USS Florida (BB-30)

USS *Florida* (BB-30)
	Florida circa 1921
History
United States
Name	Florida
Namesake	State of Florida
Ordered	13 May 1908
Builder	New York Naval Shipyard
Laid down	9 March 1909
Launched	12 May 1910
Commissioned	15 September 1911
Decommissioned	16 February 1931
Stricken	6 April 1931
Fate	Sold 1931, broken up for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type	Florida-class battleship
Displacement	Normal: 21,825 long tons (22,175 t); Full load: 23,033 long tons (23,403 t);
Length	521 ft 6 in (159.0 m) (overall); 510 ft (155.4 m) (waterline);
Beam	88 ft 3 in (26.9 m)
Draft	28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) (mean); 30 ft 1 in (9.2 m) (max);
Installed power	12 × Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers; 28,000 kW);
Propulsion	4 × Parsons steam turbines; 4 × screw propellers;
Speed	21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity	Coal: 1,667 long tons (1,694 t) (standard); Coal: 2,520 long tons (2,560 t) (max); Oil: 400 long tons (406 t);
Complement	1,001 officers and men
Armament	10 × 12 in (305 mm)/45 caliber Mark 5 guns; 16 × 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal guns; 4 × 6-pounder 57 mm (2.24 in) guns; 2 × 1-pounder 37 mm (1.46 in) guns; 2 × torpedo tubes;
Armor	Belt: 9–11 in (229–279 mm); Lower casemate: 8–10 in (203–254 mm); Upper casemate: 5 in (127 mm); Barbettes: 4–10 in (102–254 mm); Turret face: 12 in (305 mm); Conning tower: 11.5 in (292 mm); Decks: 1.5 in (38 mm);

USS Florida (BB-30) was the lead ship of the Florida class of dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy. She had one sister ship, Utah. Florida was laid down at the New York Navy Yard in March 1909, launched in May 1910, and commissioned into the US Navy in September 1911. She was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns and was very similar in design to the preceding Delaware-class battleships.

Florida was one of the first ships to arrive during the

German High Seas Fleet

, however.

Florida returned to normal peacetime duties in 1919. She was heavily modernized in 1924–1926, including a complete overhaul of her propulsion system. She remained in service until 1930, when the London Naval Treaty was signed. Under the terms of the treaty, Florida and Utah were removed from active service. Therefore, Florida was decommissioned in 1931 and scrapped the next year in Philadelphia.

Design

Florida was 521

kW) and twelve coal-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers, generating a top speed of 20.75 kn (38.43 km/h; 23.88 mph). The ship had a cruising range of 5,776 nmi (6,650 mi; 10,700 km) at a speed of 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph). She had a crew of 1,001 officers and men.^[1]

The ship was armed with a main battery of ten

superfiring pair forward. The other three turrets were placed aft of the superstructure. The secondary battery consisted of sixteen 5-inch (127 mm)/51 caliber guns mounted in casemates along the side of the hull. As was standard for capital ships of the period, she carried a pair of 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, submerged in her hull on the broadside.^[1]

Florida's main

armored belt was 11 in (279 mm) thick, while the armored deck was 1.5 in (38 mm) thick. The gun turrets had 12 in (305 mm) thick faces and the conning tower had 11.5 in (292 mm) thick sides.^[1]

Service history

fitting-out

work in 1911

Florida was laid down at the

Naval Academy on midshipman training cruises.^[2]

In early 1914 during the

marines and bluejackets to begin the occupation of the city on 21 April. Over the next three days, the marines battled Mexican defenders in the city and suffered ninety-four casualties (19 dead), while killing hundreds of Mexicans in return.^[1] Twenty-five men from Florida's crew received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. In July, Florida departed Mexican waters to return to normal fleet operations, and in October, she was reassigned to the 2nd Battleship Division.^[2]

World War I

On 6 April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany over its

unrestricted submarine warfare campaign. Florida participated in wartime readiness exercises in 1917, before steaming across the Atlantic with Battleship Division 9.^[2] The division, which consisted of Florida, New York, Wyoming, and Delaware, left the United States on 25 November.^[3] The division was sent to European waters to reinforce the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea. After arriving in Scapa Flow, Battleship Division 9 became the 6th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet.^[2]

Starting in late 1917, the Germans had begun to use surface raiders to attack the British convoys to Scandinavia; this forced the British to send squadrons from the Grand Fleet to escort the convoys.^[4] On 6 February 1918, the 6th Battle Squadron and eight British destroyers escorted a convoy of merchant ships to Norway. While on the operation, Florida's lookouts reported spotting a U-boat, though the commander of Wyoming later argued that this and others issued by the rest of the squadron were false reports.^[5]^[b] The squadron was back in Scapa Flow on 10 February; Delaware escorted two more such convoys in March and April. During the March convoy, Florida, Wyoming, Texas, and four destroyers became separated from the convoy in heavy fog, and only relocated it the following morning when the fog had lifted. The squadron returned to Scapa Flow on 13 March.^[7]

On 22–24 April, the German High Seas Fleet sortied to intercept one of the convoys in the hope of cutting off and destroying the escorting battleship squadron.

Spanish Flu pandemic had spread to the Grand Fleet; Florida was the only ship of the American contingent not to be quarantined for the virus.^[11] On 20 November, Florida and the rest of the Grand Fleet rendezvoused with the High Seas Fleet, which was then interned in Scapa Flow, following the Armistice with Germany that ended the war.^[2] Shortly thereafter, Florida was replaced with the newly commissioned Nevada.^[12]

Florida then joined the passenger ship

North River in New York City at the end of December.^[2]

Inter-War Period

Florida returned to normal peacetime duties in January 1919, when she arrived in Norfolk on the 4th. She steamed to the

US Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby aboard and over the next three years conducted amphibious operation training with the Marine Corps in the Caribbean. Florida also participated in the normal routine of exercises and midshipman cruises. During this period, she was made the flagship of the Commander, Control Force, US Fleet.^[2]

In early 1924, Florida took part in the

geared turbines and her two funnels were trunked into one stack. The rear lattice mast was replaced with a pole mast, which was moved further aft. Her two submerged torpedo tubes were also removed.^[14]^[15]

Florida remained in service for a few years in her modernized form, and participated in joint Army-Navy coast defense exercises in June 1928.

Florida Field, where it was traditionally rung by either cheerleaders or fans at the conclusion of a victory by the Florida Gator football team.^[17] As the stadium underwent successive expansions and renovations, the bell was moved to a location under the north end zone concourse and then was removed from the stadium in 1992. It has been restored and is now housed in the lobby of the Museum of Florida History.^[18]

Notes

Footnotes

^ /50 refers to the length of the gun in terms of calibers. A /50 gun is 50 times long as it is in bore diameter.
^ According to German records, two U-boats, U-80 and U-82, were in the area, but never made contact with any Allied vessels.^[6]