Florida class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Florida-class battleship
s of the United States Navy
comprised two ships: and . They were, in general, similar to the preceding Delaware-class design, but were slightly larger. The two ships of this class were launched in 1910 and 1909, respectively, and both were commissioned in 1911. This was the first US battleship class in which all ships received steam turbine
engines. In the previous , one ship received steam turbine propulsion as an experiment.
Both ships were involved in the 1914 Second battle of Vera Cruz, deploying their Marine contingents as part of the operation. Following the entrance of the United States into World War I
in 1917, both ships were deployed to Europe. Florida was assigned to the British Grand Fleet and based in Scapa Flow
; in December 1918 she escorted President Woodrow Wilson
to France for the peace negotiations. Utah was assigned to convoy escort duty; she was based in Ireland and was tasked with protecting convoys as they approached the European continent.
Both ships were retained under the Washington Naval Treaty
of 1922, and in the interwar period underwent significant modernization, including the installation of torpedo bulges, oil-fired boilers, and other improvements. However, both ships were demilitarized under terms of the 1930 London Naval Treaty
. Florida was sold for scrapping, while Utah was converted into a radio-controlled target ship.
In the mid-1930s, Utah was converted to an anti-aircraft gunnery trainer, a role served until she was sunk by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Her hull was never raised; it remains on the bottom of the harbor as a war memorial
.
s and a redesigned secondary battery. The ships mounted new 5 in (127 mm) /51 caliber guns as secondary batteries, which also had increased armor protection.
The design, as with other American battleships of the era, was heavily influenced by war games conducted at the U.S. Navy's Naval War College
. Captain William Sims
led a reform movement that assigned warship design to the General Board
. The class retained the large and fully enclosed conning tower
s that were adopted for the preceding Delawares, as a result of American studies of the Battle of Tsushima
in 1905. The design reduced the vulnerability of the command staff.
The Florida class was the third class of 11 separate designs begun from 1906 to 1919, Some 29 battleships and 6 battle-cruisers would laid down during this period, though seven of the battleships and all six of the battle-cruisers would be cancelled. All except the Lexington Class Battle-cruisers would be 21 knot designs and would range in weight from 16,000 to 42,000 tons. At this time no U.S. dreadnought class battleship had yet hit the water as all were either at some stage of building or in design. Virtually the entire U.S. Navy battle line was being designed by drawing on experience from pre-dreadnought designs or from observation of foreign battleship design.
s (1,400 metric tons) over the previous . The ships also had some of their superstructure
rearranged, including the lattice mast
s and the funnels. The Florida class ships had a crew of 1,001 officers and men.
The two ships were modernized in 1925–27; among the improvements were the addition of torpedo bulges, which were designed to increase resistance to underwater damage—this widened the ships to 106 ft (32 m). The ships also had their rear lattice mast
s removed and replaced with a pole mast. A catapult for launching aircraft was mounted on the center gun turret.
steam turbine
s; steam was provided by 12 Babcock & Wilcox
coal-fired boilers. The engines provided 28,000 shaft horsepower (20,880 kilowatts) and a top speed of 20.75 knots. The engine rooms had been lengthened as compared to the previous Delaware class in order to accommodate the larger Parsons steam turbine. The ships had a range of 6,720 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots. During their reconstruction in the 1920s, the ships had their coal-fired boilers replaced with newer versions that were oil-fired. They also had their twin funnels trunked into one single larger funnel.
The Florida class ships were armed with ten 12 in (30 cm) Mark 5
45-caliber guns in five twin gun turret
s. Two turrets were mounted fore in a superfiring pair
, while the other three were mounted aft of the main superstructure, all on the centerline. The rearmost turret was placed on the main deck, facing rearward, the next turret was placed on the main deck facing forward, but could only have fired on either broadside, it could not have fired straight forward or aft, while the center turret was placed in a superfiring position, facing rearward. The gun housings were the Mark 8 type, and they allowed for depression to −5 degrees and elevation to 15 degrees. The guns had a rate of fire
of 2 to 3 rounds per minute. They fired 870 lb (394.6 kg) shells, of either armor-piercing
(AP) or Common types, though the Common type was obsolete by 1915 and put out of production. The propellant charge was 310 lb (140.6 kg) in silk bags, and provided a muzzle velocity
of 2,700 fps (823 mps). The guns were expected to fire 175 rounds before the barrels would require replacement. The two ships carried 100 shells per gun, or 1,000 rounds in total. At 15 degrees elevation, the guns could hit targets out to approximately 20,000 yards (18,290 m).
