Ship Specifications as CG-12:
Height (keel to highest antenna) - 211 feet 6 inches
Height (water to highest antenna) - 190 feet
Length 674 feet
Width - 70 feet
Draft - 26 feet
Complement - 1,000 to 1,200
Displacement 18,070 Tons

Armament:
2 Talos Systems
2 Tartar Systems
1 ASROC Systems
2 Triple Torpedo Tubes
2 Five Inch 38 Caliber Guns

Ships Data as CA-74:
Displacement 13,600 Tons
Dimensions:
Length 674 feet 11 inches
Width 70 feet 10 inches
Draft 26 feet 10 inches
Complement 1,902

The USS Columbus  CG-12 was 190 feet above the water line and was the tallest of the three Albany Class guided missile cruisers, thus earning her the nickname "The Tall Lady". She was 211' 6" from keel to the top of the mast on the forward "mack" which actually made her slightly taller than the Coral Sea class aircraft carrier.

All three of the Albany Class guided missile cruisers were converted from heavy cruisers, the USS Columbus being converted from a Baltimore Class Heavy Cruiser. The USS Chicago was also converted from a Baltimore Class CA heavy cruiser and the USS Albany was converted from an Oregon City Class CA heavy cruiser. These were the first ships given the "CG" hull number designations. The USS Columbus was one of these first US Navy's ships to be classified as a "true" guided missile class cruiser.

The USS Albany CA-123 was the first to be converted to an Albany Class guided missile cruiser with the hull number of CG-10 at the Boston Navy Yard. It was recommissioned on March 11, 1962.
The USS Columbus was converted at the Puget Sound Navy Shipyard from CA-74. It was actually the second of the three sister ships to be recommissioned and was on December 1, 1962.
The USS Chicago was converted at the San Francisco Navy Yard from CA-136 to CG-11. It was recommissioned on May 2, 1964.

There were to be two more Albany Class guided missile cruisers. One was to be converted from the USS Rochester CA-124 and to be CG-13. The other one was to be converted from the USS Bremerton CA-130 and it was to be CG-14. However, they were never converted. There was to be no CG-15 to allow for reclassification to the Leahy class guided missile cruiser.

As mentioned, the USS Columbus was converted at the Puget Sound Ship Yard in Bremerton, Washington. Two of my uncles worked at the Puget Sound Ship Yard, on the USS Columbus as it was being converted from hull # CA-74 to hull # CG-12 (it IS a small world). The USS Columbus was the first of the three Albany Class guided missile cruisers to be decommissioned. It was decommissioned on Jan 31, 1975, then stricken on Aug 9, 1976, sold on October 3, 1977 and broken up.

Once you knew the silhouette of these ships they could be recognized quickly. The distinct silhouette was in part due to the "macks" (mast and stacks combined) and their tall superstructure. One of the Albany Class cruisers is in an aerial view photograph of the Elizabeth River published in the National Geographic. The photograph can be seen in the July 1985 issue on pages 88 and 89. The article is entitled "Hampton Roads, Where the Rivers End" by William S. Ellis, National Geographic Senior Writer. The photographs are by Karen Kasmauski. I do believe it is the USS Albany because of the publishing date. The USS Columbus CG-12 would probably have been broken up by this time.
When I saw the picture, those macks stood out plainly from the ships and surrounding area seen in the picture.

Interestingly enough the launch of the new USS Chicago SSN-721, at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, can be seen on page 107 in the same issue. The USS Chicago "CG-11" was the sister ship of the USS Albany CG-10 and the USS Columbus CG-12.