Standard type battleship
Encyclopedia
The Standard-type battleship was a production line of twelve battleship
s across five classes ordered for the United States Navy
between 1911 and 1916 and commissioned between 1916 and 1923. These were considered super-dreadnoughts, with the ships of the final two classes incorporating many lessons from the Battle of Jutland
and known as the "Big Five".
Each vessel was produced with a series of progressive innovations, which contributed to the pre-World War I
arms race
. Some historians see the American battleships as responses to match innovations introduced by the Imperial Japanese Navy
. All of the Standard type vessels constituted the US Navy's main battle line in the interwar period, while many of the earlier dreadnoughts were scrapped or relegated to secondary duties. Restrictions under the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty
limited total numbers and size of battleships and had required some under construction to be cancelled, so it was not until the onset of World War II that new battleships were constructed. On December 7, 1941, eight were at Pearl Harbor, one at Washington State, and three were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.
The Standard type, by specifying common tactical operational characteristics between classes, allowed battleships of different classes to operate together as a tactical unit (BatDiv
) against enemy battleships. By contrast, other navies had fast and slow battleship classes that could not operate together unless limited to the performance of the ship with slowest speed and widest turning circle. However, a major drawback in having a fleet of very similar ships is block obsolescence – a situation where all the similar ships become obsolete and need to be replaced at the same time and a particular problem for capital ships due to the great expense and time it takes to design and build replacement vessels. For example, one common characteristic of the Standard type battleships was a uniform speed of 21 knots. By the late 1930's when the major naval powers started building new fast battleships this low speed became a major tactical and strategic handicap but, unlike the Royal Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy, the United States Navy had no capital ships with an interim speed of about 25 knots which could be usefully modernised and used in conjunction with the new capital ships, and instead had to build large numbers of new fast battleships from scratch. Similarly, the Japanese decision to develop a class of heavily armoured super-battleships with 18" guns was predicated largely around the concept that they would render all the US standard battleships obsolete at a stroke.
Characteristics of the Standard type included:
The Standard type was optimised for the battleship-centric naval strategy
of the era of their design. The next US battleship classes, beginning with the North Carolina
class designed in the late 1930s and commissioned in 1941, marked a departure from the Standard type, introducing the fast battleships needed to escort the aircraft carriers that came to dominate naval strategy.
s for scouting and gunnery spotting.
forming Battleship Row
.
During the Pearl Harbor Attack, Arizona's forward magazine exploded and Oklahoma capsized, both with significant losses of life. West Virginia and California were also sunk, while Nevada managed to get underway and was beached shortly afterward. Tennessee and Maryland each received two bomb hits.
Arizona and Oklahoma were considered permanent losses, but the other damaged and sunk battleships were salvaged and sent to the West Coast for repairs, where they also received varying degrees of upgrades similar to the features on the new South Dakota fast battleships. Tennessee, California and West Virginia emerged as the most modernized, though their widened beam exceeded the Panama Canal
restrictions which limited their operations to the Pacific. Maryland, Colorado, and Pennsylvania received twin turret mounts of 5"/38 DP guns, while Nevada also had her superstructure significantly rebuilt.
The ten surviving Standard Type battleships served throughout World War II primarily as fire support for amphibious landings. Their low speed was a liability to their deployment in the vast expanses of the Pacific
, for instance they could not accompany the fleet carriers that had become the dominant combatant. By contrast, the contemporary Queen Elizabeths
were fast enough and saw more front line action in the confines of the Mediterranean
.
Six of the Standard Type vessels participated in the last battleship versus battleship engagement in naval history, the Battle of Surigao Strait, where none of them were hit. During active duty, being well protected by escorts and air cover, none of the Standard Type battleships suffered serious damage save for Pennsylvania which was permanently damaged by an aerial torpedo attack in the closing stages of the war.
A-bomb tests in 1946. In 1946 Mississippi was converted to a test vessel for new gun and missile systems and served until 1956. Most other Standard Type battleships were decommissioned in 1946 or 1947 and placed in the reserve fleet; ultimately all had been scrapped by 1959.
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 across five classes ordered for 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...
between 1911 and 1916 and commissioned between 1916 and 1923. These were considered super-dreadnoughts, with the ships of the final two classes incorporating many lessons from 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...
and known as the "Big Five".
Each vessel was produced with a series of progressive innovations, which contributed to the pre-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...
arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
. Some historians see the American battleships as responses to match innovations introduced by the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. All of the Standard type vessels constituted the US Navy's main battle line in the interwar period, while many of the earlier dreadnoughts were scrapped or relegated to secondary duties. Restrictions under the 1922 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...
limited total numbers and size of battleships and had required some under construction to be cancelled, so it was not until the onset of World War II that new battleships were constructed. On December 7, 1941, eight were at Pearl Harbor, one at Washington State, and three were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.
