Connecticut-class battleship
USS Connecticut (BB-18)
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Class overview | |
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Name | Connecticut-class battleship |
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by | Virginia class |
Succeeded by | Mississippi class |
Built | 1903–1908 |
In commission | 1906–1923 |
Completed | 6 |
Retired | 6 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Pre-dreadnought battleship |
Displacement |
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Length | 456 ft 4 in (139.09 m) |
Beam | 76 ft 10 in (23.42 m) |
Draft | 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
Complement | 827 officers and men |
Armament |
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Armor |
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The Connecticut class of pre-dreadnought battleships were the penultimate class of the type built for the United States Navy. The class comprised six ships: Connecticut, Louisiana, Vermont, Kansas, Minnesota, and New Hampshire, which were built between 1903 and 1908. The ships were armed with a mixed offensive battery of 12-inch (305 mm), 8-inch (203 mm), and 7-inch (178 mm) guns. This arrangement was rendered obsolete by the advent of all-big-gun battleships like the British HMS Dreadnought, which was completed before most of the Connecticuts entered service.
Nevertheless, the ships had active careers. The first five ships took part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet in 1907–1909—New Hampshire had not entered service. From 1909 onward, they served as the workhorses of the US Atlantic Fleet, conducting training exercises and showing the flag in Europe and Central America. As unrest broke out in several Central American countries in the 1910s, the ships became involved in police actions in the region. The most significant was the American intervention in the Mexican Revolution during the occupation of Veracruz in April 1914.
During the American participation in World War I, the Connecticut-class ships were used to train sailors for an expanding wartime fleet. In late 1918, they began to escort convoys to Europe, and in September that year, Minnesota was badly damaged by a mine laid by the German U-boat SM U-117. After the war, they were used to bring American soldiers back from France and later as training ships. The 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, which mandated major reductions in naval weapons, cut the ships' careers short. Within two years, all six ships had been sold for scrap.
Design
The United States' victory in the
The initial version of the Connecticut design, proposed by BuOrd, featured a secondary battery of twenty-four 7-inch guns with the same number of 3-inch (76 mm) guns for defense against torpedo boats. The armor layout was more comprehensive but thinner, and displacement rose to 15,560 long tons (15,810 t). BuOrd determined that a longer and finer hull shape, coupled with a small increase in engine power, would maintain the standard speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). The Bureau of Construction and Repair (C&R) proposed a ship more closely based on the Virginias, with the same two-story turrets and mixed 6- and 8-inch secondary battery, on a displacement of 15,860 long tons (16,110 t). This design featured only eight 3-inch guns, which was deemed wholly insufficient to defend the ship from small craft.[3]
In November, the Board agreed to a compromise design that incorporated a secondary battery of eight 8-inch guns in four twin turrets
The last four ships, starting with
General characteristics and machinery
The Connecticut-class ships were 450 feet (140 m)
The ships were powered by two-shaft
On trials, the ships exceeded their design speed slightly, with Minnesota being the fastest, at 18.85 knots (34.91 km/h; 21.69 mph). The ships carried 900 long tons (910 t) of coal normally, but additional spaces could be used for coal bunkers, with storage capacity ranging between 2,249 to 2,405 long tons (2,285 to 2,444 t) for each ship.[6] At a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), the ships could steam for 6,620 nautical miles (12,260 km; 7,620 mi), though New Hampshire's engines were more efficient, allowing her to steam for 7,590 nautical miles (14,060 km; 8,730 mi) at the same speed.[9]
Armament
The ship was armed with a
The
For close-range defense against torpedo boats, they carried twenty
Armor
The first two ships' main
The main battery gun turrets had 11 in thick faces, with 9 in thick sides and 2.5 in (64 mm) thick roofs. The supporting barbettes had the 10 in (254 mm) of armor plating, reduced to 6 in (152 mm). The secondary turrets had 6.5 in (165 mm) of frontal armor, with 6 in on the sides and 2 in on the roofs. Their barbettes were given 6 in of armor plating on the outboard sides and 4 in inboard. The casemates for the 7-inch guns were 7 in thick and below the gun ports, the casemates reduced slightly to 6 in.[9] For the last four ships, the savings in weight gained by reducing the thickness of the belt were used to increase the lower casement armor to 7 in.[4] Those for the 3-inch guns were 2 in thick. The 7-inch guns were divided by splinter bulkheads that were 1.5 to 2.5 inches (38 to 64 mm) thick to prevent one shell hit from disabling multiple guns.[9]
Ships
Name | Builder[6] | Laid down[6] | Launched[6] | Commissioned[6] | Decommissioned[b] | Stricken[b] |
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USS Connecticut (BB-18) | Brooklyn Navy Yard | 10 March 1903 | 29 September 1904 | 29 September 1906 | 1 March 1923 | 10 November 1923 |
USS Louisiana (BB-19) | Newport News Shipbuilding Company
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7 February 1903 | 27 August 1904 | 2 June 1906 | 10 October 1920 | 10 November 1923 |
USS Vermont (BB-20) | Fore River Shipyard | 21 May 1904 | 31 August 1905 | 4 March 1907 | 30 June 1920 | 10 November 1923 |
USS Kansas (BB-21) | New York Shipbuilding Corporation | 10 February 1904 | 12 August 1905 | 18 April 1907 | 16 December 1921 | 10 November 1923 |
