Design No. 3 of the armament proposed for the American Virginia-class battleships 1900

Maine-class. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Pre-design Virgina-class©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Virginia-class. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

USS Rhode Islands, Virginia-class. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Connecticut-class. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

The Virginia-class preceded by the Maine-class succeeded by the Connecticut-class consisted of the Virginia, Nebraska, Georgia, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Their armament consisted of 4-30.5cm/12” cal 40 guns, 8-20.3cm/8” cal 45 guns, 12-15.2cm/6” ca; 50 Mark 6 guns, 12-7.6cm/3” cal 50 guns, 12-3pd guns and 4-53.3cm/21” torpedo tubes. Displacement 15,188 (normal)-16,252 tons (full load) tons. The Bureau of Ordnance came with three alternatives for the armament of what then was called the 13,500 ton New Jersey-class with the weight of the armament based on the design of the USS Maine. This was weight armament+2/3 ammunition totally 1,100 tons or 8.8% of the trial displacement of 12,500 tons.

Main battery consisted of 4-12” guns, 6-7” guns, 8-6” guns=18 guns+2 submerged torpedo tubes.

Secondary battery consisted of 14-4 pdrs, 12-3 pdrs, 6-1pdrs, 2-3” field guns, 2 Gatlings, 6 Colts=42 guns.

Armament +2/3 ammunition 9893 tons or 7.32% of 13,500 tons.

This design was considered inferio compares with Nos. 1 and 2 due to 2-7” guns less and concentration ahead or astern reduced to 2-12” nd 2-7” guns.

Sources

Reilly Jr., John C. and Robert L. Scheina. American battleships 1886-1923. Predreadnought design and construction. London, 1980.

Scientific American colume 82, 20 January 1900, p.41