The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

began the construction of

battleships A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type o ...

with in 1892, but the first battleship under that designation was . ''Texas'' and , commissioned three years later, were part of the New Navy program of the late 19th century, a proposal by then

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

William H. Hunt to match Europe's navies that ignited a years-long debate that was suddenly settled in Hunt's favor when the

Brazilian Empire The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom P ...

commissioned the battleship . In 1890,

Alfred Thayer Mahan Alfred Thayer Mahan (; September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His book '' The Influence of Sea Powe ...

's book ''

The Influence of Sea Power upon History ''The Influence of Sea Power upon History: 1660–1783'' is a history of naval warfare published in 1890 by the American naval officer and historian Alfred Thayer Mahan. It details the role of sea power during the seventeenth and eighteenth cent ...

'' was published and significantly influenced future naval policy—as an indirect result of its influence on Secretary Benjamin F. Tracy, the Navy Act of June 30, 1890 authorized the construction of "three sea-going, coast-line battle ships" which became the . The Navy Act of July 19, 1892 authorized construction of a fourth "sea-going, coast-line battle ship", which became . Despite much later claims that these were to be purely defensive and were authorized as "coastal defense ships", they were almost immediately used for offensive operations in the Spanish–American War. By the start of the 20th century, the United States Navy had in service or under construction the three and two battleships, making the United States the world's fifth strongest power at sea from a nation that had been 12th in 1870. Except for , named by an act of Congress, all U.S. Navy battleships have been named for states, and each of the 48 contiguous states has had at least one battleship named for it except

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

; two battleships were authorized to be named Montana but both were cancelled before construction started.

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

did not become states until 1959, after the end of battleship building, but the battlecruiser, or "Large Cruiser," was built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and her sister, , was begun but never completed. The pre-dreadnoughts (formerly the Austrian ), (formerly the Austrian ), and the dreadnought USS ''Ostfriesland'' (formerly the German SMS ''Ostfriesland''), taken as prizes of war after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, were commissioned in the US Navy, but were not assigned

hull classification symbol The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ind ...

s. No American battleship has ever been lost at sea, though four were sunk during the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

. Of these, only and were permanently destroyed as a result of enemy action. Several other battleships have been sunk as targets, and , demilitarized and converted into a target and training ship, was permanently destroyed at Pearl Harbor. The hulk of ''Oklahoma'' was salvaged and was lost at sea while being towed to the mainland for scrapping. Two American-built pre-dreadnought battleships, and her sister , were sunk in 1941 by German

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

s during their World War II invasion of Greece. The ships had been sold to Greece in 1914, becoming and respectively.

1880s–1910s

and were part of the "New Navy" program of the 1880s. ''Texas'' and BB-1 to BB-4 were authorized as "coast defense battleships", but ''Maine'' was ordered as an armored cruiser and was only re-rated as a "second class battleship" when she turned out too slow to be a cruiser. The next group, BB-5 ''Kearsarge'' through BB-25 ''New Hampshire'', followed general global

pre-dreadnought Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, protec ...

design characteristics and entered service between 1900 and 1909. The definitive American pre-dreadnought was the penultimate class of the type, the ''Connecticut'' class, sporting the usual four-gun array of weapons, a very heavy intermediate and secondary battery, and a moderate tertiary battery. They were good sea boats and heavily armed and armored for their type. The final American pre-dreadnought class, the ''Mississippi''-class, were an experiment in increasing numbers with slower ships of limited range. The Navy soon rejected the concept and within 6 years of commissioning, sold these to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

in 1914 to pay for a new super-dreadnought . The dreadnoughts, BB-26 ''South Carolina'' through BB-35 ''Texas'', commissioned between 1910 and 1914, uniformly possessed twin turrets, introduced the superimposed turret arrangement that would later become standard on all battleships, and had relatively heavy armor and moderate speed (). Five of the ten ships used the established vertical triple expansion (VTE) propulsion rather than faster direct-drive turbines, used by the British which had higher fuel consumption. The ships had 8 (''South Carolina'' class), 10 (''Delaware'' and ''Florida'') or 12 (''Wyoming'' class) 12-inch guns, or 10 (''New York'' class) guns. The dreadnoughts gave good service, the last two classes surviving through World War II before being scrapped. However, they had some faults that were never worked out, and the midships turrets in the ten and twelve-gun ships were located near boilers and high-pressure steam lines, a factor that made refrigeration very difficult and problematic in hot climates. One of their number, ''Texas'' (BB-35), is the last remaining American battleship of the pre–World War II era and the only remaining dreadnought in the world. Next came the twelve Standards, beginning with BB-36 ''Nevada'', commissioned over the period 1914 to 1920. The last ship commissioned was BB-48 ''West Virginia'' (BB-49 through 54 were also Standards, but were never commissioned, and scrapped under the

Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was a treaty signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. It was negotiated at the Washington Nav ...

). ''Oklahoma'' (BB-37) was the last American battleship commissioned with triple expansion machinery; all the other Standards used either geared steam turbines (''Nevada'', the ''Pennsylvania'' class, ''Idaho'' and ''Mississippi'') or

turbo-electric A turbo-electric transmission uses electric generators to convert the mechanical energy of a turbine (steam or gas) into electric energy, which then powers electric motors and converts back into mechanical energy that power the driveshafts. Tu ...

propulsion (''New Mexico'', the ''Tennessee'' and ''Colorado'' classes). The Standards were a group of ships with four turrets, oil fuel, a top speed, a tactical diameter at top speed, and heavy armor distributed on the "All or Nothing" principle. Armament was fairly consistent, starting with ten 14-inch guns in the ''Nevada'' class, twelve in the ''Pennsylvania'', ''New Mexico'' and ''Tennessee'' classes, and eight guns in the ''Colorado'' class.

1930s–1940s

After the 1930s "builders holiday," the USN commissioned ten more battleships of an entirely new style, the so-called fast battleship. These ships began with BB-55 ''North Carolina'' and the last ship

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

was BB-66 ''Kentucky'' (the last completed ship was BB-64 ''Wisconsin''). These ships were a nearly clean break from previous American design practices. All ten ships were built to a Panamax design (technically post-Panamax, as they exceeded normal Panamax beam by two feet, but they were still able to transit the canal). They were fast battleships, and could travel with the aircraft carriers at cruising speed (their speed was not intended for that role, but rather so they could run down and destroy enemy battlecruisers). They possessed almost completely homogeneous main armament (nine 16-inch guns in each ship, the sole difference being an increase in length from 45 to 50 calibers with the ''Iowa''-class vessels), very high speed relative to other American designs ( in the ''North Carolina'' and ''South Dakota'' classes, in the ''Iowa'' class), and moderate armor. The ''North Carolina'' class was of particular concern, as their protection was rated as only "adequate" against the 16-inch super-heavy shells. They had been designed with, and armored against, a battery of three quadruple 14-inch guns, then changed to triple 16-inch guns after the escalator clause in the

Second London Naval Treaty The Second London Naval Treaty was an international treaty signed as a result of the Second London Naval Disarmament Conference held in London, the United Kingdom. The conference started on 9 December 1935 and the treaty was signed by the parti ...

had been triggered. Secondary armament in these ships was almost homogeneous as well: Except for ''South Dakota'', configured as a flagship, the other nine ships of this group sported a uniform 20-gun 5-inch (127 mm) secondary battery (South Dakota deleted two 5-inch mounts to make room for flag facilities). Visually, the World War II ships are distinguished by their three-turret arrangement and the massive columnar mast that dominates the superstructure. The last ship, ''Wisconsin'' (BB-64), commissioned in 1944 (''Wisconsin'' was approved last; however, ''Missouri'' (BB-63) was commissioned three months later, due to delays from additional aircraft carrier construction). ''Missouri'' (BB-63), famous for being the ship on which the

Japanese instrument of surrender The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied n ...

was signed, was the last battleship in the world to be decommissioned on 31 March 1992. Seven of these ten ships are still in existence. ''South Dakota,'' ''Washington'' and ''Indiana'' were scrapped, but the remainder are now museum ships. There was intended to be another class of five of these ships, the ''Montana'' class (BB-67 ''Montana'' through BB-71 ''Louisiana''), but they were cancelled before being laid down in favor of a greater number of aircraft carriers. The ''Montana''-class ships would have been built to a 60,000-ton

post-Panamax Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...

design, and carried a greater number of guns (twelve 16-inch guns) and heavier armor than the other ships; otherwise they would have been homogeneous with the rest of the World War II battleships. In October 2006, the last battleships, ( and ), were stricken from the Naval Registry.

