Alaska-Class Battlecruisers: Powerful Navy Warships Rendered Useless

What You Need to Know: The Alaska-class battlecruisers were conceived by the U.S. Navy in the 1930s to counter Germany's fast and powerful "pocket battleships" and Japan's rumored "super cruisers." Designed to be faster than battleships but heavily armed with large-caliber guns, six ships were planned.

-President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the initiative, leading to the approval of these expensive vessels. However, only two—USS Alaska and USS Guam—were completed by late 1944. By the time they entered service...