Currituck-class seaplane tender

USS Salisbury Sound at San Diego Bay, ca. 1957
Class overview
Name	Currituck class
Builders	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Todd Shipyard
Operators	United States Navy
Built	1942–1944
In commission	1943–1987
Planned	4
Completed	4
Retired	4
General characteristics as built
Type	Seaplane tender
Displacement	15,092 long tons (15,334 t) (full load)
Length	540 ft 5 in (164.72 m) oa
Beam	69 ft 3 in (21.11 m)
Draft	22 ft 3 in (6.78 m)
Propulsion	Steam turbines 4 × boilers 2 × shafts 12,000 shp (8,900 kW)
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	1,247
Armament	4 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. DP guns 3 × quad 1.6 in (40 mm) guns 4 × twin 1.6 in guns
Aviation facilities	Hangar and catapult

The Currituck-class seaplane tenders were four ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The role of a seaplane tender was to provide base facilities for squadrons of seaplanes in a similar way that an aircraft carrier does for its squadrons. While three members of the class were removed from active service in the 1960s, Norton Sound was modified to serve as a testbed for advanced radar and combat management systems, such as the Aegis Combat System.