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Sunday 18 November 2018

American battleship USS Louisiana (BB-19) 1903-1923

Photo was published in the Dutch magazine De Prins dated 17 February 1917 page 88.


Connecticut-class consisting Connecticut, Louisiana, Kansas, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Vermont, preceded by the Virginia-class and succeeded by the Mississippi-class. Laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding Company on 7 February 1903, launched on 27 August 1904, commissioned on 2 June 1906, reserved and training ship for midshipmen and naval militia after 24 September 1915, training ship for gunners and engine room personnel since 6 April 1917, decommissioned on 20 October 1920 and sold on 1 November 1923 to be broken up.

General technical specifications of this class. Displacement 16.000 (design)-17.949 (full load) tons and as dimensions 140 (waterline)-139,09 (overall) x 23,42 x 7,47 metres or 450’-456’4” x 76’10” x 24’6”. The machinery consisted of 2 shaft triple expansion steam engines and 12 coal fired Babcock&Wilcox boilers supplying 16,500 ihp allowing a speed of 18 knots. Coal bunker capacity 910 (normal)-2.444 (maximum) tons allowing a range of 7.590  nautical miles with a speed of 10 knots. The crew numbered 827 men. The armour consisted of a 15,2cm/6”-27,9cm/11” thick belt, with the barbettes main gun turrets, secondary gun turrets and conning tower protected by respectively 15,2cm/6”-25,4cm/10”, 20,3cm/8”-30,5cm/12”, 17,8cm/7” and 22,9cm/9”. The armour consisted of 2x2-30.5cm/12” /45cal Mark 5 guns (fore and aft), 8-20,3cm/8” /45 cal guns, 12-17,8cm/7” /45 cal guns, 20-7,6cm/3”/50 cal guns, 12-3pd guns, 4-1pd guns and 4-53cm,/21” submerged torpedo tubes (broadsides), for which 16 torpedoes were carried.