Between the Classes

USS Guam, 1944

Originated by a clever Japanese miscue, this unique warship class had the "size of a battleship but the capabilities of a cruiser"*. Of six planned, two were built (Alaska & Guam), three canceled and one (Hawaii) sold for scrap, unfinished.

* Richard Worth, Fleets of World War II

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.