Montana-class battleship

1930

Navy battleships to be commissioned. == History == As the political situation in Europe and Asia deteriorated in the prelude to World War II, Carl Vinson, the chairman of the House Committee on Naval Affairs, instituted the Vinson Naval Plan, which aimed to get the Navy into fighting shape after the cutbacks imposed by the Great Depression and the two London Naval Treaties of the 1930s.

1936

"Rearming in a Vacuum: United States Navy Intelligence and the Japanese Capital Ship Threat, 1936–1945".

1937

They would have landed on the water and taxied to the stern of the ship to be lifted by a crane back to the catapult. ==== Kingfisher ==== The Vought OS2U Kingfisher was a lightly armed two-man aircraft designed in 1937.

1938

As part of the overall plan, Congress passed the Second Vinson Act in 1938, which was promptly signed by President Franklin D.

Four additional battleships (with hull numbers BB-63, BB-64, BB-65, and BB-66) were approved for construction on 12 July 1940, with the last two intended to be the first ships of the Montana class. The Navy had been considering large battleship design schemes since 1938 to counter the threat posed by potential battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which had refused to sign the Second London Naval Treaty and furthermore refused to provide details about its s.

The initial schemes for what would eventually become the Montana class were continuations of various 1938 design studies for a 45,000-ton "slow" battleship alternative to the "fast" battleship design that would become the Iowa class.

1939

The first two vessels were approved by Congress in 1939 following the passage of the Second Vinson Act.

The Montanas also would have been the only American ships to rival Japan's massive Yamato and her sister Musashi in size and raw firepower. === Design === Preliminary planning for the Montana-class battleships took place in 1939, when the aircraft carrier was still considered strategically less important than the battleship.

The initial design schemes for the Montana class were given the "BB65" prefix. In July 1939, a series of 45,000-ton BB65 design schemes were evaluated, but in February 1940, as a result of the outbreak of World War II and the abandonment of the naval treaties, the Battleship Design Advisory Board moved to larger designs capable of simultaneously offering increased armament and protection.

1940

Four additional battleships (with hull numbers BB-63, BB-64, BB-65, and BB-66) were approved for construction on 12 July 1940, with the last two intended to be the first ships of the Montana class. The Navy had been considering large battleship design schemes since 1938 to counter the threat posed by potential battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which had refused to sign the Second London Naval Treaty and furthermore refused to provide details about its s.

The "fast" design evolved into the Iowa class while the "slow" design, with main armament battery eventually settled on twelve guns and evolution into a 60,500-ton design, was assigned the name Montana and cleared for construction by the United States Congress under the Two-Ocean Navy Act on 19 July 1940; funding for the new ships was approved in 1941.

The initial design schemes for the Montana class were given the "BB65" prefix. In July 1939, a series of 45,000-ton BB65 design schemes were evaluated, but in February 1940, as a result of the outbreak of World War II and the abandonment of the naval treaties, the Battleship Design Advisory Board moved to larger designs capable of simultaneously offering increased armament and protection.

In September 1940, the 58,000-ton BB65-5A preliminary design scheme with powerplant, the same as the one on Iowa class, was refined and subsequently named BB67-1 after hull numbers BB-65 and 66 were reallocated as Iowa-class ships Illinois and Kentucky.

Had the Montana class been completed, they would have arrived around the time of this replacement, and would likely have been equipped with the Seahawk for use in combat operations and seaborne search and rescue. == Ships == Five ships of the Montana class were authorized on 19 July 1940, but they were suspended indefinitely until being canceled on 21 July 1943.

1941

The "fast" design evolved into the Iowa class while the "slow" design, with main armament battery eventually settled on twelve guns and evolution into a 60,500-ton design, was assigned the name Montana and cleared for construction by the United States Congress under the Two-Ocean Navy Act on 19 July 1940; funding for the new ships was approved in 1941.

Waterline length was reduced from for BB65-5 to for BB65-5A and then increased to for BB67-1. By January 1941, the design limit for the 58,000-ton battleship plan had been reached, and consensus among those designing the battleship class was to increase the displacement to a nominal to support the desired armor and weaponry on the ships.

Work on the new locks for the Panama Canal also ceased in 1941 owing to a shortage of steel due to the changing strategic and material priorities. ==Specifications== === General characteristics === The final BB67-4 design for the Montana-class battleships was long at the waterline and long overall.

When activated in 1941, these guns replaced the .50 in (12.7 mm)/90 cal M2 Browning MG on a one-for-one basis.

Between December 1941 and September 1944, 32% of all Japanese aircraft downed were credited to this weapon, with the high point being 48% for the second half of 1942.

