The Three Amigos (Collaborative TL Between Joe Bonkers, TheMann, and isayyo2)

[TheMann]

Interesting twists about Canada, @TheMann...

Much more to come on that front.

Fun fact: Rocky Johnson, Dwyane Johnson's (aka The Rock) father, was from Nova Scotia originally...

I learned that doing research into Black Nova Scotians, and while I'm tempted to keep him in Canada and thus have Dwayne Johnson be a Canadian, I think I'm gonna pass on that. This is already something of a world-wank (and its only going to get crazier, trust me 😉) and obviously we don't want to get too crazy on details like that one.

 

[Joe Bonkers]

The decade following the Great War came to be known as the “Roaring ‘20s,” and roar they did, with the economies of the victorious Allied powers expanding at a feverish pace. In the North American nations, the demographics began to change as well, as Latinos moved north and east from California, Texas, Cuba, and Puerto Rico; as Anglos moved south and west to those same locations; and as Canadians, with their own polyglot populations, and Mexicans circulated freely within the United States, living there as business and opportunity demanded, and as Americans did the same within Canada and Mexico. Populations boomed both from a “baby boom” following the war and from the relaxation of immigration restrictions, which had been aimed primarily at nonwhites.

A growing middle class and improvements in labor laws brought the people of the Western nations greater prosperity and leisure time than the majority of people had ever known, which in turn led to booming rail passenger travel throughout North America and South America along with exponential growth of Ford’s Model T and other automobiles on the growing network of roadways. New schools, colleges and universities sprang up, leading to greater opportunities, and new homes included features as standard that would have been unheard of by the majority of people just a few years before, including running water, toilets, bathtubs, electric lights, anthracite stoves and modern heating systems, and an array of new kitchen and household appliances.

This growth was coupled with reforms in areas that had been particularly long in coming, most especially the extension of the voting franchise to women. The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed in 1918, prohibited restriction of the right to vote based on sex. A lengthy struggle that had begun as early as the 1840s had finally been achieved.

Conservation began to flower into true environmentalism in the 1920s, as knowledge gained from successful efforts to prevent the extinction of the American bison and the passenger pigeon had led biologists to an earlier understanding of combating introduced species by introducing predators. This would eventually lead to great success when a fungus known as Dutch elm disease began to damage trees in North America and Britain. Successful introduction of a nematode that preyed in the fungus managed to control it long enough for fungus-resistant strains of the trees to be bred and planted where existing trees had died. Thus were the magnificent elm trees with their thick, shady canopies preserved. Along with that effort came a likewise successful effort to preserve the American chestnut tree, another great but threatened species. Later, in the 1950s, these efforts would be enhanced through controlling the transmitting insects through the adoption of insecticides (although early insecticides were later phased out for either bioaccumulation or human toxicity reasons, the American chemical industry remained innovative in finding new ways to fight off strains of damaging insects).

One major reform proposal, however, that was defeated in the postwar era was Prohibition. Various temperance groups had been working for years to ban alcoholic beverages in the United States through a constitutional amendment. While the effort was popular in certain areas, particularly the Midwest, the influence of America’s neighbors, Canada and Mexico, had grown increasingly strong as the three friends and allies had drawn closer together. Both of those nations had strong Catholic populations – Mexico was of course primarily Catholic, and the many French Canadians helped ensure a healthy Catholic population there. As the citizens of all three nations intermingled more and more, Catholic influence had grown in the United States as well; many Americans were bilingual or trilingual by the end of World War I. And the cultures of nearly all Catholic communities were not in favor of Prohibition. Although temperance advocates insisted that sacramental wine would be excluded from any Prohibition efforts inasmuch as it would violate the First Amendment not to do so, opponents weren’t so sure; furthermore, Catholic communities in general favored temperance in terms of moderation, arguing that attempting to fully ban alcohol would only succeed in giving it a “forbidden fruit” aura and encouraging shady types to engage in its manufacture and distribution – better to have safe, government-inspected alcohol, they argued, rather than alcohol produced and sold by criminals who would neither know or care what happened to those who drank it. Some temperance advocates hurt their own cause as well by engaging in anti-Catholic bigotry, which was becoming more and more unacceptable to the American public as exposure to Catholic communities became more widespread. In the end, the proposed Prohibition amendment failed to garner the necessary number of state approvals, and the quixotic attempt to ban alcohol – seemingly doomed from the start – failed as well.

North America’s transportation system also had felt the effects of the war, and shared in the boom that followed it.

During the war, to help relieve congestion on the nation’s railroads, which had threatened to hurt the war effort, the Roosevelt Administration had established the United States Railroad Administration. Over the course of the war, the USRA administered the nation’s railroads. This experiment with full nationalization came to an end following the war, when the railroads were returned to private ownership.

However, the original establishment of the railroad system in the days of the Quincy Adams and Clay administrations had followed the path of the canal system in those days – namely, that the railroads were seen as exercising a “public trust.” While privately owned, their importance to all industry was such that the public had a vested interest in their operation. This made the railroads, from the very start, more subject to government oversight than might have otherwise been the case. Thus the transition to a regulated “public utility” approach to the railroad industry, which began in the 1870s with the Interstate Commerce Act and culminated with the creation of the USRA, was relatively smooth. The Bureau of Public Roadways – predecessor of the Federal Highway Administration – was also established during the 1920s, and began building the national system of “shield” highways (the US Highways), with similar efforts being undertaken in Canada and Mexico.

In the postwar years, the Wilson Administration initially kept the USRA in place, hoping that even with the railroads returned to private ownership, it might serve a useful function. And – although the Republican administrations of the 1920s ultimately dissolved the agency – it did have important effects. Among them were standard designs for locomotives, passenger cars, and freight cars, which allowed the railroads to cut costs by adopting “off-the-rack” designs rather than having to make specifications for each new order of equipment (full standardization of locomotives, though, would await the advent of the diesel locomotive).

Another important legacy of the USRA was the adoption of standardized scheduling, ticketing and transfers between trains and railroads, which over the years to come would be refined more and more and would replace the Byzantine ticketing systems previously used by the railroads. In some cities, this was enhanced by encouraging the railroads to move to single (union) stations versus multiple stations, which allowed for easier transfer between trains and thus improved service. This standardization would again be critical in helping the railroads to cut costs, improve services and thereby retain passengers, and to prepare for the dramatic future changes that would soon be coming to the industry.

In the meantime, though, the railroads and the highways both boomed, as cities grew along the lines of main roads, railroads, and interurban and streetcar lines. Mass transit grew rapidly too, with more and more cities getting subways or elevated rail – Mexico City, Montreal, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Detroit, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Monterrey and Boston all joined this club in the 1920s – and interurban or streetcar systems blanketing much of North America elsewhere.

Havana had first been connected to Florida by ocean-going ferries in 1881, following completion of the first railroad (an extension of the Florida East Coast) to Key West in the 1870s. The capital of the state of Cuba became a central commercial hub in the region and a major tourist destination with the economic boom of the 1920s. A highway was added during that decade, with auto ferry servicing commencing in 1927. (The rail and highway routes would both be badly damaged by a hurricane in 1935, but both would be rebuilt to even greater magnificence, with the Florida Keys Parkway, an extension of US Route 1, being completed in 1939.)

The Port of Miami, meanwhile, in this period grew into the single biggest departure point for cruise liners and ferries to the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, closely followed by New Orleans. The establishment of the Caribbean islands as part of Canada in the 1920s brought a tremendous growth in tourist trade to those islands as well, with auto ferry service growing throughout the region until virtually all the Caribbean islands had docks for automobile ferries. And the transatlantic ocean liner trade grew as well, as the American, Canadian and Mexican liner fleets gave the more-established British and French passenger fleets some real competition.

The city of New York provides an example of how the nation’s transportation system was evolving in the 1920s. Two major train stations served Manhattan, the Pennsylvania Railroad’s and Baltimore & Ohio’s Union Station on Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street and New York Central’s Grand Central Terminal on 42nd Street at the foot of Park Avenue. Though the PRR (and B&O) and NYC were fierce competitors, the USRA was able to convince them in the 1920s that it would be to the mutual benefit to all railroads as well as to the public to connect the two stations directly with a subway tunnel. This was completed in 1924, greatly enhancing the convenience of transferring between the two stations.

Then, later in the decade, work commenced on the first major bus terminal for New York, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which was located directly across the street from Union Station at Ninth Avenue and 33rd Street. At the same time, a brand-new, modern ship terminal, connecting to the wharves between 30th and 42nd streets, was constructed nearby, connected by overhead pedestrian bridges to the new bus terminal (which was likewise connected to Union Station). All this made travel that much more convenient – even before the connection of other New York-area railroads to Union Station that lay in the future.

In another example, the city of Cleveland, Ohio, saw completion in 1927 of the long-proposed Cleveland Union Terminal, along the mainline of the NYC at the shore of Lake Erie. The station’s location at the end of the downtown Mall, near the City Hall and the Cuyahoga County Courthouse, finished a long-standing plan for the downtown area.

(The railroad industry, of course, had long been affected by the influences of national events taking place during its formation, most especially the North American War, some of which had resulted from the war itself. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Southern Pacific had both built lines into the Southwest during the 1860s, to help meet the need to move troops into the region, thus spurring the growth and development of the region. The Santa Fe and the Denver & Rio Grande, initially at odds over the Raton Pass route in New Mexico, had come to an agreement that allowed the Santa Fe to go to Denver but not Leadville and that allowed the D&RG to enter Santa Fe. As a result, the ATSF had financed the D&RG’s (later Denver & Rio Grande Western) lines from Salt Lake City to the San Francisco Bay area and to the ATSF interchange at Needles, California. The ATSF and Rio Grande also extended heavily into Mexico, while the UP built transcontinental lines across the center of the nation and to Los Angeles, and the SP extended to New Orleans, Memphis and Wichita. The Mexican and Canadian railroads, meanwhile, likewise built extensively into the United States, perhaps most audaciously the Canadian Pacific, which ultimately gained entry to New York via its purchase of the Lehigh Valley.

