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→Nevada class: added Nevada's geared cruising turbines
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| Line 722: | Line 722: | ||
|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| 8–13.5 in (203–343 mm) |
|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| 8–13.5 in (203–343 mm) |
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|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| 27,500 tons |
|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| 27,500 tons |
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|style="text-align:center"| 2 × [[screw propeller]]s<br />2 × [[steam turbine]]s |
|style="text-align:center"| 2 × [[screw propeller]]s<br />2 × [[steam turbine]]s with geared cruising turbines |
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|style="text-align:center"| 4 November 1912 |
|style="text-align:center"| 4 November 1912 |
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|style="text-align:center"| 11 July 1914 |
|style="text-align:center"| 11 July 1914 |
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| Ships of the United States Navy | |
|---|---|
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| Ships in current service | |
| Ships grouped alphabetically | |
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| Ships grouped by type | |
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The United States Navy began the construction of battleships with USS Texas in 1892, although its first ship to be designated as such was USS Indiana. Texas and USS Maine,[a] commissioned three years later in 1895, were part of the New Navy program of the late 19th century, a proposal by then Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt to match Europe's navies that ignited a years-long debate that was suddenly settled in Hunt's favor when the Brazilian Empire commissioned the battleship Riachuelo.[1][2][3][4] In 1890, Alfred Thayer Mahan's book The Influence of Sea Power upon History was published and significantly influenced future naval policy—as an indirect result of its influence on Secretary Benjamin F. Tracy, the Navy Act of June 30, 1890[5] authorized the construction of "three sea-going, coast-line battle ships" which became the Indiana class. The Navy Act of July 19, 1892 authorized construction of a fourth "sea-going, coast-line battle ship", which became USS Iowa.[6] Despite much later claims that these were to be purely defensive and were authorized as "coastal defense ships", they were almost immediately used for offensive operations in the Spanish–American War.[7][8] By the start of the 20th century, the United States Navy had in service or under construction the three Illinois-class and two Kearsarge-class battleships, making the United States the world's fifth strongest power at sea from a nation that had been 12th in 1870.[9]
Except for Kearsarge, named by an act of Congress, all U.S. Navy battleships have been named for states, and each of the 48 contiguous states has had at least one battleship named for it except Montana; two battleships were authorized to be named Montana but both were cancelled before construction started. Alaska and Hawaii did not become states until 1959, after the end of battleship building, but the battlecruiser, or "Large Cruiser," USS Alaska was built during World War II and her sister, USS Hawaii, was begun but never completed. The pre-dreadnoughts USS Zrinyi (formerly the Austrian SMS Zrínyi), USS Radetzky (formerly the Austrian SMS Radetzky), and the dreadnought USS Ostfriesland (formerly the German SMS Ostfriesland), taken as prizes of war after World War I, were commissioned in the US Navy, but were not assigned hull classification symbols.
No American battleship has ever been lost at sea, though four were sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of these, only USS Arizona (BB-39) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37) were permanently destroyed as a result of enemy action. Several other battleships have been sunk as targets, and USS Utah, demilitarized and converted into a target and training ship, was permanently destroyed at Pearl Harbor. The hulk of Oklahoma was salvaged and was lost at sea while being towed to the mainland for scrapping. Two American-built pre-dreadnought battleships, USS Mississippi (BB-23) and her sister USS Idaho (BB-24), were sunk in 1941 by German bombers during their World War II invasion of Greece. The ships had been sold to Greece in 1914, becoming Kilkis and Lemnos respectively.
Maine and Texas were part of the "New Navy" program of the 1880s. Texas and BB-1 to BB-4 were authorized as "coast defense battleships", but Maine was ordered as an armored cruiser and was only re-rated as a "second class battleship" when she turned out too slow to be a cruiser. The next group, BB-5 Kearsarge through BB-25 New Hampshire, followed general global pre-dreadnought design characteristics and entered service between 1900 and 1909. The definitive American pre-dreadnought was the penultimate class of the type, the Connecticut class, sporting the usual four-gun array of 12-inch (305 mm) weapons, a very heavy intermediate and secondary battery, and a moderate tertiary battery. They were good sea boats and heavily armed and armored for their type. The final American pre-dreadnought class, the Mississippi-class, were an experiment in increasing numbers with slower ships of limited range. The Navy soon rejected the concept and within 6 years of commissioning, sold these to Greece in 1914 to pay for a new super-dreadnought USS Idaho (BB-42).
