Shipbucket

Very nice work! Question: When did the War of the Americas occur?

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

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As far I have understood, there is a "Cold War" between South and North which becomes "warm" from time to time. He has already mention one or two Wars of The Americas, not remember exactly.

Greetings!

In this timeline there are two major conflicts between the United States and the Confederacy with significant naval action:

Western Pacific War: 1906-1908

War of the Americas: 1923-1927

Hope that helps clear things up history-wise.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Yes, it does...thanks!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

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North Dakota class (US):




The successors to the Rhode Island class were designed before the total impact of HMS Dreadnought had been widely realized and thus were considered pre-dreadnoughts (and functionally obsolete) once commissioned. Nevertheless, they were powerful vessels which served as the basis for the controversial Oregon class which followed.
The new ships did feature several refinements. A new hull with raised forecastle greatly improved sea-keeping and stability – although the hull-mounted casemates continued to have problems with wash-out in heavy seas (many later refits of US ships would see the casemate guns raised a deck level to combat this issue). New superstructures with tripod masts fore and aft were fitted and some of the 3” anti-torpedo boat armament was fitted in unarmored casemates for the first time. Arguably the most significant refinement was the fitting of steam turbines in the last member of the class. A new company – Avondale Engineering (who would later diversify into aircraft and automobiles) – had developed a series of steam turbines based on contemporary British Parsons designs and were already supplying them to the US Navy – the first application of which was in the Duvall class of destroyers in 1905. The third ship of the new class differed from her sisters as a result – having three funnels and a re-designed boat deck – but was otherwise very similar. Three ships were authorized in 1904, USS North Dakota (BB-19), USS Iowa (BB-20), and their half-sister, USS Montana (BB-21). They were all laid down in 1905 with the first two commissioned in 1908 while construction on the turbine-equipped Montana proceeded slower and she commissioned in 1909.

The North Dakota class was 458 feet long overall, with a 74 foot beam and a nominal draft of 25 feet. North Dakota and Iowa displaced 19,125 tons normal and 20,970 tons full load while Montana’s new engines were lighter than the reciprocating engines of her half-sisters and thus she was lighter at 18,305 tons normal and 20,610 tons full load. All were armed with four 12”/45 Mk.6’s in twin turrets fore and aft, a secondary battery of eight 10”/45 Mk.5’s in four twin turrets amidships, a tertiary battery of sixteen 6”/45 Mk.7 quick-firing guns in hull-mounted casemates and an anti-torpedo boat battery of twelve 3”/45 Mk.2’s in eight deck-mounts and four casemates in the superstructure. Four submerged 18” torpedo tubes firing to port and starboard rounded out the weapons suite. North Dakota and Iowa were powered by two four-cylinder triple-expansion engines rated at 20,690 total horsepower and had a rated speed of 19 knots while Montana used Avondale direct-drive turbines rated at 24,350 shaft horsepower – with a 20 knots maximum design speed. Range was 8,000 nautical miles for the first two ships while Montana’s more efficient propulsion allowed a range of 9,000 nautical miles. The armor scheme for all three ships was identical to the preceding Rhode Island class. Crew complement varied from 904-908.

Commissioned after the Western Pacific War, the North Dakota’s would serve instead in the peacetime fleet – often on foreign station as well as on neutrality patrols during the Great War (1914-1919) in Europe. Refit with oil-fired boilers during 1921-22, the trio were assigned to the Pacific Fleet shortly before the outbreak of the War of the Americas. USS Iowa was in San Diego harbor when the Confederacy launched its devastating air attack against the base. Hit by one, possibly two armor-piercing bombs, her aft 12” magazine exploded, touching off the after 10” magazines as well destroying the ship with a heavy loss of life. Her remains were broken up on site after the conflict ended. Her sister-ships would see considerable action during the war, however, and were usually found on shore bombardment or blockade duty.
After the war ended in September of 1927, they again joined the peacetime Navy, albeit briefly, before being retired. North Dakota went to the breakers in late 1928, while Montana was purchased the same year by the state of Washington as a museum ship and moored permanently at the Puget Sound Naval Yard in Bremerton beginning in 1931.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Awesome!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