In the Northwest, the Northern Pacific, first to get to Puget Sound in 1878, was followed by the Milwaukee Road in 1884, which was largely owned by Native American interests, with the Great Northern arriving last in 1887. The Milwaukee Road came to dominate the Dakotas and Montana early, in part through its Native connections. It proved a major source of early prestige – and income – to the Native American community, which was adjusting to a more settled way of life.

The need for railroads and the rapid growth of the West led the D&RGW to eschew building any portion of their system in narrow gauge, instead taking the more costly but, in the long run, better route of building their entire system in standard gauge. A handful of narrow-gauge lines were built in remote stretches of the West, but, as elsewhere in the country, they were largely curiosities.

Back East, the Baltimore & Ohio avoided any significant damage from the North American War other than a small Holdfast uprising in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, so they were able to expand on a massive scale in the years between the North American War and the 1920s. The B&O in 1895 had purchased the Reading and the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and merged those properties into the B&O. They also bought the Chicago & Alton and the Lehigh & New England to give them access to the Maybrook, New York gateway to New England. They built jointly with the Erie Lackawanna Railroad ((see below)) a series of lines - partially improvements on the Reading, partly new construction - that connected the original B&O main line in Pittsburgh and the port of Ashtubula, Ohio with the former Reading at Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the two lines join at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The new B&O Pittsburgh line passed directly through State College, Pennsylvania and came close to Altoona, though the B&O didn’t have the audacity to try to run their mainline through such a PRR-dominated town (they did throw a branch to Altoona). Combining this new construction with the former Reading to Reading, Pennsylvania via Sunbury; to Allentown, Pennsylvania; and the former CNJ from Allentown east gave the B&O a new low-grade line across northern Pennsylvania that made it more competitive with the NYC, PRR and Erie.

At the Erie, Cornelius Vanderbilt of the NYC wrestled financier Daniel Drew for control of the railroad. When Vanderbilt won, he temporarily kept Drew on as treasurer. However, something about Drew bothered Vanderbilt, and he fired Drew shortly afterward. Vanderbilt soon found out that his suspicions were not misplaced; Drew had been planning to issue spurious Erie stock, allowing him and his co-conspirators Jay Gould and Jim Fisk to use the watered stock to buy control of the Erie. Gould, Fisk and Drew still attempted to wrest control of the railroad from Vanderbilt, but failed. By the time the government got around to telling Vanderbilt he had to relinquish control of the Erie, Gould in particular had been ruined by the gold scandal of 1869. He and his buddies were unable to take control of the Erie.

Meanwhile, the Delaware & Hudson, under a different group of financiers, merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; the merged railroad, officially the Delaware, Lackawanna & Hudson, was known popularly as "the Lackawanna." With its D&H route to New England and Montreal, the Lackawanna was less inclined, at first, to attempt to expand toward Buffalo. Instead, it took a page from the sort of partnership-even-among-competitors practiced by the Santa Fe and the Rio Grande out west, and began working closely with the B&O. The line jointly built/improved by the B&O and Lackawanna northwest from Sunbury through Williamsport to Lock Haven, connected with the Lackawanna just north of Sunbury at Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Just as the B&O used the line to create a more northerly route across Pennsylvania, the Lackawanna used it to access Pittsburgh and the Lake Erie shore at Ashtabula, and to connect with the Wabash at Pittsburgh.

A few years later, when Vanderbilt was required by the government to give up his control of the Erie as it was a competitor to his NYC, the Lackawanna eagerly purchased it. The two railroads merged, under the new name "Erie Lackawanna." The EL built a connection at Meadville, Pennsylvania between the Lackawanna's Ashtabula line and the Erie's mainline, and the two lines also connected at Binghamton, New York. The EL thus had two east-west routes, which could be used for differing types of traffic or to relieve congestion on either line.

Overall, the railroad industry, spurred on by the government, had begun to learn the value of cooperation while competing, as pioneered out west. The PRR, for example, while a competitor of the EL for east-west traffic, gladly cooperated with the EL on north-south traffic (particularly the growing traffic between Canada and Mexico) passing over the EL's main onto the PRR for points south at Buttonwood Yard in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. More spectacularly, the B&O and PRR agreed, around the turn of the century, to go in on a Union Station for New York City. And those arose the breathtaking station rises on Seventh Avenue at 33rd Street in Manhattan.

By the decade of the 1920s, the EL had used the large profits it had made hauling anthracite coal from Northeastern Pennsylvania to perform a massive “super-railroad” rebuild that gave the world Paulins Kill Viaduct in New Jersey, Nicholson Viaduct in Pennsylvania, the New Jersey Cutoff, the line north of Scranton that was strung along the mountain ridges instead of through the valleys, the former D&H north of Binghamton (especially along Lake Champlain), the lines west of Williamsport, and the ex-Erie where needed. This super-railroad rebuild, which included straightening of curves, new tunnels, cuts, and massive fills as needed to reduce grades, and the building of large bridges, was the template for the “super-railroads” that would be rebuilt in many other locations in the not-too-distant future.)

But all too soon, the Roaring ‘20s would come to an end. The lack of regulation in the financial markets had encouraged speculation, leading to market instability. Farm prices had sunk to new lows, which not only hurt the farmers but restrained their ability to purchase goods. In turn, overproduction had led to a surplus of goods, with the new automobile industry perhaps the worst culprit in this regard. The entire economy of the West, and indeed the world, needed only a trigger to collapse – and the stock market crash of October 1929 provided that trigger. Abruptly, the Great Depression was upon the world. Dramatic changes would soon strike the Three Amigos. And once again, the war clouds would gather.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

the SP extended to New Orleans, Memphis and Wichita.

I presume that the SP line to Memphis is OTL's Cotton Belt Route, but what about the extension to Wichita? Would that be basically OTL's Rock Island from there to Tucumcari?

 

[TheMann]

I presume that the SP line to Memphis is OTL's Cotton Belt Route, but what about the extension to Wichita? Would that be basically OTL's Rock Island from there to Tucumcari?

We haven't really been mapping out details like that one specifically, just because we're still writing out the TL as a whole.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

We haven't really been mapping out details like that one specifically, just because we're still writing out the TL as a whole.

OK.

 

[TheMann]

Across North America, the roaring 20s were a time of immense technological advancement in addition to the advancement of society, as the prosperity of the times led to the advancements of countless fields, from medicine to education to infrastructure. Electrification spread out to rural areas often following the roads and railways, with telephone service quite frequently being not far behind that, providing electric lights to places that had never seen it before, and the massive growth of the petroleum industry by the end of the decade had swelled demand both through the ever-increasing number of private cars on the road, the massive growth of the use of diesel fueled trucks and farm machinery and the development of synthetic materials such as plastics and PVC. By 1930 the oil fields of the United States, Mexico and Canada provided over half of the world's petroleum (despite huge oil resource developments in Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, Italian Libya and Argentina) and the centers of the world's energy industries had moved to the Amigos, in particular the Texan cities of Houston and Dallas (both of which exploded from relative backwaters into magnificent major cities in the early decades of the 20th Century, the former also developing into one of the world's largest port complexes as a result), the Mexican port city of Veracruz and the Western Canadian hub cities of Calgary and Edmonton, both of which grew dramatically during the times.

Beyond the economic growth came social advancements as well. As the major cities grew many people of colour came with them, a growing number of Native Americans for the first time moving into many of the major cities of the West (though they had been common for decades in Southern cities like Birmingham, Miami, New Orleans and Atlanta) and many major cities seeing black population growth. By the 1920s Washington Boulevard in Atlanta had become known as "Black Wall Street" (it retains this nickname to this day) and a second "Black Financier District" had grown in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which the Oil Boom had turned from a smaller city into a sizable metropolis. While color lines by this point were regularly crossed some racism did indeed remain, though the prosperity of the years after World War I were highly conducive to much of this disappearing, particularly as many communities of color had by this point amassed sufficient economic power to be able to make their own futures. It did, however, say a lot that one of the greatest cultural advancements of the 1920s was the growth of mass music distribution, helped immeasurably by the growth in the usage of radio in North America, and it's subsequent development of jazz and swing music, which grew immensely popular during the 1920s. With this prosperity also came many of the first developments of urban renewal with regards to slum clearance, in many cases done for public health reasons after the awful 1917-18 Spanish Flu epidemic.

Indeed, that epidemic unleashed a vast growth in the science of medicine and public health. Dropping infant mortality rates in the 1920s resulted from better conditions, and countless new developments in medical science, from the development of insulin and antibiotics to the use of X-Rays for use in diagnosing injuries, also came out of the period. This also saw the establishment, growth or both of many of the Amigos best healthcare facilities and medical research centers - the Mayo Clinic, Toronto University Health Network, Golden State Hospital System, Cleveland Clinic, Hospital of Saint Juan Diego, John Hopkins Medical Center, Dr. Avery Marshall Medical Research Laboratories and Massachusetts General Hospital all were among these. Many efforts at improving sanitation led to the massive growth in the use of flush toilets (particularly in major cities which gave residents access to municipal water and sewage systems, though this was also increasingly common in rural areas as well) and the growing awareness of sanitary conditions, particularly in densely-populated cities. The falling infant mortality led to something of a baby boom in the 1920s, though in large part this was more to the fact that the reduction in infant mortality was faster than the slowing birth rate. While the science of medicine did progress, this didn't stop hucksters, though the Raidithor Scandal and the awful death of Eben Byers from radiation poisoning in 1927 led to a massive growth in the authority of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate foods and medications.

The growth of electricity from cities to rural areas swelled rapidly during this time, and with it not only came widespread use of radios buth also telephones, water heaters and electric lights, while the development of modern assembly lines even for complex manufacturing tasks such as automobiles led to huge growth in industrial fields. This did lead to job losses in some fields (particularly for craft workers) and the jobs could be hard and difficult to maintain the pace of (a particular problem in automotive industries) but the overall result was a massive number of new jobs whose offered wages steadily grew during the period. This massively increased pay led to greater spending, which in turn created more demand for popular products, creating a powerful feedback loop that massively aided the Amigos' economic growth in the 1920s.

