HMS DREADNOUGHT

Over the next twenty years, the world's major naval powers built a series of classes of battleships, each subsequent class more powerful than the previous one. And while the early attempts were mere benchmarks for further improvements, it was not until the British Admiralty completed the all-big-gun HMS DREADNOUGHT in 1906 that there was a definitive example of what the battleship was to become. With her arrival, the term "dreadnought" became synonymous with the battleship type. All existing battleships and other similar major combatant types that came before were classified as pre-dreadnoughts, reflecting that their capabilities dropped them to a second class rating.

By the start of World War I the United States, Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia all had dreadnought battleships in commission, each country endeavoring to establish supremacy over the others. Two developments during the War significantly impacted future battleship design. Submarine development required naval architects to provide designs to protect against torpedo detonations and aircraft development caused them to consider antiaircraft gunnery and to provide heavier deck armor to minimize bomb damage. But a post-World War I treaty had an even more profound impact. World nations attempted to control the continuation of the naval arms races by enacting an arms reduction treaty in 1922. The Washington Naval Reduction Treaty, and the subsequent London Naval Treaty in 1936, established two basic limitations on capital ship design. Standard displacement was limited to a maximum 35,000 tons - standard displacement was the displacement of the completed ship, fully manned, equipped and ready for sea, including ammunition, provisions, fresh water for the crew, and miscellaneous stores, but not including fuel or reserve feed water for the boilers. The maximum size of the main battery guns was set at a 16-inch diameter bore. The 1922 treaty also declared a building holiday.

When the United States signed the treaty, they agreed to halt construction of thirteen new battleships and battlecruisers under construction, including battleship hull number 52 which was to be named NORTH CAROLINA. The United States also disposed of all pre-dreadnought battleships and several of the older post-dreadnought battleships.

The building holiday lasted until 1932 when, with the construction of the French battleship DUNKERQUE started, the race was on once again. Naval architects endeavored to meet the 35,000 ton displacement criteria, provide for powerful main and secondary battery armament, install armor and other means for protection against torpedoes and bombs, and still achieve a maximum speed of at least 27 knots, which was 5 knots faster than World War I-era battleships. The United States joined the race to construct the "fast" battleship.

The ten "fast" battleships built by the United States for service in World War II were split into three classes. First was the "fast" battleship prototype, NORTH CAROLINA (BB 55), and her sister, WASHINGTON (BB 56); then came SOUTH DAKOTA (BB 57) and her three sisters, INDIANA (BB 58), MASSACHUSETTS (BB 59) and ALABAMA (BB 60); and, finally, IOWA (BB 61) and her three sisters, NEW JERSEY (BB 62), MISSOURI (BB 63), and WISCONSIN (BB 64). While the armament and electronics were essentially the same among the three classes, the hull size and armor protection changed significantly. And although the type of propulsion plant was the same, the amount of horsepower increased dramatically. A thumbnail comparison of the three classes gives a clear picture of the evolution of the "fast" battleship.

While the NORTH CAROLINA and SOUTH DAKOTA Classes were full of compromises to meet treaty requirements, particularly the maximum design displacement of 35,000 tons, the IOWA Class clearly was not weight dependent. In comparing the designs of the three classes, what becomes clear from an in-depth inspection of the space arrangements of the three classes, is that many of the design elements found in the NORTH CAROLINA Class were refined and further evolved for the follow on classes to make them more efficient and to enhance their effectiveness, whether it was the side protective system or the layout and access to the machinery and repair spaces.

Had they been built, the only class of battleship that would have been superior to the IOWAs would have been the post-World War II Montana Class. Although authorized, none of the Montana Class was constructed as the post-war emphasis was transferred to the new capital ship, the aircraft carrier.

During the era of battleships, the United States authorized construction of 71 capital ships of this type. While the historical impact varies greatly among battleships, a select few now serve their Country beyond their Naval service. ARIZONA, the most visible reminder of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and MISSOURI, the ship on which the Japanese surrendered in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, are now memorialized in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Now acting as memorials in their namesake states are TEXAS in LaPorte, MASSACHUSETTS in Fall River, ALABAMA in Mobile, NEW JERSEY in Camden, and, of course, NORTH CAROLINA in Wilmington.

A complete listing of U.S. battleships can be accessed at the top of this section.