Wyoming class battleship

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USS Wyoming (BB-32)
Class overview
Name: Wyoming class battleship
Operators: United States Navy
Preceded by: Florida-class battleship
Succeeded by: New York-class battleship
Completed: 2
Retired: 2
Preserved: 0
General characteristics
Type: Battleship
Displacement: 27,243 tons
Length: 562 ft
Beam: 93 ft 2 in
Draft: 28 ft 5 in
Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h)
Range: 5,190 nautical miles (9,610 km) at 12 knots and 2,760 nautical miles (5,110 km) at 20 knots
Coal: 1667 tons Oil: 266 tons
Complement: 1,063 officers and men
Armament: 12 × 12 in (305 mm) guns
21 × 5 in (127 mm) guns[1]
2 × 3 in (76 mm) guns
2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

The Wyoming 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

The requirements for this class arose from the very general requirements of the Newport Conference. [2] This designed marked the end of the Board on Construction and the rise of the General Board in US ship design.[3] The class marked a significant growth over its predecessor--the Florida class--of some 20% in size.

[edit] Armament

This growth was caused by a concern that the next class of battleships would see a departure from the 12" naval gun that had dominated all dreadnought designs up to this time.[4] This allowed the addition of a sixth main turret and increased armor. This brought the class' main armament up to twelve 12-inch (305 mm) guns in their twin mounts. Much of the discussion with this battleship's designed went to the argument that the U.S. should move to the 14" naval gun at this time. The problem with this was the lack of development on the 14" naval gun to this point. Developing both systems was a huge gamble given the pace of battleship design amongst the naval powers at this time. [5] The midships turret in both this and the following New York-class battleships proved problematic; the turrets and magazines were both located near the boiler spaces with high pressure steam piping surrounding the magazines. This produced a marked temperature difference in the powder charges and contributed to excessive dispersions in the pattern of shell fall from the two classes. Attempts to cool the 12" midship magazines were only moderately successful. It is worth noting that the General Board estimated that battle ranges for the main armament would be 8,000 to 8,500 yards (7,800 m). The secondary battery would again be placed in a gallery deck below the main deck. This limited the use of the secondary battery as it was so wet at speed as to keep 1/3 of it useless.

[edit] Armor suite

Fire control limitations also explain the lack of deck armor that continued onward in this design. [6] The armor suite also displayed other signs of transition with a heavy belt, and mid grade 6.5" casement armor for the secondary battery and internal partitions to limit damage. [7] The entire scheme was designed to stop shells at very shallow angles of attack. The idea being to cause the armor piercing shells to burst on the thin armor and have it caught on the even thinner STS steel plate 1 deck under. [8] The idea of plunging fire would not be addressed until the all or nothing scheme of the Nevada Class Battleships two classes after the Wyoming class. The main armor belt remained at 11" tapering to 9" enough to protect against 12" naval guns of the period. [9]

[edit] Engine design

Wyoming was the final battleship class in the United States to employ direct drive steam turbines for power. Geared turbines, triple expansion steam engines, and turbo-electric drive were all found to give better range for fuel expended.

[edit] Upgrades

Modernization began in 1925 finishing 1927. This included anti-torpedo blisters giving them broader beams, greater displacement and thicker deck armor. Oil-burning boilers were added with a single smoke stack and reduction to a single cage mast. Both were outfitted with newer gunfire controls. Some of the 5" secondary was moved to the superstructure. Arkansas was used as a gunnery training ship while Wyoming had all her 12" guns removed and had more 5" dual purpose guns added becoming an urgently needed anti-aircraft training platform.

[edit] History

Despite the class name, Arkansas preceded Wyoming both in construction and commissioning, although both were commissioned during September 1912. As the class was fitted with coal-fired boilers, both Wyoming and Arkansas were able to operate with the British Grand Fleet in the then-oil-deprived North Sea during World War I. Before the war, they served in the Atlantic Fleet and afterwards in both the Atlantic and Pacific, with modernization following in 1925-27. Both ships served in both world wars, and like many older American ships were quickly retired at the end of the second. Wyoming marked the end of the class' nearly 35 years of service when decommissioned 1 August 1947 for scrapping. Arkansas had already been sunk during nuclear testing in the Pacific.

[edit] See also


[edit] Ships in class

USS Wyoming
USS Wyoming

[edit] USS Wyoming

USS Arkansas
USS Arkansas

[edit] USS Arkansas

[edit] Source

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Breyer 1973 p. 202
  2. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P85
  3. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P85
  4. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P85
  5. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P86
  6. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P86
  7. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P89
  8. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P90
  9. ^ Friedman, Norman:U.S. Battleships, An illustrated design history ISBN 0-87021-715-1 P93
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Wyoming-class battleship

Preceded by: Florida class - Followed by: New York class
List of battleships of the United States Navy