Pennsylvania-class
Design New Mexico dated 24-10-1913
Tennessee-class
The battleship USS New Mexico (1) was to be built under the Fiscal Year 1915. There were several preliminary designs drawn. This one resembled the design dated 10th October with 4x2-16” guns although with a heavier secondary armament.
Dimensions 600 (water line) x 94 (outside of plating) x 29.7’ (mean) feet and a displacement of 31.400 tons. Block coefficient 0.658, Longitudinal coefficient 0,672. Armament 4x2-16” breech loading guns, 20-6” quick firing guns and 6-21” submerged torpedo tubes. The turbine machinery supplied 36.400 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”, depth below waterline 8.7’ and a thickness of 13½”, 8-13½”, barbettes 3” (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#. Percentage of waterline protected .833.
Normal displacement of 31.400 tons: hull complete 13.459 tons, hull fittings 1.392 tons, protection 8.162 tons, steam engineering 2.462 tons, res. feed 2/3 supply 214 tons, battery 1.420 tons, ammunition &2/3 ordinance stores 1.449 tons, equipment&2/3 equipment stores and outfit&2/3 stores 1.076 tons, oil fuel 2/3 supply 1.490 tons and 286 tons margin.
Source
The so-called Spring Styles Book 1 (March 1911-September 1925). Naval History and Heritage Command. Lot S-584-36. 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 for a 12-140,5cm battleships was lacking enough budget which was denied by Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels.