The Standard type, by specifying common tactical operational characteristics between classes, allowed battleships of different classes to operate together as a tactical unit (BatDiv
BatDiv
A BatDiv or BATDIV was a standard U.S. Navy abbreviation or acronym for "battleship division."The Commander of a Battleship Division is known, in official Navy communications, as COMBATDIV , such as COMBATDIV ONE....
) against enemy battleships. By contrast, other navies had fast and slow battleship classes that could not operate together unless limited to the performance of the ship with slowest speed and widest turning circle. However, a major drawback in having a fleet of very similar ships is block obsolescence – a situation where all the similar ships become obsolete and need to be replaced at the same time and a particular problem for capital ships due to the great expense and time it takes to design and build replacement vessels. For example, one common characteristic of the Standard type battleships was a uniform speed of 21 knots. By the late 1930's when the major naval powers started building new fast battleships this low speed became a major tactical and strategic handicap but, unlike the Royal Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy, the United States Navy had no capital ships with an interim speed of about 25 knots which could be usefully modernised and used in conjunction with the new capital ships, and instead had to build large numbers of new fast battleships from scratch. Similarly, the Japanese decision to develop a class of heavily armoured super-battleships with 18" guns was predicated largely around the concept that they would render all the US standard battleships obsolete at a stroke.
Standard type battleship classes
s-
- s
- s
- s
- s
- (not completed)
Characteristics of the Standard type included:
- all-or-nothing armor scheme
- four main gun turrets arranged two fore and two aft all on the centerline
- designed range of about 8000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at economical cruising speed
- top speed of 21 knots (41.2 km/h)
- tactical turn radius of 700 yards
The Standard type was optimised for the battleship-centric naval strategy
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
of the era of their design. The next US battleship classes, beginning with the North Carolina
North Carolina class battleship
The North Carolina class was a group of two fast battleships, North Carolina and Washington, built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s and early 1940s...
class designed in the late 1930s and commissioned in 1941, marked a departure from the Standard type, introducing the fast battleships needed to escort the aircraft carriers that came to dominate naval strategy.
World War I
All the Standard Type were oil-burning. Since oil was scarce in the British Isles, only Nevada and Oklahoma actively participated in World War I by escorting convoys across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Britain.Interwar Years
All the Standard Types were modernised during the 1920s and 1930s. The cage masts of all but the Tennessee and Colorado classes were replaced with tripod masts topped with fire-control directors, torpedo tubes were removed and anti-aircraft guns were upgraded. Main battery elevation in the older ships was increased to 30 degrees for greater range. Most of the Standards received anti-torpedo bulges. Each ship received one or two catapults and recovery cranes for operating floatplaneFloatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s for scouting and gunnery spotting.
World War II
On December 7, 1941, Colorado was undergoing overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard, while the three ships of the New Mexico class were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, and the remaining eight Standard Type battleships were at Pearl HarborPearl 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...
forming Battleship Row
Battleship Row
Battleship Row was the grouping of eight US battleships in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. These ships bore the brunt of the Japanese assault. They were moored next to Ford Island when the attack commenced. The ships were , , , , , , , and...
.
During the Pearl Harbor Attack, Arizona's forward magazine exploded and Oklahoma capsized, both with significant losses of life. West Virginia and California were also sunk, while Nevada managed to get underway and was beached shortly afterward. Tennessee and Maryland each received two bomb hits.
Arizona and Oklahoma were considered permanent losses, but the other damaged and sunk battleships were salvaged and sent to the West Coast for repairs, where they also received varying degrees of upgrades similar to the features on the new South Dakota fast battleships. Tennessee, California and West Virginia emerged as the most modernized, though their widened beam exceeded the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
restrictions which limited their operations to the Pacific. Maryland, Colorado, and Pennsylvania received twin turret mounts of 5"/38 DP guns, while Nevada also had her superstructure significantly rebuilt.
The ten surviving Standard Type battleships served throughout World War II primarily as fire support for amphibious landings. Their low speed was a liability to their deployment in the vast expanses of the Pacific
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, for instance they could not accompany the fleet carriers that had become the dominant combatant. By contrast, the contemporary Queen Elizabeths
Queen Elizabeth class battleship
The Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were a class of five super-dreadnoughts of the Royal Navy. The lead ship was named after Elizabeth I of England...
were fast enough and saw more front line action in the confines of the Mediterranean
Battle of the Mediterranean
The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940-2 May 1945....
.
Six of the Standard Type vessels participated in the last battleship versus battleship engagement in naval history, the Battle of Surigao Strait, where none of them were hit. During active duty, being well protected by escorts and air cover, none of the Standard Type battleships suffered serious damage save for Pennsylvania which was permanently damaged by an aerial torpedo attack in the closing stages of the war.
Fates
Pennsylvania and Nevada were used as targets in the Operation CrossroadsOperation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
A-bomb tests in 1946. In 1946 Mississippi was converted to a test vessel for new gun and missile systems and served until 1956. Most other Standard Type battleships were decommissioned in 1946 or 1947 and placed in the reserve fleet; ultimately all had been scrapped by 1959.