Colorado class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Colorado class battleships was a group of four battleships built by the United States Navy
after World War I
. However, only three of the ships were completed: , , and . The fourth, , was over 75% completed when she was canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
in 1922. As such, the Colorado class ships were the last battleships built by the US Navy until the entered service on the eve of World War II
.
The Colorados were part of the Navy's "standard battleships," a group of battleship classes that were designed to have similar speed and handling in order to simplify maneuvers with the line of battle
. The ships were essentially repeats of the earlier . The primary difference was that the Colorados were equipped with eight 16"/45 caliber Mark 1 (later upgraded to 16"/45 cal Mark 5) naval guns, as opposed to the earlier ships' twelve 14 inch/50 caliber guns
. The change to larger guns was made to counter the Japanese s, which also mounted eight 16-inch guns.
All three ships had extensive careers during World War II
. Maryland and West Virginia were both present during the attack on Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941; Maryland escaped relatively unscathed, but West Virginia was sunk in the shallow waters of the harbor. During the war, all three ships served as artillery support ships during amphibious operations. Maryland and West Virginia were both present at the last surface action between battleships, the Battle of Surigao Strait during the Battle of Leyte Gulf
in October 1944. The three ships were put into the reserve fleet after the end of the war, and were all scrapped by the late 1950s.
taking the place of the other class' twelve 14 in (355.6 mm)/50 caliber gun
s in four triple gun turrets, there was not a major difference between the two designs.
The Tennessees were the results of modifications to the . Most of the changes were incorporated into the Tennessees prior to any of their keel
s being laid. However, plans for the underwater protection—the ships' main defense against torpedo
es and shells
that fell short of the ship but traveled through the water to hit underneath the waterline
—could not be worked out in time. The problem was that tests in caissons
—experiments that would eventually prove that a series of compartments divided between being filled with liquid and being left empty would be a very effective defense against torpedoes—were not yet complete. In order to commence construction of the ships as soon as possible, bids sent out to shipbuilding corporations noted that if they were selected to build the ships, an alteration to the design of the ships three months after their keel
s were laid must be allowed.
The new underwater protection scheme featured five compartments separated by bulkheads
on either side of the ship: an outer empty one, three filled, and an empty inner one. In addition, the eight boiler
s were moved from their location in previous designs and placed in separate spaces to port and starboard of the turbo-electric
power plant, forming another line of defense; the ship could still sail even if one or even an entire side of boilers was incapacitated due to battle damage. This new arrangement forced the chief aesthetic change between the New Mexicos and Tennessees: the single large funnel of the former was replaced by two smaller funnels in the latter.
Other improvements in the Tennessee class included an attempt to move the forward torpedo room away from the 14" gun magazines
, as the room was viewed as vulnerable; also, the design called for the use of external, rather than internal, belt armor
so that a "break in the continuity of the side structure" would not exist in the ships. The secondary 5" battery was located in the superstructure rather than the upper hull as in earlier classes, where it had proved to be excessively wet. The elevation
of the main battery
was increased to 30 degrees due in part to rumors that Imperial German capital ship
s' guns could elevate to and a picture of the guns of the British dreadnought
that appeared to indicate the same ability. The "Big Five" were also the first US battleships built from the outset with masthead fire-contol directors.
With fiscal year 1917 appropriations, bids on the four Colorados were opened on 18 October 1916; though Marylands keel
was laid on 24 April 1917, the other three battleships were not until 1919–1920. With the cancellation of the first South Dakota class
, the Colorados were the last U.S. battleships to enter service for nearly two decades. They were also the final U.S. battleships to use twin gun turrets—the s and second South Dakota classes
had nine 16"/45 caliber
guns and the s used nine 16 in/50 caliber in three triple turrets.
Planning for modernizations of the Tennessee and Colorado classes in October 1931. Included was some protection against chemical shells which contained poisonous gas, although the General Board
stated in the late 1920s that decontaminating a battleship hit with these shells would not be possible—the ship would have to be scuttled
. Also, the deck armor
was to be bolstered with 80 lb (36.3 kg)-special treatment steel
(STS)—which would add 1319 LT (1,340.2 t; 1,477.3 ST) to the displacement of the ships—the armor on the tops of the main turrets was to be made thicker, fire controls were to be improved with the latest technology, and new shells for the main guns were to be designed. Two, later four, 1.1"/75 caliber machine cannons were to be added, and all of the machinery in place would be removed in favor of newer equipment so that the ships would not lose any speed with the great increase in weight. These improvements would cost about $15,000,000 per ship ($71,723,000 total), but with the country in the throes of the Great Depression
, there was not much money available for the Navy; savings of $26,625,000 could be realized by reconditioning the propulsion machinery (rather than replacing it; this would lower the ship's speed), not adding the protection against chemical shells and not designing or producing the new shells, but the cost-saving elements of the later proposal were later dropped. The Navy asked the Secretary of the Navy to request money in the fiscal year 1933 to modernize the two classes from Congress, but the depression worsened and plans were put on hold and never carried out, although there were still proposals for modifications.
