Shipbucket

New Hampshire class (US):



Commissioned between 1900 and 1901, the New Hampshire class represented a new direction for US battleship design. Beginning with this class, these ships would feature increasingly heavy secondary batteries until they were effectively semi-dreadnoughts by 1908.

The New Hampshire’s were 385 feet long overall and displaced a nominal 13,100 tons. They carried four 12”/40 Mk.3 main guns in the two twin turrets which had become the norm for capital ships of this era, but mounted a formidable secondary battery of twelve 8” guns in six twin turrets clustered amidships – more firepower than many armored cruisers – and a anti-torpedo boat armament of twelve 4” quick-firing guns in hull casemates. Armor was of the Krupp type for the first time – allowing the use of thinner armor for equivalent protection – and consisted of an 11” belt, 3” deck, 12” turrets and barbettes, 8” secondary turrets and 6” casemates.
A real improvement was in propulsion. Although a two-shaft arrangement was retained, a more hydrodynamic hull, more powerful engines and modern water-tube boilers allowed the ships to reach and in fact surpass their design speed of 16.8 knots.

Three ships of this class were built; New Hampshire, Kansas, and Maine. After entering service they served primarily in the Atlantic Fleet, and were the oldest ships in the squadron dispatched in 1915 by President Theodore Roosevelt during his third and final term to bolster the British blockade and support the French Fleet during the Continental War (1914-1916).
After the War they continued as second-line forces despite growing obsolescence. Renamed Essex (ex-New Hampshire), Congress (ex-Kansas), and Macedonian (ex-Maine) in 1912, they were first decommissioned in 1920. After the outbreak of the War of the Americas in May of 1922, however, all three were re-commissioned as heavy convoy escorts where their slow speed wasn’t as critical a factor.

All saw combat in their new role and two of the class were lost; Essex in September of 1924 when the convoy she was escorting was attacked by a powerful Confederate squadron led by the battlecruiser CSS Antietam and Congress in December of that year to the submarine E.16.

The sole survivor of this class, USS Macedonian, was retired immediately after the conflict ended in 1925, but instead of meeting the cutter’s torch, became a museum ship in 1927 – permanently moored in Boston Harbor as part of a war memorial.

Cheers!
StealthJester

Texas class (CSA):



The last Confederate capital ship class built entirely outside the CSA, the Texas class was intended to counter the increasing number of US battleships entering service with a qualitative leap forward. Larger and faster than any of their existing opponents, the new ships were nevertheless outgunned – particularly by New Hampshire and later classes – as well as less heavily armored.

The two ships of this class; Texas and Mississippi, were laid down in 1899 and commissioned in 1902. They were 394 feet long overall and displaced 12,800 tons. Their main battery consisted of four British-supplied 12”/40 Mk.IX guns mounted in two twin turrets, while the secondary battery was a mixed suite of eight Tredegar-built 7.5”/40 Mk.II’s and twelve 6”/40 Mk.IV guns mounted in casemates in the superstructure and hull, respectively. For anti-torpedo boat protection, fourteen 4.7” guns – six in hull casemates and eight in open mounts in the superstructure – were carried. Armor consisted of a 9” belt, 3” deck (average), 10” turrets, 14” barbettes, and 6” casemates.
The triple-shaft propulsion of the previous Florida class was retained. The design speed of 18.0 knots was exceeded by both ships in service; CSS Texas managing 18.8 knots during trials.

After entering service, both ships led quiet lives and were retained as second-line units even after the introduction of dreadnought-type battleships. During the War of the Americas they were initially used as harbor defense until the CSA’s deteriorating situation forced them into combat.
Texas was sunk by US forces during the Second Battle of the Caribbean in May of 1924, while Mississippi was severely damaged but managed to reach port. She was still under repair when Charleston Harbor was hit by USAAC bombers shortly before the end of the War, and was sunk at her moorings. She was scrapped on site between 1926 and 1927.

Cheers!
StealthJester

Louisiana class (CSA):



When they entered service between 1904 and 1905, the Louisiana class were the most powerful ships in the Confederate Navy, but were rendered almost immediately obsolete by the launch of the British Dreadnought – the first “all big gun” battleship. Nevertheless, they established the pattern for the following two classes.

Designed in the UK but built in Confederate shipyards, the Louisiana’s were 423 feet long overall and displaced 14,100 tons nominal. Main guns were four license-built 12”/40 Mk.IX’s in two twin turrets. The secondary battery was increased to ten 7.5”/40 Mk.II’s and reduced to eight 6”/40 Mk.IV’s verses the previous class. The number of anti-torpedo boat guns was increased to sixteen 4.7” weapons – eight in hull casemates and eight in open mounts in the superstructure. Armor was similar to the Texas class save for a heavier belt of 10” and of greater depth parallel to the citadel and a reduction of barbette armor to 12”.
Three 6,000 hp four-cylinder triple expansion engines were installed and were capable of propelling these ships for a design speed of 18.5 knots. CSS Arkansas (BB.8) reached an impressive 20.1 knots under (very) favorable conditions during trials in 1905, while speeds around 18.7 knots were more typical in active service.

