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USS Illinois (BB-65)
Encyclopedia
USS Illinois (BB-65) was to be the fifth constructed for the United States Navy
and was the fourth ship to be named
in honor of the 21st US state
.
Hull BB-65 was originally to be the first ship of the s, but changes during World War II
resulted in her being reordered as an . Adherence to the Iowa-class layout rather than the Montana-class layout allowed BB-65 to gain eight knots in speed, carry more 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and transit the locks of the Panama Canal
; however, the move away from the Montana-class layout left BB-65 with a reduction in the heavier armaments and without the additional armor that were to have been added to BB-65 during her time on the drawing board as USS Montana.
Like her sister ship , Illinois was still under construction at the end of World War II. Her construction was canceled in August 1945, but her hull remained until 1958 when it was broken up.
in 1938 had cleared the way for construction of the four South Dakota-class
battleships and the first two Iowa class fast battleship
s (those with the hull numbers BB-61 and BB-62). The latter four battleships of the class, those designated with the hull numbers BB-63, BB-64, BB-65, and BB-66 were not cleared for construction until 1940, and at the time BB-65 and BB-66 were intended to be the first ships of the Montana-class.
Originally, BB-65 was to be the United States Navy's counter to the Empire of Japan
's s, whose construction at the time was known to the highest ranking members of the United States Navy, along with the rumors that Yamato and Musashi were carrying guns of up to 18 in (457.2 mm). To combat this, the United States Navy began designing a 58,000 ton ship with an intended armament of twelve 16 in (406.4 mm) guns. This battleship took shape in the mid-1930s as USS Montana, the lead ship of her class of dreadnought
battleships. She would have fielded three more 16 in (406.4 mm) guns than those mounted aboard the Iowa-class, a more powerful secondary battery of 5 in (127 mm)/54 caliber Mark 16 dual purpose
mounts, an increase in armor that was to enable Montana to withstand the effects of the 16 in (406.4 mm) guns and the 2700 lb (1,224.7 kg) ammunition she and her Iowa-class sisters were to carry.
The increase in Montana’s firepower and armor came at the expense of her speed and her Panamax
capabilities, but the latter issue was to be resolved through the construction of a third, much wider set of locks at the Panama Canal
. As the situation in Europe deteriorated in the late-1930s, the USA began to be concerned once more about its ability to move warships between the oceans. The largest US battleships were already so large as to have problems with the canal locks; and there were concerns about the locks being put out of action by enemy bombing. In 1939, to address these concerns, construction began on a new set of locks for the canal that could carry the larger warships which the US had either under construction or planned for future construction. These locks which would have enabled Montana to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without the need to sail around the tip of South America. As USS Montana, BB-65 would have been the only battleship class commissioned
by the US to approach the Empire of Japan
's s on the basis of armor, armament, and tonnage.
By 1942 the United States Navy shifted its building focus from battleships to aircraft carrier
s after the successes of carrier combat in both the Battle of Coral Sea, and to a greater extent, the Battle of Midway
.
As a result the construction of the US fleet of s had been given the highest priority for completion in the US shipyard
s by the US Navy. The Essex-class carriers were proving vital to the war effort by enabling the Allies
to gain and maintain air supremacy
in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, and were rapidly becoming the principal striking arm of the United States Navy in the ongoing effort to defeat the Empire of Japan
. Accordingly, the United States accepted shortcomings in the armor for their s, South Dakota-class
, and s in favor of additional speed, which enabled these battleship classes to steam at a comparable speed with the Essex-class and provide the carriers with the maximum amount of anti-aircraft protection.
" designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair
. Her funding was authorized via the passage of the Two Ocean Navy bill through the United States Congress in 1940, and she would now be the fifth battleship built for the United States Navy.
Like her Iowa-class sisters, Illinois was to cost US $125 million and take approximately 30 to 40 months to complete. She would be tasked primarily with the defense of the US fleet of Essex-class aircraft carriers. In adherence with the Iowa-class design, Illinois would have a maximum beam of 108 ft (32.9 m) and a waterline length of 860 ft (262.1 m), permitting a maximum speed of 34.9 knots (68.4 km/h). The Navy also called for the class to have a lengthened forecastle
, amid-ship, and a bulbous bow
, which would increase her speed to 35 knots.
