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Sunday 7 August 2016

American battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) (1912) 1913-1948

Nevada-class

Pennsylvania-class

USS Mexico

Part of the Pennsylvania-class consisting of the Pennsylvania and Arizona, preceded by the Nevada-class and succeeded by the New Mexico-class. To be built under the 1913 fiscal year was a design asked with 4x3-14” guns, 22-12,7cm/5” guns and a speed of 21 knots and a armour comparable with that of the Nevada-class. At least 10 preliminary designs were proposed of which the 7th was chosen and further worked out. Building ordered on 22 August 1912, laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News on 27 October 1913, launched on 16 March 1915, sponsored by Elizabeth Kolb, commissioned on 12 June 1916, modernized at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 1 June 1929-1931, used during Operation Crossroads nuclear bombs tests at Bikini in July 1946, towed to and decommissioned at Kwajalein Lagoon 29 August 1946, sunk off Kwajalein Atoll on 10 February 1948 and stricken on 19 February 1948.

Displacement 28.626 (standard)-32.429 (deep load) tons and as dimensions 182,9-185,3 x 29,72 (waterline x 9,9 (deep load) metres or 600-608 x 97.6 x 29.3 feet. The 4 Curtiss ungeared and Westhinghouse geared steam turbines and 12 Babcock&Wilcox (later 1 Bureau Express and 4 White-Forster boilers) water tube boilers supplied 31.500 shp via 4 screws allowing a speed of 21,38 knots and a range of 6.070 nautical miles with a speed of 12 knots. Crew numbered 915-1.358 men. The armour consisted of a 20,3-34,3cm/8-13.8” thick belt, 3,8-7,6cm/1.5-3” thick decks. 20,3-33cm/8-13” thick bulkheads and the barbettes, gun turrets and conning tower protected by 20,3-33cm/8-13”, 12,7-45,7cm/5-18” and 40m6cm/16”. The armament consisted of 4x3-35,6cm/14” /45 guns, 22012,7cm/5” /51 guns, 4-7,6cm/3” /50 anti aircraft guns and 2-53,3cm/21” torpedo tunes.