In the waning years of the 19th century, the United States navy was becoming a force to be reckoned with on the world stage—modern battleships were entering service as the nation flexed its industrial muscles. The US Navy was no threat to Britain or Germany at the time—the Royal Navy was huge, and Germany had no concerns in the Western Hemisphere—although some saw that that could change.
A brief dispute with Britain, although never threatening war, drove home the point to the US Navy that Britain ruled the seas.
Some serious planning was done—the US Navy would always be a second class fleet, unless something drastic was done. Naturally, it would have to be relatively inexpensive, given the tight fisted nature of the US Congress.
In 1899, the US Navy started work on the now infamous “12 inch Mark 7” as a part of its ongoing program to improve its weaponry. What it didn’t tell anyone was that the 12” Mark 7 was actually a 14”/45—a weapon far larger and more powerful than any afloat at the time.
When the Connecticut class was being authorized in Congress, naval experts managed to convince Congress to allow the navy a larger displacement for its newest ships, in exchange for canceling two big armored cruisers also planned. This kept displacement—and costs—almost equal. The final changes were slipped into the appropriations bill quietly, in exchange for a “yes” vote on a few pork-barrel projects.
The new Connecticut class battleships were built in relative secrecy, although there were rumors that they represented something new. The intended displacement was not, of course, released.
When Connecticut and Louisiana were revealed to the world—8 14” guns in superfiring twin turrets, heavy armor, and a massive (for the time) displacement, they made every existing warship obsolete—and within a few months, there would be three more in service. (The fact that they displaced 1200 tons more than authorized was quietly hushed up—they were so successful that no one wanted to criticize them) The next generation was already well along, four ships armed with 10 of the new guns.
Unfortunately for the Royal Navy, this display occurred a week after HMS Dreadnought had made the scene, the upstart Americans making her obsolete mere days after she was seen as the greatest warship on earth. What the general public didn’t see was the advantage Dreadnought had due to her turbines—but even so, Connecticut was a shock to the Royal Navy
At the end of 1907, the US had 5 dreadnoughts (the name stuck due to Dreadnought’s dramatic presentation—and more dramatic overshadowing) with 1 fitting out, and three more nearing completion. Two more were in the early stages of construction—these two introducing the triple turret.
Note that this is approximately the same amount of tonnage as historical, but in fewer, larger ships.
Britain, in contrast, had just one, although several more were on the ways. They were faster than the American ships, but armed with the 12” gun. The secret US project had given them a commanding lead in both ships and guns.
Germany also had its first dreadnoughts under construction—designed to fight Britain’s. The first generation was armed with the same 11” gun of their latest pre-dreadnoughts.
Both nations completed several new ships with the 11” and 12” guns, since they could not let the other get a major lead in the new ships, although both nations had crash projects underway to field larger caliber guns. Both ended up with 15” weapons on the ships that were laid down in 1910. Both Germany and Great Britain also attempted to build a 15” single turret that could fit on the barbettes of the older ships, although the projects were abandoned.
The United States was content with a more modest pace of building after its sudden spurt—Congress was once again tight with funds, and the new ships were expensive. However, after the success of the 1899 program, the Vermont, and California class ships, Congress had become willing to set spending limits rather than displacement limits, and then OK the plans the experts put forth. The biggest winner was the Bureau of Ordnance, which could, in the eyes of Congress, do no wrong.
Responding to intelligence reports of British “super-cruisers,” the USS Manila Bay was laid down in 1906, intended to overwhelm any likely cruiser. She was so expensive—and large—that she replaced two conventional armored cruisers in the building program. One of her design criteria was an extremely long range—something that didn’t show up in Jane’s.
She was largely considered a design fiasco due to her light armament compared to contemporary foreign ships, but proved to be a sound design, with plenty of room for modernization. Ironically, this “design fiasco” proved to be the longest serving battlecruiser in any navy, finally decommissioning in 1970.