The dreadnoughts, BB-26 South Carolina through BB-35 Texas, commissioned between 1910 and 1914, uniformly possessed twin turrets, introduced the superimposed turret arrangement that would later become standard on all battleships, and had relatively heavy armor and moderate speed (19–21 knots, 35–39 km/h, 22–24 mph). Five of the ten ships used the established vertical triple expansion (VTE) propulsion rather than faster direct-drive turbines, used by the British which had higher fuel consumption. The ships had 8 (South Carolina class), 10 (Delaware and Florida) or 12 (Wyoming class) 12-inch guns, or 10 (New York class) 14-inch (356 mm) guns. The dreadnoughts gave good service, the last two classes surviving through World War II before being scrapped. However, they had some faults that were never worked out, and the midships turrets in the ten and twelve-gun ships were located near boilers and high-pressure steam lines, a factor that made refrigeration very difficult and problematic in hot climates. One of their number, Texas (BB-35), is the last remaining American battleship of the pre–World War II era and the only remaining dreadnought in the world.
Next came the twelve Standards, beginning with BB-36 Nevada, commissioned over the period 1914 to 1920. The last ship commissioned was BB-48 West Virginia (BB-49 through 54 were also Standards, but were never commissioned, and scrapped under the Washington Naval Treaty). Oklahoma (BB-37) was the last American battleship commissioned with triple expansion machinery; all the other Standards used either geared steam turbines (Nevada, the Pennsylvania class, Idaho and Mississippi) or turbo-electric propulsion (New Mexico, the Tennessee and Colorado classes). The Standards were a group of ships with four turrets, oil fuel, a 21-knot (39 km/h; 24 mph) top speed, a 700-yard (640 m) tactical diameter at top speed, and heavy armor distributed on the "All or Nothing" principle. Armament was fairly consistent, starting with ten 14-inch guns in the Nevada class, twelve in the Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Tennessee classes, and eight 16-inch (406 mm) guns in the Colorado class.
After the 1930s "builders holiday," the USN commissioned ten more battleships of an entirely new style, the so-called fast battleship. These ships began with BB-55 North Carolina and the last ship laid down was BB-66 Kentucky (the last completed ship was BB-64 Wisconsin). These ships were a nearly clean break from previous American design practices. All ten ships were built to a Panamax design (technically post-Panamax, as they exceeded normal Panamax beam by two feet, but they were still able to transit the canal). They were fast battleships, and could travel with the aircraft carriers at cruising speed (their speed was not intended for that role, but rather so they could run down and destroy enemy battlecruisers). They possessed almost completely homogeneous main armament (nine 16-inch guns in each ship, the sole difference being an increase in length from 45 to 50 calibers with the Iowa-class vessels), very high speed relative to other American designs (28 knots, 52 km/h, 32 mph in the North Carolina and South Dakota classes, 33 knots, 61 km/h, 38 mph in the Iowa class), and moderate armor. The North Carolina class was of particular concern, as their protection was rated as only "adequate" against the 16-inch super-heavy shells. They had been designed with, and armored against, a battery of three quadruple 14-inch guns, then changed to triple 16-inch guns after the escalator clause in the Second London Naval Treaty had been triggered. Secondary armament in these ships was almost homogeneous as well: Except for South Dakota, configured as a flagship, the other nine ships of this group sported a uniform 20-gun 5-inch (127 mm) secondary battery (South Dakota deleted two 5-inch mounts to make room for flag facilities). Visually, the World War II ships are distinguished by their three-turret arrangement and the massive columnar mast that dominates the superstructure. The last ship, Wisconsin (BB-64), commissioned in 1944 (Wisconsin was approved last; however, Missouri (BB-63) was commissioned three months later, due to delays from additional aircraft carrier construction). Missouri (BB-63), famous for being the ship on which the Japanese instrument of surrender was signed, was the last battleship in the world to be decommissioned on 31 March 1992. Seven of these ten ships are still in existence. South Dakota, Washington and Indiana were scrapped, but the remainder are now museum ships. There was intended to be another class of five of these ships, the Montana class (BB-67 Montana through BB-71 Louisiana), but they were cancelled before being laid down in favor of a greater number of aircraft carriers. The Montana-class ships would have been built to a 60,000-ton post-Panamax design, and carried a greater number of guns (twelve 16-inch guns) and heavier armor than the other ships; otherwise they would have been homogeneous with the rest of the World War II battleships.