Key

Second-class battleship

USS ''Texas'' (1892)

The acquisition of modern, European-built warships by

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

had alarmed the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The straw that broke the camel's back was Brazil's commissioning of the battleship '' Riachuelo'', which suddenly made the

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious war ...

the strongest in the Americas. Congressman Hilary A. Herbert, chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee, said of the situation, "if all this old navy of ours were drawn up in battle array in mid-ocean and confronted by the ''Riachuelo'' it is doubtful whether a single vessel bearing the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...

would get into port." Facing the possibility of enemy ironclads operating in American coastal waters, the

Naval Consulting Board The Naval Consulting Board, also known as the Naval Advisory Board (a name used in the 1880s for two previous committees), was a US Navy organization established in 1915 by Josephus Daniels, the Secretary of the Navy at the suggestion of Thomas A ...

began planning a pair of ironclads of their own, which would be able to use all major American naval bases and have a minimum speed of . The first of these two was USS ''Texas'', long, sporting an

armor belt Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated onto or within the outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and aircraft carriers. The belt armor is designed to prevent projectiles from penetrating ...

thick, displacing , sailing at a top speed of , and armed with two 35- caliber primary and six 30-caliber secondary guns. ''Texas'' was authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on 3 August 1886, but construction lagged until she was laid down on 1 June 1889. She was launched in the presence of the granddaughter of Sam Houston on 28 June 1892, and commissioned on 15 August 1895. ''Texas''s early service revealed a number of structural issues, which was addressed via some reinforcement of various parts of the ship, and she ran aground near

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, in September 1896.This in turn revealed even more faults with ''Texas'', as massive flooding easily disabled her in the shallow waters where she ran aground. After repairs, she joined the

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

, briefly leaving for a

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

visit to

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

that saw her beached on a mud bank off Galveston, an event whose aftermath gave ''Texas'' her nickname, "Old Hoodoo." After repairs, she returned to the North Atlantic Squadron and her patrols of the Eastern Seaboard. In the Spring of 1898, ''Texas''s near-sister ship (the other of the two original coastal defense ships) was destroyed by an explosion in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

's harbor, and the United States went to war with the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. An American fleet including ''Texas'' was at Key West, and was part of the Flying Squadron in its engagements with Spanish fortifications on the Cuban coast. She saw real surface fleet combat on 3 July at the

Battle of Santiago de Cuba The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurre ...

alongside , , and against the fleet of

Pascual Cervera y Topete Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete (18 February 1839, Medina-Sidonia, Cádiz, Spain – 3 April 1909, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain) was a prominent Spanish naval officer with the rank of '' Almirante'' ( admiral) who served in a number of high posit ...

as it tried to escape the American fleet and emerged with only light damage. After the war, ''Texas'' was decommissioned and refitted on two occasions before finally be declared obsolete in 1911 and permanently decommissioned and converted into a target ship in the same year. On 15 February 1911, ''Texas'' was christened as ''San Marcos'' to free the name up for the

dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...

, and was then sunk in the waters of Tangier Sound by 's guns. The remains of the ''San Marcos'' continued to be used for gunnery practice after her sinking until January 1959, when vast quantities of explosives were used to bury her remains.

Pre-dreadnought battleships

''Indiana'' class

USS ''Iowa''

''Kearsarge'' class

These two ships were authorized under the Act of 2 March 1895, and were both built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company.

''Illinois'' class

* Displacement: 11,565 tons * Armament: 4 × 13 in (330 mm) (2x2), 14 × 6 in (152 mm) (14x1), 16 × 6 pounders (2.7 kg) (16x1), 6 × 1 pounders (454 g) (6x1), 4 torpedo tubes * Speed: 17 knots * Ships in class: 3: , , and * Commissioned: 16 October 1900 (''Alabama'') * Decommissioned 15 May 1920 (''Illinois, Wisconsin'') * Fate: ''Illinois'' transferred to

New York Naval Militia The New York Naval Militia is the naval militia of the state of New York, and is under the authority of the Governor of New York as Commander-In-Chief of the state's military forces. With the New York Guard, the New York Army National Guard and Ne ...