The secondary battery of sixteen 5 in (127 mm) guns was improved to house the 5 in /51 cal instead of the 5 in (127 mm)/50 cal armament of previous classes. The 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal, which offered a higher velocity, was seen as a needed upgrade. These guns were mounted in single casemate
s and had a rate of fire of 8 to 9 shells per minute. They fired 50 lb (22.7 kg) AP shells at a muzzle velocity of 3,150 fps (960 mps). The shells were combined with a 24.5 lb (11.1 kg) propellant charge in a brass cartridge, for ease of loading. The guns had an expected barrel life of around 700 rounds. The guns could depress to −10 degrees and elevate to 15 degrees. The guns were manually operated, and had a range of train of about 150 degrees in either direction.
The ships were also armed with two 21 inch (53.3 cm) submerged torpedo tubes. The tubes were mounted one on each broadside
. The torpedoes were 197 in (5.004 m) long and carried a 200 lb (91 kg) warhead. They had a range of 4,000 yards (3,660 m) and traveled at a speed of 26 knots.
ranged in thickness from 9 inches (228 mm) to 11 in (280 mm) in the more important areas of the ship. Casemated guns mounted in the hull had between 8–10 inches of armor plate (203–254 mm). After modernization, some of the casemated guns were moved to the superstructure; these guns were protected with only 5 in (127 mm) of armor. The barbette
s that housed the main gun turrets were armored with between 4–10 in (102–254 mm) of armor; the side portions more vulnerable to shell fire were thicker, while the front and rear sections of the barbette, which were less likely to be hit, received thinner armor to save weight. The gun turrets themselves were armored with 12 in (305 mm) of armor. The conning tower
was 11.5 in (292 mm) thick. The armored deck was slightly reduced in thickness, from 2 in (51 mm) to 1.5 in (38 mm).
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Florida, ordered under hull number "Battleship #30", was laid down at the New York Navy Yard
on 9 March 1909. She was launched on 12 May 1910, after which fitting out work commenced. Work was finished on 15 September 1911, at which point she was commissioned into the United States Navy
. Utah was ordered under hull number "Battleship #31". She was laid down in Camden, New Jersey, at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, 6 days later on 15 March. Work proceeded faster on Utah than on her sister ship
, and she was launched about four and a half months earlier, on 23 December 1909. After launching, she underwent fitting out work, which lasted until 31 August 1911, when she was commissioned into the American fleet.
After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Florida was dispatched to Europe; she departed the United States in December 1917. After arriving in the North Sea, she was assigned to the Grand Fleet, where she served with her British counterparts. The ship, part of the U.S. Navy's Battleship Division Nine
, under the command of Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman
, arrived on 7 December and was assigned to the 6th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. Following training exercises with the British fleet, 6th Battle Squadron was tasked with convoy protection duty on the route to Scandinavia. Following the end of the war, in December 1918, the ship escorted President Woodrow Wilson
on his trip to Europe to participate in the peace negotiations at Versailles. Later in December, Florida returned to the United States to participate in the Victory Fleet Review in New York harbor.
Post-war, Florida returned the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet; she operated along the east coast of the United States and into Central America. In July 1920, she was assigned the hull number "BB-30". In the early 1920s, she carried the U.S. Secretary of State on a diplomatic trip around the Caribbean and South America. Florida was the oldest American battleship that was retained under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
of 1922. She underwent extensive reconstruction and modernization during the mid-1920s. After emerging from the shipyard, she was assigned as the flagship
of the Control Force, U.S. Fleet. The ship conducted a series of training cruises for the remainder of the decade. Under the London Naval Treaty
of 1930, the ship was to be discarded. She was decommissioned in February 1931 and towed to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
, where she was broken up for scrap.
Utahs first assignment was with the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet. During 1913, she took a goodwill voyage to the Mediterranean. Utah was also involved in the Second Battle of Vera Cruz, alongside her sister Florida. The ship also saw front-line duty in the First World War, although she was not attached to the British Grand Fleet. Starting in September 1918, Utah was based in Bantry Bay
, Ireland. Here she conducted convoy escort duties on the approach to Europe.
