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Friday 13 October 2017

New design gun turrets for American battleships USS Alabama, Wisconsin and Illinois according to the Dutch magazine Marineblad dated 1897-1898 No. 6


An item reported that the US navy department accepted steel made turrets of a new type to be used on board of the battleships Alabama (1), Wisconsin (2) and Illinois.(3) The turrets were designed by naval engineer Dashiell (4) and in which 32,5cm guns were to be mounted. The turret sides consisted of vertical plates and fore and aft by sloping plates under an angle of 42 degrees. The thickness of the plates was 35cm/13.7”. With such an angle it was considered impossible that any shell would penetrate the plate while the vertical plates could resist incoming 30cm shells fired over a distance of 2.000 yards. One of the main advantages of the sloping plates was that shells would bounce.

Notes
1. BB-8. Part of the Illinois-class consisting of the Illinois, Alabama and Wisconsin. Preceded by the Kearsage-class and succeeded by the Maine-class. Laid down by William Cramp&Sons, Philadelphia, USA on 1 December 1896, launched on 18 May 1898, commissioned on 16 October 1900, extensively modernized 17 August 1909-begin 1912, decommissioned on 7 May 1920, handed over to the War Department on 15 September 1921, sunk while used by the Army Air Service on 27 September 1921 and sold to be broken up on 19 March 1924. The main armament consisted of 2x2-33cm/13” .35 cal guns.
2. BB-9. Part of the Illinois-class consisting of the Illinois, Alabama and Wisconsin. Preceded by the Kearsage-class and succeeded by the Maine-class. Laid down by Union Iron Works on 9 February 1897, launched on 26 November 1898, commissioned on 4 February 1901, intensively modernized 1906-1908, training ship since1912, decommissioned on 15 May 1920, stricken on 1 July 1921 and sold to be broken up. In January 1922. The main armament consisted of 2x2-33cm/13” .35 cal guns.
3. BB-7. Part of the Illinois-class consisting of the Illinois, Alabama and Wisconsin. Preceded by the Kearsage-class and succeeded by the Maine-class. Laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News, Virginia, USA on 10 February 1897, launched by Miss Nancy Leiter on 4 October 1898, commissioned on 16 September 1901, training ship since 1912, lent to the State of New York on behalf of th New York States Militia in 1919, decommissioned on 15 May 1920, converted into a floating armoury in 1924, renamed Prairie State and reclassified as IX-15 on 8 January 1941, barracks ship after Second World War, stricken on 26 March 1956 and sold to the Bethlehem Steel Company be broken up on 18 May 1955. The main armament consisted of 2x2-33cm/13” .35 cal guns.
4. Robert Brooke Dashiell (26 July 1860 Woodville, Virginia, USA-8 March 1899 Washington, D.C. USA), assistance naval constructor since 7 February 1895.