In the beginning of 1934, the Bureau of Construction and Repair
proposed that the "Big Five"—the two Tennessees and three Colorados—be fitted with anti-torpedo bulge
s so that the ships could benefit from increased buoyancy
; because of, among other factors, the normal procedure of leaving port with the maximum amount of fuel possible on board, the five ships were quite overweight and rode low in the water. For example, in June 1935, Tennessee had a normal operating displacement
of 38200 LT (38,813.1 t; 42,784.1 ST)—more than 2000 LT (2,032.1 t; 2,240 ST) above the maximum emergency load her original design called for. This made her draft
higher—meaning that the ship's waterline
was down 5 in 4 in (1,625.6 mm). Construction and Repair called for a bulge on the Colorados that would displace about 2000 LT (2,032.1 t; 2,240 ST) and raise the ships' draft by 20 in (508 mm). Installing these would be a year's worth of work, with each ship spending six months of that in a dry dock
—the first month docked so that the hull shape could be determined, the next six sailing while the bulge was built, and the last five back in the dock so it could be added to the ship.
Three years later (1937), the various Navy bureaus
held a joint meeting to discuss a possible partial modernization of the Tennessees and Colorados. They were much different than the changes proposed in 1933; there were no provisions for extra deck armor, but many additions and replacements. To gain space for newer fire control systems, the ships were to be reboilered. The main and secondary battery fire controls were to be replaced, including new rangefinders and plotting room instruments for the main, while new Mark 33 anti-aircraft
fire control directors were planned. The mainmast and M2 Browning machine guns would be removed, and studies of the feasibility of a torpedo bulge, the addition of which Construction and Repair believed to be paramount, which would increase the beam
to 108 ft (32.9 m) and displacement to 39600 LT (40,235.6 t; 44,352.1 ST). Varying plans for these were complete by October 1938. None was a full reconstruction; costs ranged from $8,094,000 to $38,369,000 per ship. However, as the money for the improvements would lessen the amount available for new battleship construction, and these would be better than even reconstructed old battleship, the Secretary of the Navy rejected these plans in November. Congress did appropriate $6,600,000 in 1939 for some of these improvements, including the bulges.
With the beginning of World War II in Europe, the Navy began to apply lessons learned by the British there to U.S. ships. The King Board of 1940–1941 proposed sweeping changes to the secondary armament of the old battleships to increase their defense against air attacks. These included the removal of all 5 in (127 mm)/25 caliber guns and 5 in/51 in favor of the dual-purpose
5 in/38, the addition of six quadruple 1.1 in (27.9 mm) machine cannons, and the cutting away of superstructure to clear arcs of fire for the new anti-aircraft weapons. An ultimate secondary battery of sixteen 5"/38 in dual mounts, sixteen Bofors 40 mm in quadruple mounts and eight single Oerlikon 20 mm
was called for by the board in 1941, although they were not certain the ships could handle the added weight and it would take a large amount of time in dry dock for these modifications to take place. With these concerns, an interim measure of four 1.1 in guns was proposed by the board; however, the gun was not being produced in any great number very quickly, so a second interim solution was implemented. 3 in (76.2 mm)/50 caliber guns were added to all of the U.S.' battleships except for Arizona and Nevada by June 1941; these were replaced on the three battleships in the Atlantic by the 1.1 in by November—they received them first because they were closer to a war zone.
As these modifications were carried out upon the various battleships, much additional weight was added onto the already overweight ships, forcing torpedo bulges to be added so that a decent freeboard
could be maintained. These would cost $750,000 and around three or four months in a dry dock. The King Board suggested that the deck armor be bolstered and 5 in/38 dual-purpose guns be added, but the Chief of Naval Operations
decreed that any major changes such as these had to wait due to the wars raging around the world at the time. The addition of bulges, however, was approved for the "Big Five", with each ship spending three months in dry dock at the Puget Sound Naval Yard. Maryland would be first (17 February 1941 to 20 May), followed by West Virginia (10 May to 8 August), Colorado (28 July to 28 October), Tennessee (19 January 1942 to 21 April) and California (16 March to 16 June). However, the estimates for how long the addition of bulges would take were too low; Puget Sound believed that they could complete work on Maryland in 123 calendar days (about four months)—if the work would be given a priority equal to that of s refit and higher than new construction.
