Pennsylvania class battleship
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania-class battleships, of the United States Navy
, were an enlargement of the Nevada class
; having two additional 14 inches (356 mm) 45-caliber main battery
gun
s, greater length and displacement, four propeller
s and slightly higher speed
. They also had a relatively large secondary battery of 5 inches (127 mm) 51-caliber guns, which was soon reduced when many of the guns' locations proved vulnerable to high seas.
, having just finished the design of the Nevada-class battleship, moved on towards the seventh class of US dreadnought
design issuing the 1913 design parameters on 9 June 1911, 12 14”/45 main guns, 22 5”/51 secondaries, 21 knots (11.4 m/s), and Nevada-class armor scheme. Minor rearranging of the secondary guns into fire control groups was designated and the 2 aft most positions being eliminated. The Bureau of Construction and Repair
wanted to remain with the Nevada class battleship
design however the strength of the General Board was again shown by demanding better ships from C&R Bureau and overcoming stagnation as it had done with the Nevadas. The resulting ship now carried twelve 14”/45 by using triple turrets in all 4 positions that would be carried on in each succeeding class up to the Colorado class
when twin 16 inch (410 mm) turrets were introduced.
Pennsylvania was constructed as a flagship with a special conning tower added for that purpose. She would be the flagship of the Atlantic fleet from 1916–1918.
es as torpedo designs improved. Recent innovations now had brought torpedo designs with ranges up to 10,000 yards. In addition the design of the Davis torpedo was a concern. The Davis torpedo delivered an 8 inches (20 cm) artillery shell in a gun barrel housed within a torpedo. As a result a series of caissons were built (actual sections of the hull as they were proposed for construction) and tested with both external armor and internal armor. The Davis gun could cause damage but the answer to the Davis gun was external armor, the external armor however greatly increased the amount of damage caused by a conventional torpedo. As a result of the caisson tests the Pennsylvania-class battleships were designed with a 4 layer system of thin plating, air space, thin plate, oil space, thin plate, air space, followed with an armored layer 9.5 feet (2.9 m) inboard. This allowed the explosion to dissipate in the air space and deform the liquid loaded back plate. This section withstood the explosion of 300 pounds (136.1 kg) of dynamite
placed against the hull of the caisson.This was considerably in advance of any navy at the time.
of the prior Nevada class had experimented with reciprocating engines for fuel economy. Fore River was able to demonstrate better economic performance with geared steam turbines. The Pennsylvania class introduced the 4-engine 4-propeller scheme used in all further U.S. battleship designs.
_-_1930s.jpg)
Serving in the western Atlantic in 1916–18, these ships visited Europe
just after the November 1918 Armistice and were thereafter stalwart members of the Navy's Battle Fleet. Reconstructed in 1929–31, they received greater main battery gun elevation, tripod masts to support improved gun directors and modern Aircraft catapult
s. The ships' secondary gun batteries were updated, as was protection against gunfire, aircraft bombs and torpedoes. Now capable of long-range gunfire in an age when the role of aircraft was steadily growing, the ships spent another decade in the Nation's battle line.
's December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
. suffered a catastrophic detonation of the forward powder magazines when a bomb from a Hiryū
Nakajima B5N "Kate" bomber
hit between and to port of Turrets #1 and 2, resulting in the most dramatic and costly casualty of the raid. Arizona sank after a massive explosion that destroyed the forward part of the ship.
was only lightly damaged, and she served in the Pacific throughout World War II
. Fitted with a new secondary battery of twin-mounted 5 inches (127 mm) 38-caliber guns in late 1942, she supported many amphibious invasions and was present during the world's last battle between big-gun warships, the Battle of Surigao Strait on October 25, 1944. A torpedo hit in August 1945 damaged her propulsion beyond economical repair, wrecking three out of four shafts. With other obsolete battleships, Pennsylvania was a target of the Operation Crossroads
atomic bomb test in 1946 and was scuttled at sea two years later.
, built by the Newport News Shipbuilding
& Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
. Keel laid in October 1913; launched in March 1915; completed in June 1916.
, built by the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Keel laid in March 1914; launched in June 1915; completed in October 1916.
, New Mexico
, Tennessee
, and Colorado
classes.
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...
, were an enlargement of the Nevada class
Nevada class battleship
The Nevada class battleships were the United States Navy's first battleship design equipped with triple gun turrets , as well as introducing the so-called "all or nothing" armor scheme, in which protection of vital areas was optimized against heavy caliber guns, leaving other parts...
; having two additional 14 inches (356 mm) 45-caliber main battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s, greater length and displacement, four propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s and slightly higher speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
. They also had a relatively large secondary battery of 5 inches (127 mm) 51-caliber guns, which was soon reduced when many of the guns' locations proved vulnerable to high seas.
Design
The General BoardGeneral Board of the United States Navy
The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, effectively a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by John Davis Long. The order was officially recognized by Congress in 1916...
, having just finished the design of the Nevada-class battleship, moved on towards the seventh class of US dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
design issuing the 1913 design parameters on 9 June 1911, 12 14”/45 main guns, 22 5”/51 secondaries, 21 knots (11.4 m/s), and Nevada-class armor scheme. Minor rearranging of the secondary guns into fire control groups was designated and the 2 aft most positions being eliminated. The Bureau of Construction and Repair
Bureau of Construction and Repair
The Bureau of Construction and Repair was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the Navy...
wanted to remain with the Nevada class battleship
Nevada class battleship
The Nevada class battleships were the United States Navy's first battleship design equipped with triple gun turrets , as well as introducing the so-called "all or nothing" armor scheme, in which protection of vital areas was optimized against heavy caliber guns, leaving other parts...
design however the strength of the General Board was again shown by demanding better ships from C&R Bureau and overcoming stagnation as it had done with the Nevadas. The resulting ship now carried twelve 14”/45 by using triple turrets in all 4 positions that would be carried on in each succeeding class up to the Colorado class
Colorado class battleship
The Colorado class battleships was a group of four battleships built by the United States Navy after World War I. However, only three of the ships were completed: , , and . The fourth, , was over 75% completed when she was canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922...
when twin 16 inch (410 mm) turrets were introduced.
