(from the article `naval ship`) ...of big-gun cruisers ended with the completion of ships laid down during World War II. In 1961 the United States commissioned USS Long Beach, the ... ...became the first line in a fleet`s air-defense screen, while Soviet cruisers carried long-range antiship missiles and retained some of the ... [2 re... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/g/79