After commissioning, both ships served as front-line units until sufficient dreadnoughts were available, after which they performed valuable service as second-line ships. Both were lost during the War of the Americas, Louisiana being sunk in late 1922 by the submarine USS Archerfish while on patrol off the coast of Cuba. Arkansas survived until the spring of 1924 when she sank after striking a mine.

Rhode Island class (US):



Intended as “fully realized” improvements on the New Hampshire class, the Rhode Island’s were in fact, superior in most respects to their predecessors.

These ships were larger and heavier than previous US battleships at 425 feet long overall and displacing 14,500 tons nominal. New, longer caliber guns were mounted; four 12”/45 Mk.5’s mounted in two twin turrets formed the main battery, with twelve 8”/45 Mk.6’s as secondary armament – mounted in six twin turrets with greatly improved arcs of fire. As with earlier classes, 4”/50 Mk.8’s served as anti-torpedo boat defenses, sixteen – all in hull casemates – were carried. The new ship’s armor scheme was very similar to the New Hampshire class, with thinner barbettes at 10”, and lighter casemate armor, which was reduced to 5”.
Although the twin-shaft triple expansion propulsion layout was retained, more efficient propellers, new four-cylinder engines, and an improved hull meant that the Rhode Island’s were able to reach 17 knots or better during their service lives.

Renamed Independence (ex-Rhode Island) and Brandywine (ex-Indiana) in 1912, both were dispatched with the First US Battle Squadron to Europe during the Continental War. During the chaotic Battle of the Approaches in August of 1915 USS Brandywine was caught out of position and came under fire by a German scouting group led by the battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann, and after a half hour inconclusive battle where the Brandywine managed only a few hits on her larger, more powerful opponent, managed to limp away in a fortuitous fog – becoming the only US capital ship damaged during the conflict.

After the war ended, the two ships joined other pre-dreadnoughts in second-line or training squadrons until the outbreak of the War of the Americas, where they were pressed into service as escorts for high-priority convoys or logistics squadrons. Both ships were damaged on several occasions but survived the war. The pair were kept in service only briefly in the peacetime fleet, being decommissioned in 1927 and scrapped between 1928 and 1929.

Cheers!
StealthJester

Very nice additions, I'm enjoying this series of pre-dreadnoughts.

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North Dakota class (US):



The penultimate class of US pre-dreadnought, the North Dakota’s were based on the highly successful Rhode Island class, but were larger and carried an even more powerful secondary battery.

Three ships comprised this class; North Dakota, Iowa, and Montana. They had an overall length of 445 feet and displaced 15,900 tons. In addition to their standard main battery of four 12/45 Mk.5 guns in two twin turrets, the secondary battery introduced a heavier gun – the 10”/45 Mk.4 which had only recently entered service on the Montpelier class of armored cruisers – mounted in four twin turrets at the corners of the superstructure. A tertiary battery of twelve 6”/50 Mk.6 guns were carried – eight in superstructure casemates clustered amidships and four hull mounted.
For the last time the familiar 4”/50 Mk.8 was carried as an anti-torpedo boat gun. Concerns about the effectiveness of the weapon against newer torpedo boats and torpedo boat “destroyers” would lead to more powerful guns being specified in future classes.
The ships’ armor scheme was essentially identical to the Rhode Island class, albeit more effectively laid out while propulsion was provided by two 8,400 hp triple expansion engines fed by twelve Babcock & Wilcox boilers trunked into four funnels. Top speed was 18.0 knots and maximum range a little over 6,500 nautical miles.

North Dakota and Montana commissioned in 1906, while Iowa was slightly delayed and commissioned the following year. Already obsolete following the commissioning of HMS Dreadnought, the three ships were specifically noted by BuC&R’s increasingly vocal “all big gun” faction as technological dead-ends and in turn this group would increase their lobbying for true dreadnoughts – but in the end, the conservative faction of the Bureau won out and one more class of pre-dreadnoughts would be built (see Oregon class).

Renamed Wasp (ex-North Dakota), President (ex-Iowa) and Bonhomme Richard (ex-Montana) in 1912, these ships led quiet lives both before and following their service during the Continental War. When the War of the Americas broke out in 1922, they were transferred to the Apra Harbor Naval Base in Guam to release more modern ships for duty in the Atlantic and in the Caribbean. They saw no combat as the Confederacy was forced early in the conflict to withdraw its Pacific Squadron back to home waters to strengthen their forces there.
After the war ended in 1925, all three were decommissioned and placed in reserve. In 1928, President was re-commissioned as USS Stanford (AG-9) to replace USS Harvard (ex-United States, ex-Ohio) as a gunnery training ship, in which capacity she served until 1936, when she was driven ashore on Cape Flattery, Washington, during a storm and became a total loss. Wasp and Bonhomme Richard were scrapped between 1929 and 1930.