The failure of prohibition attempts in Washington didn't stop individual states from trying to ban alcohol (though this went nowhere in Canada and Mexico for a variety of reasons), but by the late 1920s they had almost entirely given this up, particularly after a 1924 Supreme Court ruling on the legality of transporting alcoholic beverages across state lines for personal consumption made complete prohibition laws for the most part untenable. However, the laws and rulings didn't stop the possibility of regulation and taxation of alcohol, leading to the developments of countless state and provincial bodies with the power to inspect, tax and regulate liquor, which has grown to be nearly universal across the Amigos by the early 1930s. Far from the "government liquor" insults of its detractors, what resulted from these efforts was a steady rise in the quality of alcoholic beverages, keeping an equilibrium between the higher cost of liquor and the quality of it. While this also initially hurt many large-scale producers of cheaper liquor, by the 1950s it had resulted in North American alcoholic beverages of all sorts, from beer to wine to distilled spirits, being some of the highest quality on the planet and a source of pride to many of its makers.

If there was ever to be a bellwether to the shifting sands of race in the Amigos it had always been sports, and this manifested itself first in boxing and baseball, particularly the latter. After Major League Baseball scrapped it's "gentleman's rule" regarding black players in 1911 there had been a steady flow of black players into the ranks of professional baseball, but it got perhaps it's greatest wind in the late 1920s and early 1930s because of the rivalry between the New York Yankees' George "Babe" Ruth and the Chicago White Sox's Joshua "Black Bomber" Gibson, who were easily the two greatest sluggers of their time and who had an immense respect for one another. (Indeed, Gibson's single-season batting average record of .451 in 1931 is a record that stands to this day.) The Ruth-Gibson rivalry is said by many to be the reason many black Americans of the time came to love the sport of baseball as much as many of their white counterparts, and the likes of Monte Irvin, Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Andrew Porter, Emilio Navarro, Buck Leonard, James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell, Andy Cooper and Martin Dihigo and numerous others came to prominence in this manner, and despite the open disdain of Kennesaw Mountain Landis (the MLB's commissioner at the time who was well known to be more than a little racist) towards the massive growth of black baseball players, the newcomers captured the imaginations of many a baseball fan in the 1920s and 1930s and dramatically grew the sport, as well as growing support for integration in general, as it was just as equally well known that a great many of the new black players were as good of men in general as they were baseball players, and countless owners, including legends like the White Sox's Bill Veeck, well knew it. While integration had been a fact of life for decades in the Cosmopolitan South and southern Great Plains states, it was increasingly apparent in the North as well, and the outlawing of racially-biased title restrictions in 1927 began to rapidly accelerate the process as black Americans spread across into many new neighborhoods in major cities. These developments led to a growing sense of integration into many major cities, a fact accelerated by the many higher-paying jobs these cities offered. Initial tendencies to have neighborhoods almost entirely inhabited by one group or another faded as the 1920s went on and the lines between communities began to be blurred, particularly in rapidly-redeveloping cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta and St. Louis, as well as ever-greater numbers of people of color in Canada, this manifesting most clearly in the port cities of Halifax and Vancouver, the oil boomtowns of Alberta and the industrial and commercial capital of Toronto. These changes weren't even limited to people of individual nations, as the Bennett-Walker Act of 1924 in Washington and the Citizens of Allied Nations Act in Canada in 1925, along with similar legislation in Mexico, formally codified the rights of the citizens of the three nations as being equal under the law in most instances. These agreements were done with an initial eye towards business investment, but it wasn't long before skilled workers began using these laws as justification for seeking out better opportunities for themselves.

 

[TheMann]

The Depression, Roosevelt, Crerar and Cardenas, The New Deal and the Men of Honour

Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, is seen by many historians as the point where the Great Depression started, a time that would ultimately end up being one of the most devastating in the histories of many nations around the world and which in a very real sense led to the growth of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany and the rise of the aggressive Imperialists under Emperor Hirohito in Japan, both of which would ultimately be the antagonists for the Allies in the Second World War a decade or so later.

The cause of the Depression are many and debated to this day, but a number of realities had become quite obvious by 1929 - there was a vast bubble of prices on stocks and properties in most Western nations (including all three of the Amigos) and massive growth in industrial production in the 1920s had led to a massive overcapacity problem in numerous nations, and Americans alone had run up billions of dollars in debts by this point, much of this related to consumer spending done on credit for items such as automobiles and consumer white goods. The crash of 1929 and the subsequent countless problems with bank failures in late 1929 and early 1930 made matters worse, and compounding the problem (and much to the rage of Ottawa and Mexico City, as this enormously effected them) was the Smoot-Hawley Tarriff Act of 1930, which saw Herbert Hoover's veto of the legislation overturned by Congress, an act that led to a massive schism between the Amigos, easily the worst since the North American War some 65 years prior. It wasn't long before numerous nations retaliated against American tarriffs, with Mexico working to develop a Latin American trade bloc and Canada being the organizer and a key player in the 1932 British Empire Economic Conference. Despite these efforts and the first abandonments of the gold standard (Mexico first in June 1931, followed by the UK, Canada, Japan and several Scandinavian countries also in 1931) in an attempt to spur the money supply, it was difficult to sort out the Depression as it sank to its nadir in 1932.

But things began to change dramatically in 1931. Mexico elected a new President in September 1931 in Lazaro Cardenas, who had been a noted economic reformer during his time as Governor of Michoacan, and he swept into power with a sizable agenda, including taking advantage of Mexico's departure from the Gold Standard to expand the money supply through the use of public programs, advised by more than a few Mexican economists. He began this program with some slowness primarily out of economic concerns, not helped with Mexico's currency, the Peso, collapsed dramatically in early 1932. Mexico fought back in this with a new currency, the Austral, which was introduced in February 1932, and massive pushes for land reform and improvements in social spending, including one of the world's first old age security programs, a massive food price reduction program known as Nulo Hambre ("Zero Hunger") and direct support to those hardest hit by the Depression. But as effective as these efforts were, they dramatically swelled in 1933, because of the ascension to power in the United States of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and in Canada of Thomas Crerar.

Both Roosevelt and Crerar believed in the massive expansion of public works to put people back to work, and both men knew well of the countless projects and plans that had been lined up before 1929 that could be restarted in order to get the whole works moving. Both men also felt the other was potentially a valuable ally, and saw Cardenas' efforts in Mexico as an additional way of supporting their efforts. Cardenas wasn't hard to convince, and by May of 1933 all three nations were forging ahead with huge plans for massive public works projects - the Public Works Administration in the United States, Department of Public Works in Canada and Programa Nacional de Proyectos ("National Projects Program") in Mexico - as well as numerous other programs to help with recovery efforts. In addition to this, comprehensive banking and securities regulation grew rapidly in all three Amigos, and all three rapidly reduced their own tarriffs and import restrictions, while the United States bailed off of the gold standard in May 1932 and worked rapidly in 1932 and 1933 to stabilize the country's banking system. Labor laws were strengthened and unions grew dramatically in power in all three nations, and despite high-profile fights involving some industries (automobiles in particular) the unions came to agreements with the companies that employed their workers.

The results were profound. The three economies bottomed out in early 1933, but by 1936 things had improved dramatically and all three countries were in the midst of titanic infrastructure building booms. The first portions of Canada's mighty Le Grande and Ontario North hydroelectric power systems, the first North American Parkways (including famous sections like the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, the Trans-Canada Highway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike), countless power systems, vast numbers of housing projects (the PWA built over 150,000 new housing units in the United States, and Canada and Mexico built large numbers of public housing units as well), airports, urban renewal projects, mass transit systems and major port infrastructures, as well public-private deals for such infrastructure as railroad line improvements. The expansion of the highway system ultimately saw the East Coast Interstate begin its construction, with the sections from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to New Haven, Connecticut, Port Chester, New York to Alexandria, Virginia and Savannah, Georgia and Fayetteville, North Carolina, completed by 1939 (With the rest of the route completed by the mid-1950s) and the West Coast Interstate opened between Los Angeles and Sacramento in 1938, with the plan to have it completed from Vancouver to San Diego by 1943 (though this schedule wouldn't happen because of WWII, the highway was completed to Prince George in 1948) and with plans for a highway to Alaska underway by this point, with the Alaska Highway being opened in its first form in 1941. Most of the 1930s highways would go on to be part of the Interstate Highway System, which formally began construction in 1954.

The Great Lakes Waterways Project, which encompassed the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway to Panamax size, the rebuilding of the Erie Canal into a canal suitable for ocean-going vessels and the expansion of the waterways and ports of the Great Lakes, was the largest single project of the Depression Era despite starting in the 1920s, consuming over $150 million from the United States and $85 million from Canada, but upon completion in 1936 and 1937 allowed for a massive growth in shipping into the regions and (crucially) allowed for a vast growth in shipbuilding on the Great Lakes, as lake freighters could now make their way out onto the oceans. The massive expansion of the New York State Canal System led to a massive redevelopment of the industrial cities of Upstate New York, while the design success of the Seaway also accelerated the building of the Panama Canal's new locks, which were completed in September 1939. The huge growth in ocean shipping initially caused problems for the railroads and was initially devastating for Buffalo, New York, but redevelopment efforts after World War II ended up turning this loss into something that would give the city a completely new look and identity. The opening of the Seaway was followed by a tour of the Canadian Great Lakes and Seaway ports (including stops in Quebec City, Montreal, Kingston and Toronto) by brand-new American battleship USS North Carolina in the fall of 1936 (including a famous visit to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto by the North Carolina) and the following summer the visiting of Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago by the newly-rebuilt HMCS Victorious in the summer of 1937.