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Oregon class (US):


Easily the most controversial battleship design of the early US dreadnought era, the Oregon class ultimately came to be because (or perhaps more accurately – in spite of) a contentious compromise between the head of BuC&R Richard Tallmadge and the new Secretary of the Navy Harrison Reed. Reed, who succeeded Theodore Roosevelt when the latter became president in 1902, was a traditionalist who’d failed to grasp the significance of the “All Big-Gun” battleships being built in Europe and had even fought the adoption of steam turbines in US ships – preferring the tested technology of reciprocating engines. Chief Tallmadge, meanwhile, was an intelligent and progressive designer who had pushed for true dreadnoughts for several years. The heated discussions between the two would drag out the design period for the new class nearly a year before President Roosevelt himself intervened – forcing the compromise. However, the former Navy Secretary’s progressive mindset also recognized the need for the US to field her own dreadnoughts – particularly in view of the Confederacy already building such vessels – and fired Reed shortly thereafter – giving Tallmadge full control over the next class of battleships.
Meanwhile, the Oregon class had been authorized in 1906 and both ships been laid down by the end of 1907. They were USS Oregon (BB-22) and USS Colorado (BB-23). They were launched two years later and were in commission by the end of 1910.

The Oregon class was 480 feet long overall with a 78 foot beam and a nominal draft of 26 feet and displaced 20,500 tons normal and 22,820 tons full load. They were armed with the traditional main battery of four 12”/45 Mk.6’s in two twin turrets, a heavy secondary battery of twelve 10”/45 Mk.5’s in six twin turrets amidships, a reduced tertiary battery of twelve 6”/45 Mk.7 guns in hull-mounted casemates, fourteen 3”/45 Mk.2’s, and four submerged 18” torpedo tubes. The only triple-shaft battleships ever built for the US Navy, the Oregon’s were powered by two 10,650 horsepower high-pressure turbines on the outboard shafts exhausting into a 9,280 horsepower low-pressure turbine on the center shaft. Top speed was 21 knots and range was 9,000 nautical miles. Armor comprised a 12” belt tapering to 8” at bow and stern, a 3” armored deck, 14” main turrets with 12” barbettes, 10” secondary turrets and barbettes, 6” casemates, and a 10” conning tower. Crew complement was 985.

Immediately classified as semi-dreadnoughts by naval publications such as Jane’s Fighting Ships and Combat Fleets of the World, the new ships were nevertheless the most powerful in the US Navy, and yet only a few months later were completely out-classed by the CSN’s new Georgia class dreadnoughts. And although well-designed and built, were never popular with their crews for their perceived shortcomings.
Serving mostly in the Pacific, the new ships led uneventful lives through the Teens’ and early Twenties – being refit with oil-fired boilers like most of their contemporaries in 1921-22. Still considered front-line ships when the War of the Americas broke out a year later, the Oregon’s were assigned to the Third Battleship Squadron for the duration of the conflict – seeing little direct action. In 1927, only a few months before the end of the war, both ships were placed on limited commission, Oregon briefly serving as a training ship, while the USN looked for a potential buyer for these “white elephants”. Several smaller navies expressed interest, but it was Peru that stepped up to purchase the pair in the spring of 1930. Rechristened as Almirante Grau (ex-Oregon) and Capitan Quinones (ex-Colorado), these ships were the most powerful in the Peruvian Navy for the next few years and despite their compromised design gave adequate service until they were retired in the early 1940's.

Next up: The last US armored cruisers.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Can't wait to see more Confederate battleships!

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Sacramento Class (US):


The successors to the Hartford class of armored cruisers were the three ships of the Sacramento class and were designed from the keel up to reflect BurC&R’s new direction under the leadership of Richard Tallmadge. They also started the pattern of US armored (and later battle) cruisers “partnered” with a battleship class – in this case the Vermont class pre-dreadnoughts with which the new ships shared many design features. Three were authorized in 1900, USS Sacramento (ACR-11), USS Boston (ACR-12), and USS Lincoln (ACR-13). They were all laid down in 1901, were launched in 1903 and commissioned during 1904.

