American battleship USS West Virginia 1916-1959

Tennessee-class

Colorado-class

South Dakota-class

North Carolina-class

Building ordered on 5 December 1916, laid down by Newport New Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, USA on 12 April 1920, launched by Alice Wright Mann on 19 November 1921, commissioned on 1 December 1923, damaged during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1942, decommissioned on 9 January 1947, stricken on 1 March 1959 and sold to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation of New York City to be broken up on 24 August 1959 which was executed at the Todd Shipyards. Nicknamed Wee Vee.

Of the Colorado-class consisting of the Colorado, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington preceded by the Tennessee-class and succeeded by the South Dakota and North Carolina-classes. General technical specifications of this class. Displacement 32.600 long tons and as dimensions 190,27 x 29,67 x 12 metres or 624.3 x 97.4 x 38 feet. Turbo-electric transmission consisting of 4-5,424kW electric motors driven by 2-2 phase turbo generators and 8 oil-fired Babcock&Wilcox water tube boilers supplying via 4 screw shafts totally 28.900 ehp allowing a speed of 21 knots. With the maximum oil bunker capacity of 4.570 tons was the range 8.000 nautical miles with a speed of 10 knots. Crew numbered 1.080 men. The armour consisted of a 20,3-34,3cm/8-13.5” thick belt, 8,9cm/3.5” thick decks with the barbettes, gun turrets and conning tower protected by respectively 33cm/13”, 12,7cm/5” (top)-22,9cm/9” (rear)-22,9/25,4cm or 9-10” (sides)-45,7cm/18” (front) and 292cm/11.5”. Original armament consisted of 4x2-41cm/16” 45 Mark 5 guns, 12/14-12,7cm/5” /51 guns, 4-7,6cm/3” guns, 2-21” torpedo tubes deck mounted; later increased with anti aircraft guns. The Colorado-class battleships were the last battleships built for the US Navy with 4 gun turrets.