Only two of the ships had bulges added to them through this program, Maryland (completed 1 August 1941) and Colorado (26 February 1942); the attack on Pearl Harbor
interrupted the refits intended for West Virginia and the two Tennessees. The surprise strike did not touch Colorado, which was at Puget Sound, and did not hurt Maryland very badly; however, West Virginia was severely damaged and needed a major refit at minimum.
Little to no major modifications were made to the two active Colorados in the opening months of the U.S.'s entry into the war; all of the battleships in the Pacific Fleet had a constant order to be ready to sail within 48 hours in case of a Japanese attempt to invade Hawaii or the West Coast and could not be spared for any major yard work. Colorado was hurried through the rest of her refit with the addition of essential items like radar
, splinter protection, 14 Oerlikon 20 mm and four 1.1 in light anti-aircraft guns; Maryland received a similar treatment later, the only difference being 16 20 mm's and no 1.1 in. Although tower masts were constructed for Colorado and Maryland and a majority of the old cage masts were cut down by the ships' crews in the beginning of 1942, the ships could not be spared the time needed to install the new masts. The tower masts were placed into storage and not used until early 1944.
Colorado and Maryland were greatly needed in the war zone, and as such did not undergo a major refit until 1944, although minor additions and removals, mainly to the anti-aircraft weaponry, were made in-between. Throughout the war, both ships saw their anti-aircraft battery changed constantly. Beginning in 1942, they carried eight 5 in/25, four quadruple-mounted 1.1 in guns, a greatly varying number of 20 mm, and eight .50 caliber machine guns. In June 1942, Colorado had fourteen 20 mm; just five months later, this was upped to twenty-two, with thirty-six temporarily approved for a later time. By February 1943, both Colorado and Maryland had two more quad 1.1 in added (for a total of 6) and forty-eight total 20 mm; a month later she was given an additional ten .50 caliber machine guns. November 1943 saw the removal of two of the single-purpose 5 in/51, the six quad 1.1 in, and a small number of 20 mm (six in Colorado, eight in Maryland) in favor of thirty-two Bofors 40 mm—six quad and two twin.
Both ships finally underwent major refits in 1944. Here the remaining cage masts were taken off in favor of the tower masts, the two twin 40 mm replaced by quads, a quadruple 20 mm added, and a new radar fitted. Although more extensive refits were proposed by Admiral Ernest J. King, including the addition of eight twin 5 in/38, more advanced fire control systems, and a second protective deck plating, the Bureau of Ships
, after demonstrating what would have to be removed as compensation for the weight added for King's ideas, counter-proposed that a smaller reconstruction, like the ones given to the , would be more desirable. However, no action was taken until Maryland was struck by a kamikaze
aircraft. While undergoing repair, eight twin 5 in/38 were added, but nothing else; her conning tower
was removed and replaced by a 50 lb (22.7 kg) special-treated steel structure to balance the additional weight of the 5 in guns.
was the third ship of the United States Navy
named in honor of the 38th state
. Her keel was laid down on 29 May 1919 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey
. She was launched
on 22 March 1921 and commissioned
on 30 August 1923, Captain
R. R. Belknap in command. During her career, Colorado was involved in various ceremonies and fleet exercises, and assisted Long Beach
residents following an earthquake
there in 1933. In 1937, she was one of several ships that searched for Amelia Earhart
after her plane went missing. Colorado was at Puget Sound at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.
She returned to Pearl Harbor April 1942. From November 1942 to September 1943 she was stationed in the South West Pacific. In November 1943, Colorado participated in operations against the Japanese during both the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
and Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
, and she shelled Luzon
and Okinawa
in advance of the planned amphibious assaults there. Following World War II Colorado participated in Operation Magic Carpet before being decommissioned in 1947. She was sold for scrap in 1957.
was the third ship of the United States Navy
to be named in honor of the seventh state
. Her keel was laid down 24 April 1917 by Newport News Shipbuilding
Company of Newport News, Virginia
. She was launched
on 20 March 1920 and commissioned
on 21 July 1921, with Captain
C.F. Preston in command. During her career she made a goodwill voyage to Australia and New Zealand
in 1925, and transported President
-elect Herbert Hoover
on the Pacific leg of his tour of Latin America
in 1928. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, she served as a mainstay of fleet readiness through tireless training operations.
