to the left is the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), and in the far background are three Essex-class carriers.
She once again put to sea, this time with TF 58, for attacks against Kyushu in preparation for the Invasion of Okinawa. Flint aided in taking down planes during heavy attacks on the Force between the 18th and 22nd of March. Thereafter, the TF closed to Okinawa, with Flint and other cruisers bombarding fortifications on the island in preparation for the landings. Flint would operate off of Okinawa until the 13th of June, when she moved to Leyte Gulf.
She sortied from Leyte on July 1st, to screen the final airstrikes against the Japanese home islands and also join in the bombardment of Honshu until the cessation of hostilities in August.
On August 24th, she took station off of Nii Shima to act as rescue and navigational beacons for planes with occupation troops. On the 10th of December, she would move to Tokyo Bay, where she remained until the 15th.
Flint participated in Operation Magic Carpet, first from Yokosuka and then from Kwajalein. She arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard on the 11th of January, 1946, where she would remain until being decommissioned and placed in reserve on the 6th of May, 1947.
She would ultimately be stricken from the Navy List on the 1st of June, 1965, and sold for scrap on the 6th of October, 1966. She earned 4 battle stars during the war.
USS Flint off of San Francisco, with installed radars annotated. 1944.
Specifications
1945
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Notes | ||
| Displacement | 8,340 tons (full load) | |
| Length | 541ft 6in (165.05m) | |
| Beam | 52ft 10in(16.1m) | |
| Draft | 20ft 6in (6.25m) | |
| Speed | 32.5 knots (60.19 km/h) | Atlanta achieved 33.6kts (62kph) on trials |
| Complement | 813 officers and enlisted |
| Sensors | |
|---|---|
| SC-3 | Air Search |
| SG | Surface Search |
| Mk 37 GFCS with Mk 22 and Mk 12 Radar | Fire Control (Surface and AA) |
| Weapon | Turret/Mount |
|---|---|
| 12 × 5"(127mm)/38 Mk 12 | 6 x Mk 29 Twin |
| 16 x 40mm/60 Bofors Mk 1/2 | 8 x Twin |
| 16 x 20mm/70 Oerlikon Mk 2 | 16 x Single |
| 8 x 21" (533mm) Mk 15 Torpedoes | 2 x Quad Launchers |
| ? x Mk 6 Depth Charge | 2 x Stern Tracks |
| Armor | |
|---|---|
| Belt | 1.1-3.75" (28-95mm) |
| Deck | 1.25" (32mm) |
| Turrets | 1.25" (32mm) |
| Conning Tower | 2.5" (64mm) |
Conclusion
USS Flint is a ship I’d like to see in game. She would function extremely well as an air defense cruiser, much as she was designed to, and holds an edge over the already present Atlanta since Flint has radars. That would make shooting down opposing air assets much easier, as the radar can guide the shells more accurately than the human eye. Her lack of the wing turrets eliminates a possible ammorack weakspot, but the whole ship is thinly armored. Additionally, the new 40mm Bofors and 20mm Oerlikons would, on top of the radars and VT-fuse 5-inch shells, make the ship hard to approach in an aircraft, and deadly to any small craft it could come across.
I personally want to see Flint in the tree, probably foldered with Atlanta. I think that if there is to be an event/premium Atlanta-Oakland-class, it should be USS Oakland or USS Reno, as both lost their torpedo tubes in favor of an “anti-kamikaze” anti-air battery in the late war, doubling the amount of Bofors and Oerlikons over their original configuration.
Sources
Wikipedia - USS Flint (CL-97)
Wikipedia - Atlanta-class cruiser
Wikipedia - Mark 37 GFCS
Wikipedia - Mk 15 Torpedo
Naval-Encyclopedia - Atlanta-class Light Cruisers
History.Navy - Photograph of a Mk 22 and Mk 12 radar (Reference)
History.Navy - USS Flint (CL-97)
PacificWarMuseum - USS Flint (CL-97)
UBoat - USS Flint (CL-97)
NavSource - USS Flint (CL-97)
Navweaps - 5"/38 Mk 12
Navweaps - 40mm/56 Bofors Mk 1/2
Navweaps - 20mm/70 Oerlikon
Navweaps - WW2 Torpedoes of the US
Navweaps - ASW Weapons of the US
Navweaps - WW2 Radar of the US