(Part of my upcoming Southern Victory-inspired AU which will be posted shortly and should answer any inevitable questions about the background)
The two-ship
Maine-class fast battleships were the first battleships built by the United States Navy since the
Oregon-class in 1916. While the Socialist administration initially opposed construction of more battleships, the USS
Maine and
West Virginia were authorized in response to rapid Confederate militarization.
USS
Maine (BB-48) was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet throughout the entire Second Great War, where she served much of her time protecting convoy lines and engaging Entente fleets during the Battle of the North Atlantic. After the American recapture of Bermuda, the
Maine took part in an attack on a joint Anglo-French fleet where a shell from her 16-inch guns scored a direct hit on the French battleship
Jean Bart, penetrating the upper deck and triggering a magazine detonation. By the end of the war,
Maine was involved in patrols along the CS coast, including the bombardment of Morehead City, North Carolina in 1944. She later served during the Second Pacific War from 1948 to 1950, guarding carriers and performing shore bombardment operations.
Maine-class specifications:
Laid down 1938, launched 1940
Length: 697' (overall), 684.5' (waterline)
Beam: 112'
Draft: 36'
Displacement: 42,131 t (standard)
Speed: Up to 28 kts
Armor:
- 12" belt
- 6" deck
- 15" conning tower
Armament:
- 9x 16"/45 Mk 6
- 16x 5"/38 Mk 12
- 12x 40mm Mk 2
- Various 20mm and smaller
Aircraft: 2
Basically an amalgamation of sorts between the North Carolina and South Dakota classes