In 1940, Maryland changed her base of operations to Pearl Harbor
. She was present at Battleship Row along Ford Island
during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941. Damaged during the attack, Maryland reported to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, where she was repaired and modernized. Maryland supported the amphibious landings during the Battle of Tarawa
, and thereafter participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
, the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
, the Battle of Peleliu
, the Philippines Campaign, and the Battle of Okinawa
. Following the end of World War II Maryland participated in Operation Magic Carpet before decommissioning in 1947. She was sold for scrap in 1959.
was the second ship of the United States Navy
named in honor of the 42nd state. Her keel was laid down on 30 June 1919 at Camden, New Jersey
, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. She was launched
on 1 September 1921, but on 8 February 1922, two days after the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty
for the Limitation of Naval Armaments, all construction work ceased on the 75.9% completed dreadnought.
The ship was towed out in November 1924 to be used as a gunnery target. On the first day of testing, the ship was hit by two 400 pounds (181.4 kg) torpedoes and three 1 short ton (0.892854426455391 LT) near-miss bombs with minor damage and a list of three degrees. On that day, the ship had 400 pounds of TNT detonated onboard, but she remained afloat. Two days later, the ship was hit by fourteen 14 inches (35.6 cm) shells dropped from 4000 feet (1,219.2 m), but only one penetrated. The ship was finally sunk by the battleships and with fourteen 14 in shells. After the test, it was decided that the existing deck armor on battleships was inadequate, and that future battleships should be fitted with triple bottoms.
was the second ship of the United States Navy
named in honor of the 35th state
. Her keel was laid down on 12 April 1920 by the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia
. She was launched
on 17 November 1921 and commissioned
on 1 December 1923, Captain
Thomas J. Senn
in command. Despite a grounding incident early in her career West Virginia received high acclaim for gunnery and armor protection, and was involved in exercises to test the defenses of the Hawaiian Islands in the 1930s. On the morning of 7 December 1941, West Virginia sustained heavy damage, but thanks in large part to counter flooding orders the battleship sank at her berth on an even keel, which is similar to that of . Resurrected from the mud on 17 May 1942, West Virginia received enough patchwork to sail for Washington State; she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1942 for repairs and modernization.
In July 1944 she emerged from her repairs and overhaul, and set out to rejoin the Pacific Fleet for combat operations. She joined the fleet on the eve of the Philippines Campaign. There she participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship vs battleship duel of World War II, where her new Mk. 8 fire-control radar allowed her to hit the Yamashiro with her first salvo, in the dark at 22,800 yards. In February 1945 West Virginia participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima
, initially by preinvasion bombardment, and later by callfire support for the ground forces on the island. Her last combat operations were during the Battle of Okinawa
; after the surrender of Japan, she was called upon to participate in Operation Magic Carpet. Decommissioned in 1947, she was sold for scrapping in 1959.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. However, only three of the ships were completed: , , and . The fourth, , was over 75% completed when she was canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
in 1922. As such, the Colorado class ships were the last battleships built by the US Navy until the entered service on the eve of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Colorados were part of the Navy's "standard battleships," a group of battleship classes that were designed to have similar speed and handling in order to simplify maneuvers with the line of battle
Line of battle
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...
. The ships were essentially repeats of the earlier . The primary difference was that the Colorados were equipped with eight 16"/45 caliber Mark 1 (later upgraded to 16"/45 cal Mark 5) naval guns, as opposed to the earlier ships' twelve 14 inch/50 caliber guns
14"/50 caliber gun
The 14"/50 caliber gun was a naval gun mounted on and s. These ships also featured the first "three-gun" turrets, meaning that each gun in each turret could be "individually sleeved" to elevate separately...
. The change to larger guns was made to counter the Japanese s, which also mounted eight 16-inch guns.
All three ships had extensive careers during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Maryland and West Virginia were both present during the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December 1941; Maryland escaped relatively unscathed, but West Virginia was sunk in the shallow waters of the harbor. During the war, all three ships served as artillery support ships during amphibious operations. Maryland and West Virginia were both present at the last surface action between battleships, the Battle of Surigao Strait during the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
in October 1944. The three ships were put into the reserve fleet after the end of the war, and were all scrapped by the late 1950s.