Canada spent massively on its railroad system and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, while Mexico under Cardenas spent huge sums on developing and modernizing Pemex, Mexico's state-owned oil monopoly, and the investment paid off big time when Pemex began producing oil from its offshore Bay of Campeche oil fields in 1938. All three nations took advantage of the funds to massively grow their navies and begin modernization efforts in other parts of their armed forces, and the WPA's tens of thousands of smaller projects also had profound effects. Great parks grew from the programs, with the United States' best efforts - including Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Navy Pier in Chicago - were matched the Sunnyside Parkside in Toronto, Stanley Park in Vancouver and Alameda Central in Mexico City. Rural electrification efforts not completed in the 1920s were finished by the Works Progress Administration, and the WPA's Federal Project Number One - which employed tens of thousands of writers, artists, musicians, actors and directors to grow the consumption of culture in the United States, as well as creating the Historical Records Survey - was rapidly copied by Canada and Mexico alike. Canada also notably didn't make any distinction between efforts in metropolitan Canada and its Caribbean territories, with the result being a massive growth in the economies of the islands hit hard by the Depression and the beginnings of the "Our Future" movements, which began in Jamaica in 1938 and would be a force that ultimately to Canada's eventual integration of the islands into Canada proper in the 1960s.

As the vast funding had the desired effect on the economies of the Amigos, it was rapidly copied around the world, with huge public works programs being developed in the British Empire's Dominions first and rapidly expanding from there to Europe. While the damage from the Depression had been varied depending on the nation in Europe, it had hit hardest in Germany, whose banking system came completely unglued in the summer of 1931, and it led to multiple rounds of violence in 1931 to 1933, which led to the seizure of power in Germany by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in March 1933. While Hitler was disapproved of by the Amigos' governments (it does have to be said that Hitler did have supporters in the elites of the Amigos, at least until World War II's outbreak) the threat of fascism was slow to be seen as a threat in many parts of the world, though the FDR-Cardenas-Crerar trio all held similar (and very negative) views of the Nazis, and those views, while in a roundabout way contributing to Germans leaving their homelands for the Amigos and their bringing of many talents with them in science and the arts, were soon the subject of widespread scorn in the Amigos, particularly in Canada (whose French and Native Canadian populations were disgusted by Hitler's actions), and by 1935 Canada was on the verge of openly feuding with Germany. London smoothed over the waters at first in an attempt to maintain peace, but by 1935 the concerns about fascism's growth had reached all the way up to the equal of communism. While anti-Semitism was hardly unknown in the Amigos (though it has to be said that it was much reduced in North America compared to just about anywhere else in the world), the Nuremberg Laws were a key turning point.

The process of making the Amigos into a refuge began in a July 1935 editorial by Ontario's Attorney General, Sir Gordon Daniel Conant, and Toronto aldermen David Scott and William Sebastian, who wrote in a Toronto Star editorial that the Nuremberg Laws were "the gift that has been given to any nation that has the courage to take it" as any country could "instantly, and with nearly any terms they desire, take in a whole class of people who are far more educated than the norm, and thanks to Hitler, far more dedicated to their new homes than most". It called upon "Men of Honour" to speak up for the Jews, and that if Hitler truly wanted them out of Europe that badly, that Canada should take them on. The "Men of Honour" had the desired effect, as the raucous debate about Jewish immigration to Canada was settled by the spring of 1936 - indeed in March 1936 the limits on the number of Jews allowed into Canada was pitched, provided those Jews could bring assets with them, but even that provision was scrapped by the fall of that year. A key turning point for all was a public debate in the House of Commons in February 1936, when Immigration Commissioner Frederick Blair attempted to make the case to Ottawa that allowing in the Jews would antagonize other nations, leading John Lightfield, an Ojibwa member of the Parliament for the Progressive Party, to demand "who, exactly, are we going to be antagonizing, Mr. Blair? Hitler? He wants them gone anyways. Other Europeans? They don't want them either. So, tell me again, who would we be antagonizing by taking in people whose home doesn't want them?" Lightfield wasn't finished there, speaking again a week later to a gathering in Toronto "Are we the Men of Honour or not? Are we the nation that allows those to come to build a better life, or are we going to just say to people who are being hated because of their religion, you can't come because we fear the Jews? More to the point, how do you fear people who are fleeing their would-be murderers in Europe? We can all see what Hitler is doing to them. We all know he's going to strike out against others. We owe it to ourselves to be the men before God who save the livers of others." Lightfield was not the only MP who felt this way, and by the late summer of that year, the Canadian "Men of Honour" had enough disciples to get Mexico to adopt the same stance, which they did in September 1936, and Washington followed suit at Ottawa and Mexico City's urging in February 1937, and while more and more European nations closed their borders to the Jews, however many there were it was clear that the Amigos could take as many as could make it across the Atlantic Ocean in. Canada by the outbreak of war had brought over 200,000 Jewish refugees from Europe alone, with a similar number in the United States and over 120,000 in Mexico, these new arrivals being among the most patriotic of the people in the nations - indeed, the statement by Sir Conant, Scott and Sebastian about their dedication to Canada in fact proved to be somewhat an understatement, as by the end of the war the Amigos had over half a million Jewish combat veterans, with fifteen Medal of Honor awards, nine Victoria Crosses and five Aztec Eagles awarded to these men during World War II. Having kicked the idea off, Toronto rapidly became a center of Jewish influence across the world, rapidly joining the cities of New York and Chicago (both of which had sizable Jewish populations themselves) as centers of Judaism's followers in the Western Hemisphere, and the Second Royal Ontario Armored Regiment, raised as part of the Canadian Army in 1940 and first deployed in 1941, had over half of its ranks be from the Jewish communities of Canada, most of all from Toronto.

The Depression pushed the idea of Cooperative Capitalism that had dominated so many of the Amigos' economic discussions for half a century to the absolute limit, but in three nations where prosperity was well remembered there was little desire for collectivism, and the massive success of Roosevelt, Crerar and Cardenas basically took fears of a "Red Wave" and flushed them. Even as industrial union membership exploded in the 1930s, unions from the smallest craft unions to the massive AFL-CIO loudly spoke of their opposition to communism, stating that it was simply unnecessary. It did have to be said that some of North America's elite clearly had disdain for the reformist leaders - Henry Ford was perhaps the best known of these, and indeed Ford accepted a high medal from Nazi Germany in 1937, something that became rather a political firestorm for him and his company in both Canada and Mexico - but by 1937 it was clear that the reformers' efforts were succeeding, and by then the idea of Cooperative Capitalism had become more than a little resorted, particularly with the development of Social Security nets in all three nations and the growing wages of the time showing the success. Cardenas was replaced by his own hand-picked successor, Manuel Ávila Camacho, in Mexico's 1937 elections, but Camacho, well aware of Cardenas' successes, for the most part continued with his predecessor's policies, though he focused more efforts onto the people of southern Mexico, particularly the states of Quintana Roo, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, which had for many years behind the economic performances of much of the rest of the country.

One of the biggest events of the years before the Depression was the famous 1938 Tour of the Amigos by King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth to North America, a Tour that was initially only going to be a trip across Canada but, on the advice of William Lyon Mackenzie King and Thomas Crerar, became a much bigger thing entirely. The King sailed abroad the Atlantic aboard battleship HMS Warspite, with the ship stopping in St. John's and Halifax for high-profile visits before sailing up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Quebec City and Montreal before disembarking to fanfare at the newly-completed Sunnyside Pier in Toronto, whereupon a CNR train took him to Ottawa and a ceremonial opening of the Canadian Parliament before touring across Canada all the way to Vancouver on a special CPR train, before traveling by train down the United States' West Coast, visiting Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles before returning north to Vancouver. He then went back across Canada to Winnipeg, then toured south to Chicago and Detroit before traveling back to New York and Washington (and meeting with President Roosevelt and both men reviewing the US Navy Fleet in Norfolk). HMCS Victorious then transported the King to the Bahamas, visiting Miami, Havana, San Juan and Jamaica before Victorious delivered the King to Veracruz, where another trip to Mexico City, Aguascalientes and Guadalajara followed, the trip on the Altiplano personally escorted by Camacho and his wife, before returning to Veracruz and a pickup by HMS Hood, which returned the King to Britain.

The trip was a huge success, and George VI was said to have been enormously surprised by the support not just in Canada but also in the United States and Mexico, the level of support shown to him and the incredible sights of the Americas. The train trips in the United States, organized by the Southern Pacific, Burlington Route and Pennsylvania railroads, were used by all three as big promotional opportunities, and George VI, something of a railbuff, was quite happy to support these requests, resulting in the CPR engines that delivered him across Canada being named "Royal Hudsons", the SP's naming of the train from San Francisco to Los Angeles as the "The King's Daylight" (and famously applying a special plate to GS-4 locomotives 4435, 4446 and 4449 and AC-7 locomotive 4156 for their service on his tour) and the Mexican Central Railway getting permission from him to name the new 4-6-6-4 assigned to his train "King George VI". The King's speeches made it clear where he stood on the issues of fascism, and at the Gala in his honor in Toronto he personally made the invitation to have the original three Men of Honour be guests of honor with him at the banquet, and loudly speaking of how the Amigos were to be proud of their success and that they stood together with the British Empire on the issues of fascism. The trip would be a preview of the trips that the British Royals would become famous for the in the post-war era, and would be also seen as a sign of the relationship between the nations, and it said much that Presidents Roosevelt and Camacho's visit to Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto in the summer of 1939 got a lot of the same fanfare, with Toronto's mayor, Samuel McBride, commenting that he "couldn't be prouder to have the Presidents of our great allies pay our wonderful city a visit" and Roosevelt and Camacho's motorcade in Ottawa being held up by crowds of supporters, something the charismatic American President in particular played to, commenting "I wish I got welcomes like this back home!"

By 1939, however, the war clouds had gathered in a massive way. Hitler's aggression against his neighbors by this point fooled no-one, and for the Amigos Kristallnacht in November 1938 had been a sign of what was coming even before the invasion of the Czech Sudetenland in March 1939. By that time, Hitler's disdain for North America had become enormous, with him coming to a belief that if any nation on Earth was going to be a threat to the greater German Reich, it would be America, which would ultimately lead to many of the events of World War II. The Amigos' belief that Hitler was a bad actor was also by then an article of faith among the Amigos, a belief shared by Roosevelt, Mackenzie King and Camacho, and by that point even the most isolationist sentiments were falling away in the Amigos, with even more than the Great War the belief in the Amigos that this would be like the North American War seventy-five years before in it being a battle that the nations simply had to win, no matter the cost. And when Hitler predictably invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, he was at war with the Amigos almost immediately. Canada was the first of the Amigos to declare war on Germany, doing so on September 5, 1939. But what Hitler would be capable of doing would soon be known, and it would lead to one of the most infamous days in American history....