The Sacramento class was 418 feet long overall, with a 65 foot beam and a nominal draft of 23 feet. They displaced 13,125 tons normal and 14,030 tons full load. They were armed with four 10”/45 Mk.6 guns in two twin turrets, eight 8”/45 Mk.4’s in four twin turrets amidships, a tertiary battery of fourteen 6”/45 Mk.7 quick-firing guns in hull-mounted casemates and were the last major US ships with a 6-pounder anti-torpedo boat battery, of which eight in open deck mounts were fitted. Three submerged 18” torpedo tubes, one to port and starboard and one aft completed the weapons suite. Three triple-expansion engines producing a combined 20,230 horsepower propelled these ships to a design speed of 20 knots, while range was increased to 7,000 nautical miles. Armor comprised a 7” belt tapering to 5” at bow and stern, a 3” armored deck, 8” main turrets with 11” barbettes, 6” secondary turrets and barbettes, 5” casemates, and a 7” conning tower – all of new Krupp type steel. Crew complement was 704.

After commissioning the new ships were initially assigned to Caribbean Station based in Hispaniola but were transferred to the Pacific Fleet with the outbreak of the Western Pacific War. Two; Sacramento and Lincoln, were sunk during the conflict. After the war ended, the surviving ship; USS Boston, served with second-line forces until she was retired and scrapped in 1922.

Olympia class (US):


The largest class of armored cruisers built for the USN, the six-ship Olympia class consisted of USS Olympia (ACR-14), USS Denver (ACR-15), USS Harrisburg (ACR-16), USS Columbus (ACR-17), USS Lansing (ACR-18), and USS Augusta (ACR-19). A modified Sacramento design, they were paired with the New Hampshire class battleships and like their predecessors, shared some design features, albeit not as many as had the Sacramento class with the Vermont’s. Authorized in late 1901, they were laid down between 1903 and 1904, were launched 1905-06, and commissioned between 1906 and 1907.

The Olympia’s were 426 feet long, with a 65 foot beam and a nominal draft of 24 feet. They displaced 14,225 tons normal and 15,145 tons full load. They were armed with four 10”/45 Mk.6’s in two twin turrets, eight 8”/45 Mk.5’s in four twin wing turrets, sixteen casemate-mounted 6”/45 Mk.7’s, eight 3”/45 Mk.1’s, and four submerged 18” torpedo tubes. The only US cruisers powered by quad expansion engines; three five-cylinder units rated at a total of 25,670 horsepower propelled these ships to a design speed of 21 knots – which was frequently exceeded in service; USS Denver recording a speed of 22.4 knots in calm seas off Hawaii in 1909. Range on 2,070 tons of coal was 7,000 nautical miles. Armor comprised a 7” belt tapering to 5” at bow and stern, 3” armored deck, 8” main turrets with 11” barbettes, 6” secondary turrets and barbettes, 5” casemates, and a 8” conning tower. Crew complement was 748.

After entering service, the new cruisers were split between the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets for most of their careers, with one, USS Harrisburg, sunk during the Western Pacific War. Modernized during 1920-21, the remaining ships were fitted with oil-fired boilers among other improvements. Serving in second-line squadrons during the War of the Americas, USS Lansing was lost to a Confederate minefield in 1926. The four surviving members of this class were all retired within a year of the end of the War in 1927 and were scrapped between 1928 and 1930.

Providence class (US):


The next class of US armored cruisers – the Providence class – was essentially larger, turbine powered versions of the Olympia class – although they did share some features of their contemporaries the North Dakota class of battleships. Deemed experimental by the conservative Secretary of the Navy Harrison Reed, only two ships of this design; USS Providence (ACR-20) and USS Charleston (ACR-21) were authorized. Laid down in 1905, both ships had commissioned by the end of 1908.