Like Kentucky, Illinois differed from her earlier sisters in that her design called for an all-welded construction, which would have saved weight and increased strength over a combination riveted/welded hull used on the four completed Iowa-class ships. Engineers considered retaining the original armor for added torpedo
and naval mine
protection because the newer scheme would have improved Illinois’ armor protection by as much as 20%. This was rejected due to time constraints and Illinois was built with an Iowa-class hull design. Funding for the battleship was provided in part by "King Neptune
", a Hereford swine auctioned across the state of Illinois as a fund raiser, and ultimately helped raise $19 million in war bonds (equivalent to about $200 million in 2007 adjusted dollars).
Illinoiss keel
was laid down at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on 6 December 1942, but her construction was canceled on 11 August 1945, when she was about 22% complete. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 12 August 1945. Her incomplete hulk was retained until September 1958, when she was broken up
on the builder's ways.
The ship's bell was cast, and now resides at Memorial Stadium
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. It reads USS Illinois 1946. The bell is on loan from the Naval Historical Center (Accession #70-399-A), Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC, to the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at the university. The bell is traditionally rung by NROTC members when the football team scores a touchdown or goal.
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...
and was the fourth ship to be named
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
in honor of the 21st US state
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Hull BB-65 was originally to be the first ship of the s, but changes during 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...
resulted in her being reordered as an . Adherence to the Iowa-class layout rather than the Montana-class layout allowed BB-65 to gain eight knots in speed, carry more 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and transit the locks of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
; however, the move away from the Montana-class layout left BB-65 with a reduction in the heavier armaments and without the additional armor that were to have been added to BB-65 during her time on the drawing board as USS Montana.
Like her sister ship , Illinois was still under construction at the end of World War II. Her construction was canceled in August 1945, but her hull remained until 1958 when it was broken up.
Design
The passage of the Second Vinson ActSecond Vinson Act
The Second Vinson Act was an Act of Congress, passed in May 1938, which "mandated a 20% increase in strength of the United States Navy". The act was sponsored by Carl Vinson, a Democratic Congressman from Georgia who was...
in 1938 had cleared the way for construction of the four South Dakota-class
South Dakota class battleship (1939)
The South Dakota-class was a group of four fast battleships built by the United States Navy. They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th State; the first class was designed in the 1920s and canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. The class comprised four...
battleships and the first two Iowa class fast battleship
Fast battleship
Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship which emphasized speed without - in concept - undo compromise of either armor or armament. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster than subsequent classes...
s (those with the hull numbers BB-61 and BB-62). The latter four battleships of the class, those designated with the hull numbers BB-63, BB-64, BB-65, and BB-66 were not cleared for construction until 1940, and at the time BB-65 and BB-66 were intended to be the first ships of the Montana-class.
Originally, BB-65 was to be the United States Navy's counter to the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
's s, whose construction at the time was known to the highest ranking members of the United States Navy, along with the rumors that Yamato and Musashi were carrying guns of up to 18 in (457.2 mm). To combat this, the United States Navy began designing a 58,000 ton ship with an intended armament of twelve 16 in (406.4 mm) guns. This battleship took shape in the mid-1930s as USS Montana, the lead ship of her class of 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...
battleships. She would have fielded three more 16 in (406.4 mm) guns than those mounted aboard the Iowa-class, a more powerful secondary battery of 5 in (127 mm)/54 caliber Mark 16 dual purpose
Dual purpose gun
A dual purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.-Description:Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and cruisers ; a secondary battery for use against enemy...
mounts, an increase in armor that was to enable Montana to withstand the effects of the 16 in (406.4 mm) guns and the 2700 lb (1,224.7 kg) ammunition she and her Iowa-class sisters were to carry.