 

[Ming777]

Wonder if the growing concern over Europe led to efforts by the Amigos to build up their Naval and Air forces.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

Wonder if the growing concern over Europe led to efforts by the Amigos to build up their Naval and Air forces.

Even though I could be wrong, I could see this being what leads to whatever Pearl Harbor's TTL analogue is. That is if Pearl Harbor isn't what leads the US into the War.

 

[Joe Bonkers]

Wonder if the growing concern over Europe led to efforts by the Amigos to build up their Naval and Air forces.

Yup. Not to give away spoilers, but the Amigos are much better prepared for the coming war than was the case in OTL.

 

[isayyo2]

Development of American Capital Ships: 1902-1922

The beginning of the 20th Century began with new leadership for the United States. The Republican ticket of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt would run on the concept of a "Square Deal" with the conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. Roosevelt was unlike any preceding Vice President as he was highly active in the Senate, casting tie-breaking votes to his the President's agenda. Roosevelt traveled the country extensively by train and later automobile when Congress was in recess. He met everyday citizens, heard the working class's woes, and saw first the conservation movement's grand efforts. McKinley mainly focused on the international agenda with political reproachment to France and Spain and finishing the Panama Canal for global trade. His Mid-Atlantic accented speeches traveled thousands of miles by radio on the virtues of peace and trade reciprocity. McKinley entered office to an immediate global crisis with the Boxer Rebellion. His authorization of military forces to relive the besieged embassies in 1901 was the first use of American troops internationally since the liberation of the Philippines some two decades ago. Though internationally lauded, the international deployment showed cracks in the existing forces, with aged equipment, an overreliance on civilian shipping, and a lack of training funds for troops in garrison. The Army adopted the 30-06 cartridge with spitzer bullet and steam tractors to pull heavier guns and howitzers. The Navy received the most attention in the McKinley administration with calls to match the Royal Navy in tonnage. Retired Admiral Mahan called for a 2+2 building plan where the United States would lay down two battleships and two armored cruisers each year. Additionally, the Coast Guard would be expanded, several protected and scout cruisers, ocean-going destroyers, overseas coaling stations, and a host of auxiliary support vessels.

With McKinley's blessing, Roosevelt would champion the 2+2 naval bill in which the United States would lay down two battleships and two armored cruisers for the next five years ending right as election season was in full swing. In addition to four capital ships funded, three scout cruisers and six destroyers would also be annually authorized. The first ships funded were the Minnesota class Battleships and Pittsburgh class of Armored Cruisers. Both types were incremental improvements over their preceding Connecticut and Tennessee cousins. The Minnesota's took the proceeding Connecticut's hull and lengthened it by 50 feet and replaced the ram bow with an upwards flared clipper bow for improved seakeeping. The radical changes would be found in its propulsion and armament as steam turbines would be introduced to hit 22 knots on trial speeds. The new secondary battery of 5"/50 guns would replace the 7",6", and 3" guns of the preceding Connecticut's. The Pittsburgh's were similar in scope with steam turbines, and clipper bow. The increased length allowed the ships to reach 25 knots on trial, and the secondary battery was similarly condensed into uniform 5"/50s. The increase in length also enhanced habitability with enlarged berthing and storerooms. It increased coal bunkerage for a range increase of 8,000 nautical miles at 10 knots steaming.

With the conclusion of the Russo-Japanese and Vice President Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize, the Naval powers around all came to the same conclusion: big guns and speed were the future. The Royal Navy stunned the world with Dreadnought's launch in February 1906, while other powers still had paper designs. The USN had reached similar conclusions will designing a replacement for the Minnesota's with the South Carolina class using the same hull and machinery, though ditching the 8" wing guns for four super firing 12"/45 dual guns. The ability to super-fire the main battery gave South Carolina and Michigan a distinct advantage in broadsides. As part of the 2+2 plan, the South Carolina's were joined by the Birmingham class of Armored Cruisers. A further improved Pittsburgh with the two 10" turrets replaced with 12"/45 guns to match the latest battleships in armament. The USN of 1907 would lay down the Delaware class of Battleships and Sacramento class of Armored Cruisers, which introduced the heavier 12"/50 and 5"/51 guns. The Delaware Class was a significant improvement over the South Carolina's with an enlarged hull featuring a fifth turret and improved subdivisions; the Sacramento Class ACR could be seen as a subclass of the Pittsburgh with an improved armament scheme.

The Election of 1908 was an unmistakable landslide for Teddy, who ran on a continuation of the "Square Deal," calling for a national income and inheritance tax, an 8-hour workday, and a federal savings bank. As the global Dreadnought race began, Roosevelt also championed an American Navy second to none. The election-year would see the Florida and Congress class of battleships and battlecruisers lay down. The Florida's were a wholly new design over the preceding Delaware's as they carried four triple 12"/50 turrets, for a total of a 12-gun broadside. The use of four triple turrets vs. six dual turrets allowed for a much tighter armored belt and weight savings; their casemate 5" guns were also moved up one level to be more effective in heavier seas. The Congress Class was the USN's first "true" battlecruiser class, with 9 12"/50 guns in three triple turrets; historians would later label the preceding three classes of armored cruisers as "semi-battlecruisers" as an evolutionary path. While battlecruisers and previous armored cruisers had been capable of serving in the battle line, American doctrine stemming from Tsushima had these large ships in the center of their scouting force. Unfortunately, the Congress herself began the trend of increasingly expensive and put a pause on renewing the 2+2 plan in favor of 2 battleships and 1 battlecruiser laid down per year. The new 2+1 plan saw additional directed towards new protected cruisers, ocean-going destroyers, and a robust auxiliary fleet for long-duration voyages.

Teddy's first year in office would also be the swan song of American 12" capital vessels with the Wyoming twins and Susquehanna battlecruiser. All three ships would feature oil-driven turbines, new special treatment steel armor, and mechanical fire control in a centralized plotting room. Though both classes were nearly identical to the 1908 ships, the use of oil-driven turbines significantly reduced manning requirements in the engineering department; twin rudders were also fitted for the first time. The Susquehanna was a significant improvement over Congress with an increase of two knots speed without a significant increase in her engineering plant. Unfortunately for both classes, the Royal Navy's Orion class of "Super-Dreadnoughts" with their 13.5" guns launched the "Super-Dreadnought" era of frenzied building. An American response had been in the works since 1908 with a joint American-Mexican program to develop a suitable 14" gun for future dreadnoughts of both navies, and was personally oversaw by Roosevelt. The subsequent New York and Brandywine class of capitals laid down in 1910 were more of a reaction to when HMS Orion and Lion were laid down in 1909. The New York's were somewhat of a comprised design with a return to dual turrets as triple 14" turrets were not yet available. They looked like an enlarged Delaware class with five twin 14" turrets. They were otherwise an improved Wyoming with identical machinery and thickened armored belts. The Brandywine class of battlecruisers represented the first American BCs produced en masse. Thought novel at the time, the Brandywine's were the first to feature the "All or Nothing" armor scheme which ditched the light and medium armor for heavier armor around the vital engineering and magazine spaces. This new armor scheme allowed minimal weight growth, despite having four twin 14" turrets. The Brandywines were further novel by using a Turbo-Electric transmission as mechanical gearing for a ship so immense was not yet practical. While somewhat temperamental, the electric transmission afforded a 20% increase in fuel economy over direct-drive and increased subdivision potential. The Battlecruisers maintained their 28-knot speed without noticeable vibration.

The Nevada class of 1911 were the first newly designed battleships since the Florida class of 1908 and fully incorporated the lessons learned from the Great White Fleet expedition. The twin ships would feature the same 10 14"/45 guns of the New York's, though in a unique arraignment of two triple and two dual turrets rather than five dual turrets. Starting with the Nevada's, tripod masts would be fitted carrying range finding gear; their new turrets had their elevation doubled to 30 degrees for more significant range and deck penetration. Some 5"/51 casemates were further moved up in the superstructure for weather protection. The use of all-or-nothing armor gave significantly better protection per weight over their critical areas when compared to their contemporaries, with many contemporary critics claiming Nevada was as revolutionary as Dreadnought. For the first time, electricity was heavily used throughout the ship, with electric motors found in the turrets and forced air ventilation found throughout the vessel improving crew comfort. The follow-up 1912 Pennsylvania pair re-introduced four triple turrets to the USN and the 6" casemate in response to the Iron Duke class. The Pennsylvania's were noticeably longer by some 30ft over the Nevada's at 640ft and a higher raked clipper bow for improved seakeeping. The heavier secondary battery was the new 6"/53 as found on the latest cruisers; Besides the armament change, deck armor was improved by a full inch due to fears over the new British 15" and rumors over a Japanese 16" gun. The 1912 building plan would also see the eldest dreadnoughts go through a midlife modernization encompassing a fuel oil conversion, higher pressure boilers, 12"/50 guns with elevation doubled to 30 degrees, increased deck armor, and updated fire control. Starting with the South Carolina and Birmingham classes in FY12, the in-depth modernization scheme was seen by the Navy as a workaround to Congress not allowing additional new capital ships; fortunately for the Navy, they got their wish the following year.

