The USS Hawaii (CB-3) was an intended member of the Alaska-class large cruisers, notable for being the first U.S. Navy ship named after the Territory of Hawaii. Construction of the vessel began relatively late, with her keel laid on December 20, 1943, after delays caused by higher-priority wartime ships. She was launched on November 3, 1945, about two years after her sister ship Guam, and was sponsored by Mary P. Farrington. The ship measured an overall length of 808 feet 6 inches (246.43 meters), with a beam of 91 feet 1 inch (27.8 meters) and a draft of 31 feet 10 inches (9.7 meters). Displacing approximately 29,779 long tons (30,257 metric tons) at design load and up to 34,253 long tons (34,803 metric tons) at deep load, Hawaii was powered by four General Electric geared steam turbines, each driving a propeller, supplemented by eight oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers rated at 150,000 shaft horsepower. Her top speed was 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph), with a cruising range of 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km; 14,000 miles) at 15 knots. Armament included a primary battery of nine 12-inch (305 mm) L/50 Mark 8 guns in three triple turrets, with two turrets superfiring forward and one aft. Her secondary armament comprised twelve 5-inch (127 mm) dual-purpose guns in six twin turrets, along with a substantial anti-aircraft suite of 56 quad-mounted 40 mm Bofors and 34 single 20 mm Oerlikon guns. The ship's armor featured a 9-inch (229 mm) belt and 12.8-inch (325 mm) thick gun turret faces, with a main armored deck 4 inches (102 mm) thick. Construction was suspended in May 1942 amidst World War II, with over 4,000 tons of steel redirected to other wartime needs. Hawaii was re-initiated on May 25, 1943, but her completion was delayed by postwar budget cutbacks. By the time work halted in 1947, she was 82.4% complete, with her main turrets installed and much of her superstructure finished. Various plans for her conversion—such as a guided missile cruiser, aircraft carrier, or command ship—were considered but ultimately canceled, owing to changing strategic priorities and technological developments. Hawaii remained in the reserve fleet for years, with several proposed conversions, including missile testing platforms and large command ships, never realized. She was finally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on June 9, 1958, and sold for scrap in 1959. Her incomplete hull was towed to Baltimore in 1960, where she was dismantled. The vessel's history reflects the shifting naval doctrines of the postwar era, from a proposed capital ship to a canceled missile and command platform, illustrating the transition in naval strategy and technology.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.