American battleship USS Indiana (BB-1) 1890-1924

Indiana-class

USS Iowa

Indiana-class consisting of the Oregon, Massachusetts and Indiana, preceded by the Maine and Texas and succeeded by the Iowa. The first American battleships which were comparable by the ones built for European navies although still for coastal defence tasks with a freeboard such low that it was dangerous to act on the open oceans.

Building ordered on 30 June 1890, laid down at William Cramp&Sons Ship&Engine Building Corporation, Philadelphia, USA on 7 May 1891, launched by Jessie Miller on 28 February 1893, commissioned on 20 November 1895, decommissioned on 24 December 1903, modernized including improving balance and traversing of main gun turrets, decommissioned on 9 January 1906, recommissioned on 24 May 1917, served as a gunnery training ship decommissioned on 31 January 1919, renamed coast battleship Number 1 on 29 March 1919, sunk while used as target in shallow waters in the Chesapeake Bay for aircrafts dropping dummy bombs on 1 November 1920 and sold to be broken up on 19 March 1924. In 1913 there seems to be plans have existed to use her as a target but which was not executed.

Displacement 10.453 (standard) tons and as dimensions 109 (waterline)-106,96 (over all) x 21,11 (waterline) x 8,2 metres or 350.11-358 x 69.3 x 27 feet. The machinery consisted of 2 sets vertical inverted triple expansion reciprocating steam engines and 4 originally 4 double-ended Scotch boilers (replaced between 1903-1906 ny 8 Babcock&Wilcox boilers) delivering 9.000 ihp (design) allowing a speed of 15 knots (design). The crew numbered 473 men (included 32 officers). The Harvey and nickel steel made armour consisted of a 10,2/4”-45,7cm/18” thick belt, with the main gun turrets, main barbettes, secondary gun turrets, secondary barbettes and conning tower protected by respectively 38,1cm/15”, 43,2cm/17”, 12,7cm/5”-20,3cm/8”, 20,3cm/8” and 22,9cm/9”. The main belt was in most circumstances insufficient while it was too low situated. The armament consisted of 2x2-33cm/13” /35 cal guns, 4x2-20,3cm/8” 35 cal guns, 4x1-15,2cm/6” /40 cal guns, 205,7cm/2.2”/6pd guns, 6-3,7cm/1.5”/1pd guns and 6-45,7cm/18” Whitehead torpedo tubes. In 1908 were the 4-6” guns and the main part of the smaller calibre guns removed, which became necessary to compensate the counterweights used for a better balance of the main gun turrets. Further more were problems with the ammunition supply. In 1909 was she fitted out with 12-7,6cm/3” /50 cal guns and a cage mast.