New Mexico class battleship
Encyclopedia
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
.
The twelve-gun main battery of the preceding Pennsylvania class
was retained, but with longer 14 inches (356 mm) 50-caliber guns in improved triple turrets. Hull design was also upgraded with a "clipper" bow for better seakeeping and a sleeker look. One ship, the , was fitted with turbo-electric
propulsion.
Though eight secondary batteries were located in very wet bow and stern positions and were soon removed, the rest of the ships' 5 inches (127 mm) guns were mounted in the superstructure, a great improvement over the earlier arrangements.
, the New Mexicos were active members of the Battle Fleet during the decades between the World Wars. All were rebuilt between 1931 and 1934, receiving entirely new superstructures, modern controls for their guns, new engines and improved protection against air and surface attack. Anti-torpedo "bulges" increased their width to 106 in 3 in (32.39 m) and displacement went up by a thousand tons or more.
The New Mexico class was part of the "Standard type battleship
" concept of the U.S. Navy, a design concept which gave the US 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 wing"s and "slow wing"s). 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 Nevada
, Pennsylvania
, Tennessee
, and Colorado
classes.
In order to counter the German threat, these ships, operating together as Battleship Division 3, were transferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic in 1941, leaving the Pacific Fleet inferior in battleship strength to the Japanese Navy. Sent back to the Pacific after the Pearl Harbor Raid devastated the Pacific Fleet's battle line, they were active in the war with Japan until final victory was achieved in August 1945. Their heavy guns provided vital assistance to the many amphibious invasions that marked the Pacific conflict, and Mississippi took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last time in history that battleships fought each other. New Mexico and Idaho were disposed of soon after the war ended, but Mississippi was converted to a training and weapons trials ship and served for another decade. The Navy's first generation of ship-launched guided missiles, the replacements for most of the guns that had long been the focus of her career, first went to sea aboard this old former battleship.
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...
, all three of whose construction began in 1915, were improvements on the design introduced three years earlier with the Nevada class
Nevada class battleship
The Nevada class battleships were the United States Navy's first battleship design equipped with triple gun turrets , 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...
.
The twelve-gun main battery of the preceding Pennsylvania class
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...
was retained, but with longer 14 inches (356 mm) 50-caliber guns in improved triple turrets. Hull design was also upgraded with a "clipper" bow for better seakeeping and a sleeker look. One ship, the , was fitted with 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....
propulsion.
Though eight secondary batteries were located in very wet bow and stern positions and were soon removed, the rest of the ships' 5 inches (127 mm) guns were mounted in the superstructure, a great improvement over the earlier arrangements.
Class history
Completed during and soon after World War IWorld 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...
, the New Mexicos were active members of the Battle Fleet during the decades between the World Wars. All were rebuilt between 1931 and 1934, receiving entirely new superstructures, modern controls for their guns, new engines and improved protection against air and surface attack. Anti-torpedo "bulges" increased their width to 106 in 3 in (32.39 m) and displacement went up by a thousand tons or more.
The New Mexico class was part 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 U.S. Navy, a design concept which gave the US 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 wing"s and "slow wing"s). 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 Nevada
Nevada class battleship
The Nevada class battleships were the United States Navy's first battleship design equipped with triple gun turrets , 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...
, 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...
, 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.
In order to counter the German threat, these ships, operating together as Battleship Division 3, were transferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic in 1941, leaving the Pacific Fleet inferior in battleship strength to the Japanese Navy. Sent back to the Pacific after the Pearl Harbor Raid devastated the Pacific Fleet's battle line, they were active in the war with Japan until final victory was achieved in August 1945. Their heavy guns provided vital assistance to the many amphibious invasions that marked the Pacific conflict, and Mississippi took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last time in history that battleships fought each other. New Mexico and Idaho were disposed of soon after the war ended, but Mississippi was converted to a training and weapons trials ship and served for another decade. The Navy's first generation of ship-launched guided missiles, the replacements for most of the guns that had long been the focus of her career, first went to sea aboard this old former battleship.