The planned American battleships according to the Dutch magazine Marineblad dated 1914-1915 no.5

USS New Mexico. Original postcard Chocolate La Estrella

An item reported that the 3 battleships numbered 40-42 on the American building program for that year were to be named California (1), Idaho (2) and Mississippi (3). With a displacement of 32.500 ton and as dimensions 190,19 x 29,68 x 9,14 metres The armament consisted of 12-35,cm guns, 22-12,7cm guns and 4 submerged torpedo tubes. The oil-fired turbines allowed a speed of 21 miles. There was deliberately chosen for this speed while other already completed battleships had a similar speed and not to weaken armament, armour and so on needed if the speed was to be increased. A heavier calibre of 40,6cm was considered not to be needed and there were doubts if this heavy calibre could be used for triple turrets. The ram bow was replaced by a clipper bow due to her heavy weight and she was not needed regarded that ships fought in a battle on larger distance and no longer on very short distance when ramming was possible. Their crews numbered 1.056 men.

Notes

1. The BB-40 was the New Mexico, the USS California was the BB-44 of the Tennessee-class. Nicknamed “The Queen’. Ordered in 1914 was she laid down at the New York Navy Yard on 14 October 1915, launched on 13 April two years later while christened by Miss Margaret Cabeza De Baca and a year later on 20 May 1918, at Philadelphia between March 1931-January extensively modernized, decommissioned on 19 June 1946 was she on 25 February of the next year stricken. Her scrapping started on 24 November and was July 1948 finished. With a clipper bow. Of the New Mexico-class with as sister ships the Idaho and the Mississippi, which succeeded the Pennsylvania-class and which was at her turn succeeded by the Tennessee-class. The reason that the New Mexico-class was nothing more than an improved design of her predecessor instead of a complete new for a 12-140,5cm battleships was lacking enough budget which was denied by Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels.

2. BB-42. Part of the New Mexico-class consisting of the New Mexico, Mississippi and Idaho, preceded by the Pennsylvania-class and succeeded by the Tennessee-class, laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation on 20 January 1915, launched on 30 June 1917, commissioned on 24 March 1919, decommissioned on 3 July 1946 and sold to be broken up on 24 November 1947.

3. BB-41. Part of the New Mexico-class consisting of the New Mexico, Mississippi and Idaho, preceded by the Pennsylvania-class and succeeded by the Tennessee-class, laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation on 5 April 1915, launched on 25 January 1917, commissioned on 18 December 1917, stricken on 30 July 1956, decommissioned on 17 September 1956 and broken up in 1957.