Nevada class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Nevada class battleships were the United States Navy
's first battleship
design equipped with triple gun turrets (the Colorado class
would be the last to carry twin turrets, armed with dual-mounted 16-inch guns), as well as introducing the so-called "all or nothing" armor scheme, in which protection of vital areas was optimized against heavy caliber guns, leaving other parts of the ship essentially unprotected. The Nevadas also represented the advance to all fuel oil propulsion. Taken together, the Nevada class represented a considerable evolution in battleship design up to this point in time.
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The Nevada class marked "another graduated step in the rapidly evolving American battleship". When Nevada was built, The New York Times remarked that the new warship was "the greatest [battleship] afloat" because her tonnage was nearly three times larger than the and almost twice as large as the . In addition, Nevada was 8000 long tons (8,128.4 t) heavier than one of the original American dreadnoughts, the .
The new battleships of the Nevada class were the first two in the U.S. Navy to have triple gun turrets, single funnels, anti-aircraft guns, and oil-fired power plants. In particular, using oil gave the new class an engineering advantage over the earlier coal-fired plants. Although previous battleships had armor of varying thickness—depending on the importance of the area it was protecting—the Nevadas had maximum armor over critical areas such as the magazines and engines, and none over less-important places; this become known as the "all or nothing" principle, which most major navies later adopted for their own battleships. The Nevada class had 40% more armor by weight than the New York class
.
The Nevada class were the first of the Standard type battleship
concept of the US Navy, a design concept which gave the U.S. Navy a homogeneous line of battle (very important, as it allowed the Navy to plan maneuvers for the whole line of battle rather than detaching "fast wings" and "slow wings"). The "Standard" concept included long-range gunnery, moderate speed of 21 knots (41.2 km/h), a tight tactical radius of ~700 yards (640.1 m), and improved damage control. The other Standards were the Pennsylvania
, New Mexico
, Tennessee
and Colorado
classes.
A possible design flaw in the Nevadas was that they did not have a substantial amount of deck armor. This was due to the prevailing belief (at the time) that the submarine was the greatest threat to battleships. By World War II, however, the greatest threat had become airplanes—"the results of this [design flaw] were later [...] realized at Pearl Harbor, with Nevadas experience proving that the watertight integrity of older warships was unlikely to be satisfactory."
The Nevadas were virtually identical except in their propulsion. Nevada and her sister were fitted with different engines to compare the two, putting them 'head-to-head': Oklahoma received older vertical triple expansion engines, while Nevada received Curtis steam turbines.
s, matched with the improved ranging and fire control capabilities. Now, because maximum range required maximum elevation, plunging fire from heavy shells had to be accounted for in protecting main deck and turret tops, and Nevadas designers "were almost alone" realizing the belt set "the inner edge of the zone of immunity", the deck, the outer edge. In addition, combining main and splinter decks into one, and raising it, would simplify construction and increase girder strength for the hull. As a result, over 2000 long tons (2,032.1 t) were allocated to deck armor alone in the Nevadas. It was found linking the armored deck directly to the armor belts reduced a weak spot previously covered by the mid grade casement armor. As all U.S. battleships already had thick armor end bulkheads, this gave one continuous armored box. Taken together, this was the "all or nothing" design revolution. Gunnery trials against the target ship USS San Marcos (ex-) confirmed the need for a better armor suite. Turret faces were thickened to 18” (46 cm). This increase in armor protection should not be underestimated, as both sides of the Battle of Jutland
would find out as turret roofs and decks were repeatedly pierced. The Nevadas were also the Navy's first to eliminate bunker armor, replacing it with an inboard armored bulkhead (strong enough to withstand about 100 lb (45 kg) of TNT or 190 megajoules of energy), the first use of underwater protection in the U.S. Navy.
guns, 21 5 in (127 mm)/51 caliber Mark I guns, and two 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tube
s. The 14” was carried over from the New Yorks, however triple turrets were introduced for the lower fore and aft pair positions because of the General Board's "disgust with the awkward five-and-six turret arrangements of the previous classes They were limited to 15 degrees elevation (and so a maximum range of 21,000 yd {19.2 km, 10½ nm}) and fired a "relatively light"" 1400 lb (635 kg) shell at 2600 ft/s (792.5 m/s), according to German doctrine of light shell and high velocity, "not a good recipe for accurate shooting at the maximum range".
Though Nevadas were originally equipped with twenty-one 5"/51 caliber guns to defend against enemy destroyers, this was reduced to twelve in 1918, due to the overly wet bow and stern positions the other nine had been occupying.
before and during World War I
, deploying to the European war zone in 1918 to help protect Allied supply lines. Their service continued after the "Great War", though by the early 1920s they were the oldest of the main Battle Fleet units. Both were extensively modernized between 1927 and 1929, receiving greater elevation for their new Mark 10/45 heavy guns, modern gunfire controls in new tripod masts, and two catapults for scouting and observation airplanes. Their 5 inches (127 mm) 51-caliber anti-destroyer guns were moved to drier locations in the superstructure and a battery of 5-inch 25-caliber anti-aircraft guns was added. Protection against shellfire, bombs, and torpedoes was improved, increasing their beam to nearly 108 feet (32.9 m) and battle displacement to about 34000 long tons (34,545.7 t). Nevadas steam turbines, prematurely aging, were replaced with far better geared turbines from the decommissioned at this time; Oklahoma was not re-engined, but both ships were equipped with modern medium-pressure boilers.
