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fighting ships of the world

UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

CRUISERS

TENNESSEE armoured cruisers (1906-1908)

Tennessee 1906

Montana 1917

No Name Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comm Fate
ACR10 Tennessee, 5.1916- Memphis 322 Cramp, Philadelphia 20.6.1903 3.12.1904 17.7.1906 wrecked 29.8.1916
ACR11, 7.1920- CA11 Washington, 11.1916- Seattle 14 New York SB, Camden 23.9.1903 18.3.1905 7.8.1906 miscellaneous auxiliary 7.1931
ACR12, 7.1920- CA12 North Carolina, 6.1920- Charlotte 57 Newport News 21.3.1905 6.10.1906 7.5.1908 stricken 7.1930
ACR13, 7.1920- CA13 Montana, 6.1920- Missoula 58 Newport News 29.4.1905 15.12.1906 21.7.1908 stricken 7.1930
  

Displacement normal, t

14500

Displacement full, t

ACR10, 11: 15715

ACR12, 13: 15981

Length, m

153.8

Breadth, m

22.2

Draught, m

7.62 mean

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 VTE, 16 Babcock & Wilcox boilers

Power, h. p.

23000

Max speed, kts

22

Fuel, t

ACR10: coal 1975

ACR11: coal 1939

ACR12, 13: coal 1950

Endurance, nm(kts) 6500(10)
Armour, mm

ACR10, 11: Krupp and Harvey steel - belt: 127 (76 at ship ends), deck: 102 - 38, barbettes: 178 - 102, turrets: 229 - 127, casemates: 127, CT: 229

ACR12, 13: Krupp and Harvey steel - belt: 127 (76 at ship ends), deck: 102 - 38, barbettes: 203 - 102, turrets: 229 - 127, casemates: 127, CT: 229

Armament

ACR10, 11: 2 x 2 - 254/40 Mk III, 16 x 1 - 152/49 Mk VI/VIII, 22 x 1 - 76/50 Mk III/V/VI, 12 x 1 - 47/40-45 Driggs-Schroeder Mk I/II, 2 x 1 - 37/40 Driggs-Schroeder heavy Mk I, 4 - 533 TT (beam)

ACR12, 13: 2 x 2 - 254/40 Mk III, 16 x 1 - 152/49 Mk VI/VIII, 22 x 1 - 76/50 Mk III/V/VI, 12 x 1 - 47/40-45 Driggs-Schroeder Mk I/II, 4 x 1 - 37/40 Driggs-Schroeder heavy Mk I, 4 - 533 TT (beam)

Complement

856 - 914

Project history: Authorized under the Acts of 1.7.1902 (first two) and 27.4.1904 (second two). This class was a considerable improvement on previous US armoured cruisers. Of the 152mm guns 12 were on the main deck in two six-gun batteries separated by 6 76mm, and four in upper deck casemates, while of the 22 76mm, 12 were on the main deck and ten on the upper. Considerable use was made of electrical auxiliary machinery, the output of the dynamos being 600kW, 100kW more than in the Pennsylvania class.

Ship protection: Main belt thickness was 127mm. Armoured deck over citadel was 38mm behind the belt at flat part and connected with lower belt edge by 102mm slopes. This deck was 76mm with 102mm slopes at ship ends. Barbette bases connected with armour deck and were 102mm at lower edge. Upper part of barbettes was 178 or 203mm thick. Turrets had 229mm faces, 178mm sides, 127mm rears and 64mm crowns. Secondary guns were protected by 127mm casemates.

Modernizations: 1911, all: new cage foremasts were installed

1914 - 1919, all surived: - 12 x 1 - 152/49 (may be temporarily), 10 x 1 - 76/50; + 2 x 1 - 76/52 Mk X

1915, North Carolina (temporarily), 1917, Seattle (temporarily): + 1 catapult, 4 airplanes

Naval service:  In 1916-1920 they were renamed to "exempt" names for built battleships. Missoula and Charlotte were both finally decommissioned in 1921, while Seattle was administrative flagship of the US fleet 1923-1927 and then receiving ship at New York until 1941 when she was re-classified as IX39 in February, 1941 and stricken in 1946. Memphis was struck by a 30m high tsunami: a fate not known to have happened to any other ship of her size, in the roadstead of Santo Domingo and was driven ashore, a total wreck.

Seattle 1924

© Ivan Gogin, 2014