UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

Ship project history: By General Board plans, battleships of 1917 program had to receive new 406mm guns instead of 356mm. They had time even to prepare the project of such ship (35000t displacement, 10 406/45mm guns), however in June, 1916 the Secretary of Navy has ordered to build ВВ45-ВВ48 just like the ships of the previous program (Tennessee class), but designers received possibility to be defined with main artillery choice. The matter is that even at designing of the ships of the program of 1915 it was considered possibility of replacement of triple 356mm turrets by twin 406mm. They were finally defined with main guns in August, 1916, when Bureau of Construction has approved replacement of 356mm guns by 406mm.

Building of ВВ47 has been cancelled under the terms of Washington Treaty.

Ship protection: 125m belt had 5.2m height and was 343mm thick at upper 3.2m part tapering to 203mm at lower edge. Belt was connected with end barbettes by 343mm bulkheads. There was 2.6m in height 203mm belt at 18.3m length aft from aft bulkhead, protecting steering gear, it was closed aft by 343mm bulkhead. Flat main armour deck was connected with upper edge of belt and was 89mm over citadel. One level lower was flat 38mm splinter deck. This deck was 159mm thick with 159mm slopes aft from citadel, protecting steering gear and closed by 203mm bulkhead. TT were protected by 127mm deck at level of lower edge of main belt. Main gun turrets had 457mm faces, 254mm sides, 229mm rears and 127mm crowns. Barbettes were 320mm over and 102-114mm under main deck. CT had 406mm sides and 203mm roof. Funnel uptakes were protected by 229mm armour. Underwater protection was 5.3m deep.

Modernizations: 1922, Maryland: - 2 x 1 - 127/51; + 4 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 10/17/18/20/21, 1 catapult, 1 seaplane (MO, VE, UO)

1925 - 1926, Colorado, West Virginia: + 1 catapult, 1 seaplane (MO, UO, VE, OL)

late 1920s, all: + 1 catapult (second), 2 seaplanes

1928 - 1929, all: - 8 x 1 - 76/50; + 8 x 1 - 127/25 Mk 10, 8 x 1 - 12.7/90

7/1941, West Virginia: - 2 x 1 - 127/51; + 4 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 10/17/18/20/21

(6/1941 - 1/1942, Puget Sound NYd) Colorado, (1941 - 12/1941, Puget Sound NYd) Maryland, (6/1942 - 9/1944, Puget Sound NYd) West Virginia were modernized as follows:

Ship protection after modernization (Colorado, Maryland): 125m belt had 5.2m height and was 343mm thick at upper 3.2m part tapering to 203mm at lower edge. Belt was connected with end barbettes by 343mm bulkheads. There was 2.6m in height 203mm belt at 18.3m length aft from aft bulkhead, protecting steering gear, it was closed aft by 343mm bulkhead. Flat main armour deck was connected with upper edge of belt and was 89mm over citadel. One level lower was flat 38mm splinter deck. This deck was 159mm thick with 159mm slopes aft from citadel, protecting steering gear and closed by 203mm bulkhead. Ex-TT room were protected by 127mm deck at level of lower edge of main belt. There was additional 38mm deck over turbines, laid one level upper from main deck. Main gun turrets had 457mm faces, 254mm sides, 229mm rears and 127mm crowns. Barbettes were 320mm over and 102-114mm under main deck. CT had 406mm sides and 203mm roof. Funnel uptakes were protected by 229mm armour. Underwater protection was 8.0m deep.

Ship protection after modernization (West Virginia): 125m belt had 5.2m height and was 343mm thick at upper 3.2m part tapering to 203mm at lower edge. Belt was connected with end barbettes by 343mm bulkheads. There was 2.6m in height 203mm belt at 18.3m length aft from aft bulkhead, protecting steering gear, it was closed aft by 343mm bulkhead. Flat main armour deck was connected with upper edge of belt and was 140mm over citadel, increasing up to 165mm over magazines. One level lower was flat 38mm splinter deck. This deck was 159mm thick with 159mm slopes aft from citadel, protecting steering gear and closed by 203mm bulkhead. Ex-TT room were protected by 127mm deck at level of lower edge of main belt. Main gun turrets had 457mm faces, 254mm sides, 229mm rears and 184mm crowns. Barbettes were 320mm over and 102-114mm under main deck. CT had 127mm sides. Funnel uptakes were protected by 229mm armour. Underwater protection was 9.0m deep.

Modernizations: 2/1942, Maryland: + 16 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, SC radar

early 1942, Colorado, Maryland: - 1 catapult

11/1942, Colorado: + 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

2/1943, Maryland: + 2 x 4 - 28/75 Mk 1, 32 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

11/1943, Colorado: - 2 x 1 - 127/51, 4 x 4 - 28/75, 8 x 1 - 12.7/90; + 6 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 4 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors, 20 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

11/1943, Maryland: - 2 x 1 - 127/51, 6 x 4 - 28/75, 8 x 1 - 20/70, 10 x 1 - 12.7/90; + 6 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 4 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors

spring 1944, Colorado: - 2 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors, 7 x 1 - 20/70, Mk 3 radar; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 1 x 4 - 20/70 Oerlikon, Mk 8 radar

spring 1944, Maryland: - 2 x 2 - 40/56, 4 x 1 - 20/70, Mk 3 radar; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 1 x 4 - 20/70 Oerlikon, Mk 8 radar

10/1944, Colorado: - Mk 8 radar; + 8 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, Mk 13 radar

summer 1945, Maryland: - 8 x 1 - 127/51, 8 x 1 - 127/25, 34 x 1 - 20/70, Mk 8 radar; + 8 x 2 - 127/38 Mk 12, 4 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 19 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, Mk 13 radar

1945, West Virginia: - Mk 8 radar; + 1 x 4 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, Mk 13 radar

Naval service: Maryland 7/12/1941 during raid of Japanese carrier aircraft to Pearl Harbour was damaged by hits of two bombs and repaired till February, 1942; 22/6/1944 she was damaged by Japanese air torpedo and repaired till August, 1944; 29/11/1944 she was again damaged by kamikaze and repaired till March, 1945; she was second time badly damaged by kamikaze 7/4/1945 and repaired till August, 1945. West Virginia 7/12/1941 during raid of Japanese carrier aircraft to Pearl Harbour has received hits of 6-7 torpedoes and 2 bombs and sunk. She was salvaged in May, 1942 and put on repair and modernization, finished in July, 1944. Colorado was damaged 24/7/1944 by Japanese coast battery (22 hits) and repaired till October, 1944.