Design
The design of the Colorado class was taken from the preceding ; other than the notable improvement of eight 16 in (406.4 mm)/45 caliber in four dual turretsGun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
taking the place of the other class' twelve 14 in (355.6 mm)/50 caliber gun
14"/50 caliber gun
The 14"/50 caliber gun was a naval gun mounted on and s. These ships also featured the first "three-gun" turrets, meaning that each gun in each turret could be "individually sleeved" to elevate separately...
s in four triple gun turrets, there was not a major difference between the two designs.
The Tennessees were the results of modifications to the . Most of the changes were incorporated into the Tennessees prior to any of their keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
s being laid. However, plans for the underwater protection—the ships' main defense against torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es and shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
that fell short of the ship but traveled through the water to hit underneath the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
—could not be worked out in time. The problem was that tests in caissons
Caisson (engineering)
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
—experiments that would eventually prove that a series of compartments divided between being filled with liquid and being left empty would be a very effective defense against torpedoes—were not yet complete. In order to commence construction of the ships as soon as possible, bids sent out to shipbuilding corporations noted that if they were selected to build the ships, an alteration to the design of the ships three months after their keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
s were laid must be allowed.
The new underwater protection scheme featured five compartments separated by bulkheads
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
on either side of the ship: an outer empty one, three filled, and an empty inner one. In addition, the eight boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s were moved from their location in previous designs and placed in separate spaces to port and starboard of the turbo-electric
Turbo-electric
A turbo-electric transmission uses electric generators to convert the mechanical energy of a turbine into electric energy and electric motors to convert it back into mechanical energy to power the driveshafts....
power plant, forming another line of defense; the ship could still sail even if one or even an entire side of boilers was incapacitated due to battle damage. This new arrangement forced the chief aesthetic change between the New Mexicos and Tennessees: the single large funnel of the former was replaced by two smaller funnels in the latter.
Other improvements in the Tennessee class included an attempt to move the forward torpedo room away from the 14" gun magazines
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
, as the room was viewed as vulnerable; also, the design called for the use of external, rather than internal, belt armor
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
so that a "break in the continuity of the side structure" would not exist in the ships. The secondary 5" battery was located in the superstructure rather than the upper hull as in earlier classes, where it had proved to be excessively wet. The elevation
Elevation (ballistics)
In ballistics, the elevation is the angle between the horizontal plane and the direction of the barrel of a gun, mortar or heavy artillery. Originally, elevation was a linear measure of how high the gunners had to physically lift the muzzle of a gun up from the gun carriage to hit targets at a...
of the main battery
Main battery
Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns...
was increased to 30 degrees due in part to rumors that Imperial German capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
s' guns could elevate to and a picture of the guns of the British dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
that appeared to indicate the same ability. The "Big Five" were also the first US battleships built from the outset with masthead fire-contol directors.
Class history
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid on 24 April 1917, the other three battleships were not until 1919–1920. With the cancellation of the first South Dakota class
South Dakota class battleship (1920)
The first South Dakota class was a class of six battleships, laid down in 1920 but never completed. These battleships would have been the last dreadnoughts to be commissioned, if the Washington Naval Treaty not caused their cancellation one-third of the way through their construction, they would...
, the Colorados were the last U.S. battleships to enter service for nearly two decades. They were also the final U.S. battleships to use twin gun turrets—the s and second South Dakota classes
South Dakota class battleship (1939)
The South Dakota-class was a group of four fast battleships built by the United States Navy. They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th State; the first class was designed in the 1920s and canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. The class comprised four...
had nine 16"/45 caliber
16"/45 caliber Mark 6 gun
The 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 gun was a naval gun designed in 1936 by the United States Navy for their Treaty battleships. It was first introduced in 1941 aboard their North Carolina-class battleships, replacing the originally intended 14"/50 caliber Mark B guns and was also used for the followup South...
guns and the s used nine 16 in/50 caliber in three triple turrets.
Planning for modernizations of the Tennessee and Colorado classes in October 1931. Included was some protection against chemical shells which contained poisonous gas, although the General Board
General Board of the United States Navy
The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, effectively a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by John Davis Long. The order was officially recognized by Congress in 1916...
stated in the late 1920s that decontaminating a battleship hit with these shells would not be possible—the ship would have to be scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
. Also, the deck armor
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
was to be bolstered with 80 lb (36.3 kg)-special treatment steel
Special treatment steel
Special Treatment Steel , also known as Protective Deck Plate. Originally developed by Carnegie Steel around 1910, it became the U.S. Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair standard form of high-percentage nickel steel used on all portions of a warship needing homogeneous direct impact protection...
