The Sad Tale of That One U.S. Battlecruiser That Did Nothing In hindsight it was an error to order six battlecruisers on the basis of an unsubstantiated rumor. Here's What You Need to Remember: Outsticked by airpower’s long reach, the cruisers became guardians of the very ships and aircraft that made them obsolete. Alaska and her sister ships were well-armed for their time, each sporting three turrets (two facing forward, one rearward) armed with three twelve-inch guns. One of the mightiest warships of the U.S. Navy was also ironically the least useful. The USS Alaska and her sister ship USS Guam were the largest cruisers constructed by U.S. shipyards during World War II, ironically to counter a threat that never materialized. Although fast and powerful in their own right, the ships were rendered obsolete as offensive weapons by naval airpower and served out the war as escorts for aircraft carriers.