1921, renamed ''Prairie State'' 1941, scrapped 1956; ''Alabama'' sunk as target 1921; ''Wisconsin'' scrapped 1922.

''Maine'' class

''Virginia'' class

* Displacement: 15,000 tons * Armament: 4 × 12 in (305 mm) (2x2), 8 × 8 in (203 mm) (4x2), 12 × 6 in (152 mm) guns (12x1), 24 1-pounders (24x1), 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: Belt 11 inches; Turret 12 inches; Deck 3 inches * Speed: 19 knots * Ships in class: 5: , , , , and * Commissioned: 19 February 1906 (''Rhode Island'') * Decommissioned: 13 August 1920 (''Virginia'') * Fate: ''Virginia'' and ''New Jersey'' sunk as targets, remainder sold for scrap, 1923

''Connecticut'' class

* Displacement: 16,000 tons * Armament: 4 × 12 in (305 mm) (2x2), 8 × 8 in (203 mm) (4x2), 12 × 7 in (178 mm) (12x1), 10 × 3 in (76 mm) (10x1), 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 11in Belt / 3in Deck * Speed: 18 knots * Ships in class: 6: , , , , , and * Commissioned: 2 June 1906 (''Louisiana'') * Decommissioned: 1 March 1923 (''Connecticut'') * Fate: Scrapped 1923–24

''Mississippi'' class

* Displacement: 13,000 tons * Armament: 4 × 12 in (305 mm) (2 × 2), 8 × 8 in (203 mm) (4 × 2), 8 × 7 in (178 mm) (8x1), 12 × 3 in (76 mm) (12 × 1), 6 ×

3 pounder gun 3-pounder gun, 3-pounder, 3-pdr or QF 3-pdr is an abbreviation typically referring to a gun which fired a projectile weighing approximately 3 pounds. It may refer to : *The Grasshopper cannon : of the 18th century *QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss : Hotchkis ...

(6 × 1), 2 × 1-pounder Mark 6 (2 × 1), 6 × .30-caliber machine guns (6 × 1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: * Speed: 17 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 1 February 1908 (''Mississippi'') * Fate: Decommissioned 30 July 1914 and sold to Greece. ''Kilkis'' (ex-''Mississippi'') and ''Limnos'' (ex-''Idaho'') sunk by German bombers in April 1941.

Dreadnought battleships

''South Carolina'' class

* Displacement: 16,000 tons * Armament: 8 × 12 in (305 mm) guns (4 × 2), 22 × 3 in (76 mm) (22x1), 2 × 3 pounder (2 × 1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 12” belt, 2.5" deck * Speed: 18 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 4 January 1910 (''Michigan'') * Decommissioned: 11 February 1922 (''Michigan'') * Fate: Scrapped 1924

''Delaware'' class

* Displacement: 20,380 tons * Armament: 10 × 12 in (305 mm) (5x2), 14 × 5 in (127 mm) (14x1), 22 × 3 in (76 mm) (22x1), 2 × 3 pounder (2x1) guns, 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 4 April 1910 (''Delaware'') * Decommissioned: 22 November 1923 (''North Dakota'') * Fate: ''Delaware'' scrapped 1924; ''North Dakota'' converted to target ship 1924, scrapped 1931

''Florida'' class

* Displacement: 21,800 tons * Armament: 10 × 12 in (305 mm) (5x2), 16 × 5 in (127 mm) (16x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 31 August 1911 (''Utah'') * Decommissioned: 16 February 1931 (''Florida'') * Fate: ''Florida'' scrapped in 1932, ''Utah'' became target ship (AG-16) in 1931, sunk at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

in 1941

''Wyoming'' class

* Displacement: 26,000 tons * Armament: 12 × 12 in (305 mm) (6x2), 21 × 5 in (127 mm) (21x1), two 3-inch (3x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 11in Belt / 2in Deck * Speed: 20.5 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 17 September 1912 (''Arkansas'') * Decommissioned: 1 August 1947 (''Wyoming'') * Fate: ''Wyoming'' became a training ship (AG-17) in 1931, scrapped in 1947. ''Arkansas'' sunk at

Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity in July 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices since the ...

in 1946

''New York'' class

* Displacement: 27,200 tons * Armament: 10 × 14 in (356 mm) (5x2), 21 5-inch (21x1), two 3-inch (2x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 12in Belt * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 12 March 1914 (''Texas'') * Decommissioned: 21 April 1948 (''Texas'') * Fate: ''New York'' sunk as target 1948; ''Texas'' preserved as a memorial 1948

Standard-type battleships

The so-called "Standard-type" was a series of battleships ordered between 1911 and 1916, and incorporating a number of new features including "all or nothing" armor. Twelve of these battleships were constructed across five classes, and were commissioned between 1916 and 1923.

''Nevada'' class

* Displacement: 27,500 tons * Armament: 10 × 14 in (356 mm) (2x3, 2x2), 21 × 5 in (127 mm) (21x1), 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor:13.5in Belt / 2.9in Deck * Speed: 20 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 11 March 1916 (''Nevada'') * Decommissioned: 29 August 1946 (''Nevada'') * Fate: ''Nevada'' sunk as target 1948; ''Oklahoma'' sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941, raised and stripped of salvageable parts, sunk en route to scrapping 1947

''Pennsylvania'' class

* Displacement: 31,400 tons * Armament: 12 × 14 in (356 mm) (4x3), 22 × 5 in (127 mm) (22x1), 4 × 3 in (76 mm) (4x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 13.5in Belt / 3in Deck * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: both in 1916 * Fate: ''Pennsylvania'' sunk after

in 1946, ''Arizona'' destroyed at Pearl Harbor in 1941, designated as a memorial.

''New Mexico'' class

* Displacement: 32,000 tons * Armament: 12 × 14 in (356 mm) (4x3), 14 × 5 in (127 mm) (14x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 3: , , and * Commissioned: 18 December 1917 (''Mississippi'') * Decommissioned: 17 September 1956 (''Mississippi'') * Fate: ''New Mexico'' & ''Idaho'' scrapped 1947; ''Mississippi'' converted to trials ship (AG-128) 1946, scrapped 1956

''Tennessee'' class

* Displacement: 32,300 tons * Armament: 12 × 14 in (356 mm) (4x3), 14 × 5 in (127 mm) (14x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 2: , and * Commissioned: 3 June 1920 (''Tennessee'') * Decommissioned: 14 February 1947 (both) * Fate: sold for scrap 1959

''Colorado'' class

* Displacement: 32,600 tons * Armament: 8 × 16 in (406 mm) (4x2), 12 × 5 in (127 mm) (12x1), 8 × 3 in (76 mm) (8x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor:13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck * Speed: 21 knots * Ships in class: 4: , , , and * Commissioned: ''Maryland'' in 1921, ''Colorado'' and ''West Virginia'' in 1923, ''Washington'' not completed and sunk as target * Fate: Remaining three decommissioned 1947 and sold for scrap 1959.

''South Dakota'' class (1920)

* Displacement: 43,200 tons * Armament: 12 × 16 in (406 mm) (4x3), 16 × 6 in (152 mm) (16x1), 8 × 3 in (76 mm) (8x1), 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes * Armor: 13.5in Belt / 4.75in Deck * Speed: 23 knots * Ships in class: 6: , , , , , and * Fate: Because of the ''

,'' all were cancelled and scrapped on their slips prior to launch in 1923.

Fast battleships

The term "fast battleship" was applied to new designs in the early 1910s incorporating propulsion technology that allowed for higher speeds without sacrificing armour protection. The US Navy began introducing fast battleships into service following the

of 1936, with a total of ten across three classes entering service.