Post-war service saw Utah again in the Atlantic Fleet; during 1921–22, she was stationed in Europe. Utah was also retained under the Washington Naval Treaty. In 1924–1925, the ship sailed on a goodwill cruise to South America. Following her return to the United States, she was taken into dry dock for significant reconstruction. After she rejoined the active fleet, she was assigned to the U.S. Scouting Fleet. Late in 1928, she steamed to the South Atlantic, where she picked up President-Elect
Herbert Hoover
, who was returning from an ambassadorial visit to several South American countries.
According to the London Naval Treaty, the ship was to be removed from front-line service. To this end, she had her main battery guns removed and she was converted into a radio-controlled target ship
. She was redesignated AG-16, and served in this capacity after 1931. In the mid-1930s, she was rebuilt again, as an anti-aircraft gunnery training ship. In 1941, additional anti-aircraft guns were installed to increase her training capacity. Later in 1941, she was transferred to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and based in Pearl Harbor
. She was present in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941; after having been hit by two torpedoes, she capsize
d and sank. A few years later, the hull was partially righted and towed closer to Ford Island
, where the wreck remains today.
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s of the United States Navy
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...
comprised two ships: and . They were, in general, similar to the preceding Delaware-class design, but were slightly larger. The two ships of this class were launched in 1910 and 1909, respectively, and both were commissioned in 1911. This was the first US battleship class in which all ships received steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
engines. In the previous , one ship received steam turbine propulsion as an experiment.
Both ships were involved in the 1914 Second battle of Vera Cruz, deploying their Marine contingents as part of the operation. Following the entrance of the United States into 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...
in 1917, both ships were deployed to Europe. Florida was assigned to the British Grand Fleet and based in Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
; in December 1918 she escorted President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
to France for the peace negotiations. Utah was assigned to convoy escort duty; she was based in Ireland and was tasked with protecting convoys as they approached the European continent.
Both ships were retained under 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...
of 1922, and in the interwar period underwent significant modernization, including the installation of torpedo bulges, oil-fired boilers, and other improvements. However, both ships were demilitarized under terms of the 1930 London Naval Treaty
London Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
. Florida was sold for scrapping, while Utah was converted into a radio-controlled target ship.
In the mid-1930s, Utah was converted to an anti-aircraft gunnery trainer, a role served until she was sunk by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Her hull was never raised; it remains on the bottom of the harbor as a war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
.
Design
The Florida-class battleships were an improvement over the preceding . The primary modifications were enlarged engine rooms that were capable of holding four Curtis or Parsons turbineTurbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s and a redesigned secondary battery. The ships mounted new 5 in (127 mm) /51 caliber guns as secondary batteries, which also had increased armor protection.
The design, as with other American battleships of the era, was heavily influenced by war games conducted at the U.S. Navy's Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
. Captain William Sims
William Sims
William Sowden Sims was an admiral in the United States Navy who sought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the Navy. During World War I he commanded all United States naval forces operating in Europe...
led a reform movement that assigned warship design to 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...
. The class retained the large and fully enclosed 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....
s that were adopted for the preceding Delawares, as a result of American studies of the Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
in 1905. The design reduced the vulnerability of the command staff.
The Florida class was the third class of 11 separate designs begun from 1906 to 1919, Some 29 battleships and 6 battle-cruisers would laid down during this period, though seven of the battleships and all six of the battle-cruisers would be cancelled. All except the Lexington Class Battle-cruisers would be 21 knot designs and would range in weight from 16,000 to 42,000 tons. At this time no U.S. dreadnought class battleship had yet hit the water as all were either at some stage of building or in design. Virtually the entire U.S. Navy battle line was being designed by drawing on experience from pre-dreadnought designs or from observation of foreign battleship design.
General characteristics
The Florida-class ships were 510 ft (155.5 m) long at the waterline and 521 ft 8 inches (159 m) overall. They had a beam of 88 ft 3 inches (27 m) and a draft of 28 ft 3 in (8.6 m). They displaced 21,825 tons (22,175 metric tons) at standard displacement and 23,033 tons (22,669 metric tons) at full load. This was an increase of approximately 1,500 tonShort ton
The short ton is a unit of mass equal to . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted. There are, however, some U.S...
s (1,400 metric tons) over the previous . The ships also had some of their superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
rearranged, including the lattice mast
Lattice mast
Lattice masts, or cage masts, are a type of observation mast common on major warships in the early 20th century. They were used most prominently on American dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers of the World War I era. Observation posts were mounted on the masts and used to direct the fire...
s and the funnels. The Florida class ships had a crew of 1,001 officers and men.