In October 2006, the last battleships, (USS Iowa and USS Wisconsin), were stricken from the Naval Registry.
| Main guns | The number and type of the main battery guns |
|---|---|
| Armor | Waterline belt thickness |
| Displacement | Ship displacement at full load |
| Propulsion | Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated |
| Service | The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate |
| Laid down | The date the keel began to be assembled |
| Launched | The date the ship was launched |
| Commissioned | The date the ship was commissioned |
The acquisition of modern, European-built warships by Argentina, Brazil, and Chile had alarmed the United States. The straw that broke the camel's back was Brazil's commissioning of the battleship Riachuelo, which suddenly made the Brazilian Navy the strongest in the Americas. Congressman Hilary A. Herbert, chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee, said of the situation, "if all this old navy of ours were drawn up in battle array in mid-ocean and confronted by the Riachuelo it is doubtful whether a single vessel bearing the American flag would get into port." Facing the possibility of enemy ironclads operating in American coastal waters, the Naval Consulting Board began planning a pair of ironclads of their own, which would be able to use all major American naval bases and have a minimum speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph). The first of these two was USS Texas, 308 feet 10 inches (94.13 m) long, sporting an armor belt 12 inches (305 mm) thick, displacing 6,316 long tons (6,417 t), sailing at a top speed of 17.8 knots (33.0 km/h; 20.5 mph), and armed with two 35-caliber 12 in (305 mm) primary and six 30-caliber 6 in (152 mm) secondary guns.[10]
Texas was authorized by Congress on 3 August 1886, but construction lagged until she was laid down on 1 June 1889. She was launched in the presence of the granddaughter of Sam Houston on 28 June 1892, and commissioned on 15 August 1895.[11] Texas's early service revealed a number of structural issues, which was addressed via some reinforcement of various parts of the ship,[12] and she ran aground near Newport, Rhode Island, in September 1896.[13]This in turn revealed even more faults with Texas, as massive flooding easily disabled her in the shallow waters where she ran aground.[14] After repairs, she joined the North Atlantic Squadron, briefly leaving for a Gulf Coast visit to Galveston and New Orleans that saw her beached on a mud bank off Galveston, an event whose aftermath gave Texas her nickname, "Old Hoodoo."[15][16] After repairs, she returned to the North Atlantic Squadron and her patrols of the Eastern Seaboard. In the Spring of 1898, Texas's near-sister ship USS Maine (ACR-1) (the other of the two original coastal defense ships) was destroyed by an explosion in Havana's harbor, and the United States went to war with the Spanish Empire. An American fleet including Texas was at Key West, and was part of the Flying Squadron in its engagements with Spanish fortifications on the Cuban coast. She saw real surface fleet combat on 3 July at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba alongside USS Iowa, USS Gloucester, and USS Indiana against the fleet of Pascual Cervera y Topete as it tried to escape the American fleet and emerged with only light damage.[11][17] After the war, Texas was decommissioned and refitted on two occasions before finally be declared obsolete in 1911 and permanently decommissioned and converted into a target ship in the same year.[18][19] On 15 February 1911, Texas was christened as San Marcos to free the name up for the dreadnought USS Texas (BB-35),[11] and was then sunk in the waters of Tangier SoundbyUSS New Hampshire's guns. The remains of the San Marcos continued to be used for gunnery practice after her sinking until January 1959,[20] when vast quantities of explosives were used to bury her remains.[21]
