And, on the subject of new US ships, here are the ones authorized in the 1942 naval expansion bill:
Kearsarge Class Small Battleship (1942)
Ships in Class:
Kearsarge (BBS-5)
Monitor (BBS-6)
Characteristics: Initially specified to match those of the preceding
Alaska class small battleships, except with a revised secondary battery, the
Kearsarges instead had their laying down postponed after authorization. The short supply of large reduction gears and limited capacity for construction thereof has led to a design revision so the ships can accommodate turboelectric drives. The greater block coefficient necessitated will also require a flush hull rather than the external torpedo bulges of the
Alaskas. Final characteristics will be released when available.
Jacksonville Class (1942)
Flag: USA
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Ships in Class:
Jacksonville (CA-88)
Fall River (CA-89)
Beaumont (CA-90)
Sacramento (CA-91)
Characteristics:
Dimensions: 698' LOA x 80' W x 26.6' D. 19 000 t at standard load.
Propulsion: Oil-fired boilers, geared steam turbines. 120 000 shp, 4 shafts. 32 kn rated top speed.
Main Armament: 12 x 8"/L55 breech-loading guns in 3 quad turrets on centreline ends, majority forward. One raised mount superfiring forward.
Visual Characteristics:
-Ships have a flush deck, a straight bulbous bow and a large transom stern
-Two main mounts ahead of superstructure and solid mast, one mount aft. Two slim funnels.
-12x 5"/L38 DP secondaries, 2 single mounts on centreline, remainder on sides.
The
Jacksonville class cruisers represent the USN's "second to none" approach when it comes to heavy cruisers. Designed to beat any other cruiser afloat while still being smaller and cheaper than a capital ship, these ships still represent a compromise. While the USN's work on auto-loading guns was proving successful for 6" guns, the 8" caliber presented more of a challenge. The increased forces generated by the 8" guns caused the prototypes to perform poorly compared to their smaller cousins, experiencing issues with jamming, due to breakages of key components, and excessive weight. More time was to resolve the unacceptable numbers of jams, as key components were strengthened. The USN looked to the French ship
Jean Bart, for which they were supplied drawings, for both engineering and inspiration- instead of this interim ship order being built for unproven guns, it would simply mount more guns to increase the weight of fire. The quad turrets were based on paired twin mounts, a proven and reliable design. The most severe limitation of the class is its thirst for fuel and consequently shorter range than contemporary American cruisers. Nonetheless, they are very stable seaboats and gunnery platforms.
(AN:
@Luminous was instrumental in developing this class, and this final design is a hybrid of a few we tossed around)