The two ships were modernized in 1925–27; among the improvements were the addition of torpedo bulges, which were designed to increase resistance to underwater damage—this widened the ships to 106 ft (32 m). The ships also had their rear lattice mast
Lattice mast
Lattice masts, or cage masts, are a type of observation mast common on major warships in the early 20th century. They were used most prominently on American dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers of the World War I era. Observation posts were mounted on the masts and used to direct the fire...
s removed and replaced with a pole mast. A catapult for launching aircraft was mounted on the center gun turret.
Propulsion
The ships were powered by four-shaft ParsonsParsons Marine Steam Turbine Company
Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company was a British engineering company based in Wallsend, North England, on the River Tyne.-History:The company was founded by Charles Algernon Parsons in 1897 with £500,000 of capital, and specialised in building the steam turbine engines that he had invented for...
steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s; steam was provided by 12 Babcock & Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
coal-fired boilers. The engines provided 28,000 shaft horsepower (20,880 kilowatts) and a top speed of 20.75 knots. The engine rooms had been lengthened as compared to the previous Delaware class in order to accommodate the larger Parsons steam turbine. The ships had a range of 6,720 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots. During their reconstruction in the 1920s, the ships had their coal-fired boilers replaced with newer versions that were oil-fired. They also had their twin funnels trunked into one single larger funnel.
Armament
12"/45 caliber Mark 5 gun
The 12"/45 caliber Mark 5 gun was a US naval gun that first entered service in 1906. Initially designed for use with the Connecticut-class of pre-dreadnought battleships, the Mark 5 continued in service aboard the first generation of American dreadnoughts....
45-caliber guns in five twin gun turret
Gun 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...
s. Two turrets were mounted fore in a superfiring pair
Superfire
The idea of superfire is to locate two turrets in a row, one behind the other, but with the second turret located above the one in front so that the second turret could fire over the first...
, while the other three were mounted aft of the main superstructure, all on the centerline. The rearmost turret was placed on the main deck, facing rearward, the next turret was placed on the main deck facing forward, but could only have fired on either broadside, it could not have fired straight forward or aft, while the center turret was placed in a superfiring position, facing rearward. The gun housings were the Mark 8 type, and they allowed for depression to −5 degrees and elevation to 15 degrees. The guns had a rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
of 2 to 3 rounds per minute. They fired 870 lb (394.6 kg) shells, of either armor-piercing
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
(AP) or Common types, though the Common type was obsolete by 1915 and put out of production. The propellant charge was 310 lb (140.6 kg) in silk bags, and provided a muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
of 2,700 fps (823 mps). The guns were expected to fire 175 rounds before the barrels would require replacement. The two ships carried 100 shells per gun, or 1,000 rounds in total. At 15 degrees elevation, the guns could hit targets out to approximately 20,000 yards (18,290 m).
The secondary battery of sixteen 5 in (127 mm) guns was improved to house the 5 in /51 cal instead of the 5 in (127 mm)/50 cal armament of previous classes. The 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal, which offered a higher velocity, was seen as a needed upgrade. These guns were mounted in single casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
s and had a rate of fire of 8 to 9 shells per minute. They fired 50 lb (22.7 kg) AP shells at a muzzle velocity of 3,150 fps (960 mps). The shells were combined with a 24.5 lb (11.1 kg) propellant charge in a brass cartridge, for ease of loading. The guns had an expected barrel life of around 700 rounds. The guns could depress to −10 degrees and elevate to 15 degrees. The guns were manually operated, and had a range of train of about 150 degrees in either direction.
The ships were also armed with two 21 inch (53.3 cm) submerged torpedo tubes. The tubes were mounted one on each broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
. The torpedoes were 197 in (5.004 m) long and carried a 200 lb (91 kg) warhead. They had a range of 4,000 yards (3,660 m) and traveled at a speed of 26 knots.
Armor
The armor layout was largely the same as in the preceding Delaware-class battleships. The armored beltBelt 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....
ranged in thickness from 9 inches (228 mm) to 11 in (280 mm) in the more important areas of the ship. Casemated guns mounted in the hull had between 8–10 inches of armor plate (203–254 mm). After modernization, some of the casemated guns were moved to the superstructure; these guns were protected with only 5 in (127 mm) of armor. The barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
s that housed the main gun turrets were armored with between 4–10 in (102–254 mm) of armor; the side portions more vulnerable to shell fire were thicker, while the front and rear sections of the barbette, which were less likely to be hit, received thinner armor to save weight. The gun turrets themselves were armored with 12 in (305 mm) of armor. The 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 11.5 in (292 mm) thick. The armored deck was slightly reduced in thickness, from 2 in (51 mm) to 1.5 in (38 mm).
