Pennsylvania-class
Design dated 8 October 1913
In the design stage of the battleship USS New Mexico (1) to be built under the Fiscal Year 1915 were 5 preliminary designs drawn which were on 10 October 1913 presented to the Executive Committee of the Navy’s General Board.
Dimensions 650 (water line) x 95.5 (outside of plating) x 30.0 (mean) feet and a displacement of 35.500 tons. Block coefficient 0.667, Longitudinal coefficient 0,681. Midship section coefficient 0.980. Armament 5x2-16” breech loading guns, 22-5” quick firing guns and 4 submerged torpedo tubes. The turbine machinery and 12 boilers (divided over 3 rooms) supplied 38.000 ihp allowing a speed of 21 knots and with a speed of 10 knots a range of 8.000 nautical miles.
The armour consisted of a main side belt amidships extreme width 17’4 5/8”25.5’, depth below waterline 8.6’ and a thickness of 13½”, 8-13½”, barbettes 4½” (light)-13” (heavy part), turrets 5” (roof)-9” rear)-9/10” (sides)-18” (port), conning tower proper 16”, fire control 16”, conning tower tube 6 (light)-16” (heavy), uptake protection 13”, protective deck total 120# and splinter deck total thickness 80# and 60#.
Source
The so-called Spring Styles Book 1 (March 1911-September 1925). Naval History and Heritage Command. Lot S-584-31A. Preliminary designs prepared by mostly civilians working at the Bureau of Construction and Repair (succeeded by the Bureau of Ships nowadays the Naval Sea Systems Command) under supervision of naval architects of the Navy Construction Corps. A major part of the drawings was presented to the General Board which advices the Secretary of the Navy.
Note
1. 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 f was lacking enough budget which was denied by Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels.