CSS Maryland (CSA):



With the success of the Louisiana class, it was widely expected within the Confederate Navy that a two-ship follow-on class would be built to a similar, albeit improved design. However, the Confederate Congress balked at the projected costs and only authorized one ship during FY1903.
As a result, the Confederate Department of the Navy (CDN) decided to design the now one-ship class as effectively a technology demonstrator, which would incorporate the state of the art in naval architecture of the time.

CSS Maryland, which was laid down in 1904 and commissioned in 1907, was 440 feet long overall, and displaced a nominal 15,600 tons. Armament was new; four 12”/45 Mk.X’s in two twin turrets, four 9.2”/45 Mk.IV guns in new pattern single turrets and twelve 6”/45 Mk.VI’s in casemates. Sixteen recently introduced 4.7”/45 Mk.VIII’s in hull casemates and open mounts completed the weapons suite.
Armor was similar to the Louisiana class save for heavier main turret armor of 11” and another reduction in barbette armor to 11”. The arrangement of armor was significantly improved, however, particularly in using a deeper main belt.
As in previous classes, Maryland had a triple shaft propulsion system featuring oil-sprayers in the boilers for the first time. With nearly 19,000 hp available, the ship was capable of a design speed of 19.0 knots, and routinely recorded speeds of between 18.7 and 19.2 knots in service.

After entering service in 1907, Maryland became flagship of the Caribbean Squadron based in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until replaced by the dreadnought CSS Kentucky in 1917. Kept in service despite being obsolete, the ship remained in the Caribbean through the beginning of the War of the Americas in 1922.
After the outbreak of hostilities, Maryland served in second-line forces and carried out several shore-bombardment missions during 1922-23. In early 1924, the ship was hit by dive bombers off the early US carrier USS Thomas Jefferson (CV-1) in one of the first such attacks in history. Struck by at least four bombs, Maryland was severely damaged and was only saved through the Herculean efforts of her crew.

After being repaired, Maryland was bottled up in Mobile after the Confederate defeat in the Second Battle of the Caribbean shifted the initiative to the US, and did not see any further action. After the War, the ship – one the few Confederate capital ships remaining – was kept in active service until May of 1933 when this worn-out veteran was finally decommissioned. She was broken up between 1934 and 1935.

Cheers!
StealthJester

This AU is a nice sleeper hit. Many interesting design here. Keep it up!

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Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
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Yep, some good looking designs here.

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This AU thread has some very, very nice pre-Dreadnaughts, but I for myself would like to see more types of vessels, like cruisers destroyers, but the work done here is commendable. Please, do keep it up.

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Thank you Kim for the crest

"Never fear to try on something new. Remember that the Titanic was built by professionals, and the Ark by an amateur"

Oregon class (US):



Widely regarded as white elephants within the US Navy, USS Oregon and her sister USS Colorado were a direct result of the “Great Dreadnought Debate” inside BuC&R between the pro-all big gun lobby and the traditionalist faction of the Board. Although derided as “hide-bound dinosaurs” by the former, it was the latter that got these ships – originally intended as progressive refinements of the Rhode Island class – funded.
The ships that resulted from this dysfunctional environment were poorly designed in many ways. Rather than having a new hull designed from the keel up that was appropriately reinforced for the additional armament planned, the design was effectively that of the earlier class with a section inserted amidships for a third set of twin 10” turrets and magazines. Unfortunately, the design was structurally suspect from the outset and really should have been 2,000-3,000 tons heavier to accommodate the changes.

As built, the Oregon’s were 463 feet long overall and displaced 17,200 tons. In addition to the familiar 12”/45 main battery and heavy secondary battery of twelve 10”/45 Mk.4’s in six twin turrets, the ships’ also carried a reduced tertiary battery of eight casemate-mounted 6”/50’s. One of the only real improvements was in the anti-torpedo boat armament, which consisted of fourteen new 5”/50 Mk.6 guns, mounted in six hull casemates and eight open emplacements in the superstructure.
Both armor and propulsion were taken virtually unchanged from the Rhode Island class, and given the greater length and displacement of the new ships, fell short of expectations – neither reached their design speed and were hard pressed to maintain even 18.0 knots in service. Range was also lower than expected at a maximum of 5,800 nautical miles.

Oregon and Colorado commissioned in late 1908 and were renamed Vincennes and Hornet respectively in April of 1912. Unpopular with their crews for their perceived shortcomings, tellingly, neither was included in the First US Battle Squadron that was dispatched during the Continental War.
With the return of the Squadron following the ceasefire in July of 1916, the pair was prematurely decommissioned and placed in reserve. As they were still in excellent shape, it was decided to sell them rather than scrap them. After attempts to sell the ships to Greece and Yugoslavia fell through, they were finally sold to Peru in mid-1918.

Rechristened as Almirante Grau (ex-Vincennes, ex-Oregon) and Capitan Quinones (ex-Hornet, ex-Colorado), these ships were the most powerful in the Peruvian Navy despite their faults and gave adequate service until they were retired in the late 1940’s.

Next up: The last American pre-dreadnoughts.

Cheers!
StealthJester