. == External links == Firing procedure for the 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark 7 A comparison of seven battleship classes during WWII Naval History and Heritage Command: Montana Class (BB-67 through BB-71) 1941 Building Program NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive Battleship classes Cancelled ships of the United States Navy 1940s ships

1942

The number of 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun mounts also increased, while protection of the propulsion shafts changed from the extension of the belt and deck armor aft of the citadel to armored tubes in an effort to control weight growth. By 1942, the Montana class design was further revised to BB67-4.

The final contract design was issued in June 1942.

Construction was authorized by the United States Congress and the projected date of completion was estimated to be somewhere between 1 July and 1 November 1945. ===Fate=== The Navy ordered the ships in May 1942, but the Montana class was placed on hold because the Iowa-class battleships and the Essex-class aircraft carriers were under construction in the shipyards intended to build the Montanas.

The entire Montana class was suspended in June 1942 following the Battle of Midway, before any of their keels had been laid.

The results of this advance were telling: the rangekeeper was able to track and fire at targets at a greater range and with increased accuracy, as was demonstrated in November 1942 when the battleship engaged the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship at a range of at night; the Washington scored at least nine heavy caliber hits that critically damaged the Kirishima and led to her loss.

Between December 1941 and September 1944, 32% of all Japanese aircraft downed were credited to this weapon, with the high point being 48% for the second half of 1942.

The floatplanes used in World War II also performed search and rescue for naval aviators who were shot down or forced to ditch in the ocean. ====Seahawk==== In June 1942, the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics requested industry proposals for a new seaplane to replace the Kingfisher and Curtiss SO3C Seamew.

1943

In July 1943, the construction of the Montana class was finally canceled after the Navy fully accepted the shift in naval warfare from surface engagements to air supremacy and from battleships to aircraft carriers.

At an 85° angle, the guns could hit an aerial target at over . The cancellation of the Montana-class battleships in 1943 pushed back the combat debut of the 5-inch/54 cal guns to 1945, when they were used aboard the US Navy's s.

The Oerlikon 20 mm AA gun remained the primary anti-aircraft weapon of the United States Navy until the introduction of the 40 mm Bofors AA gun in 1943. These guns are air-cooled and use a gas blow-back recoil system.

In 1943, the revolutionary Mark 14 gunsight was introduced, which made these guns even more effective.

They were subsequently phased out in favor of the heavier 40 mm Bofors AA guns. The Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun was used on almost every major warship in the US and UK fleet from about 1943 to 1945.

Had the Montana class been completed, they would have arrived around the time of this replacement, and would likely have been equipped with the Seahawk for use in combat operations and seaborne search and rescue. == Ships == Five ships of the Montana class were authorized on 19 July 1940, but they were suspended indefinitely until being canceled on 21 July 1943.

1944

Between December 1941 and September 1944, 32% of all Japanese aircraft downed were credited to this weapon, with the high point being 48% for the second half of 1942.

The first flight of a prototype XSC-1 took place on 16 February 1944 at the Columbus, Ohio Curtiss plant.

The first production aircraft were delivered in October 1944, and by the beginning of 1945 the single-seat Curtiss SC Seahawk floatplane began replacing the Kingfisher.

1945

Construction was authorized by the United States Congress and the projected date of completion was estimated to be somewhere between 1 July and 1 November 1945. ===Fate=== The Navy ordered the ships in May 1942, but the Montana class was placed on hold because the Iowa-class battleships and the Essex-class aircraft carriers were under construction in the shipyards intended to build the Montanas.

At an 85° angle, the guns could hit an aerial target at over . The cancellation of the Montana-class battleships in 1943 pushed back the combat debut of the 5-inch/54 cal guns to 1945, when they were used aboard the US Navy's s.

They were subsequently phased out in favor of the heavier 40 mm Bofors AA guns. The Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun was used on almost every major warship in the US and UK fleet from about 1943 to 1945.

The first production aircraft were delivered in October 1944, and by the beginning of 1945 the single-seat Curtiss SC Seahawk floatplane began replacing the Kingfisher.

1953

The shells entered development around 1953, and were reportedly ready by 1956; however, only the Iowa-class battleships could have fired them. ==== Secondary battery ==== The secondary armament for Montana and her sisters was to be twenty /54 cal guns housed in ten turrets along the superstructure island of the battleship; five on the starboard side and five on the port.

1956

The shells entered development around 1953, and were reportedly ready by 1956; however, only the Iowa-class battleships could have fired them. ==== Secondary battery ==== The secondary armament for Montana and her sisters was to be twenty /54 cal guns housed in ten turrets along the superstructure island of the battleship; five on the starboard side and five on the port.




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