[meatloaf]

Aluminum superstructures where also used on the old DDGs and DLGs by the Navy. The fire on the Belknap was the reason the Navy went to steel superstructures for later ships.

[roxtar221]

"The fire on the Belknap was the reason the Navy went to steel superstructures for later ships."

I was in a whaleboat rescuing survivors the night of the Belknap fire (Boat Engineer, A-gang, USS Ricketts DDG5).

I remember seeing the superstructure the morning after and noting the extreme amount of damage from the aluminum melting. The forward smoke stack had actually melted and folded down upon a loaded ASROCK launcher. Had it been steel, some of the fire might have been contained and been easier to fight.