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Texas[16] | 2 x 12 in (305 mm)[22] | 12 in (305 mm)[23] | 6,316 long tons (6,417 t)[21] | 2 x steam engines 2 x screws 17.8 kn (33.0 km/h; 20.5 mph)[21] |
1 June 1889[11] | 28 June 1892[11] | 15 August 1895[11] | Sunk as target ship, 21–22 March 1912[11] |
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Indiana (BB-1) |
4 x 13 in (330 mm)[24] | 18 in (457 mm)[25] | 10,288 long tons (10,453 t)[26] | 2 × Vertical triple expansion steam (VTE) engines 2 x screws 4 x boilers[27] |
7 May 1891[28] | 28 February 1893[29] | 20 November 1895[30] | Sunk as a target, 1 November 1920 Sold for scrap, 19 March 1924[28] |
| USS Massachusetts (BB-2) |
25 June 1891[31] | 10 June 1893[32] | 10 June 1896 2 May 1910 9 June 1917[33] |
Scuttled, 6 January 1921[33] | ||||
| USS Oregon (BB-3) |
19 November 1891[31] | 26 October 1893[34] | 15 July 1896 29 August 1911[35] |
Sold for scrap, 15 March 1956[35] | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Iowa (BB-4) |
4 x 12 in (305 mm)[36] | 14 in (356 mm) | 11,346 long tons (11,528 t) | 2 x Vertical triple expansion steam (VTE) engines 2 x screws 4 x boilers[37] |
5 August 1893[38] | 28 March 1896[38] | 16 June 1897[39] | Sunk as gunnery target, 23 March 1923[38] |
These two ships were authorized under the Act of 2 March 1895, and were both built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Kearsarge (BB-5) |
4 x 13 in (330 mm)[40] | 16.5 in (419 mm)[41] | 11,540 long tons (11,730 t)[42] | 2 x Vertical triple expansion steam (VTE) engines 2 x screws 5 x boilers[42] |
30 June 1896[41] | 24 March 1898[43] | 20 February 1900[44] | Sold for scrap, 9 August 1955[45] |
| USS Kentucky (BB-6) |
30 June 1896[41] | 24 March 1898[43] | 15 May 1900[46] | Sold for scrap, 24 March 1923[47] | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Illinois (BB-7) |
4 x 13 in (330 mm) | 12,250 long tons (12,450 t) | 10 February 1897 | 4 October 1898 | 16 September 1901 | Transferred to New York Naval Militia 1921, renamed Prairie State 1941, scrapped 1956 | ||
| USS Alabama (BB-8) |
2 December 1896 | 18 May 1898 | 16 October 1900 | Sunk as target 1921 | ||||
| USS Wisconsin (BB-9) |
9 February 1897 | 26 November 1898 | 4 February 1901 | Scrapped 1922 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Maine (BB-10) |
4 × 12 in (300 mm) | 11 in (280 mm) | 12,500 long tons (12,700 t) | 15 February 1899 | 27 July 1901 | 29 December 1902 | Scrapped 1922 | |
| USS Missouri (BB-11) |
7 February 1900 | 28 December 1901 | 1 December 1903 | Scrapped 1922 | ||||
| USS Ohio (BB-12) |
22 April 1899 | 18 May 1901 | 4 October 1904 | Scrapped 1922 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Virginia (BB-13) |
4 × 12 in (305 mm) (2x2) | 15,000 tons | 21 May 1902 | 5 April 1904 | 7 May 1906 | Sunk as target | ||
| USS Nebraska (BB-14) |
4 July 1902 | 7 October 1904 | 1 July 1907 | Sold for scrap, 1923 | ||||
| USS Georgia (BB-15) |
31 August 1901 | 11 October 1904 | 24 September 1906 | Sold for scrap, 1923 | ||||
| USS New Jersey (BB-16) |