The fiscal year buy for 1913 was a significant shift in funding for the Navy and, unfortunately, a further step in global tensions. The recent election of 1912 was a massive landslide for Roosevelt's second term in office, and his increase in taxation helped swell the national budget. First and foremost, on his mind was ramping up a new battleship to catch up with the Royal Navy and overmatch the Germans. The British and Canadian plans for nine Queen Elizabeth class fast battleships could not go unchallenged by the Americans. Congress authorized an unprecedented five ships for FY13, three New Mexico class battleships and two Bon Homme Richard battlecruisers. Both classes would feature the latest 14"/50 guns in three-gun turrets and cutting-edge turbo-electric drive for their engineering plant. The new turbo-electric plant was built off lessons from the Brandywine battlecruisers with higher reliability and easier access for removal. With an abundance of electricity, the habitability of the vessel drastically increased with all-electric galleys, increased refrigeration, and better cooling in turrets and engineering spaces. The four turrets housed a higher velocity 14"/50 gun. All three guns per turret could elevate and be loaded independently; electric motors replaced hydraulics, and semi-automated shell handling allowed for all-angle loading of the main battery. Propulsion received a similar bump over the Pennsy's with an additional 8,000 horsepower to 40,000 HP and electric transmission propelling the ships to 23 knots in a half attempt to match the QE's speed. The turbo-electric transmission allowed for a heavily improved underwater protection scheme as well. The Bon Homme Richard battlecruisers were a similar improvement over the Brandywine's. The class ditched the four dual turrets for three, three-gun turrets, identical to those used on the New Mexico's. The beam was widened by several feet to accommodate the broader barbettes though length remained nearly identical. With a reduction in main battery turrets, armor thickness in the central citadel could be shortened and substantially thickened to the point where naval historians considered this class to be America's first Fast-Battleships. The modernization of older vessels also continued with Delaware, Sacramento, and Florida class vessels. The three classes would receive similar treatment with a fuel oil conversion, higher pressure boilers, doubling gun elevation to 30 degrees, and updated fire control. Despite the increase in armor, the improved oil burning and higher pressure machinery kept the ship's flank speed of 21 knots.

Despite mounting global tensions heading in 1914, Congress authorized a return to the 2+2 funding scheme for new capital ships with the Tennessee class battleship and a repeat pair of Bon Homme Richard's; as well as modernization to the Congress, Susquehanna, and Wyoming 12" ship classes. The Tennessee's would be the USN's and the world's first battleships to mount 16" guns. Development of the new 16" rifle began as the New York's were laid down, and rumors of German and British 15" guns began swirling. While the 14"/50 was an excellent stop-gap, the 16"/45 reigned king with higher range and velocity over the British BL 15" gun. From an acquisition standpoint, the Tennessee class was quite economical to purchase. They were essentially repeat New Mexico's with four, two-gun 16"/45 turrets. The turrets themselves were designed to fit in the same diameter as the preceding 14"/50 three gun turrets of the New Mexico's, standardizing of parts were maximized down to the ball bearings in the traverse mechanisms. Protection, speed, and range were identical to the preceding New Mexico's. Though two were initially funded for 1914, the unexpected July Crisis over Arch Duke Ferdinand's assassination and national demonstrations from the Preparedness Movement convinced Congress to invest in a third vessel, USS Hawaii, on July 25th. With all east coast yards working at near max capacity for domestic and foreign orders, Hawaii was laid down alongside California in the Navy's Mare Island shipyard as the first two capital ships built on the west coast. After the declaration of War by many Great Powers and the commencement of the Great War, the US and Mexico remained neutral. At the same time, their northern brother moved to the Western Front. 1914 would also see the most recent 12" vessels see modernization. Despite only a few years old, they were incredibly outclassed by the foreign Queen Elizabeths, Revenge, Ise, and Bayern fast battleships. Battlecruiser Congress would enter the deepest modern with her coal-burning machinery replaced by oil burning and geared turbines. Her boiler rooms were also cut in half due to the new "Bureau Express" three-drum boilers, which ran at a higher pressure and were far more compact. The removal of the direct-drive turbines and seldom-used cruising turbine and the new boilers was a weight savings of nearly 1000 tons. The increased power and weight savings from the new turbines with reduction-gearing boosted the Congress to 27 knots. While geared turbines had become standard on the Navy's destroyers and cruisers, Congress would be the first USN ship over 10,000 tons with the setup. Though not as efficient as turbo-electric drives, the geared turbines were at least 10-15% more efficient over direct-drive and lighter in mass. They consumed less volume than direct-drive and turbo-electric setups. Following suit would be Wyoming pairs and Susquehanna, which would retain their original speeds of 21 and 27 knots, respectively, by gaining significant torpedo bulges and deck protection armor. Armaments saw similar changes to the proceeding refits with main battery elevation increased to 30 degrees and improved fire control.

The following year 1915, saw an additional pair of Tennessee's laid down, Cuba & Oregon, and the construction of the Constitution-class of battlecruiser. Like the Tennessee's, the Constitution's were a straightforward improvement over the Bon Homme Richards with three, two-gun 16"/45 turrets replacing the three-gun 14"/50 arraignment. Speed and protection remained identical as well. Hoping for a quick war, President Roosevelt spent much of his efforts since August 1914 negotiating a cessation of hostilities and ceasefire to the global conflict. Though sympathetic to the Anglo-sphere, Teddy did not want American or Mexican bloodshed to solve the problems of the old world and dying empires. While Canada went to War, Mexico and the United States partially mobilized and enacted increased defense spending; the two countries assisted their northern brother with arms sales and producing the infamous "Eagle Boat" sub chaser. The failure of the Germans to make meaningful gains before the new year had them resort to increasingly brutal tactics and unrestricted submarine warfare, much to Roosevelt's frustration. Naval spending continued with the 1915 Naval Bill authorizing the two Tennessee's, three Constitution's, six scout cruisers, and fifty destroyers to be laid down. Not long after the first steel cutting attended by the President, newspapers around the nation had the sinking of the Lusitania in their headlines. With the deaths of 128 American and 36 Mexican citizens, the Preparedness Movement's call for intervention on the side of the Entente reached a fevered pitch. Having recently announced he would not be running for a third term, President Roosevelt echoed the popular sentiment. A Declaration of War against the Central Powers was being drafted in Congress. However, several Senators and members of the House were still fence-sitters. What broke the camel's back was the absolute arrogance of the German Zimmerman Telegram that blamed the citizens' death for traveling on a British liner and that Germany would continue to use submarines as it pleased. Letting the shock settle for a few days and double-checking that such an absurd statement was not a forgery, The House of Representatives passed the declaration of War with a solid majority, and the Senate passed theirs unanimously.

While men fought and died in Europe, the naval designers of Mexico and the United States worked tirelessly on their ultimate battleship design, the Colorado Class. Long had the Mexican and American governments enjoyed close industrial partnerships, and Presidents la Barra and Roosevelt had been close friends since the turn of the Century. Close cooperation of naval designs only deepened during the Dreadnought era with armor, armament, and engineering standards sharing uniform calibers and parts hence the term "Standard" Battleships; with the 14" gun and turbo-electric drive being notable highlights. The British Queen Elizabeth class had long been viewed at with awe for her 25-knot speed, armor, and 15" guns had been a winning combination yet to matched by either nation. Rumors of British and Japanese fast battleships with 16" guns had gone unfounded, with a draft spec sheet of the Japanese Nagato class acquired from Vickers. The Colorado class would be a distant cousin of the Nevada's. Using the Tennessee's as a starting point, the hull would be lengthened from 640ft to 720ft, and the beam would increase from 97ft to 104ft. Engineering would be increased by four boilers, with 14 three-drum boilers producing 80,000 shaft horsepower through a turbo-electric transmission running four shafts with twin rudders; the total loaded speed would be 25 knots to finally match the QEs. Primary armament would be similar to the preceding Tennessee's with four two-gun 16"/45 turrets; however, the turrets would be of a new design allowing for a 40-degree maximum angle and enhanced mechanical shell handling for a sustained 2 rounds-a-minute rate of fire per gun. The secondary armament received the most attention. The new design totally ditched casemates with all 6"/53 guns found in six twin turrets with three-port and starboard. The twin turrets were identical to those found on the Omaha class light cruiser, though with heavier armor; enclosed turrets were chosen as they resisted rough weather and significantly increased traverse and elevation. The Colorado's were further unique by finally ditching torpedo tubes from American Battleships and re-introducing the 3"/50 gun as an AA piece.

The 1916 budget funded six Colorado's, with two laid down every year between 1916-1918; uniquely, no battlecruisers were authorized as budget, and yard space was given towards constructing lighters vessels and merchant ships. An interesting note was funding for America's first aircraft carrier, the USS Jupiter, a turbo-electric oilers, would be converted into an aircraft carrier. With the war at full pitch and the United States as a full Entente member, President Roosevelt had little time to spare for the 1916 election, spending several months traveling between London, Paris, Rome, and the various front lines. Teddy would often visit the American and Mexican fleets stationed in Scapa Flow, waiting for the Germans to sortie out; when the cryptologists in London uncovered the High Seas Fleet plan to bombard England, Teddy rushed to the fleet by plane to board the American Flagship Pennsylvania. The American Fleet, having been flagged as the "5th Battle Squadron (American) in the Grand Fleet, was led by Vice Admiral Hugh Rodman, commanding Battleship Division 9 (New York, Texas, & Nevada), Battleship Division 10 (Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, & Arizona), 2nd Battlecruiser Division (Brandywine, President, & Essex), Cruiser Division 7 (Sacramento, San Jose, Birmingham, Dover), Destroyer Flotilla 1 (Five Scout Cruisers, 32 Destroyers in four squadrons) as well battleships Delaware, Wyoming, Florida, and Arkansas detached to reinforce each British Squadron. Additionally, Battleships New Mexico and Alaska, with their faster 23-knot speed, would reinforce the four fast Queen Elizabeth classes in the British Cruiser Fleet. A special note of historical attention to the participation of the British Carriers HMS Furious and Argus for supplying scouting and aerial superiority against the German fleet, the application of aircraft carriers in a major fleet action. Though the High Seas Fleet under Admiral Scheer was all but wiped out, the Allies would not come out unscathed. The Royal Navy lost three battlecruisers (Queen Mary, Indefatigable, & Invincible), three armored cruisers (Defence, Warrior, & Black Prince), 12 destroyers, and one Battleship HMS Hercules. The Americans lost Battleship Florida, Battlecruiser Essex, Armored Cruiser Dover, and four destroyers. Essex was caught by SMS Sachsen's 15" guns penetrating her turret armor and magazines in spectacular fashion;. At the same time, Florida was sunk between a combination of 12" shellfire and torpedo strikes. Several other American vessels were heavily damaged by shellfire, torpedos, and mines limping back to Scapa Flow. The USN won great admiration from the Royal Navy when Battleship Alaska came alongside the stricken Warspite to Sheppard her back to port. New Mexico fired some of the first American shots sinking the German battlecruiser Seydlitz. The Mexicans did lose one Armored Cruiser due to torpedos and eventual scuttling, with most of the crew surviving. For the Kaiserliche Marine, however, things were not well; the surviving ships consisted of one Bayern and two Konig battleships and two recently completed Mackensen battlecruisers, and a handful of lighter cruisers and destroyers. German losses were crippling, with 18 Dreadnoughts, 7 pre-Dreadnoughts, and 7 Battlecruisers lost through enemy action and scuttling. The Canadian and Mexican navies were crucial in saving many German sailors while under torpedo attacks from U-Boats. The battle results were an influential coup for the Entente, who had up until then made little advances on the western front. Though for, the Germans, and the Kaiser specifically, had given up after the last failed offensive in France and the resumption of hostilities against the Russian Provisional Government. The Kaiser would abdicate on August 23rd, and the new German Republic would sign the Armistice on September 30th, 1916.