At Pearl Harbor
, Oklahoma was sunk and Nevada beached herself with light damage (which climbed to moderate damage, after a large fire in number 2 {"B"} turret a day later) to prevent blocking the harbor entrance. Nevada’s experience proved the torpedo defence system was very good, but watertight integrity on the upper decks of older warships was unlikely to be satisfactory. Oklahoma, hit by 9 torpedoes within a matter of a few minutes, capsized and was a total loss, but Nevada was salvaged and modernized again during 1942, exchanging her old secondary battery for new 5-inch 38-caliber dual-purpose twin mounts, plus numerous 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft autocannon
s. Her superstructure was completely reconstructed in modern form, with a much-reduced conning tower. She served in both the European and Pacific theaters, providing gunfire support for amphibious operations. Nevada, along with and , shelled German shore batteries on D-Day. Nevada’s final mission was as a target for nuclear and conventional weapons from 1946 to 1948.
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...
's first battleship
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...
design equipped with triple gun turrets (the Colorado class
Colorado class battleship
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...
would be the last to carry twin turrets, armed with dual-mounted 16-inch guns), as well as introducing the so-called "all or nothing" armor scheme, in which protection of vital areas was optimized against heavy caliber guns, leaving other parts of the ship essentially unprotected. The Nevadas also represented the advance to all fuel oil propulsion. Taken together, the Nevada class represented a considerable evolution in battleship design up to this point in time.
Design
The new battleships of the Nevada class were the first two in the U.S. Navy to have triple gun turrets, single funnels, anti-aircraft guns, and oil-fired power plants. In particular, using oil gave the new class an engineering advantage over the earlier coal-fired plants. Although previous battleships had armor of varying thickness—depending on the importance of the area it was protecting—the Nevadas had maximum armor over critical areas such as the magazines and engines, and none over less-important places; this become known as the "all or nothing" principle, which most major navies later adopted for their own battleships. The Nevada class had 40% more armor by weight than the New York class
New York class battleship
The New York class battleship was the fifth series of two super-dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy which served during World War I and World War II. The class represented the first use of the 14" naval gun by the U.S. Navy...
.
The Nevada class were the first of the Standard type battleship
Standard type battleship
The Standard-type battleship was a production line of twelve battleships across five classes ordered for the United States Navy between 1911 and 1916 and commissioned between 1916 and 1923...
concept of the US Navy, a design concept which gave the U.S. Navy a homogeneous line of battle (very important, as it allowed the Navy to plan maneuvers for the whole line of battle rather than detaching "fast wings" and "slow wings"). The "Standard" concept included long-range gunnery, moderate speed of 21 knots (41.2 km/h), a tight tactical radius of ~700 yards (640.1 m), and improved damage control. The other Standards were the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania class battleship
The Pennsylvania-class battleships, of the United States Navy, were an enlargement of the Nevada class; having two additional 45-caliber main battery guns, greater length and displacement, four propellers and slightly higher speed...
, New Mexico
New Mexico class battleship
The New Mexico class battleships of the United States Navy, all three of whose construction began in 1915, were improvements on the design introduced three years earlier with the Nevada class....
, Tennessee
Tennessee class battleship
The Tennessee class was a class of battleships of the United States Navy. The class comprised two ships: and the . They were modified versions of the featuring improved underwater armor for better torpedo protection and 30 degree elevation on their main batteries, as opposed to 15 degrees for...
and Colorado
Colorado class battleship
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...
classes.
A possible design flaw in the Nevadas was that they did not have a substantial amount of deck armor. This was due to the prevailing belief (at the time) that the submarine was the greatest threat to battleships. By World War II, however, the greatest threat had become airplanes—"the results of this [design flaw] were later [...] realized at Pearl Harbor, with Nevadas experience proving that the watertight integrity of older warships was unlikely to be satisfactory."
The Nevadas were virtually identical except in their propulsion. Nevada and her sister were fitted with different engines to compare the two, putting them 'head-to-head': Oklahoma received older vertical triple expansion engines, while Nevada received Curtis steam turbines.