The increase in Montana’s firepower and armor came at the expense of her speed and her Panamax
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
capabilities, but the latter issue was to be resolved through the construction of a third, much wider set of locks at the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. As the situation in Europe deteriorated in the late-1930s, the USA began to be concerned once more about its ability to move warships between the oceans. The largest US battleships were already so large as to have problems with the canal locks; and there were concerns about the locks being put out of action by enemy bombing. In 1939, to address these concerns, construction began on a new set of locks for the canal that could carry the larger warships which the US had either under construction or planned for future construction. These locks which would have enabled Montana to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without the need to sail around the tip of South America. As USS Montana, BB-65 would have been the only battleship class commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
by the US to approach the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
's s on the basis of armor, armament, and tonnage.
By 1942 the United States Navy shifted its building focus from battleships to aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s after the successes of carrier combat in both the Battle of Coral Sea, and to a greater extent, the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
As a result the construction of the US fleet of s had been given the highest priority for completion in the US shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s by the US Navy. The Essex-class carriers were proving vital to the war effort by enabling the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
to gain and maintain air supremacy
Air supremacy
Air supremacy is the complete dominance of the air power of one side's air forces over the other side's, during a military campaign. It is the most favorable state of control of the air...
in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, and were rapidly becoming the principal striking arm of the United States Navy in the ongoing effort to defeat the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. Accordingly, the United States accepted shortcomings in the armor for their s, South Dakota-class
South Dakota class battleship (1939)
The South Dakota-class was a group of four fast battleships built by the United States Navy. They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th State; the first class was designed in the 1920s and canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. The class comprised four...
, and s in favor of additional speed, which enabled these battleship classes to steam at a comparable speed with the Essex-class and provide the carriers with the maximum amount of anti-aircraft protection.
Development
When BB-65 was redesignated an , she was assigned the name Illinois and reconfigured to adhere to the "fast battleshipFast battleship
Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship which emphasized speed without - in concept - undo compromise of either armor or armament. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster than subsequent classes...
" designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at 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...
. Her funding was authorized via the passage of the Two Ocean Navy bill through the United States Congress in 1940, and she would now be the fifth battleship built for the United States Navy.
Like her Iowa-class sisters, Illinois was to cost US $125 million and take approximately 30 to 40 months to complete. She would be tasked primarily with the defense of the US fleet of Essex-class aircraft carriers. In adherence with the Iowa-class design, Illinois would have a maximum beam of 108 ft (32.9 m) and a waterline length of 860 ft (262.1 m), permitting a maximum speed of 34.9 knots (68.4 km/h). The Navy also called for the class to have a lengthened forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
, amid-ship, and a bulbous bow
Bulbous bow
A bulbous bow is a protruding bulb at the bow of a ship just below the waterline. The bulb modifies the way the water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability...
, which would increase her speed to 35 knots.
Like Kentucky, Illinois differed from her earlier sisters in that her design called for an all-welded construction, which would have saved weight and increased strength over a combination riveted/welded hull used on the four completed Iowa-class ships. Engineers considered retaining the original armor for added torpedo
Torpedo
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...
and naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
protection because the newer scheme would have improved Illinois’ armor protection by as much as 20%. This was rejected due to time constraints and Illinois was built with an Iowa-class hull design. Funding for the battleship was provided in part by "King Neptune
King Neptune (pig)
King Neptune was a pig used by a United States Navy recruiter to raise $19 million in war bonds for the construction of the between 1942 and 1946.-Origins:...
", a Hereford swine auctioned across the state of Illinois as a fund raiser, and ultimately helped raise $19 million in war bonds (equivalent to about $200 million in 2007 adjusted dollars).
Scrapping
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
on 6 December 1942, but her construction was canceled on 11 August 1945, when she was about 22% complete. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 12 August 1945. Her incomplete hulk was retained until September 1958, when she was broken up
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
on the builder's ways.
The ship's bell was cast, and now resides at Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
thumb|right|300px|Original plan for Memorial Stadium circa 1921. Caption from [[Popular Mechanics]] Magazine, 1921Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located in Champaign, Illinois, in the United States, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The stadium is dedicated as...
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. It reads USS Illinois 1946. The bell is on loan from the Naval Historical Center (Accession #70-399-A), Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC, to the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at the university. The bell is traditionally rung by NROTC members when the football team scores a touchdown or goal.