(STS)—which would add 1319 LT (1,340.2 t; 1,477.3 ST) to the displacement of the ships—the armor on the tops of the main turrets was to be made thicker, fire controls were to be improved with the latest technology, and new shells for the main guns were to be designed. Two, later four, 1.1"/75 caliber machine cannons were to be added, and all of the machinery in place would be removed in favor of newer equipment so that the ships would not lose any speed with the great increase in weight. These improvements would cost about $15,000,000 per ship ($71,723,000 total), but with the country in the throes of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, there was not much money available for the Navy; savings of $26,625,000 could be realized by reconditioning the propulsion machinery (rather than replacing it; this would lower the ship's speed), not adding the protection against chemical shells and not designing or producing the new shells, but the cost-saving elements of the later proposal were later dropped. The Navy asked the Secretary of the Navy to request money in the fiscal year 1933 to modernize the two classes from Congress, but the depression worsened and plans were put on hold and never carried out, although there were still proposals for modifications.
Bureau of Construction and Repair
The Bureau of Construction and Repair was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the Navy...
proposed that the "Big Five"—the two Tennessees and three Colorados—be fitted with anti-torpedo bulge
Anti-torpedo bulge
The anti-torpedo bulge is a form of passive defence against naval torpedoes that featured in warship construction in the period between the First and Second World Wars.-Theory and form:...
s so that the ships could benefit from increased buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
; because of, among other factors, the normal procedure of leaving port with the maximum amount of fuel possible on board, the five ships were quite overweight and rode low in the water. For example, in June 1935, Tennessee had a normal operating displacement
Displacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
of 38200 LT (38,813.1 t; 42,784.1 ST)—more than 2000 LT (2,032.1 t; 2,240 ST) above the maximum emergency load her original design called for. This made her draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
higher—meaning that the ship's waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
was down 5 in 4 in (1,625.6 mm). Construction and Repair called for a bulge on the Colorados that would displace about 2000 LT (2,032.1 t; 2,240 ST) and raise the ships' draft by 20 in (508 mm). Installing these would be a year's worth of work, with each ship spending six months of that in a dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
—the first month docked so that the hull shape could be determined, the next six sailing while the bulge was built, and the last five back in the dock so it could be added to the ship.
Three years later (1937), the various Navy bureaus
United States Navy bureau system
The "bureau system" of the United States Navy was the Department of the Navy's material-support organization from 1842 through 1966. The bureau chiefs were largely autonomous, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Navy and managing their respective organizations without the influence of other...
held a joint meeting to discuss a possible partial modernization of the Tennessees and Colorados. They were much different than the changes proposed in 1933; there were no provisions for extra deck armor, but many additions and replacements. To gain space for newer fire control systems, the ships were to be reboilered. The main and secondary battery fire controls were to be replaced, including new rangefinders and plotting room instruments for the main, while new Mark 33 anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
fire control directors were planned. The mainmast and M2 Browning machine guns would be removed, and studies of the feasibility of a torpedo bulge, the addition of which Construction and Repair believed to be paramount, which would increase the beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
to 108 ft (32.9 m) and displacement to 39600 LT (40,235.6 t; 44,352.1 ST). Varying plans for these were complete by October 1938. None was a full reconstruction; costs ranged from $8,094,000 to $38,369,000 per ship. However, as the money for the improvements would lessen the amount available for new battleship construction, and these would be better than even reconstructed old battleship, the Secretary of the Navy rejected these plans in November. Congress did appropriate $6,600,000 in 1939 for some of these improvements, including the bulges.
With the beginning of World War II in Europe, the Navy began to apply lessons learned by the British there to U.S. ships. The King Board of 1940–1941 proposed sweeping changes to the secondary armament of the old battleships to increase their defense against air attacks. These included the removal of all 5 in (127 mm)/25 caliber guns and 5 in/51 in favor of the dual-purpose
Dual purpose gun
A dual purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.-Description:Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and cruisers ; a secondary battery for use against enemy...
