Connecticut class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Connecticut-class battleships were among the last United States Navy
pre-dreadnought
battleship
s to be built. These six ships were authorized over three budget years (1902-1904), with the latter three ships being built at the same time and after the two smaller Mississippi class
ships. The Mississippi class ships were the last US pre-dreadnought class to be designed, but the New Hampshire, of the Connecticut class was the last US pre-dreadnought to be built.
The Connecticut-class was equipped with a heavy broadside (four 12", four 8", six 7", ten 3" and six 3-pounders), having superior seakeeping capabilities and a fast (for the time) top speed of 19 knots (37 km/h). However, the class was quickly outdated, as the first two ships came into service just months after , the British battleship that revolutionized naval power by combining a uniform large caliber battery with high speed.
The Connecticut class had some deficiencies. In theory, the mixed intermediate battery seemed to hold promise, as the 7" guns fired a much heavier shell than 6" ones, but were faster-firing than the big 8"s. In service, the splashes of the 8" and 7" guns could not be distinguished at a distance, negating the higher firing speed of the 7" weapons. A uniform intermediate battery of all 8" or all 7" would have been more useful.
Still, the ships gave good service through their lifespans—five of the six ships ( being the exception) participated in the cruise of the Great White Fleet
, and two of them ( and ) served as squadron flagships during that cruise (Minnesota, however, only for the first leg of the voyage, as she was shuffled forward into the First Squadron afterward, a move which brought four of the newest and finest battleships in the US Navy to the forefront of the fleet).
After the cruise, the ships were stripped of their fancywork, their bridges were cut down to reduce their target profile and their hulls were repainted from the attractive (but militarily useless) white-and-buff paint scheme to a dull but functional haze gray. Despite being outdated against modern dreadnoughts, they were kept on in the fleet as force levels rose over the early 1910s in the build-up to World War I
. In this form, they served the fleet until they were discarded following the Washington Naval Treaty
in 1921.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s to be built. These six ships were authorized over three budget years (1902-1904), with the latter three ships being built at the same time and after the two smaller Mississippi class
Mississippi class battleship
The Mississippi class of battleships comprised two ships which were authorized in the 1903 naval budget: and . They were the last pre-dreadnought battleships to be designed for the United States Navy; however, they were not the last to be built as one more ship of a prior design was completed...
ships. The Mississippi class ships were the last US pre-dreadnought class to be designed, but the New Hampshire, of the Connecticut class was the last US pre-dreadnought to be built.
The Connecticut-class was equipped with a heavy broadside (four 12", four 8", six 7", ten 3" and six 3-pounders), having superior seakeeping capabilities and a fast (for the time) top speed of 19 knots (37 km/h). However, the class was quickly outdated, as the first two ships came into service just months after , the British battleship that revolutionized naval power by combining a uniform large caliber battery with high speed.
The Connecticut class had some deficiencies. In theory, the mixed intermediate battery seemed to hold promise, as the 7" guns fired a much heavier shell than 6" ones, but were faster-firing than the big 8"s. In service, the splashes of the 8" and 7" guns could not be distinguished at a distance, negating the higher firing speed of the 7" weapons. A uniform intermediate battery of all 8" or all 7" would have been more useful.
Still, the ships gave good service through their lifespans—five of the six ships ( being the exception) participated in the cruise of the Great White Fleet
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
, and two of them ( and ) served as squadron flagships during that cruise (Minnesota, however, only for the first leg of the voyage, as she was shuffled forward into the First Squadron afterward, a move which brought four of the newest and finest battleships in the US Navy to the forefront of the fleet).
After the cruise, the ships were stripped of their fancywork, their bridges were cut down to reduce their target profile and their hulls were repainted from the attractive (but militarily useless) white-and-buff paint scheme to a dull but functional haze gray. Despite being outdated against modern dreadnoughts, they were kept on in the fleet as force levels rose over the early 1910s in the build-up to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In this form, they served the fleet until they were discarded following the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
in 1921.