New York class battleship

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USS New York, the lead ship of the class
Class overview
Name: New York class battleship
Builders: Brooklyn Navy Yard
Newport News Shipbuilding Company
Operators: Naval flag of United States United States Navy
Preceded by: Wyoming-class battleship
Succeeded by: Nevada-class battleship
Built: 1911-1914
In commission: 1914-1946
Completed: 2
Retired: 2
Preserved: 1
General characteristics
Type: Battleship
Displacement: Standard: 27,000  tons;
Mean War Service: 28,367  tons
Length: 573 ft (175 m)
Beam: 95.5 ft (29.1 m)
Draft: 28.5 ft (8.7 m)
Propulsion: 2 shafts; vertical, triple-expansion; 14 boilers
Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h)
Range: As built: 7,684 nautical miles (14,230 km) at 12 knots and 2,932 nautical miles (5,430 km) at 20 knots
Coal: 1900 tons Oil: 267 tons
Complement: 1,042 officers and men
Armament: 10 × 14-inch (356 mm) guns
(mounted in 5 twin turrets)
21 × 5-inch (127 mm) guns
4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (submerged)
Armor: Belt: 12 in (300 mm)
Bulkheads:
Barbettes:
Turrets: 14 in (360 mm)
Decks:

The New York class battleship was a series of two battleships of the United States Navy which served during World War I and World War II.

Contents

[edit] Design

In 1910 the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ordnance had successfully designed and tested its 14-inch (356 mm) naval gun. The gun proved to have remarkable accuracy and uniformity of pattern. The expected move by other nation’s navies to greater calibers had begun with the British 13.5-inch (343 mm) naval guns in its Orion class battleship. The German Navy’s shift from 28 cm (11 in) to 30.5 cm (12 in) guns had also been noted. The New York Class Battleship Class was the 5th class of battleship design created with a 6th design already starting on the Nevada class. It should be noted that at this time not a single US dreadnought class battleship had yet hit the water as all were either at some stage of building or in design. Virtually the entire U.S. Navy battle line was being designed by drawing on experience from pre-dreadnought designs or from observation of foreign battleship design. [1]

[edit] The New York class battleship

These two powerful battleships were improved versions of the Wyoming class ships, the main difference being that the New York class had five twin-turret 14-inch (356 mm) guns rather than six twin-turrets 12-inch (305 mm) guns. Four guns were placed in two superfiring turrets in the front, four in a similar arrangement in the back. The fifth gun turret was located amidship, facing rearwards, and could only fire abeam. The amidships turret and magazines were difficult to properly cool as the machinery arrangement in the design had high-pressure steam lines running around the area. The New York class was the last full class to use Vertical Triple Expansion (VTE) engine equipment. The inclusion of forced lubrication of the bearings seemed to promise the reliability that VTE engines had lacked at full power and offered superior cruising range to the direct drive turbines that existed at this point in naval engineering. Use would prove that the choice was not a wise one as the VTE proceeded to give problems in use and while the U.S. Navy desired to revert to steam turbines this was never done.

[edit] Armor suite

The ships continued the armor suite of the Wyoming class with minor improvements. The deck armor scheme would continue to remain distinctly inferior to the succeeding Nevada class with their all or nothing armor scheme. However the leap forward in range provided by improved fire control was not yet envisioned and had it been there would not have been time to include it within the current design. The ship provided a 12-inch (300 mm) belt tapering to 10 inches (250 mm) and 6.5-inch (170 mm) casement armor with internal partitioning.

[edit] Historical + Refit Summary and Highlights

During their careers,

  • 1916-1917- Both ships served in 6th Battle Squadron of the Anglo-US Grand Fleet
During this time, the USS Texas became the first US battleship to be fitted with an aircraft platform.
  • 12 November 1918 Both ships are present for the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow.
  • Mid 1920s- Both ships went through a refit which included the installation of new boilers, the removal of one stack, the installation of 3 in. Anti Aircraft guns, the replacing of their cage masts with tripod masts, and the installation of catapults and facilities for three aircraft. The old coal boilers were replaced with oil boilers.
  • 20 May 1937- USS New York present at the Coronation of King George VI.
  • 1940s (World War II) Both ships saw heavy action. Both served with the Atlantic Fleet, their duties included escorting convoys, fire support for the landings in Casablanca. The Texas then went on to provide fire support for the landings in Normandy and Southern France. After the Normandy landings, the two battleships were transferred to the Pacific Fleet to provide fire support for the landings on Okinawa and Iwo Jima, where the New York was hit by a Kamikaze attack. After the war the New York was used to test atomic bombs and finally sunk during tests in 1948. Texas was given to the Lone Star State to be immortalized as a memorial where she remains today in San Jacinto State Park, near Houston. New York received three Battle Stars, while Texas received five battle stars and the Navy Occupation Service Medal. Texas is the last remaining example of the WW1 US Battleship.

[edit] List of New York class battleships

[edit] Bibliography

  • Max R. Newhart "Battleships"
Max R. Newhart 2002. Missoula, Montana
  • David Miller "WARSHIPS: 1860 to Present"
MBI Publishing 2001, St. Paul, MN
Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc. 2003
  1. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P96
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New York-class battleship

Preceded by: Wyoming class - Followed by: Nevada class
List of battleships of the United States Navy
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