3 May 1902 | 10 November 1904 | 12 May 1906 | Sunk as target | ||||
| USS Rhode Island (BB-17) |
1 May 1902 | 17 May 1904 | 19 February 1906 | Sold for scrap, 1923 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Connecticut (BB-18) |
4 × 12 in (305 mm) (2x2) | 16,000 tons | 10 March 1903 | 29 September 1904 | 29 September 1906 | Scrapped 1923–24 | ||
| USS Louisiana (BB-19) |
7 February 1903 | 27 August 1904 | 2 June 1906 | Scrapped 1923–24 | ||||
| USS Vermont (BB-20) |
21 May 1904 | 31 August 1905 | 4 March 1907 | Scrapped 1923–24 | ||||
| USS Kansas (BB-21) |
10 February 1904 | 12 August 1905 | 18 April 1907 | Scrapped 1923–24 | ||||
| USS Minnesota (BB-22) |
27 October 1903 | 8 April 1905 | 9 March 1907 | Scrapped 1923–24 | ||||
| USS New Hampshire (BB-25) |
1 May 1905 | 30 June 1906 | 19 March 1908 | Scrapped 1923–24 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Mississippi (BB-23) |
4 × 12 in (305 mm) (2 × 2) | 13,000 tons | 12 May 1904 | 30 September 1905 | 1 February 1908 | Sold to Greece 1914; sunk by German aircraft in April 1941; sold for scrap in the 1950s | ||
| USS Idaho (BB-24) |
12 May 1904 | 9 December 1905 | 1 April 1908 | Sold to Greece 1914; sunk by German aircraft in April 1941; sold for scrap in the 1950s | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS South Carolina (BB-26) |
8 × 12 in (305 mm) (4 × 2) | 16,000 tons | 18 December 1906 | 11 July 1908 | 1 March 1910 | Broken up as a result of the Washington Naval Treaty, 1924 | ||
| USS Michigan (BB-27) |
17 December 1906 | 26 May 1908 | 4 January 1910 | |||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Delaware (BB-28) |
10 × 12 in (305 mm) (5 × 2) | 9–11 in (229 – 279 mm) | 20,380 tons | 2 × sets Vertical triple expansion Delaware Curtis Steam turbines North Dakota 2 × screws |
11 November 1907 | 6 February 1909 | 4 April 1910 | 10 November 1923 | Broken up at Baltimore, 1924 |
| USS North Dakota (BB-29) |
16 December 1907 | 10 November 1908 | 11 April 1910 | 22 November 1923 | Broken up at Baltimore, 1931 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Florida (BB-30) |
10 × 12 in (305 mm) (5x2) | 9–11 in (229–279 mm) | 21,800 tons | 4 × Parsons steam turbine 4 × screws |
8 March 1909 | 12 May 1910 | 15 September 1911 | 16 February 1931 | Broken up at Philadelphia, 1931 |
| USS Utah (BB-31) |
9 March 1909 | 23 December 1909 | 31 August 1911 | 5 September 1944 | Sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Wyoming (BB-32) |
12 × 12 in (305 mm) (6x2) | 5–11 in (127–279 mm) | 26,000 tons | 4 × Parsons steam turbines 4 × screws |
9 February 1910 | 25 May 1911 | 25 September 1912 | 1 August 1947 | Struck 16 December 1947; Sold for scrap, 30 October 1947 |
| USS Arkansas (BB-33) |
25 January 1910 | 14 January 1911 | 17 September 1912 | 29 July 1946 | Struck 15 August 1946; Sunk on 25 July 1946, as part of Operation Crossroads | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS New York (BB-34) |
10 × 14 in (356 mm) (5x2) | 10–12 in (254–305 mm) | 27,200 tons | 2 × screws 2 × triple-expansion steam engines |
11 September 1911 | 30 October 1912 | 15 May 1914 | 29 August 1946 | Struck 13 July 1948; Sunk as target, 8 July 1948 |
| USS Texas (BB-35) |
17 April 1911 | 18 May 1912 | 12 March 1914 | 21 April 1948 | Struck 30 April 1948; Museum ship under restoration in Galveston, Texas | ||||