Armor Suite
The armor suite of the Nevada class was designed by a confluence of design choices rather than an overall scheme. As early as the New Yorks, questions were raised about the earlier, more complicated, scheme, which featured a deck thick enough to set off an armor-piercing shell over a thinner-armored deck to catch the splinter. This was driven by the growing range of heavier naval guns being mounted in the world’s newest dreadnoughtDreadnought
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...
s, matched with the improved ranging and fire control capabilities. Now, because maximum range required maximum elevation, plunging fire from heavy shells had to be accounted for in protecting main deck and turret tops, and Nevadas designers "were almost alone" realizing the belt set "the inner edge of the zone of immunity", the deck, the outer edge. In addition, combining main and splinter decks into one, and raising it, would simplify construction and increase girder strength for the hull. As a result, over 2000 long tons (2,032.1 t) were allocated to deck armor alone in the Nevadas. It was found linking the armored deck directly to the armor belts reduced a weak spot previously covered by the mid grade casement armor. As all U.S. battleships already had thick armor end bulkheads, this gave one continuous armored box. Taken together, this was the "all or nothing" design revolution. Gunnery trials against the target ship USS San Marcos (ex-) confirmed the need for a better armor suite. Turret faces were thickened to 18” (46 cm). This increase in armor protection should not be underestimated, as both sides of the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
would find out as turret roofs and decks were repeatedly pierced. The Nevadas were also the Navy's first to eliminate bunker armor, replacing it with an inboard armored bulkhead (strong enough to withstand about 100 lb (45 kg) of TNT or 190 megajoules of energy), the first use of underwater protection in the U.S. Navy.
Armament
The Nevadas were originally equipped with ten 14 in (356 mm)/45 caliber14"/45 caliber gun
The 14"/45 caliber gun, known initially as the Mark 1, 2, 3, and 5, and later as the Mark 8, 9, 10, and 12, were the first 14-inch guns to be employed with the United States Navy. They were installed aboard the United States Navy's New York, Nevada, and Pennsylvania-class battleships as the primary...
guns, 21 5 in (127 mm)/51 caliber Mark I guns, and two 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s. The 14” was carried over from the New Yorks, however triple turrets were introduced for the lower fore and aft pair positions because of the General Board's "disgust with the awkward five-and-six turret arrangements of the previous classes They were limited to 15 degrees elevation (and so a maximum range of 21,000 yd {19.2 km, 10½ nm}) and fired a "relatively light"" 1400 lb (635 kg) shell at 2600 ft/s (792.5 m/s), according to German doctrine of light shell and high velocity, "not a good recipe for accurate shooting at the maximum range".
Though Nevadas were originally equipped with twenty-one 5"/51 caliber guns to defend against enemy destroyers, this was reduced to twelve in 1918, due to the overly wet bow and stern positions the other nine had been occupying.
Engineering
The Nevadas were the Navy's first battleships to have oil as their primary fuel and the last to use twin-screw propulsion (all subsequent battleships would use four screws). Oil boasted greater thermal efficiency, allowing greater range per ton of fuel carried. The switch from coal also allowed the use of smaller boilers conserving weight and space in Nevadas. represented the final use of reciprocating machinery. Oklahomas vertical triple expansion (VTE) engine equipment made her less reliable and more vibration-prone than her sister, making her a ship the Navy wished to re-engine.Deployment
The Nevadas were active in the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
before and during 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...
, deploying to the European war zone in 1918 to help protect Allied supply lines. Their service continued after the "Great War", though by the early 1920s they were the oldest of the main Battle Fleet units. Both were extensively modernized between 1927 and 1929, receiving greater elevation for their new Mark 10/45 heavy guns, modern gunfire controls in new tripod masts, and two catapults for scouting and observation airplanes. Their 5 inches (127 mm) 51-caliber anti-destroyer guns were moved to drier locations in the superstructure and a battery of 5-inch 25-caliber anti-aircraft guns was added. Protection against shellfire, bombs, and torpedoes was improved, increasing their beam to nearly 108 feet (32.9 m) and battle displacement to about 34000 long tons (34,545.7 t). Nevadas steam turbines, prematurely aging, were replaced with far better geared turbines from the decommissioned at this time; Oklahoma was not re-engined, but both ships were equipped with modern medium-pressure boilers.
At 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...
, Oklahoma was sunk and Nevada beached herself with light damage (which climbed to moderate damage, after a large fire in number 2 {"B"} turret a day later) to prevent blocking the harbor entrance. Nevada’s experience proved the torpedo defence system was very good, but watertight integrity on the upper decks of older warships was unlikely to be satisfactory. Oklahoma, hit by 9 torpedoes within a matter of a few minutes, capsized and was a total loss, but Nevada was salvaged and modernized again during 1942, exchanging her old secondary battery for new 5-inch 38-caliber dual-purpose twin mounts, plus numerous 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft autocannon
Autocannon
An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
s. Her superstructure was completely reconstructed in modern form, with a much-reduced conning tower. She served in both the European and Pacific theaters, providing gunfire support for amphibious operations. Nevada, along with and , shelled German shore batteries on D-Day. Nevada’s final mission was as a target for nuclear and conventional weapons from 1946 to 1948.