For the United States, the official armistice of the Great War would be soon followed by the election of 1916, resulting in Woodrow Wilson became the first Democratic President since Grover Cleveland in the 1890s. Wilson ran on a campaign of intentional integration and elevation of the United States to a global power that could police global conflict from erupting in future world wars. His "14-Points" plan won admiration from domestic and abroad as to end the global woes of Empires and Conquest by settling new states along their linguistic and ethnic lines. A Polish states would emerge between Russia and Germany, with the former Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empires divided up by their ethnic kin. While Wilson was preoccupied with creating the League of Nations, he allowed France and Britain to cast vindictive punishments against Germany with massive reparations of 80 Billion in Gold Marks along with massive territorial shifts, military restrictions, and military occupation of the Rhineland. The German Army would be restricted to 200,000 men, artillery no greater than 155mm, and no more than 600 aircraft; the German Navy would be allowed to retain their remaining capital ships though not replace them for another 20 years. After being sworn as President, Wilson would campaign to further expand the Navy to match the Royal Navy's tonnage and maintain a 2-1 advantage over the ever antagonist Japanese. Wilson's first act as President would enact the 1917 Naval Law funding 6 additional Battleships on top of the Colorado's and 9 new battlecruisers built off lessons from the North Sea. Wilson would also enact the Bureau of Veterans Administration to integrate the expanded military and demobilize the population as soldiers returned from Europe. However, differing in ideologies, President Wilson asked Teddy Roosevelt to oversee the formation of such a department. The Niagara Class Battlecruiser, much like the British Admiral Class, would be based on the lessons from the North Sea. The Niagara would be a stop-gap and preview of what was to come from American naval designers. The Niagara's would be an expanded Constitution in both beam and length to fit three three-gun 16"/45 turrets in place of the twin-gun turrets; speed would increase to 30 knots. The three-gun turret would be a prototype of what was to come with future battleship and battlecruiser designs. A total of four ships would be planned, with two laid down in 1917 and 1918. A secondary battery would consist of four twin 6"/53 turrets and four 3"/50 AA guns with no torpedo tubes. Wilson would also call for new battleships past the Colorado's and new battlecruisers past the Niagara's. The South Dakota class would be an expanded Colorado with 12 16" guns, though with the new 16"/50 gun which had greater penetration and range; with four, three-gun turrets, the South Dakota's would have had the heaviest broadside until the Arizona Class. The secondary armament would have been 16 6"/53 in eight dual turrets with four on either side and no torpedo tubes. The South Dakota's would have had a top speed of 25 knots with sixteen boilers and four shafts; the ships would be 800ft long and 106ft wide, barely fitting into the Panama Canal. The battlecruiser companion would be the Ranger Class with 9 16"/50 guns and a top speed of 33 knots. The Ranger's were a response to the Japanese Amagi and British G3 class of 16" battlecruisers. All three post-war battlecruisers would feature the American-derived "all or nothing" armor, 16" guns, and speed above 30 knots; they would also have dedicated hangers for seaplane spotters. For the Americans, Both South Dakota and Ranger classes would be laid down starting in 1919, with two of each laid down per year.

Despite Congress passing the Treaty of Versailles and joining the League of Nations, the Wilson administration continued participating the global naval race. While Europe emerged from the ashes, Japan and the United States emerged in a prime position to build the most advanced battleships. The Great War further deepened the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, with the two navies co-developing the Hercules/Nagato Class of 16” battleships as a response to joint Mexican/American Colorado Class. The US and Mexico would reply with the South Dakota and Ranger classes, as well as completing the 12” ships modernizations. The competing “tit for tat” annual lay downs had become economically untenable for even the United States by 1920 with Wilson inviting all major parties to Washington to end the arms race for good. President Wilson's naval disarmament treaty was the first of several disarmament treaties enacted by the League of Nations to reduce conflict following the Great War. Wilson was partially successful with the passage of the Washington Naval Treaty of February 1921, before his successor Warren Harding entered office as the 29th President. The Washington Naval Treaty would cap capital ship tonnage at 875,000 tons for the United States, Japan receiving 525,000 tons, and France, Italy, and Mexico receiving 300,000 tons. Germany, Greece, Brazil, the Philippines, China, Argentina, and Chile received 100,000 tons of capital ship tonnage. The British Empire received particular attention, with Australia receiving 100,000 tons, Canada receiving 300,000 tons, and Great Britain with the remaining colonies lumped into 650,000 tons for a total of 1,050,000 tons. Furthermore, future battleship construction was limited to 35,000 tons, and 16"guns. Cruisers were limited to 10,000 tons and 8" guns though without limitations; some allotment was allowed for capital ships conversions into aircraft carriers and an eventual building holiday of 15 years. For the United States, dramatic change in tonnage forced the cancellation of all six South Dakota's and two Niagara classes and the retirement of all pre-dreadnought classes. Significant negations resulted in the conversion of four Ranger class battlecruisers into Lexington class aircraft carriers and the four Japanese Amagi and British G3s reaching similar fates. The Japanese were allowed to lay down their two Tosa class battleships. The British could afford four Nelson class fast battleships under the Grandfather clause to match the USN.

 

[farmerted555]

At least Versailles is slightly less harsh towards Germany ITTL.

 

[Ming777]

Wonder what the Nelsons would be given they apparently are faster than in OTL.

 

[TheMann]

Yup. Not to give away spoilers, but the Amigos are much better prepared for the coming war than was the case in OTL.

This is indeed true, and World War II will go rather differently from OTL. I like what the three of us have developed for the War, and I think people here will too. 🙂

 

[TheMann]

Wonder what the Nelsons would be given they apparently are faster than in OTL.

Shrunken N3 design, basically. 26 knots and 16"/50 main guns, keeping most (but not all) of the armor of the N3. Faster than previous British heavies (though not the battlecruisers) and a better shooter thanks to the new guns. Like the Colorados (and the rebuilt Canadian battlecruisers I mentioned earlier) they go for a 6" secondary battery as well and are designed for more modern fire control systems, which comes in handy when they get proper radars for this in the early days of WWII.

 

[TheMann]

At least Versailles is slightly less harsh towards Germany ITTL.

That's the Amigos having greater influence on the Treaty of Versailles, but in a way it ends up coming back to bite somewhat. You'll see how when we get to World War II. 🙂

 

[Ming777]

I do wonder if the 6-inch secondaries will be phased out in favour of dual purpose secondary guns like the ubiquitous 5"/38 once the threat of Carrier based aircraft and air power in general becomes more apparent.

 

[isayyo2]

That's the Amigos having greater influence on the Treaty of Versailles, but in a way it ends up coming back to bite somewhat. You'll see how when we get to World War II. 🙂

At least Versailles is slightly less harsh towards Germany ITTL.

To add onto Mann’s post, the Great War ends significantly sooner saving millions of lives that would have been killed or wounded on both sides as well as billions of dollars from being spent. Populations are larger and public debts are far smaller than OTL. While there is still a “Germany must be punished” mindset, it is a bit less vindictive as seen above. Reparations are significantly lower than OTL, though the territorial losses remain about the same. The remains of the High Seas Fleet, though some of the most advanced ships Germany built, are looked at as a failed national experiment. The Entente allowing Germany to keep what few remaining capital ships is more a move out of pity; submarines were the real threat anyways.

 

[isayyo2]

I do wonder if the 6-inch secondaries will be phased out in favour of dual purpose secondary guns like the ubiquitous 5"/38 once the threat of Carrier based aircraft and air power in general becomes more apparent.

In a word, yes

I’m writing up two more naval posts, one dedicated to the Washington Naval Treaty coming sometime next week, and a follow up “American Capital Ship Development: 1922-45” after the WWII chapters start rolling out.

Without spoiling too much, the 5”/38 and our ATL North Carolina design come to life a few years earlier. The eldest 14” BB’s have been modernized in the 20s with bits and pieces from the canceled SoDak’s: higher pressure/lighter machinery, improved deck armor, torpedo bulges, 3” AA gun, and improved fire control. Starting in 1934, the US would lay down one new battleship per year and modernize three existing battleships and battlecruisers. The modernization would be darn similar to what the Standard’s went through after Pearl Harbor. Collaboration with the Army would standardized light AA with Browning 37mm and .90 cal cannons to replace the existing .50 cal and 1-pounder weapons. Torpedo tubes would be sealed up for sure, the battlecruisers would have a pair of quad deck launchers and I’m not quite sure if those would go or not?

Would love to keep this conversation going and develop ideas!