5 in/38, the addition of six quadruple 1.1 in (27.9 mm) machine cannons, and the cutting away of superstructure to clear arcs of fire for the new anti-aircraft weapons. An ultimate secondary battery of sixteen 5"/38 in dual mounts, sixteen Bofors 40 mm in quadruple mounts and eight single Oerlikon 20 mm
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
was called for by the board in 1941, although they were not certain the ships could handle the added weight and it would take a large amount of time in dry dock for these modifications to take place. With these concerns, an interim measure of four 1.1 in guns was proposed by the board; however, the gun was not being produced in any great number very quickly, so a second interim solution was implemented. 3 in (76.2 mm)/50 caliber guns were added to all of the U.S.' battleships except for Arizona and Nevada by June 1941; these were replaced on the three battleships in the Atlantic by the 1.1 in by November—they received them first because they were closer to a war zone.
As these modifications were carried out upon the various battleships, much additional weight was added onto the already overweight ships, forcing torpedo bulges to be added so that a decent freeboard
Freeboard (nautical)
In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...
could be maintained. These would cost $750,000 and around three or four months in a dry dock. The King Board suggested that the deck armor be bolstered and 5 in/38 dual-purpose guns be added, but the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
decreed that any major changes such as these had to wait due to the wars raging around the world at the time. The addition of bulges, however, was approved for the "Big Five", with each ship spending three months in dry dock at the Puget Sound Naval Yard. Maryland would be first (17 February 1941 to 20 May), followed by West Virginia (10 May to 8 August), Colorado (28 July to 28 October), Tennessee (19 January 1942 to 21 April) and California (16 March to 16 June). However, the estimates for how long the addition of bulges would take were too low; Puget Sound believed that they could complete work on Maryland in 123 calendar days (about four months)—if the work would be given a priority equal to that of s refit and higher than new construction.
Only two of the ships had bulges added to them through this program, Maryland (completed 1 August 1941) and Colorado (26 February 1942); the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
interrupted the refits intended for West Virginia and the two Tennessees. The surprise strike did not touch Colorado, which was at Puget Sound, and did not hurt Maryland very badly; however, West Virginia was severely damaged and needed a major refit at minimum.
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, splinter protection, 14 Oerlikon 20 mm and four 1.1 in light anti-aircraft guns; Maryland received a similar treatment later, the only difference being 16 20 mm's and no 1.1 in. Although tower masts were constructed for Colorado and Maryland and a majority of the old cage masts were cut down by the ships' crews in the beginning of 1942, the ships could not be spared the time needed to install the new masts. The tower masts were placed into storage and not used until early 1944.
Colorado and Maryland were greatly needed in the war zone, and as such did not undergo a major refit until 1944, although minor additions and removals, mainly to the anti-aircraft weaponry, were made in-between. Throughout the war, both ships saw their anti-aircraft battery changed constantly. Beginning in 1942, they carried eight 5 in/25, four quadruple-mounted 1.1 in guns, a greatly varying number of 20 mm, and eight .50 caliber machine guns. In June 1942, Colorado had fourteen 20 mm; just five months later, this was upped to twenty-two, with thirty-six temporarily approved for a later time. By February 1943, both Colorado and Maryland had two more quad 1.1 in added (for a total of 6) and forty-eight total 20 mm; a month later she was given an additional ten .50 caliber machine guns. November 1943 saw the removal of two of the single-purpose 5 in/51, the six quad 1.1 in, and a small number of 20 mm (six in Colorado, eight in Maryland) in favor of thirty-two Bofors 40 mm—six quad and two twin.
Both ships finally underwent major refits in 1944. Here the remaining cage masts were taken off in favor of the tower masts, the two twin 40 mm replaced by quads, a quadruple 20 mm added, and a new radar fitted. Although more extensive refits were proposed by Admiral Ernest J. King, including the addition of eight twin 5 in/38, more advanced fire control systems, and a second protective deck plating, the Bureau of Ships
Bureau of Ships
The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering. The new Bureau was to be headed by a Chief and Deputy-Chief, one selected from the engineering...
, after demonstrating what would have to be removed as compensation for the weight added for King's ideas, counter-proposed that a smaller reconstruction, like the ones given to the , would be more desirable. However, no action was taken until Maryland was struck by a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft. While undergoing repair, eight twin 5 in/38 were added, but nothing else; her conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
was removed and replaced by a 50 lb (22.7 kg) special-treated steel structure to balance the additional weight of the 5 in guns.
USS Colorado
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named in honor of the 38th state
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Her keel was laid down on 29 May 1919 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 22 March 1921 and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 30 August 1923, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
R. R. Belknap in command. During her career, Colorado was involved in various ceremonies and fleet exercises, and assisted Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
residents following an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
there in 1933. In 1937, she was one of several ships that searched for Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
after her plane went missing. Colorado was at Puget Sound at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.