Construction
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
on 9 March 1909. She was launched on 12 May 1910, after which fitting out work commenced. Work was finished on 15 September 1911, at which point she was commissioned into the United States Navy
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...
. Utah was ordered under hull number "Battleship #31". She was laid down in Camden, New Jersey, at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, 6 days later on 15 March. Work proceeded faster on Utah than on her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
, and she was launched about four and a half months earlier, on 23 December 1909. After launching, she underwent fitting out work, which lasted until 31 August 1911, when she was commissioned into the American fleet.
USS Florida
Florida took part in the Second battle of Vera Cruz in 1914. She and her sister Utah were the first two ships on the scene; the two ships landed some 1,000 sailors and Marines under the command of Floridas captain on 21 April. Fighting lasted for 3 days; the contingent from Florida and Utah suffered a total of 94 casualties.After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Florida was dispatched to Europe; she departed the United States in December 1917. After arriving in the North Sea, she was assigned to the Grand Fleet, where she served with her British counterparts. The ship, part of the U.S. Navy's Battleship Division Nine
United States Battleship Division Nine (World War I)
United States Battleship Division Nine was a division of four, later five, dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet that constituted the American contribution to the British Grand Fleet during World War I. Although the U.S. entered the war on 6 April 1917, hesitation among...
, under the command of Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman
Hugh Rodman
Admiral Hugh Rodman KCB was an officer in the United States Navy who served during the Spanish–American War and World War I, later serving as the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet from 1919 to 1921.-Biography:...
, arrived on 7 December and was assigned to the 6th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. Following training exercises with the British fleet, 6th Battle Squadron was tasked with convoy protection duty on the route to Scandinavia. Following the end of the war, in December 1918, the ship escorted President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
on his trip to Europe to participate in the peace negotiations at Versailles. Later in December, Florida returned to the United States to participate in the Victory Fleet Review in New York harbor.
Post-war, Florida returned the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet; she operated along the east coast of the United States and into Central America. In July 1920, she was assigned the hull number "BB-30". In the early 1920s, she carried the U.S. Secretary of State on a diplomatic trip around the Caribbean and South America. Florida was the oldest American battleship that was retained 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...
of 1922. She underwent extensive reconstruction and modernization during the mid-1920s. After emerging from the shipyard, she was assigned as the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the Control Force, U.S. Fleet. The ship conducted a series of training cruises for the remainder of the decade. Under the London Naval Treaty
London Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
of 1930, the ship was to be discarded. She was decommissioned in February 1931 and towed to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
, where she was broken up for scrap.
USS Utah
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....
, Ireland. Here she conducted convoy escort duties on the approach to Europe.
Post-war service saw Utah again in the Atlantic Fleet; during 1921–22, she was stationed in Europe. Utah was also retained under the Washington Naval Treaty. In 1924–1925, the ship sailed on a goodwill cruise to South America. Following her return to the United States, she was taken into dry dock for significant reconstruction. After she rejoined the active fleet, she was assigned to the U.S. Scouting Fleet. Late in 1928, she steamed to the South Atlantic, where she picked up President-Elect
President-elect
An -elect is a political candidate who has been elected to an office but who has not yet been sworn in or officially taken office. These may include an incoming president, senator, representative, governor and mayor.Analogously, the term "designate" An -elect is a political candidate who has been...
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...
, who was returning from an ambassadorial visit to several South American countries.
According to the London Naval Treaty, the ship was to be removed from front-line service. To this end, she had her main battery guns removed and she was converted into a radio-controlled target ship
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...
. She was redesignated AG-16, and served in this capacity after 1931. In the mid-1930s, she was rebuilt again, as an anti-aircraft gunnery training ship. In 1941, additional anti-aircraft guns were installed to increase her training capacity. Later in 1941, she was transferred to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and based in 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 in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941; after having been hit by two torpedoes, she capsize
Capsize
Capsizing is an act of tipping over a boat or ship to disable it. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.If a capsized vessel has sufficient flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted...
d and sank. A few years later, the hull was partially righted and towed closer to 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...
, where the wreck remains today.