The so-called "Standard-type" was a series of battleships ordered between 1911 and 1916, and incorporating a number of new features including "all or nothing" armor. Twelve of these battleships were constructed across five classes, and were commissioned between 1916 and 1923. The older ships underwent major reconstructions during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Nevada (BB-36) |
10 × 14 in (356 mm) (2x3, 2x2) | 8–13.5 in (203–343 mm) | 27,500 tons | 2 × screw propellers 2 × steam turbines with geared cruising turbines |
4 November 1912 | 11 July 1914 | 11 March 1916 | Struck 12 August 1948; Sunk as a target 31 July 1948 |
| USS Oklahoma (BB-37) |
2 × screw propellers 2 × triple-expansion steam engines |
26 October 1912 | 23 March 1914 | 2 May 1916 | Struck 1 September 1944; Hulk sank while under tow, 17 May 1947 | |||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) |
12 × 14 in (356 mm) (4x3) | 8–13.5 in (203–343 mm) | 31,400 tons | 4 × screws 4 × sets of Curtis (Pennsylvania) or Parsons (Arizona) steam turbines with geared cruising turbines |
27 October 1913 | 16 March 1915 | 12 June 1916 | 29 August 1946 | Target ship, Operation Crossroads; scuttled 10 February 1948 |
| USS Arizona (BB-39) |
16 March 1914 | 19 June 1915 | 17 October 1916 | 29 December 1941 | Sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS New Mexico (BB-40) |
12 × 14 in (356 mm) (4x3) | 13.5 in Belt / 3.5 in Deck | 32,000 | 4 × steam turbines 4 × screw propellers |
14 October 1915 | 13 April 1917 | 20 May 1918 | 19 July 1946 | Struck 25 February 1947; Broken up at Newark, 1947 |
| USS Mississippi (BB-41) |
5 April 1915 | 25 January 1917 | 18 December 1917 | 17 September 1956 | Struck 17 September 1956; Broken up at Baltimore, 1956 | ||||
| USS Idaho (BB-42) |
20 January 1915 | 30 June 1917 | 24 March 1919 | 3 July 1946 | Broken up at Newark, 1947 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Tennessee (BB-43) |
12 × 14 in (356 mm) (4x3) | 13.5 in Belt / 3.5 in Deck | 32,300 tons | 2 × Westinghouse electric generators 4 × electric motors 4 × screw propellers |
14 May 1917 | 30 April 1919 | 3 June 1920 | 14 February 1947 | Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap 10 July 1959 |
| USS California (BB-44) |
25 October 1916 | 20 November 1919 | 10 August 1921 | 14 February 1947 | Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap 10 July 1959 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Colorado (BB-45) |
8 × 16 in (406 mm) (4x2) | 13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck | 32,600 tons | 4 × screws turbo-electric transmission |
29 May 1919 | 22 March 1921 | 30 August 1923 | 7 January 1947 | Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap, 23 July 1959 |
| USS Maryland (BB-46) |
24 April 1917 | 20 March 1920 | 21 July 1921 | 3 April 1947 | Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap, 8 July 1959 | ||||
| USS Washington (BB-47) |
30 June 1919 | 1 September 1921 | — | Cancelled after signing of Washington Naval Treaty; Sunk as target, 25 November 1924 | |||||
| USS West Virginia (BB-48) |
12 April 1920 | 17 November 1921 | 1 December 1923 | 9 January 1947 | Struck 1 March 1959; Sold for scrap, 24 August 1959 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Suspended | Canceled | % Completed | Fate | |||||
| USS South Dakota (BB-49)[48] |
12 × 16 in (406 mm) (4x3) | 13.5in Belt / 4.75in Deck | 43,200 tons | 4 × propeller shafts 4 × turbo-electric generators |
15 March 1920 | 8 February 1922 | 17 August 1922 | 38.5% | Sold for scrap, 25 October 1923 |
| USS Indiana (BB-50)[49] |
1 November 1920 | 34.7% | Scrapped on slipway | ||||||
| USS Montana (BB-51)[50] |
