Lexington class battlecruiser
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Planned: | 6 |
| Completed: | 0 |
| Cancelled: | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Lexington class battlecruisers |
| Displacement: | 43,500 tons load, 44,638 tons full load |
| Length: | 874 ft (266 m) overall |
| Beam: | 104.3 ft (31.8 m) |
| Draught: | 31 ft (9 m) |
| Propulsion: | Turbo-electric drive, four shafts, 16 boilers, 180,000 shp |
| Speed: | 33.5 knots (62 km/h) |
| Range: | 12,000 nmi (22,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1297 |
| Armament: | 8 × 16-inch (406 mm)/50 cal (4 × 2) 16 × 6-inch (152 mm)/53 cal 4 × 3-inch (76 mm)/50 cal 8 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 4 submerged |
| Armor: | 7 in (178 mm) belt 5–9 in (130–230 mm) barbettes 12 in (305 mm) conning tower 11 in (280 mm) turret 6 in (152 mm) side |
The Lexington class battlecruisers (assigned hull classification symbols CC-1 through CC-6), authorized under the 1917-1919 building programs, were the only ships of their type ever ordered by the United States Navy. They were intended as fast combat scouts for the battle fleet.
Contents |
[edit] Design as Battlecruisers
The large ships had a protracted development. Their original 1916 design was to displace 34,300 tons with a main battery of ten 14-inch (356 mm) guns, relatively light armor and a speed of 35 knots (65 km/h). By 1919, the plans had been recast on the basis of World War I experience to produce larger ships armed with 16-inch (406 mm) guns, better protection and a slightly lower speed.
The Lexington class battlecruisers, if completed as planned, would have been exceptionally fast and well armed, but would have carried armor little better than that of the very first battlecruisers. The Lexingtons were planned to be armed with eight 16-inch guns in four turrets but were only protected with a 7-inch (178 mm) armoured belt, proof against cruiser sized weapons but completely inadequate against any weapon likely to be carried by a rival battleship or battlecruiser. With that in mind they represented the ultimate evolution of the original "super-cruiser" concept, similar to the Courageous-class, rather than being heavily armoured battlecruisers (which some considered as fast battleships) like the HMS Hood, G3 battlecruiser, or the Japanese Akagi.
Some suggested that since even a slight reduction in a battlecruiser's armor would make the protection scheme useless against guns of enemy battleships and battlecruisers, weight and cost would be saved by removing the remaining armor protection altogether. However, detractors pointed out that there was little practical use for the "cruiser-scout" concept, as 16-inch guns were considered overkill for cruisers and smaller ships, while the lack of armor meant that the Lexingtons would not be able to bring their main armament within range of enemy capital ships.
However, the engines required to propel these vessels at 33 knots (their design speed) made them into fast, flexible aircraft carriers with large growth margins.
[edit] Conversion and Scrapping
Construction of the Lexington class ships was held up by other priorities during the First World War, and none of them were laid down until mid-1920. The following year's naval limitations conference in Washington, DC, had these expensive battlecruisers, and their Japanese and British contemporaries, among its main targets. Following adoption of the Washington Naval Treaty, their construction was stopped in February 1922. The treaty allowed the conversion of two of the battle cruiser hulls to the aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3). The other four ships were formally canceled in August 1923 and were scrapped on their building ways.
The Lexington class consisted of six ships, under construction at four locations:
- Lexington (CV-2, ex-CC-1). Keel laid at Quincy, Massachusetts, January 1921. Became the aircraft carrier CV-2. Served as an aircraft carrier throughout her lifespan, sunk at the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942.
- Constellation (CC-2). Keel laid at Newport News, Virginia, August 1920. Cancelled and scrapped.
- Saratoga (CV-3, ex-CC-3). Keel laid at Camden, New Jersey, September 1920. Became the aircraft carrier CV-3; as more progress had been made in her construction she was converted instead of the Constellation. Served as an aircraft carrier throughout her lifespan, expended in Operation Crossroads in 1946.
- Ranger (CC-4). Keel laid at Newport News, Virginia, June 1921. Cancelled and scrapped.
- Constitution (CC-5). Keel laid at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 1920. Cancelled and scrapped.
- United States (CC-6). Keel laid at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 1920. Cancelled and scrapped.
[edit] References
- Robert Gardiner, ed., Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1982)
[edit] See also
- Lexington class aircraft carrier for the history of the class from 1921 on.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
