NationMaster - Encyclopedia: South Dakota class battleship (1939)

Construction of the second South Dakota-class began shortly before World War II. Built with Fiscal Year 1939 appropriations, they were more compact and better protected than the preceding North Carolina-class, but had the same main battery of nine 16 inch (406 mm) 45-caliber guns in triple turrets. Commissioning through the summer of 1942, the four "SoDak" ships served in both the Atlantic, ready to interdict possible German capital ship sorties, and the Pacific, in carrier groups and shore bombardments. The Battleship USS South Dakota, Public domain photo from history. ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa A battleship is a large, heavily-armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area Ranked 17th - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 kmÂ²) - Width 210 miles (340 km) - Length 380 miles (610 km) - % water 1. ... The United States Navy built two North Carolina-class battleships: USS North Carolina (BB-55) USS Washington (BB-56) North Carolina and her sister ship Washington were the first Post-Washington Treaty battleships as well as the first of the fast battleships. ... The Iowa-class battleships were six battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 for use as escorts for the Fast Carrier Task Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down... The first South Dakota class was authorized 4 March 1917, and keels were laid down in 1920 for six ships. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Navy built two North Carolina-class battleships: USS North Carolina (BB-55) USS Washington (BB-56) North Carolina and her sister ship Washington were the first Post-Washington Treaty battleships as well as the first of the fast battleships. ...

Design

The South Dakotas innovative hull design featured an internal armor belt, to protect the ships' vitals against 16 inch (406 mm) shells, improved anti-torpedo side protection, and outboard propeller shafts that extended further aft than the inboard ones.

While the shorter hull minimized the amount of armor needed to meet the requirements without exceeding the tonnage demanded by the Second London Naval Treaty it also resulted in a smaller length-to-beam ratio that negatively affected speed and endurance. To achieve the desired 27 knots (50 km/h) the machinery was designed to produce 9,000 horsepower (7 MW) more than that of the "North Carolina"-class, no small feat considering the equipment had to be compact enough to fit within a smaller hull. The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in England on December 9, 1935. ...

Compared with her three "sisters", South Dakota had extra command facilities and two fewer 5 inch (127 mm) twin gun mounts.

Armour

The South Dakotas have an internal main belt, a change from the previous two North Carolina-class battleships. While an internal belt is difficult to install and repair, it was relunctantly accepted because an external belt that could ward off 16-inch shells would have required a belt incline of 19° and a beam too wide for the Panama Canal.^[1] The United States Navy built two North Carolina-class battleships: USS North Carolina (BB-55) USS Washington (BB-56) North Carolina and her sister ship Washington were the first Post-Washington Treaty battleships as well as the first of the fast battleships. ... Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks The Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ...

The underwater armor includes side protection and a triple bottom, both multi-layered systems designed to absorb the energy from an underwater explosion equivalent to 700 pounds of TNT — the Navy's best guess in the 1930s about Japanese weapons. But unbeknownst to U.S. Naval Intelligence, the Japanese 24-inch-diameter "Long Lance" torpedo, carried a charge equivalent to 891 pounds of TNT. R-phrases S-phrases Related Compounds Related compounds picric acid hexanitrobenzene Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 Â°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. ...

Each side of the ship is protected by one tank mounted outside the hull and loaded with fuel oil or other liquid ballast, and an empty inboard tank, all running from the third deck to the bottom of the ship. The liquid tanks are to deform and absorb the shock from the explosion and contain most of the shards from the damaged structure. The inner void is expected to contain any leakage into the interior ship spaces. The armor belt is designed to stop fragments that penetrate the second torpedo bulkhead; however, tests in 1943 showed structural defects in the system.^[1]

The follow up Iowa-class retained a similar protection scheme; both the South Dakota- and Iowa-classes were adequately protected against the 2,240 lb (1,016 kg) Mark 5 shells that their 16-inch guns were originally designed to fire (the North Carolina-class was only designed to be proof against 14-inch shells), though not the "super-heavy" 2,700 lb Mark 8 shells that all three classes actually carried during the war. The Iowa-class battleships were six battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 for use as escorts for the Fast Carrier Task Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down... A cutaway of a turret mounting 16in guns Yard workers hoist one of nine 16/50 Mark VII gun barrels aboard the USS Iowa during her construction in 1942 The Iowa class battleship USS Iowa (1980s configuration, note missile launchers amidships) fires a full broadside of her 16/50 Mark...

