However, when the treaty collapsed after Japan's withdrawal in 1936, it became apparent that new foreign construction was favoring larger caliber guns. Their 35,000-ton standard displacement was the maximum allowed under the Naval Limitations treaties then in effect, as were the ships' main batteries of twelve 14-inch guns in three quadruple turrets. Conventional wisdom said that a designer had to sacrifice performance in one category in order to gain performance in the other two. The design of any battleship had to consider three basic factors: speed, firepower, and armor. With the decision made to design and build a new class of battleships, the numbers game began. As the first modern American battleship to enter the war against Japan, USS North Carolina symbolized the determination of the American people to win the war and the growing industrial might that would make the eventual victory possible. She was the class leader for a new generation of American battleships and set a standard for new shipbuilding technology that combined high speeds with powerful armament and formidable protection. USS North Carolina was the first modern American battleship built after World War I. Constrained to 35,000 tons standard displacement by the Washington and London Naval Treaties, to a beam of less than 110 feet by the locks of the Panama Canal, and to 38-foot draft to enable the ship to use as many anchorages and navy yards as possible, she was a challenge to the designers of day. Since USS North Carolina was the first modern American battleship constructed in two decades she was built using the latest in shipbuilding technology. The two battleships of the North Carolina class, the first US Navy big-gun warships authorized in nearly two decades, were built with Fiscal Year 1937 appropriations.
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