south dakota class

[camnite]

now, i know they had an unique hull structure. i also have had no luck in finding the pros and cons of this type vessel.
the reason i have been wanting to find this info is the alabama(bb-60) is a museum here and wanted to know more about it.
also, how come more of this type ship still survive verses the iowa class?

[Masherbrum]

now, i know they had an unique hull structure. i also have had no luck in finding the pros and cons of this type vessel.
the reason i have been wanting to find this info is the alabama(bb-60) is a museum here and wanted to know more about it.
also, how come more of this type ship still survive verses the iowa class?

 

Iowa Class - Four made (four preserved)
SD Class - Four made (two preserved)

[camnite]

ive only heard of the iowa and the missourri being conserved sorry about that

[L0nGb0w]

You talking about the battleship in Mobile? I went to school at USA just a year or so ago

[Masherbrum]

ive only heard of the iowa and the missourri being conserved sorry about that

USS Iowa (BB-61)

Iowa is currently anchored as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay and is available for donation as a museum and memorial.


USS New Jersey (BB-62)

Decommissioned for the last time 8 February 1991, New Jersey was briefly retained on the Naval Vessel Register before being donated to the Home Port Alliance of Camden, New Jersey for use as a museum ship.


USS Missouri (BB-63)

Missouri was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for use as a museum ship in 1998.


USS Wisconsin (BB-64)

Wisconsin was placed in the reserve fleet until struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 17 March 2006 so she could be transferred for use as a museum ship. Wisconsin is currently berthed at the Nauticus maritime museum in Norfolk, Virginia.


Hope this helps.

[camnite]

yeah thats the ship. she's kinda like our baby here. lots of interesting stories about her, that's why i'm trying to find more info about her.
if you ever get a chance to see her or the drum(ss-228), i highly suggest you do. fyi, the drum was the first gato-class sub to enter service and is still the oldest in existence.

mash, thanks for postin' that, wasn't sure of my facts.


p.s. almost forgot, uss shadwell(lsd-15) is also here,as well as another vessel, but haven't found out its name yet. the shadwell actually got a torp. in the starboard bow in the phillipines.

[Guppy35]

Keep in mind that the South Dakota class battleships were built under the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty that was supposed to keep numbers and sizes down on things like Battleships.  So they were built at 35000 tons.  The Iowa class BBs were a lot bigger and not limited by that treaty as I understand it.

None of em look as good as the clipper bow battleships anyway
USS California  BB-44

[Rino]

     Gotta disagree with you this time Dan..Iowa's are beautiful.



     Old and slow doesn't win THIS race 

[GtoRA2]

The Iowa's were better in every important way.

Faster.
Slightly improved Armor layout.
Better Main guns
 

The speed is what got all four recomminished in the 80s and 90s.

The Sough Dakota class was still better then just about any other BBs in the world at the time and could have even given the Japanese Yamamtos a hard time since we had better radar and fire control.

The Movie Underseige was filmed mostly on the Alabama.

[Widewing]

Use the link below for details on the South Dakotas and the Iowas. Most naval historians with a bent towards engineering recognize that the South Dakotas were the best battleships on the planet until the Iowas began commissioning. Likewise, many believe that the US Navy's vastly superior fire control system, guns being aimed by remarkably accurate radar, would have been a massive advantage. This would have resulted in any of the SD class beating the snot out of the Yamato class. One estimate out of the Naval War College concluded that the SDs would score 6 to 10 hits before the Yamatos could even straddle in return. Adding to this, the Yamatos had significant weaknesses in the armor layout....

Now, imagine Halsey's New Jersey as the opposition... In terms of killing power, the Iowa's 16"/50 cal guns were at least the equal to the Yamato's 18.1", largely due to a far more effective armor piercing round. Add a 4 to 6 knot advantage in speed to that mix. A final consideration is the relatively poor Japanese damage control. More than a few Japanese warships went down to damage that would not have claimed American ships due to expert damage control.

Link: http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm

[GtoRA2]

Use the link below for details on the South Dakotas and the Iowas. Most naval historians with a bent towards engineering recognize that the South Dakotas were the best battleships on the planet until the Iowas began commissioning. Likewise, many believe that the US Navy's vastly superior fire control system, guns being aimed by remarkably accurate radar, would have been a massive advantage. This would have resulted in any of the SD class beating the snot out of the Yamato class. One estimate out of the Naval War College concluded that the SDs would score 6 to 10 hits before the Yamatos could even straddle in return. Adding to this, the Yamatos had significant weaknesses in the armor layout....

Now, imagine Halsey's New Jersey as the opposition... In terms of killing power, the Iowa's 16"/50 cal guns were at least the equal to the Yamato's 18.1", largely due to a far more effective armor piercing round. Add a 4 to 6 knot advantage in speed to that mix. A final consideration is the relatively poor Japanese damage control. More than a few Japanese warships went down to damage that would not have claimed American ships due to expert damage control.

Link: http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm

I love that site Wide, there is a lot of very interesting info in the detailed info section.

It's a shame Halsey took the Iowas with him on Bulls run, he didn't need them.

What the US Navy ships where capable of by the end of the war was really impressive, as were the Des Moines class Heavy cruisers.

[Guppy35]

Just don't forget those old battleships of Olendorf at the Battle of Surigo Straight.  West Virginia scores at long range on her first salvo of 16" shells.  The rest of the battle line crossing the T lays into the Japanese battle fleet and soon it;s all over but the shouting.  Great irony that it was the Pearl Harbor survivor BBs that fought the last battleship-battleship fight.

[camnite]

i still think that the so daks were the best pound for pound. i also think the layout and damage control of the the ship was better in that if the outer props were hit, the inner props were still protected by the armored skirt. the guns also had a better firing angle over the bow than the idaho with its "clipper" bow.

[Masherbrum]

Just don't forget those old battleships of Olendorf at the Battle of Surigo Straight.  West Virginia scores at long range on her first salvo of 16" shells.  The rest of the battle line crossing the T lays into the Japanese battle fleet and soon it;s all over but the shouting.  Great irony that it was the Pearl Harbor survivor BBs that fought the last battleship-battleship fight.

Agreed.  If I'm not mistaken, only the Mississippi was not at Pearl Harbor and that made 5 out of the 6 BB's being docked at Battleship Row.   

[Guppy35]

Agreed.  If I'm not mistaken, only the Mississippi was not at Pearl Harbor and that made 5 out of the 6 BB's being docked at Battleship Row.   

Yep.  West Virginia, Maryland, Tennesee, California and Pennsylvania were the Pearl survivors that were in on that fight.  Over time I've been hunting histories of all the clipper bow BBs and Mississippi is the only one I haven't been able to come across.

Good works out there on California, Tennessee, West Virginia, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico and Maryland.  For some reason I just really like the look of those BBs.