''North Carolina'' class

* Displacement: 35,000 tons * Armament: 9 × 16 in (406 mm) (3x3), 20 × 5 in (127 mm) (10x2), 16 × 1.1 inch AA (4x4) * Armor: 12in Belt / 7in Deck * Speed: 28 knots * Ships in class: 2: and * Commissioned: 1941 * Fate: ''North Carolina'' preserved as memorial 1965; ''Washington'' scrapped 1962

''South Dakota'' class (1939)

* Displacement: 38,000 tons * Armament: 9 × 16 in (406 mm) (3×3), 20 (16 on ''South Dakota'') × 5 inch (10 or 8 × 2), up to 68 × 40 mm AA (17 × 4), up to 76 × 20 mm AA (76x1), 3 aircraft * Armor: 12.2in Belt / 7.5in Deck * Speed: 27 knots * Ships in class: 4: , , , and * Commissioned: 1942 * Fate: ''South Dakota'' and ''Indiana'' scrapped 1962 and 1963 respectively; ''Alabama'' preserved as memorial 1964; ''Massachusetts'' preserved as memorial 1965

''Iowa'' class

* Displacement: 48,500 tons * Armament: 9 × 16 in (406 mm) (3x3), 20 × 5 in (127 mm) (10x2), 80 × 40 mm AA (20x4), 49 × 20 mm AA (49x1) (''1980s modification added 32 × Tomahawk and 16 × Harpoon missiles and 4 × Phalanx CIWS'', and deleted 8 5-in guns and all other light anti-aircraft gun systems) * Armor: 12in Belt / 7.5in Deck * Speed: 33 knots * Ships in class: 6: , , , , , and * Commissioned: Four commissioned; first, ''Iowa'' 1943; last, ''Missouri'' 1944. * Fate: ''Iowa'' preserved as memorial in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

; ''Missouri'' preserved as memorial at

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

; ''Wisconsin'' preserved as memorial in Norfolk, Virginia; ''New Jersey'' preserved as memorial in

Camden, NJ Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 U. ...

; ''Illinois'' cancelled and scrapped on slip (bell currently at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

Memorial Stadium (Champaign) Memorial Stadium is a stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The stadium, used primarily for football, is a memorial to the university's students who died in World War I; their ...

, home of the

Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini football program represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. The Fighting Illini are a founding member of ...

team, traditionally rung when the Illini score a touchdown); ''Kentucky'' launched 1950, not completed, scrapped 1958.

''Montana'' class

* Displacement: 65,000 tons * Armament: 12 × 16 in (406 mm) (4x3), 20 × 5 in (127 mm) (10x2), undesignated number of 40 mm and 20 mm * Armor: 16in Belt / 8.2in Deck * Speed: 28 knots * Ships in class: 5: , , , , and * Fate: All cancelled in 1943 before being laid down

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

* * * * * * *

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

* * * * * * *

Journals

* * ; cited in

Publications

* * * * * * * *

Online resources

* * * * *

External links

Memorials
USS Arizona (BB-39)
-

Pearl Harbor National Memorial Pearl Harbor National Memorial is a unit of the National Park System of the United States on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act removed the site from the World War II Valor in the Pac ...

, HI * USS Utah (ex-BB-31) - Pearl Harbor National Memorial, HI Museum ships
USS Alabama (BB-60)
-

Battleship Memorial Park Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. It has a collection of notable aircraft and museum ships including the and . USS ''Alabama'' and USS ''Drum'' are both Nation ...

, Mobile, AL
USS Iowa (BB-61)
–

USS Iowa Museum The Battleship USS ''Iowa'' Museum is a maritime museum located at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States. The museum's main artifact is the USS ''Iowa'' (BB-61), lead ship of the ''Iowa'' class of battle ...

, Los Angeles, CA
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
-

Battleship Cove Battleship Cove is a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial in Fall River, Massachusetts, United States. Featuring the world's largest collection of World War II naval vessels, it is home to the highly decorated battleship . It is located at ...

, Fall River, MA
USS Missouri (BB-63)
Pearl Harbor, HI
USS New Jersey (BB-62)
Camden, NJ
USS North Carolina (BB-55)
Wilmington, NC
USS Texas (BB-35)
- Battleship Texas Foundation
USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
-

Nauticus Nauticus is a maritime-themed science center and museum located on the downtown waterfront in Norfolk, Virginia, also known as the National Maritime Center. History Nauticus was incorporated under the National Maritime Center Authority in Febru ...

, Norfolk VA {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Battleships Of The United States Navy Battleships of the United States Navy

Battleships A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type o ...

United S Battleships list