She returned to Pearl Harbor April 1942. From November 1942 to September 1943 she was stationed in the South West Pacific. In November 1943, Colorado participated in operations against the Japanese during both the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The campaign was preceded by a raid on Makin Island by U.S...
and Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Mariana Islands and Palau in the Pacific Ocean between June and November, 1944 during the Pacific War...
, and she shelled Luzon
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
and Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
in advance of the planned amphibious assaults there. Following World War II Colorado participated in Operation Magic Carpet before being decommissioned in 1947. She was sold for scrap in 1957.
USS Maryland
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named in honor of the seventh state
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Her keel was laid down 24 April 1917 by Newport News Shipbuilding
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
Company of Newport News, Virginia
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 20 March 1920 and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 21 July 1921, with Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
C.F. Preston in command. During her career she made a goodwill voyage to Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1925, and transported President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
-elect Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
on the Pacific leg of his tour of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
in 1928. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, she served as a mainstay of fleet readiness through tireless training operations.
In 1940, Maryland changed her base of operations to Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. She was present at Battleship Row along Ford Island
Ford Island
Ford Island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It is connected to the main island by the Ford Island Bridge. Before the bridge was built, Ford Island could only be reached by a ferry boat which ran at hourly intervals for cars and foot passengers. The island houses several naval...
during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December 1941. Damaged during the attack, Maryland reported to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, where she was repaired and modernized. Maryland supported the amphibious landings during the Battle of Tarawa
Battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa, code named Operation Galvanic, was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
, and thereafter participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The campaign was preceded by a raid on Makin Island by U.S...
, the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Mariana Islands and Palau in the Pacific Ocean between June and November, 1944 during the Pacific War...
, the Battle of Peleliu
Battle of Peleliu
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S...
, the Philippines Campaign, and the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
. Following the end of World War II Maryland participated in Operation Magic Carpet before decommissioning in 1947. She was sold for scrap in 1959.
USS Washington
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named in honor of the 42nd state. Her keel was laid down on 30 June 1919 at Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 1 September 1921, but on 8 February 1922, two days after the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
for the Limitation of Naval Armaments, all construction work ceased on the 75.9% completed dreadnought.
The ship was towed out in November 1924 to be used as a gunnery target. On the first day of testing, the ship was hit by two 400 pounds (181.4 kg) torpedoes and three 1 short ton (0.892854426455391 LT) near-miss bombs with minor damage and a list of three degrees. On that day, the ship had 400 pounds of TNT detonated onboard, but she remained afloat. Two days later, the ship was hit by fourteen 14 inches (35.6 cm) shells dropped from 4000 feet (1,219.2 m), but only one penetrated. The ship was finally sunk by the battleships and with fourteen 14 in shells. After the test, it was decided that the existing deck armor on battleships was inadequate, and that future battleships should be fitted with triple bottoms.
USS West Virginia
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named in honor of the 35th state
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Her keel was laid down on 12 April 1920 by the Newport News Shipbuilding
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 17 November 1921 and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 1 December 1923, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Thomas J. Senn
Thomas J. Senn
Thomas J. Senn was an American naval officer and 1891 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He was the commanding officer of in 1920, and the Commanding Officer of the from her commissioning on December 1, 1923 to May 5, 1925...
in command. Despite a grounding incident early in her career West Virginia received high acclaim for gunnery and armor protection, and was involved in exercises to test the defenses of the Hawaiian Islands in the 1930s. On the morning of 7 December 1941, West Virginia sustained heavy damage, but thanks in large part to counter flooding orders the battleship sank at her berth on an even keel, which is similar to that of . Resurrected from the mud on 17 May 1942, West Virginia received enough patchwork to sail for Washington State; she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1942 for repairs and modernization.
In July 1944 she emerged from her repairs and overhaul, and set out to rejoin the Pacific Fleet for combat operations. She joined the fleet on the eve of the Philippines Campaign. There she participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship vs battleship duel of World War II, where her new Mk. 8 fire-control radar allowed her to hit the Yamashiro with her first salvo, in the dark at 22,800 yards. In February 1945 West Virginia participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
, initially by preinvasion bombardment, and later by callfire support for the ground forces on the island. Her last combat operations were during the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
; after the surrender of Japan, she was called upon to participate in Operation Magic Carpet. Decommissioned in 1947, she was sold for scrapping in 1959.