Florida class battleship
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| Florida class Battleship | |
|---|---|
 The USS Florida, lead ship of the class |
|
| Class Overview | |
| Type: | Battleship |
| Name: | Florida |
| Number of ships: | Two ordered and commissioned |
| Preceded by: | Delaware-class |
| Succeeded by: | Wyoming-class |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | Standard:21,825 tons |
| Length: | 521 ft 5 in (26.9 m) |
| Beam: | 88 ft 3 in (26.9 m) |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1,001 officers and men |
| Ships of the class | |
| Florida (BB-30), Utah (BB-31) | |
The Florida-class battleships of the United States Navy were its first battleship class to have steam turbine only propulsion. USS North Dakota was the 1st U.S. Battleship to have steam turbine propulsion installed. They were, in general, similar to the preceding Delaware-class design, but were slightly larger, and as already stated, were powered by steam turbines. The two ships of this class were launched in 1910 and 1909, respectively:
Contents |
[edit] The Design
These ships were approximately 2,000 tons larger than the previous class, but had the same main armament of ten 12-inch guns in five twin turrets. The secondary battery of 5-inch guns was improved to house the 5"/51 instead of the previous classes 5"/50 armament. The 5"/51 offering higher velocity was seen as a needed upgrade.[1] The engine rooms were lengthened to accomdate the Parson's steam turbine.[2] The beam was widened 3 feet as a result giving a displacement increase of 2,000 tons. Thicker casement armor marks the only change in the armoring suit from the Delaware class battleships with the previous design,.[3] lack of operational experence with the type led to the hull design shipping excessive sea and the forward casement battery being useless in all but the calmest sea at moderate speed.
[edit] Reconstruction
They survived the Washington Naval Treaty and were put in hand for modernization. The coal fired boilers were replace by oil fired boilers. Anti-Torpedo Blisters were installed increasing the beam to 106 feet. The twin smoke stacks were trunked into a single stack. The dual cage masts were reduced to one cage mast. Much of the secondary armament of 5"/51" was moved to the main deck regaining the use of the secondary battery.
[edit] The end of the class
The London Naval Treaty saw to the end of the USS Florida and the USS Utah had its main armament stripped and converted to an anti-air gunnery training ship. The USS Florida was scrapped and the USS Utah was sunk in the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
[edit] Source
Source: U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman ISBN 0-87021-715-1
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P71 ISBN 0-87021-715-1
- ^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P72 ISBN 0-87021-715-1
- ^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P72 ISBN 0-87021-715-1
[edit] External links
| Florida-class battleship |
| Florida | Utah |
List of battleships of the United States Navy |