The Providence class was 468 feet long overall, with a 67 foot beam and a nominal draft of 24 feet. They displaced 15,075 tons normal and 17,000 tons full load. Their armament suite was identical to the earlier Olympia class – although more updated guns were used. A quad propeller shaft system appeared for the first time in a US heavy warship and used Avondale direct-drive steam turbines producing 30,150 shaft horsepower – allowing these ships to easily meet and slightly exceed their design speed of 22 knots. Range was increased to 8,000 nautical miles while armor protection was improved with an 8” belt, 9” main turrets, and 9” conning tower. Crew complement stood at 782.

Completed too late to see action in the Western Pacific War, the new cruisers served in the peacetime fleet and were modernized in 1920-22 with oil-fired boilers. Charleston was sunk in 1925 during the War of the Americas while convoy raiding in the Gulf of Mexico. Providence was damaged by the Confederate submarine H.XIX in early 1927 and was still under repair when the conflict ended. She served in the postwar fleet another two years before being decommissioned in the fall of 1930.

Helena (Potomac) class (US):


The “Great Experiment”; the Helena class were either the last US armored cruisers or the country’s first battlecruisers – depending on who you asked. Overlooked in the heated argument over the building of true dreadnoughts taking place between Secretary Reed and BuC&R Chief Tallmadge, the new ships were originally intended to be larger, more heavily armed versions of the Providence class, but information leaked out of Great Britain changed all that. The British Dreadnought would soon send shockwaves through the battleship community worldwide and intelligence on the next of “Jackie” Fisher’s designs – what would become the Invincible class of battlecruisers – was promising to render obsolete the armored cruiser. Tallmadge therefore set his senior designers to work on an “all big-gun” armored cruiser which would nevertheless share some design cues with the much-maligned Oregon class semi-dreadnoughts. By late 1905, and under the nose of Secretary Reed, the design was frozen and two ships had been authorized by Congress. USS Helena (ACR-22) was laid down in 1906 and her sister-ship, USS Salt Lake City (ACR-23) the following year.

The Helena class was the longest US warships built to that point; 515 feet overall, and had a 69 foot beam with a normal draft of 28 feet. They displaced 19,200 tons normal and 21,520 tons full load. Main armament consisted of twelve 10”/45 Mk.7 guns in six twin turrets; one forward, two port and two starboard wing positions, and one aft. Secondary guns were sixteen casemate mounted 6”/45 Mk.8’s with a tertiary battery of ten 3”/45 Mk.2’s in open deck mounts in the superstructure and like their predecessors, mounted four submerged 18” torpedo tubes. The Helena’s were the fastest US capital ships of their time – four direct-drive turbines producing 55,080 shaft horsepower drove these ships to a design speed of 25 knots while range increased to 9,000 nautical miles. They also proved to be very maneuverable thanks to their tandem rudders. Armor comprised an 8” belt tapering to 6” at bow and stern, a 3” armored deck, 10” main turrets with 12” barbettes, 5” casemates, and a 9” conning tower. Crew complement was 937.

Commissioned in 1909-10, the new ships were immediately compared not only to the British battlecruisers, but also Germany’s Von der Tann, then under construction. Although they carried lighter guns than either of the European ships, they had heavier armor and were just as fast as the Invicible’s and their successors; the Indefatigable class. They were considered equal to two contemporary armored cruisers and outgunned any Confederate example as they were somewhat better protected as well as faster and longer ranged. Unsurprisingly, the CSN’s Gettysburg class was a direct response to the US ships with even heavier 12” guns.
Modernized during 1919-20, the two ships were officially reclassified as battlecruisers (CB prefix) under the new classification system adopted in 1920. They were also renamed shortly thereafter to release their names for new heavy cruisers, becoming USS Potomac (CB-1, ex-Helena), and USS Constellation (CB-2, ex-Salt Lake City) under the nomenclature of naming battlecruisers after famous ships of the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 era (itself a nod to the Brandywine class of armored frigates) which began with the Ranger class of 1912.
Like all US battlecruisers, the ships were utilized during the War of the Americas primarily as heavy scouts and to run down Confederate cruisers, but not as support ships for the battle-line as they were considered too slow and lightly armed for that mission. Both survived the War and served in the peacetime fleet until mid-1931, when they were decommissioned.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Awesome!

_________________

MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB