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fighting ships of the world

UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

CAPITAL SHIPS & MONITORS

MISSISSIPPI battleships (1908)

Idaho 1910

No

Name

Yard No

Builder

Laid down

Launched

Comm

Fate

BB23

Mississippi

327

Cramp, Philadelphia

12.5.1904

30.9.1905

1.2.1908

to Greece 7.1914 (Κιλκίς [Kilkis])

BB24 Idaho 328 Cramp, Philadelphia 12.5.1904 9.12.1905 1.4.1908 to Greece 7.1914 (Λήμνος [Limnos])

  

Displacement normal, t

13000

Displacement full, t

14465

Length, m

116.4

Breadth, m

23.5

Draught, m

7.52 mean

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 VTE, 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers

Power, h. p.

10000

Max speed, kts

17

Fuel, t

coal 1800

Endurance, nm(kts)

5800(10)

Armour, mm

belt: 229 - 178 (178 - 102 at ship ends), bulkheads: 178, deck: 76 - 38, barbettes: 254 - 152, main gun turrets: 305 - 203, secondary gun turrets: 165 - 152, casemates: 178 - 51, CT: 229

Armament

2 x 2 - 305/45 Mk V, 4 x 2 - 203/45 Mk VI, 8 x 1 - 178/44 Mk II, 12 x 1 - 76/50 Mk III/V/VI, 6 x 1 - 47/40 Hotchkiss Mk I / Driggs-Schroeder Mk I, 2 x 1 - 37/40 Hotchkiss heavy Mk I/II/III / Driggs-Schroeder heavy Mk I, 2 - 533 TT (beam)

Complement

744

Project history: Authorized under the Act of 3.3.1903. An attempt to reproduce the main features of the Vermont class on a displacement of 3000t less, and like most such attempts only a qualified success, the reduction in speed being particularly unfortunate. On four hours trial Idaho was slightly the faster, attaining 17.14kts at 13.093t. Originally there was no mainmast, but cage fore and mainmasts were fitted from 1909.

Ship protection: Main belt had 2.82m height (1.3m over and 1.52m under waterline). 74.4m long amidships part of belt was 229mm thick. Next 14.9m fore and aft parts of belt were 229mm at upper edge tapering to 178mm at lower edge. Ship ends were closed by 2.43m in height (0.91m over and 1.52m under waterline) 178-127mm, later 127mm and finally 102mm armour. Belt was connected with main gun barbettes by 178mm bulkheads. Upper belt between main barbettes had 178mm thickness. 38mm armoured deck over citadel had 76mm slopes and connected with lower edge of main belt. It was 76mm in flat part and had 76mm slopes at ship ends. Main gun turrets had 305mm faces, 203mm sides and rears and 64mm crowns, their barbettes had 254mm sides (190mm at inner side and 152mm between main and armour decks). Secondary gun turrets had 165mm faces, 152mm sides and rears and 51mm crowns, their barbettes had 152mm thickness (102mm at inner sides). 178mm guns were protected by 178mm casemate. CT had 229mm sides and 51mm roof.

Modernizations: 1909, both: cage mainmast was installed.

Naval service: In early 1914 Mississippi served as a seaplane base ship establishing the base at Pensacola and operating off Vera Cruz during the Mexican fighting. Both ships were sold to Greece in 1914.

Idaho 1912

Mississippi  1909

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