Pennsylvania was constructed as a flagship with a special conning tower added for that purpose. She would be the flagship of the Atlantic fleet from 1916–1918.
Underwater protection
The designers had noted the increasing size, range and explosive power of torpedoTorpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es as torpedo designs improved. Recent innovations now had brought torpedo designs with ranges up to 10,000 yards. In addition the design of the Davis torpedo was a concern. The Davis torpedo delivered an 8 inches (20 cm) artillery shell in a gun barrel housed within a torpedo. As a result a series of caissons were built (actual sections of the hull as they were proposed for construction) and tested with both external armor and internal armor. The Davis gun could cause damage but the answer to the Davis gun was external armor, the external armor however greatly increased the amount of damage caused by a conventional torpedo. As a result of the caisson tests the Pennsylvania-class battleships were designed with a 4 layer system of thin plating, air space, thin plate, oil space, thin plate, air space, followed with an armored layer 9.5 feet (2.9 m) inboard. This allowed the explosion to dissipate in the air space and deform the liquid loaded back plate. This section withstood the explosion of 300 pounds (136.1 kg) of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
placed against the hull of the caisson.This was considerably in advance of any navy at the time.
Engineering
This class returned to steam driven geared turbine propulsion, though USS Oklahoma (BB-37)USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
USS Oklahoma , the only ship of the United States Navy to ever be named for the 46th state, was a World War I-era battleship and the second of two ships in her class; her sister ship was . She, along with her sister, were the first two U.S...
of the prior Nevada class had experimented with reciprocating engines for fuel economy. Fore River was able to demonstrate better economic performance with geared steam turbines. The Pennsylvania class introduced the 4-engine 4-propeller scheme used in all further U.S. battleship designs.
Operation and updates
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
just after the November 1918 Armistice and were thereafter stalwart members of the Navy's Battle Fleet. Reconstructed in 1929–31, they received greater main battery gun elevation, tripod masts to support improved gun directors and modern Aircraft catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
s. The ships' secondary gun batteries were updated, as was protection against gunfire, aircraft bombs and torpedoes. Now capable of long-range gunfire in an age when the role of aircraft was steadily growing, the ships spent another decade in the Nation's battle line.
World War II
The Pennsylvanias were both present during JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. suffered a catastrophic detonation of the forward powder magazines when a bomb from a Hiryū
Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu
was a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...
Nakajima B5N "Kate" bomber
Nakajima B5N
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgwater, H.C. and Peter Scott. Combat Colours Number 4: Pearl Harbor and Beyond, December 1941 to May 1942. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Guideline Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-9539040-6-7....
hit between and to port of Turrets #1 and 2, resulting in the most dramatic and costly casualty of the raid. Arizona sank after a massive explosion that destroyed the forward part of the ship.
was only lightly damaged, and she served in the Pacific throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Fitted with a new secondary battery of twin-mounted 5 inches (127 mm) 38-caliber guns in late 1942, she supported many amphibious invasions and was present during the world's last battle between big-gun warships, the Battle of Surigao Strait on October 25, 1944. A torpedo hit in August 1945 damaged her propulsion beyond economical repair, wrecking three out of four shafts. With other obsolete battleships, Pennsylvania was a target of the Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
atomic bomb test in 1946 and was scuttled at sea two years later.
Construction
The Pennsylvania class included two ships, both built on the East Coast:, built by the Newport News Shipbuilding
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
& Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
. Keel laid in October 1913; launched in March 1915; completed in June 1916.
, built by the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Keel laid in March 1914; launched in June 1915; completed in October 1916.
Standard-type battleship
The Pennsylvania class was part of the "Standard-type battleship" concept of the U.S. Navy, a design concept which gave the U.S. Navy a homogeneous line of battle (very important, as it allowed the Navy to plan maneuvers for the whole line of battle rather than detaching "fast wings" and "slow wings"). The "Standard" concept included long-range gunnery, moderate speed (21 kn), a tight tactical radius (~700 yd (640.1 m)) and improved damage control. The other Standards were the NevadaNevada class battleship
The Nevada class battleships were the United States Navy's first battleship design equipped with triple gun turrets , as well as introducing the so-called "all or nothing" armor scheme, in which protection of vital areas was optimized against heavy caliber guns, leaving other parts...
, New Mexico
New Mexico class battleship
The New Mexico class battleships of the United States Navy, all three of whose construction began in 1915, were improvements on the design introduced three years earlier with the Nevada class....
, Tennessee
Tennessee class battleship
The Tennessee class was a class of battleships of the United States Navy. The class comprised two ships: and the . They were modified versions of the featuring improved underwater armor for better torpedo protection and 30 degree elevation on their main batteries, as opposed to 15 degrees for...
, and Colorado
Colorado class battleship
The Colorado class battleships was a group of four battleships built by the United States Navy after World War I. However, only three of the ships were completed: , , and . The fourth, , was over 75% completed when she was canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922...
classes.