USS Minnesota (BB-22) | Newport News Shipbuilding Company | 27 October 1903 | 8 April 1905 | 9 March 1907 | 1 December 1921 | 10 November 1923 |
USS New Hampshire (BB-25) | New York Shipbuilding Corporation | 1 May 1905 | 30 June 1906 | 19 March 1908 | 21 May 1921 | 10 November 1923 |
Service history
All six ships of the class served with the
The ships then began a peacetime training routine off the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean, including gunnery training off the Virginia Capes, training cruises in the Atlantic, and winter exercises in Cuban waters. In late 1909, all six ships crossed the Atlantic to visit British and French ports. Louisiana and Kansas made another trip to Europe in early 1911. As political unrest began to erupt in several Central American countries in the 1910s, the ships became increasingly active in the region. All six ships became involved in the Mexican Revolution, including the occupation of Veracruz in April 1914; Vermont and New Hampshire were among the ships that contributed landing parties to the initial occupation of the city. Several men from the two ships were awarded the Medal of Honor during the action.[c]
In July 1914, World War I broke out in Europe; the United States remained neutral for the first three years of the war. Tensions with Germany came to a head in early 1917 following the German unrestricted submarine warfare campaign, which sank several American merchant ships in European waters. On 6 April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. The Connecticut-class ships initially were used for training gunners and engine room personnel that would be necessary for the rapidly expanding wartime fleet.[c] In June 1918, New Hampshire and Louisiana were involved in a serious gunnery accident, where gunners aboard the former accidentally hit the latter, killing one and injuring several other men.[28] The following month, Louisiana was used to test Arthur Pollen's Argo Clock, the first fire control system to use an analog computer to calculate firing solutions.[29]
From late 1918, the ships were used to escort convoys part-way across the Atlantic. In late September, Minnesota struck a naval mine laid by the German U-boat U-117, causing serious damage that kept her out of service for five months.[30] Convoy duty was cut short by the German surrender in November; thereafter, the Connecticuts were used to ferry American soldiers back from the battlefields of France.[31] This work was completed by mid-1919. The ships briefly operated as training ships in the early 1920s, though under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, they were all sold for scrap by 1924 and broken up.[c]
Footnotes
Notes
- ^ /45 refers to the length of the gun in terms of calibers. A /45 gun is 45 times long as it is in bore diameter.
- ^ a b See the Naval Vessel Register entries for New Hampshire,[15] Vermont,[16] Kansas,[17] Minnesota,[18] Louisiana,[19] and Connecticut.[20]
- ^ a b c See the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entries for New Hampshire,[22] Vermont,[23] Kansas,[24] Minnesota,[25] Louisiana,[26] and Connecticut.[27]
Citations
- ^ Friedman 1985, p. 42.
- ^ Friedman 1985, p. 43.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 43–44.
- ^ a b c d e f g Friedman 1985, p. 44.
- ^ Friedman 1985, p. 41.
- ^ a b c d e f g Campbell, pp. 143–144.
- ^ Silverstone, p. 6.
- ^ Friedman 1985, p. 45.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Friedman 1985, p. 430.
- ^ a b c d e f Campbell, p. 143.
- ^ Friedman 2011, pp. 170–171.
- ^ Friedman 2011, pp. 177–178.
- ^ Friedman 2011, p. 179.
- ^ Friedman 2011, p. 342.
- ^ NVR New Hampshire.
- ^ NVR Vermont.
- ^ NVR Kansas.
- ^ NVR Minnesota.
- ^ NVR Louisiana.
- ^ NVR Connecticut.
- ^ Albertson, pp. 41–66.
- ^ a b DANFS New Hampshire.
- ^ DANFS Vermont.
- ^ DANFS Kansas.
- ^ DANFS Minnesota.
- ^ DANFS Louisiana.
- ^ DANFS Connecticut.
- ^ Jones, p. 114.
- ^ Friedman 2008, p. 303.
- ^ Jones, pp. 115–116.
- ^ Jones, p. 122.
References
Books
- Albertson, Mark (2007). U.S.S. Connecticut: Constitution State Battleship. Mustang: ISBN 978-1-59886-739-8.
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "United States of America". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 114–169. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- Friedman, Norman (2008). Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-555-4.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: ISBN 978-0-87021-715-9.
- Jones, Jerry W. (1998). U.S. Battleship Operations in World War I. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-411-1.
- Silverstone, Paul (2006). The New Navy, 1883–1922. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-97871-2.
- "Connecticut (BB-18) iv". Naval History & Heritage Command. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- "Kansas (BB-21) ii". Naval History & Heritage Command. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- "Louisiana (BB-19) III". Naval History & Heritage Command. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- "Minnesota ii (Battleship No. 22)". Naval History & Heritage Command. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- "New Hampshire (BB-25) ii". Naval History & Heritage Command. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- "Vermont". Naval History & Heritage Command. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- "Connecticut (BB 18)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- "Louisiana (BB 19)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 25 July 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- "Vermont (BB 20)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- "Kansas (BB 21)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- "Minnesota (BB 22)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- "New Hampshire (BB 25)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
Further reading
- Alden, John D. (1989). American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise of the Great White Fleet. Annapolis: ISBN 978-0-87021-248-2.
- Reilly, John C.; Scheina, Robert L. (1980). American Battleships 1886–1923: Predreadnought Design and Construction. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-524-7.