She was one of the first American capital ships to use oil firing—a collision with the USS Montana put her in the dockyard for an extended time. Since she was out of service anyway, the navy decided to test the oil firing on a ship that was large, fast, but not able to stand up to her potential rivals in other navies.
Battleship 1912 was huge by the standards of the time, mounting 8 of the new 16” guns—and also finally bringing the USA into the turbine age with their battleships. The American battle line was still notoriously slow, (most ships could make 20 knots, but foreign navies were doing 22 or more) and the American fleet was relatively small in numbers. However, no one doubted the overall firepower advantage the Americans had. As one Royal Navy analyst put it, while campaigning for more ships, “The American battleline is slow. All this means is that when it wants to go somewhere, it will take a while—but no fleet on Earth can stop it.”
Another one said, “Our fleet can go anywhere it wants—unless the Americans are going there.”
Where do we go from here? The USA starts with a huge edge in dreadnoughts, both numbers and power—and with a bureau of ordnance that is in very good favor with Congress. As war clouds gather in Europe, what effects does the increased power and innovation posed by the American Navy create?
USS Connecticut, Commissioned 1906
Displacement: 23000 tons
Dimensions: 590 x 86 x 27’
Machinery: Vertical triple expansion, 18 knots, Range of 6000 nautical miles at 10 knots
Armor: Main belt 11”, upper belt 3”, Turret face 12”, Conning Tower 12”, deck 5” over vitals
Armament: 8 14”/45’s in four twin turrets, 20 3” guns, 2 21” submerged torpedo tubes
Design note: Unlike contemporary battleships, Connecticut and her successors—and the Manila Bay and hers, had a main armament elevation of 30 degrees
USS Manila Bay, Commissioned 1909
Displacement: 22000 tons normal
Dimensions: 620 x 86 x 27
Machinery: Turbines, 4 shafts, 25 knots, 12,000 nautical mile range at 25 knots (18000 miles after 1913 conversion to oil
Armor: Main belt 6.5”, upper belt 2”, Turret face 10”, Conning Tower 12”, deck 5” over vitals
Armament: 6 10” guns in three triple turrets, 8 x 4”, 18 x 3”, 4 x 21” submerged torpedo tubes
Picture created by Big Rich (often found on the Naval Fiction Board
A brief dispute with Britain, although never threatening war, drove home the point to the US Navy that Britain ruled the seas.
Some serious planning was done—the US Navy would always be a second class fleet, unless something drastic was done. Naturally, it would have to be relatively inexpensive, given the tight fisted nature of the US Congress.
In 1899, the US Navy started work on the now infamous “12 inch Mark 7” as a part of its ongoing program to improve its weaponry. What it didn’t tell anyone was that the 12” Mark 7 was actually a 14”/45—a weapon far larger and more powerful than any afloat at the time.
When the Connecticut class was being authorized in Congress, naval experts managed to convince Congress to allow the navy a larger displacement for its newest ships, in exchange for canceling two big armored cruisers also planned. This kept displacement—and costs—almost equal. The final changes were slipped into the appropriations bill quietly, in exchange for a “yes” vote on a few pork-barrel projects.
The new Connecticut class battleships were built in relative secrecy, although there were rumors that they represented something new. The intended displacement was not, of course, released.
When Connecticut and Louisiana were revealed to the world—8 14” guns in superfiring twin turrets, heavy armor, and a massive (for the time) displacement, they made every existing warship obsolete—and within a few months, there would be three more in service. (The fact that they displaced 1200 tons more than authorized was quietly hushed up—they were so successful that no one wanted to criticize them) The next generation was already well along, four ships armed with 10 of the new guns.
Unfortunately for the Royal Navy, this display occurred a week after HMS Dreadnought had made the scene, the upstart Americans making her obsolete mere days after she was seen as the greatest warship on earth. What the general public didn’t see was the advantage Dreadnought had due to her turbines—but even so, Connecticut was a shock to the Royal Navy
At the end of 1907, the US had 5 dreadnoughts (the name stuck due to Dreadnought’s dramatic presentation—and more dramatic overshadowing) with 1 fitting out, and three more nearing completion. Two more were in the early stages of construction—these two introducing the triple turret.