 

[isayyo2]

Capital Ships laid down by United States 1902 - 1922

Minnesota Class:

• Displacement: 20,000 tons
• Dimensions: 514 ft x 80 ft
• Armament: 4x12"/45 (2x2), 8x8"/45 (4x2), 22x5"/50 (22x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: February 1906
• Decommissioned: December 1922
• Fate: Scrapped after Washington Naval Treaty ratified

BB-22 Minnesota 1904
BB-23 Mississippi 1904
BB-24 Idaho 1905
BB-25 New Hampshire 1905

South Carolina Class:

• Displacement: 22, 000 tons
• Dimensions: 522 ft x 80 ft
• Armament: 8x12"/45 (4x2), 16x5"/50 (16x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: March 1908
• Decommissioned: December 1923
• Fate: South Carolina demilitarized for WWI Memorial in Charleston harbor, Michigan scrapped

BB-26 South Carolina 1906
BB-27 Michigan 1906

Deleware Class:

• Displacement: 23,000 tons
• Dimensions: 536 ft x 85 ft
• Armament: 10x12"/50 (5x2), 18x5"/51 (18x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: January 1910
• Decommissioned: December 1923
• Fate: Sold to Greece

BB-28 Deleware 1907
BB-29 North Dakota 1907

Florida Class:

• Displacement: 24,000 tons
• Dimensions: 540 ft x 91 ft
• Armament: 12x12"/50 (4x3), 18x5"/51 (18x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: March 1911
• Decommissioned: July 1923
• Fate: Florida lost Battle of the North Sea, Utah turned into crane ships and turrets used in the four Powhatan Class Monitors

BB-30 Florida 1908
BB-31 Utah 1908

Wyoming Class:

• Displacement: 27,000 tons
• Dimensions: 570 ft x 93 ft
• Armament: 12x12"/50 (4x3), 20x5"/51 (20x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: September 1912
• Decommissioned: January 1924
• Fate: Scrapped

BB-32 Wyoming 1909
BB-33 Arkansas 1909

New York Class:

• Displacement: 29,000 tons
• Dimensions: 590 ft x 95ft
• Armament: 10 14"/45 (5x2), 22x5"/51 (22x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: July 1912
• Decommissioned: April 1924
• Fate: Heavily modernized and sold to Venezuela 1924

BB-34 New York 1910
BB-35 Texas 1910

Nevada Class:

• Displacement: 29,000 tons
• Dimensions: 610 ft x 95 ft
• Armament: 10 14"/45 (2x3,2x2), 22x5"/51 (22x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: September 1913
• Decommissioned: July 1914
• Fate: Heavily modernized and sold to Philippines 1924

BB-36 Nevada 1911
BB-37 Oklahoma 1911

Pennsylvania Class:

• Displacement: 32,000
• Dimensions: 640 ft x 97 ft
• Armament: 12 14"/45 (4x3), 14 6"/53 (14x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 21 knots
• Commissioned: April 1914
• Decommissioned: July 1946
• Fate: Arizona destroyed by Japanese, Pennsylvania saved as museum

BB-38 Pennsylvania 1912
BB-39 Arizona 1912

New Mexico Class:

• Displacement: 33,000
• Dimensions: 640 ft x 97 ft
• Armament: 12 14"/50 (4x3), 14 6"/53 (14x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 23 knots
• Commissioned: August 1915
• Decommissioned: July 1946
• Fate: Alaska sunk by Kamikaze off Iwo Jima, New Mexico Scrapped, Indiana saved as museum

BB-40 New Mexico 1913
BB-41 Alaska 1913
BB-42 Indiana 1913

Tennessee Class:

• Displacement: 34,000
• Dimensions: 640 ft x 97 ft
• Armament: 8 16"/45 (4x2), 14 6"/53 (14x1), 4x1-pounder, 2x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 23 knots
• Commissioned: January 1916
• Decommissioned: March 1948
• Fate: Tennessee and Hawaii scrapped post war, three ships saved for museums

BB-43 Tennessee 1914
BB-44 California 1914
BB-45 Cuba 1914
BB-46 Hawaii 1915
BB-47 Oregon 1915

Colorado Class:

• Displacement: 36,000 tons
• Dimensions: 720 ft x 104 ft
• Armament: 8 16"/45 (4x2), 12 6"/53 (6x2), 4 3"/50 (4x1)
• Speed: 25 knots
• Commissioned: August 1918
• Decommissioned: 1951
• Fate: Colorado sunk by Musashi 1944, Virginia & Georgia scrapped, three saved for museums

BB-48 Colorado 1916
BB-49 Maryland 1916
BB-50 Virginia 1917
BB-51 Puerto Rico 1917
BB-52 Georgia 1918
BB-53 Illinois 1918

South Dakota Class:

• Displacement: 46,000 tons
• Dimensions: 800 ft x 106 ft
• Armament: 12 16"/50 (4x3), 16 6"/53 (8x2), 4 3"/50 (4x1)
• Speed: 25 knots
• Fate: Cancelled due to treaty restrictions, parts used to modernized battle fleet; turrets saved for coast defenses

BB-54 South Dakota 1919
BB-55 Montana 1919
BB-56 Iowa 1920
BB-57 North Carolina 1920
BB-58 Massachussets 1921
BB-59 Connecticut 1921

Tennessee Class:

• Displacement: 14,000 tons
• Dimensions: 505 ft x 72 ft
• Armament: 4 10"/40 (2x2), 16 6"/50 (16x1), 22 3"/50 (22x1), 4x1-pounder, 4x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 22 knots (27 knots after refit)
• Commissioned: July 1902
• Decommissioned: July 1928
• Fate: Sold to China

ACR-10 Tennessee/Memphis 1902
ACR-11 Washington/Seattle 1902
ACR-12 North Carolina/Charlotte 1903
ACR-13 Montana/Missoula 1903

Pittsburgh Class:

• Displacement: 16,000 tons
• Dimensions: 560 ft x 78 ft
• Armament: 4 10"/40 (2x2), 18x5"/50 (18x1), 4x1-pounder, 4x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 25 knots
• Commissioned: December 1906
• Decommissioned: February 1928
• Fate: Replaced by Heavy Cruisers and scrapped

ACR-14 Pittsburgh 1904
ACR-15 Phoenix 1904
ACR-16 Dallas 1905
ACR-17 Miami 1905

Birmingham Class:

• Displacement: 17,000 tons
• Dimensions: 560 ft x 78 ft
• Armament: 4 12"/45 (2x2), 18x5"/50 (18x1), 4x1-pounder, 4x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 25 knots
• Commissioned: January 1908
• Decommissioned: December 1928
• Fate: Dover lost at Battle of North Sea, Birmingham sold to Yugoslavia

ACR-18 Birmingham 1906
ACR-19 Dover 1906

Sacramento Class:

• Displacement: 17,000 tons
• Dimensions: 560 ft x 78 ft
• Armament: 4 12"/50 (2x2), 18x5"/51 (18x1), 4x1-pounder, 4x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 25 knots
• Commissioned: May 1909
• Decommissioned: March 1929
• Fate: Sold to Greece

ACR-20 Sacramento 1907
ACR-21 San Jose 1907

Congress Class:

• Displacement: 18,000 tons
• Dimensions: 560 ft x 80 ft
• Armament: 9 12"/50 (3x3), 12x5"/51 (12x1), 4x1-pounder, 4x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 25 knots (27 knots after refit)
• Commissioned: November 1909
• Decommissioned: December 1922
• Fate: Saved for WWI memorial

BC-1 Congress 1908

Susquehanna Class:

• Displacement: 20,000 tons
• Dimensions: 610 ft x 80 ft
• Armament: 9 12"/50 (3x3), 16x5"/51 (16x1), 4x1-pounder, 6x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 27 knots
• Commissioned: July 1911
• Decommissioned: December 1922
• Fate: Scrapped

BC-2 Susquehanna 1909

Brandywine Class:

• Displacement: 700 ft x 92 ft
• Dimensions: 26,000 tons
• Armament: 8 14"/45 (4x2), 16x5"/51 (16x1), 4x1-pounder, 6x21" Torpedo Tube
• Speed: 28 knots
• Commissioned: May 1913
• Decommissioned: Dec 1923
• Fate: Essex Lost at Battle of the North Sea, President and Brandywine saved for training and gunnery ships

BC-3 Brandywine 1910
BC-4 President 1911
BC-5 Essex 1912

Bon Homme Richard Class:

• Displacement: 26,000 tons
• Dimensions: 730 ft x 95 ft
• Armament: 9 14"/50 (3x3), 14 6"/53 (14x1), 4x1-pounder, 6x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 28 knots
• Commissioned: January 1916
• Decommissioned: December 1948
• Fate: Chesapeake scuttled after Midway, Alliance museum ship in NYC, rest scrapped

BC-6 Bon Homme Richard 1913
BC-7 Chesapeake 1913
BC-8 Alliance 1914
BC-9 Trumbull 1914

Constitution Class:

• Displacement: 28,000 tons
• Dimensions: 730 ft x 95 ft
• Armament: 6 16"/45 (3x2), 14 6"/53 (14x1), 4x1-pounder, 8x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 28 knots
• Commissioned: January 1917
• Decommissioned: March 1949
• Fate: Kearsaarge saved for museum in New Hampshire, rest scrapped

BC-10 Constitution 1915
BC-11 Vincennes 1915
BC-12 Kearsarge 1916

Niagara Class:

• Displacement: 31,000 tons
• Dimensions: 810 ft x 101 ft
• Armament: 9 16"/45 (3x3), 12 6"/53 (6x2), 4 3"/50 (4x1), 8x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 30 knots
• Commissioned: September 1920
• Decommissioned: May 1949
• Fate: United States heavily damaged by kamikaze 1945 and scrapped, Niagara saved for museum in Buffalo; Shenandoah & Guerriere cancelled for 1922 naval treaty

BC-13 Niagara 1917
BC-14 United States 1917
BC-15 Shenandoah 1918
BC-16 Guerriere 1919

Ranger Class:

• Displacement: 38,000 tons
• Dimensions: 850 ft x 105 ft
• Armament: 9 16"/50 (3x3), 12 6"/53 (6x2), 4 3"/50 (4x1), 8x21" torpedo tubes
• Speed: 33 knots
• Commissioned: July 1925
• Decommissioned: July 1952
• Fate: Constellation scrapped, Ranger museum ship in Boston harbor; remaining four converted to aircraft carriers

BC-17 Ranger 1919
BC-18 Constellation 1919
BC-19 Lexington 1920
BC-20 Saratoga 1920
BC-21 Monterey 1921
BC-22 Texarkana