LONG BEACH

first nuclear-powered surface warship, launched by the U.S. Navy in 1959. Displacing 14,000 tons, the Long Beach was classed as a cruiser but had a substantially larger below-deck space than conventionally powered ships of the same tonnage because of the compactness of its nuclear plant. It carried guided-missile armament and antisubmarine weapons and devices and was capable of remaining at sea for as much as six months at a time. island and township in Ocean county, eastern New Jersey, U.S. It lies in the Atlantic Ocean 46 miles (610 km) offshore and shelters Little Egg Harbor and the southern portion of Barnegat Bay (both part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway) from the ocean. Extending 12 miles (19 km) southward from historic Barnegat Lighthouse (rebuilt in 1858; 165 feet [50 metres] high and near the scene of more than 200 shipwrecks in sailing-ship days), the narrow island includes a string of resorts, notably Loveladies (where there is a Foundation of Arts and Sciences), Harvey Cedars (Long Beach's oldest community; settled just after the War of 1812 and subsequently inhabited by whalers), Surf City, Ship Bottom (bridged to the mainland), Brant Beach, and Beach Haven (near the southern tip), which is known for its Surflight Summer Theatre. Long Beach was incorporated as a township in 1899. The island is a popular place for summer cottages and art colonies and has facilities for bathing, surfing, fishing, and boating. Pop. (1990) 3,407; (1996 est.) 3,630. city, port, Los Angeles county, California, U.S., on San Pedro Bay. Originally an Indian trading camp, the site was part of the Rancho Nieto (1784) and later of the Ranchos Los Alamitos and Cerritos. Laid out in 1881 by W.E. Willmore as Willmore City, it was promoted as a seaside resort and was incorporated (1888) and renamed for its 8.5-mile (13.5-kilometre) beach. Reincorporated as a city in 1897, it surrounds the independent city of Signal Hill. Industrial and harbour development was stimulated by the discovery of oil in 1921 at Signal Hill, and Long Beach expanded with the post-World War II growth of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It possesses tideland oil rights, and offshore city derricks are concealed as skyscrapers on landscaped islands. Land subsidence caused by the draining of oil pools has been contained by injections of seawater. In 1933 a severe earthquake caused widespread damage. Connected to the Los Angeles harbour by the Cerritos Channel, Long Beach is the site of a U.S. naval station and shipyard and possesses extensive docking and storage facilities. Long Beach City College opened in 1927 and California State University at Long Beach in 1949. The historic British transatlantic liner Queen Mary has, since 1969, been moored in the harbour and functions as a maritime museum, convention centre, and hotel. The Long Beach Museum of Art has a permanent collection of modern art as well as changing exhibits. The city's diversified industries include the production of aircraft and ships, as well as oil refining, food processing, and marine research. Pop. (1992 est.) city, 445,405; (1990) Los AngelesLong Beach PMSA, 8,863,164.