Note that this is approximately the same amount of tonnage as historical, but in fewer, larger ships.
Britain, in contrast, had just one, although several more were on the ways. They were faster than the American ships, but armed with the 12” gun. The secret US project had given them a commanding lead in both ships and guns.
Germany also had its first dreadnoughts under construction—designed to fight Britain’s. The first generation was armed with the same 11” gun of their latest pre-dreadnoughts.
Both nations completed several new ships with the 11” and 12” guns, since they could not let the other get a major lead in the new ships, although both nations had crash projects underway to field larger caliber guns. Both ended up with 15” weapons on the ships that were laid down in 1910. Both Germany and Great Britain also attempted to build a 15” single turret that could fit on the barbettes of the older ships, although the projects were abandoned.
The United States was content with a more modest pace of building after its sudden spurt—Congress was once again tight with funds, and the new ships were expensive. However, after the success of the 1899 program, the Vermont, and California class ships, Congress had become willing to set spending limits rather than displacement limits, and then OK the plans the experts put forth. The biggest winner was the Bureau of Ordnance, which could, in the eyes of Congress, do no wrong.
Responding to intelligence reports of British “super-cruisers,” the USS Manila Bay was laid down in 1906, intended to overwhelm any likely cruiser. She was so expensive—and large—that she replaced two conventional armored cruisers in the building program. One of her design criteria was an extremely long range—something that didn’t show up in Jane’s.
She was largely considered a design fiasco due to her light armament compared to contemporary foreign ships, but proved to be a sound design, with plenty of room for modernization. Ironically, this “design fiasco” proved to be the longest serving battlecruiser in any navy, finally decommissioning in 1970.
She was one of the first American capital ships to use oil firing—a collision with the USS Montana put her in the dockyard for an extended time. Since she was out of service anyway, the navy decided to test the oil firing on a ship that was large, fast, but not able to stand up to her potential rivals in other navies.
Battleship 1912 was huge by the standards of the time, mounting 8 of the new 16” guns—and also finally bringing the USA into the turbine age with their battleships. The American battle line was still notoriously slow, (most ships could make 20 knots, but foreign navies were doing 22 or more) and the American fleet was relatively small in numbers. However, no one doubted the overall firepower advantage the Americans had. As one Royal Navy analyst put it, while campaigning for more ships, “The American battleline is slow. All this means is that when it wants to go somewhere, it will take a while—but no fleet on Earth can stop it.”
Another one said, “Our fleet can go anywhere it wants—unless the Americans are going there.”
Where do we go from here? The USA starts with a huge edge in dreadnoughts, both numbers and power—and with a bureau of ordnance that is in very good favor with Congress. As war clouds gather in Europe, what effects does the increased power and innovation posed by the American Navy create?
USS Connecticut, Commissioned 1906
Displacement: 23000 tons
Dimensions: 590 x 86 x 27’
Machinery: Vertical triple expansion, 18 knots, Range of 6000 nautical miles at 10 knots
Armor: Main belt 11”, upper belt 3”, Turret face 12”, Conning Tower 12”, deck 5” over vitals
Armament: 8 14”/45’s in four twin turrets, 20 3” guns, 2 21” submerged torpedo tubes
Design note: Unlike contemporary battleships, Connecticut and her successors—and the Manila Bay and hers, had a main armament elevation of 30 degrees
USS Manila Bay, Commissioned 1909
Displacement: 22000 tons normal
Dimensions: 620 x 86 x 27
Machinery: Turbines, 4 shafts, 25 knots, 12,000 nautical mile range at 25 knots (18000 miles after 1913 conversion to oil
Armor: Main belt 6.5”, upper belt 2”, Turret face 10”, Conning Tower 12”, deck 5” over vitals
Armament: 6 10” guns in three triple turrets, 8 x 4”, 18 x 3”, 4 x 21” submerged torpedo tubes
Picture created by Big Rich (often found on the Naval Fiction Board
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