uss north carolina battleship world of warships

The higher speed was chosen partly because of the threat from the Japanese Kongo class battlecruisers, capable of 27.5kts, and partly because the new battleships needed to operate with the faster aircraft carriers. At the last minute the Chief of Naval Operations rejected this design and proposed an alternative capable of 27kts and armed with 11 (later 12) 14in guns carried in three turrets. After this study was complete the Board approved a design for a 30kt ship armed with nine 14in guns and armoured to resist 14in shells. The General Board did acknowledge that other countries were adopting a different plan, and in 1935 it examined the fast, well-armoured and well-armed ships being built overseas (many of which came in somewhat over the 35,000ton limit). Despite this limited increase in weight the new ships were expected to carry more powerful main guns and to be better armoured.Īt first the US Navy's General Board wanted to follow the same design principles as on their earlier ships, focusing on firepower and armour at the cost of speed - the Colorado class had reached 21kts, the cancelled first South Dakota class would have made 23kts and the plan was to aim for a similar speed.

This was partly because the US Navy had a decade to think about its new battleships and partly because the 35,000 ton limit imposed by the Washington Treaty was only 2,400t above the weight of the Colorodo class ships, the last US battleships completed after the First World War. The design of the North Carolina class ships evolved over some time, and changed repeatedly.

Uss north carolina battleship world of warships