UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

Ship project history: Two battleships of 1916 program (future Tennessee and California) were planed as repetition of "1915 battleships" (ВВ40-ВВ42). Already after delivery of the order for a building (October, 1915) their project received a number of changes. In December, 1915 the decision to equip they with turbo-electric machinery was accepted, and in next February it have approved fitting of new four-layer underwater protection (5.3m depth, by calculations, it should maintain explosion of a torpedo with a charge of 181kg TNT). Thus plates of the main belt were not mounted on a shelf, and fastened on a hull that freed more places for underwater protection. The number of 127/51mm secondary guns was shrank to 14. At the expense of abandoning from an arrangement of such guns in ship ends, hull sides in forecastle area and a poop became smooth, without characteristic for Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Mexico classes ruptures of casemates. Final project was ready only in March, 1916.

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 152mm roof. Funnel uptakes were protected by 229mm armour. Underwater protection was 5.3m deep.

Modernizations: 1922, both: - 2 x 1 - 127/51; + 4 x 1 - 76/50 Mk 10/17/18/20/21

1924, both: + 1 catapult, 1 seaplane (MO, UO, VE)

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

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

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

3/1942, Tennessee: - 4 x 1 - 76/50; + 4 x 4 - 28/75 Mk 1, 16 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, SC, FC (Mk 3) radars

6/1942, Tennessee; + 2 x 4 - 28/75 Mk 1

(9/1942 - 5/1943, Puget Sound NYd) Tennessee, (6/1942 - 1/1944, Puget Sound NYd) California were modernized as follows:

Ship protection after modernization: 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. 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 178mm 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 8.0m deep.

Modernizations: 1945, Tennessee: - Mk 8 radar; + Mk 13 radar

1945, California: - 52 x 1 - 20/70, Mk 8 radar; + 40 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, Mk 13 radar

Naval service: Tennessee during raid of Japanese carrier aircraft to Pearl Harbour 7/12/1941 was damaged by two bombs and a fire, repair lasted till March, 1942; 12/4/1945 she was badly damaged by kamikaze, repair lasted 1 month. California during raid of Japanese carrier aircraft to Pearl Harbour 7/12/1941 has received hits of two torpedoes and several bombs and ran aground. She was salvaged 26/3/1942 and was under repair and modernizing till January, 1944; 6/1/1945 she was damaged by kamikaze and repaired till May, 1945.