1 September 1920 | 27.6% | Sold for scrap, 25 October 1923 | ||||||
| USS North Carolina (BB-52)[51] |
12 January 1920 | 36.7% | |||||||
| USS Iowa (BB-53)[52] |
17 May 1920 | 31.8% | Sold for scrap, 8 November 1923 | ||||||
| USS Massachusetts (BB-54)[53] |
4 April 1921 | 11.0% |
The term "fast battleship" was applied to new designs in the early 1910s incorporating propulsion technology that allowed for higher speeds without sacrificing armour protection. The US Navy began introducing fast battleships into service following the Second London Naval Treaty of 1936, with a total of ten across three classes entering service.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS North Carolina (BB-55) |
9 × 16 in (406 mm) (3x3) | 12in Belt / 7in Deck | 35,000 tons | 4 × General Electric geared turbines 4 × screws |
27 October 1937 | 13 June 1940 | 9 April 1941 | 27 June 1947 | Struck 1 June 1960; Museum ship since 29 April 1962 Wilmington, North Carolina |
| USS Washington (BB-56) |
14 June 1938 | 1 June 1940 | 15 May 1941 | 27 June 1947 | Struck 1 June 1960; Sold for scrap, 24 May 1961 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS South Dakota (BB-57) |
9 × 16 in (406 mm) (3×3) | 12.2in Belt / 7.5in Deck | 38,000 tons | 4 × screws 4 × geared steam turbines |
5 July 1939 | 7 June 1941 | 20 March 1942 | 31 January 1947 | Struck 1 June 1962; Sold for scrap, 25 October 1962 |
| USS Indiana (BB-58) |
20 September 1939 | 21 November 1941 | 30 April 1942 | 11 September 1947 | Struck 1 June 1962; Sold for scrap, 23 October 1963 | ||||
| USS Massachusetts (BB-59) |
20 July 1939 | 23 September 1941 | 12 May 1942 | 27 March 1947 | Struck 1 June 1962; Museum shipatBattleship CoveinFall River, Massachusetts, since 14 August 1965 | ||||
| USS Alabama (BB-60) |
1 February 1940 | 16 February 1942 | 16 August 1942 | 9 January 1947 | Struck 1 June 1962; Museum ship at Battleship Memorial ParkinMobile, Alabama, since 11 June 1964 | ||||
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||||
| USS Iowa (BB-61) |
9 × 16 in (406 mm) (3x3) | 12in Belt / 7.5in Deck | 48,500 tons | 4 × screws 4 × geared steam turbines |
27 June 1940 | 27 August 1942 | 22 February 1943 | 24 March 1949 | Preserved as museum shipinLos Angeles, California |
| 25 August 1951 | 24 February 1958 | ||||||||
| 28 April 1984 | 26 October 1990 | ||||||||
| USS New Jersey (BB-62) |
16 September 1940 | 7 December 1942 | 23 May 1943 | 30 June 1948 | Preserved as museum ship in Camden, New Jersey | ||||
| 21 November 1950 | 21 August 1957 | ||||||||
| 6 April 1968 | 17 December 1969 | ||||||||
| 28 December 1982 | 8 February 1991 | ||||||||
| USS Missouri (BB-63) |
6 January 1941 | 29 January 1944 | 11 June 1944 | 26 February 1955 | Preserved as museum ship in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii | ||||
| 10 May 1986 | 1 March 1992 | ||||||||
| USS Wisconsin (BB-64) |
25 January 1941 | 7 December 1943 | 16 April 1944 | 1 July 1948 | Preserved as museum ship in Norfolk, Virginia | ||||
| 3 March 1951 | 8 March 1958 | ||||||||
| 22 October 1988 | 30 September 1991 | ||||||||
| USS Illinois (BB-65) |
6 December 1942 | — | Cancelled 11 August 1945 Broken up at Philadelphia, 1958 | ||||||
| USS Kentucky (BB-66) (BBG-1) |
7 March 1942 | 20 January 1950 | — | Broken up at Baltimore, 1959 | |||||
Memorials
Museum ships
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Lists of battleships by nation
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See also: List of battleships |
