This was a WW-II light cruiser that was converted into a guided missile cruiser. The fact that the Navy required a ship this massive for the purpose of deploying anti-aircraft guided missiles indicates just how bulky the technology was in the 1950s. The size of the guided missiles, visible on the launcher at the stern, is clearly apparent. However, apart from that, all the electronics required for the guidance system was equally bulky, and was operated by old-fashioned vacuum tubes. In that sense, this photo gives a good indication of how far technology has come since the 1950s.
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