High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Baltimore class cruiser was a type of heavy cruiser in the United States Navy from the last years of the Second World War. Fast and heavily armed, ships like the Baltimore cruisers were mainly used by the Navy in World War II to protect the fast aircraft carriers in carrier battle groups. With their strong anti-aircraft armament, Baltimores could contribute especially in air defenses of these battle groups. Additionally, their 8-inch main guns and smaller medium guns were regularly used to bombard land targets in support of amphibious landings. After the war, the ships were, for the most part, moved to the reserve fleet but then reactivated for the Korean War. By 1971, all ships based on the original design were decommissioned. However, five Baltimore class cruisers were refitted and converted into some of the first guided missile cruisers in the world, becoming the three Albany-class and two Boston-class cruisers. The last of these was decommissioned in 1980. No example of the Baltimore class still exists.