Service

These ships were all commissioned between March and August 1942, providing a welcome reinforcement to the Navy's surface battle fleet at a critical stage of World War II. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In 1942 and 1943, they stood guard in the Atlantic against possible sorties by German battleships, took part in the invasion of North Africa and in operations around Guadalcanal. USS Massachusetts supported Operation Torch and used her 16-inch guns to disable the French battleship Jean Bart and sink two destroyers, the only time that a US battleship had ever fired its main batteries at an Axis ship in Europe. North Africa is the Mediterranean, northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Guadalcanal, position (inset) and main towns Guadalcanal is a 2,510 square mile (6 500 kmÂ²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Free French Forces Vichy France Commanders Dwight Eisenhower Andrew Cunningham FranÃ§ois Darlan Strength 73,500 60,000 Casualties 479+ dead 720 wounded 1,346+ dead 1,997 wounded Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in... The Jean Bart was a French battleship of World War II named for the seventeenth century seaman and corsair Jean Bart. ...

At the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, South Dakota was credited with downing 26 to 32 Japanese planes. During the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, South Dakota was damaged in a gunnery engagement with a Japanese force involving the sinking of the battleship Kirishima. Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr. ... Combatants United States, Australia, New Zealand Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Isoroku Yamamoto Strength 1 carrier, 2 battleships, 5 cruisers, 12 destroyers 2 battleships, 8 cruisers, 16 destroyers Casualties 2 light cruisers, 7 destroyers sunk, 26 aircraft destroyed, 1,732 killed[1] 2 battleships, 1 heavy cruiser, 3 destroyers, 11... Kirishima (éœ§å³¶) was the Imperial Japanese Navys fourth Kongo class battlecruiser, and was laid down by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki on March 17, 1912, launched on December 1, 1913 and commissioned on April 19, 1915. ...

As the US went on the offensive in the Central Pacific, they joined in escorting the fast carrier task forces, a job for which speed and their heavy anti-aircraft gun batteries were well-suited. They also employed their main battery guns in shore bombardment, and were kept ready to form battle line in case their Japanese opposite numbers should appear.

Post War

All four South Dakota-class battleships went into reserve soon after World War II and saw no further active service. Being valuable, large ships, they were considered for many conversion schemes, including guided missile battleships and satellite control ships, but all were eventually discarded in the early 1960s. Their speed (27 knots, versus 32-35 knots for the Iowa-class and virtually all new fleet carriers of the WW2 era) worked against their retention. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Iowa-class battleships were six battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 for use as escorts for the Fast Carrier Task Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down...

Massachusetts and Alabama became museum ships. South Dakota and Indiana were scrapped. Massachusetts is in Fall River, Massachusetts, and Alabama is in Mobile, Alabama. USS Massachusetts (BB-59), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. ... USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fifth completed ship named Alabama of the United States Navy, however she was only the third commissioned ship with that name. ... USS Wisconsin, one of three Iowa class battleships opened to the public as a museum, and was one of two Iowas maintained in the US Mothball fleet. ... USS South Dakota (BB-57), the lead ship of her class, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 40th state. ... USS Indiana (BB-58), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 19th state. ... USS Massachusetts (BB-59), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. ... USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fifth completed ship named Alabama of the United States Navy, however she was only the third commissioned ship with that name. ...

Ships

USS South Dakota (BB-57), the lead ship of her class, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 40th state. ... USS Indiana (BB-58), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 19th state. ... USS Massachusetts (BB-59), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. ... USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fifth completed ship named Alabama of the United States Navy, however she was only the third commissioned ship with that name. ...

External links

Categories: Battleship classes | South Dakota class battleships (1939) USS South Dakota (BB-57), the lead ship of her class, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 40th state. ... USS Indiana (BB-58), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 19th state. ... USS Massachusetts (BB-59), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. ... USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fifth completed ship named Alabama of the United States Navy, however she was only the third commissioned ship with that name. ... The United States Navy built two North Carolina-class battleships: USS North Carolina (BB-55) USS Washington (BB-56) North Carolina and her sister ship Washington were the first Post-Washington Treaty battleships as well as the first of the fast battleships. ... The Iowa-class battleships were six battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 for use as escorts for the Fast Carrier Task Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down... This list of battleships of the United States Navy includes all ships with the hull classification symbol BB. A number of these were started but never completed. ...

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