Iowa Class Battleships
By Lester Abbey
()
About this ebook
Read more from Lester Abbey
Fletcher Class Destroyers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Iowa Class Battleships
Related ebooks
New Orleans Class Cruisers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5King George V Class Battleships Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battleship USS Iowa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bismarck and Tirpitz Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kongo Class Battlecruisers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJapanese Battleships: Fuso & Ise Classes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rodney and Nelson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYamato Class Battleships Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYorktown Class Aircraft Carriers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Pocket Battleships Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Queen Elizabeth Class Battleships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Scharnhorst and Gneisenau Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Japanese Heavy Cruisers: Myoko and Takao Classes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssex Class Aircraft Carriers of the Second World War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5British Destroyers A-I and Tribal Classes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritish Battlecruisers of the Second World War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Battleships of the United States Navy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5County Class Cruisers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Allied Torpedo Boats Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5German Destroyers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World War 2 In Review No. 39: Consolidated's Coronado Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Battlecruisers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5US Carrier War: Design, Development and Operations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnited States Tanks and Tank Destroyers of the Second World War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWarships After London: The End of the Treaty Era in the Five Major Fleets, 1930–1936 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5United States Naval Aviation, 1911–2014 Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5British Sloops and Frigates of the Second World War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrand Fleet Battlecruisers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battleship Scharnhorst Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Crafts & Hobbies For You
Morpho: Anatomy for Artists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crocheting in Plain English: The Only Book any Crocheter Will Ever Need Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The CIA Lockpicking Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn How to Play Piano Keyboard for Absolute Beginners: A Self Tuition Book for Adults and Teenagers! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of Maker Skills: Tools & Techniques for Building Great Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sharpie Art Workshop: Techniques & Ideas for Transforming Your World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rockhounding for Beginners: Your Comprehensive Guide to Finding and Collecting Precious Minerals, Gems, Geodes, & More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKawaii Crochet: 40 Super Cute Crochet Patterns for Adorable Amigurumi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crochet in a Day: 42 Fast & Fun Projects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Painting Water in Watercolour Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Modern Amigurumi for the Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practical Weekend Projects for Woodworkers: 35 Projects to Make for Every Room of Your Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChange Your Clothes, Change Your Life: Because You're Worth It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Simply Stunning Crocheted Bags Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/540+ Stash-Busting Projects to Crochet! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crochet Home: 20 Vintage Modern Crochet Projects for the Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Edward's Menagerie: Over 40 Soft and Snuggly Toy Animal Crochet Patterns Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beginner's Guide to Crochet: 20 Crochet Projects for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Make Your Own Body Butter: 32 Easy, Inexpensive, Luxurious Body Butter Recipes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weaving on a Little Loom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hoop Dreams: Modern Hand Embroidery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crochet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Iowa Class Battleships
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Iowa Class Battleships - Lester Abbey
SHIPCRAFT 17
IOWA class BATTLESHIPS
Lester Abbey
Plans and colour artwork by George Richardson
The publishers would like to thank A D Baker III for help with photographs.
The four Iowa class battleships operating together. In their whole careers they were only together operationally for this one day, 7 June 1954. Even though they comprised a squadron, one was always either building or refitting. The Iowa is in the foreground, then the Wisconsin, Missouri and New Jersey.
CONTENTS
Design
Careers
Model Products
Modelmakers’ Showcase
Camouflage Schemes
Appearance
Selected References
Copyright © Seaforth Publishing 2012
First published in Great Britain in 2012 by Seaforth Publishing,
an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley,
S Yorkshire S70 2AS
www.seaforthpublishing.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP data record for this title is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-84832-111-3
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system, without either prior
permission in writing from the publisher or a licence permitting
restricted copying.
Typeset and designed by Stephen Dent
Printed and bound in China
Design
Of the 59 battleships commissioned by the US Navy 55 followed the same design principle: heavy armament and protection at the expense of speed. The last four, the Iowa class, did not; they were very fast. They also had the longest and most active service life of any class of battleship. The Iowas were also well armed and well protected, but no more so than their immediate predecessors, the South Dakota class.
Like all battleships built just prior to the Second World War, these classes had their genesis in the Washington Naval Treaty. In 1922 all the major naval powers signed this treaty that was intended to stop competitive naval building programs where each great power tried to outbuild the others with more and larger ships of each category. The treaty limited the number of battleships and total naval tonnage that each country could build, and also set a maximum tonnage for new battleships. Furthermore, a battleship ‘holiday’ was declared – no new battleships could be built until the 1930s.
Therefore, when it came to replacing the oldest battleships in the US Navy, the General Board had plenty of time to decide what was important for the next generation of battleships. The following issues were considered – armament, speed and protection. With regard to armament the General Board of Construction favoured the 16in gun, which it had used successfully in the Maryland class built in the early 1920s. However, the London Treaty of 1930 limited displacement to 35,000 tons and 14in weapons. Their first designs (which were to become the North Carolina class) were for a ship armed with twelve 14in guns (in quadruple turrets) and protection against 14in gunfire. The speed was set at 27kts – 6kts faster than the Maryland class but slower than most of the other battleships building abroad. The speed of 27kts was decided upon to counter the Japanese battlecruisers of the Kongo class, which were thought to have a speed of 26.5kts. Actually the Kongos had been rebuilt and were now classed as battleships but could achieve 30kts. At the last moment, the General Board took advantage of a get-out clause in the London treaty and upgraded the armament to nine 16in guns in three triple turrets. It was too late to increase the protection so the North Carolinas were a bit under-protected considering their armament. The secondary armament consisted of twenty 5in 38-calibre dual-purpose weapons in ten twin housings. The dual-purpose armament was an advanced concept and recognised the importance of anti-aircraft armament.
The North Carolina class was succeeded by the South Dakota class. The protection was upgraded to be able to withstand 16in gunfire while keeping the same armament, speed and displacement. This was achieved by some design compromises, notably a reduction in hull length so as to reduce the extent of the armour belt. The result was a solid but somewhat cramped ship with reasonable speed, good protection and heavy armament.
The Iowa class were a response to the need for a fast battleship to keep up with the new aircraft carriers and to be able to cope with rumoured new Japanese ‘super-cruisers’. These design requirements were intended to produce a special type that could be put into service without too much delay or deviation. The next design – the Montana class – was to be the definitive battleship. To achieve the General Board’s requirements, the South Dakota design was the starting point, but lengthened by 200ft and displacement increased by 10,000 tons to accommodate the extra machinery and provide a hull shape to achieve a 6kt increase in speed.
A view of the New Jersey as first commissioned in 1943. One can see the purposeful lines, the two graceful and well-proportioned funnels, and the long sweeping bow that distinguished this class from its predecessors.
The General Board of Naval Construction considered the Iowa class an aberration with a specific mission and immediately went back to designing the type of battleship they really liked: powerfully armed, well protected and not too fast. Had this design ever been completed as the Montana class, it is hard to imagine them having as long and as successful careers as the Iowas. In fact this ‘aberration’ is considered one of the best battleship designs ever.
The 16in 50-calibre weapon was chosen over several other alternatives. The 16in/45 used in the South Dakotas and North Carolinas was considered but abandoned because it was felt that for the extra tonnage and expenditure some increase in firepower was required. Even 18in guns were investigated – they offered a better range and heavier projectile but they were very heavy, so only six could be mounted in place of nine 16in guns. A