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Saturday 17 February 2018

Preliminary design for American battleships USS Pennsylvania (BB38) and Arizona (BB-39) dated 3 September 1912

Nevada-class

Design Pennsyvania-class dated 3 eptember 1912

Pennsylvania-class

USS Arizona
New Mexico

Compared to earlier design was chosen for an internal bulkheads instead for the shell when dealing with the underwater armour. This design dated 24 August but finished on 3rd September was used for building the American battleships USS Pennsylvania (BB 38) (1) and the Arizona (BB-39).(2).

Displacement 31.400 tons and as dimensions 600 (waterline) x 97.0½ (outside armour) x 28.10 (mean draft) feet. Longitudinal coefficient .629. Normal displacement of 31.400 tons: hull complete 13.390 tons, hull fittings 1.293 tons, protection 8.422 tons, steam engineering 2.3909 tons, reserved feed and 2/3 supply 2.05 tons, battery 1/658 tons, ammunition and 2/3 ordnance stores 1.310 tons, equipment, 2/3 equipment stores, outfit and 2/3 stores totally. 1.073 tons, oil fuel 2/3 supply 1.548 tons and a margin of 98 tons.

The armament was to consist of 4x3-35,56cm/14”breech loading guns, 22-12,7cm/5” quick firing guns and 4 submerged torpedo tubes. The machinery consisted of turbines and 12 boilers divided over 3 boil rooms. The designed speed was 21 knots and with a speed of 10 knots was the range estimated to be 8.000 nautical miles.

The armour consisted of a main side belt with an width of 17’-4/5/8”., depth below the waterline of 8.11 8/8 feet and a thickness of 13½”x 13½” x 8”. Barbettes were protected by 4½”(light part)-13” (heavy part), gun turrets5”(roof)-9/10“(sides)-18 (port), the conning tower 6” (tower tube light)-16” (proper and tower tube heavy), fire control by 16” and the , uptake protection had a thickness of 13”. Further more were a protective deck and a splinter deck available.

Notes
1. Part of the Pennsylvania-class consisting of the Pennsylvania and Arizona, preceded by the Nevada-class and succeeded by the New Mexico-class. To be built under the 1913 fiscal year was a design asked with 4x3-14” guns, 22-12,7cm/5” guns and a speed of 21 knots and a armour comparable with that of the Nevada-class. At least 10 preliminary designs were proposed of which the 7th was chosen and further worked out. Building ordered on 22 August 1912, laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News on 27 October 1913, launched on 16 March 1915, sponsored by Elizabeth Kolb, commissioned on 12 June 1916, modernized at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 1 June 1929-1931, used during Operation Crossroads nuclear bombs tests at Bikini in July 1946, towed to and decommissioned at Kwajalein Lagoon 29 August 1946, sunk off Kwajalein Atoll on 10 February 1948 and stricken on 19 February 1948.
2. Part of the Pennsylvania-class consisting of the Pennsylvania and Arizona, preceded by the Nevada-class and succeeded by the New Mexico-class. To be built under the 1913 fiscal year was a design asked with 4x3-14” guns, 22-12,7cm/5” guns and a speed of 21 knots and a armour comparable with that of the Nevada-class. At least 10 preliminary designs were proposed of which the 7th was chosen and further worked out. Building ordered on 4 March 1913, laid down at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 16 March 1914, launched on 19 June 1915, commissioned on 17 October 1916, modernized at the New York Navy Yard in 1929-1931, including replacing her turbines, sunk during the Japanese aircraft on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941, decommissioned on 20 December 1941 and stricken on 1 December 1942. Her wrecks is still visible. Building costs 16.000.000 US dollars.

Source 
The so-called Spring Styles Book 1 (March 1911-September 1925). Naval History and Heritage Command. Lot S-584-023. Preliminary designs prepared by mostly civilians working at the Bureau of Construction and Repair (succeeded by the Bureau of Ships nowadays the Naval Sea Systems Command) under supervision of naval architects of the Navy Construction Corps. A major part of the drawings was presented to the General Board which advices the Secretary of the Navy.