Question: How many battleships are in the Navy?

List of battleships of the United States Navy


Ships of the 
United States Navy
A–B
C
D–F
G–H
I–K
L
M
N–O
P
Q–R
S
T–V
W–Z
Aircraft carriers
Airships
Amphibious warfare ships
Auxiliaries
Battlecruisers
Battleships
Cruisers
Destroyers
Destroyer escorts
Escort carriers
Frigates
Mine warfare vessels
Monitors
Oilers
Patrol vessels
Sailing frigates
Steam frigates
Steam gunboats
Ships of the line
Sloops of war
Submarines
Torpedo boats
Unclassified miscellaneousvt
The United States Navy began the construction of battleships with USS<i>Texas in 1892, but the first battleship under that designation would be USS<i>Indiana. Texas and USS<i>Maine,[lower-alpha 1] commissioned three years later, were part of the New Navy program of the late 19th century, a proposal by then Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt to match Europe's navies that ignited a years-long debate that was suddenly settled in Hunt's favor when the Brazilian Empire commissioned the battleship Riachuelo.[1][2][3][4] In 1890, Alfred Thayer Mahan's book The Influence of Sea Power upon History was published and significantly influenced future naval policy—as an indirect of its influence on Secretary Benjamin F. Tracy, the Navy Act of June 30, 1890 [5] authorized the construction of "three sea-going, coast-line battle ships" which became the Indiana-class. The Navy Act of July 19, 1892 authorized construction of a fourth "sea-going, coast-line battle ship", which became USS<i>Iowa.[6] Despite much later claims that these were to be purely defensive and were authorized as "coastal defense ships", they were almost immediately used for offensive operations in the Spanish–American War.[7][8] By the start of the 20th century, the United States Navy had in service or under construction the three Illinois-class and two Kearsarge-class battleships, making the United States the world's 5th strongest power at sea from a nation that had been 12th in 1870.[9]
Except for Kearsarge, named by an act of Congress, all U.S. Navy battleships have been named for states, and each of the 48 contiguous states has had at least one battleship named for it except Montana; two battleships were authorized to be named Montana but both were cancelled before construction started. Alaska and Hawaii did not become states until 1959, after the end of battleship building, but the battlecruiser, or "Large Cruiser," USS<i>Alaska was built during World War II and her sister, USS<i>Hawaii, was begun but never completed. The pre-dreadnoughts USS Zrinyi (formerly the Austrian SMS Zrínyi), USS Radetzky (formerly the Austrian SMS Radetzky), and USS Ostfriesland (formerly the German SMS Ostfriesland), taken as prizes of war after World War I, were commissioned in the US Navy, but were not assigned hull classification symbols.
No American battleship has ever been lost at sea, though four were sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of these, only USS<i>Arizona(BB-39) and USS<i>Oklahoma(BB-37) were permanently destroyed as a result of enemy action. Several other battleships have been sunk as targets, and USS<i>Utah(BB-31), demilitarized and converted into a target and training ship, was permanently destroyed at Pearl Harbor. The hulk of Oklahoma was salvaged and was lost at sea while being towed to the mainland for scrapping. Two American-built pre-dreadnought battleships, USS<i>Mississippi(BB-23) and her sister USS<i>Idaho(BB-24), were sunk in 1941 by German bombers during their WWII invasion of Greece. The ships had been sold to Greece in 1914, becoming Kilkis and Lemnos respectively.
1880s–1910s
Maine and Texas were part of the "New Navy" program of the 1880s. They, and BB-1 to BB-4 were authorized as "coast defense battleships". The next group, BB-5 Kearsarge through BB-25 New Hampshire, followed general global pre-dreadnought design characteristics and entered service between 1900 and 1909. The definitive American predreadnought was the penultimate class of the type, the Connecticut-class, sporting the usual four-gun array of 12" weapons, a very heavy intermediate and secondary battery, and a moderate tertiary battery. They were good sea boats and heavily armed and armored for their type. The final American pre-dreadnought class, the Mississippi-class second-class battleships, were a poorly thought out experiment in increasing numbers regardless of quality, and the USN quickly wished to replace them, doing so in 1914, selling them to Greece to pay for a new super-dreadnought USS<i>Idaho(BB-42).
The dreadnoughts, BB-26 South Carolina through BB-35 Texas, commissioned between 1910 and 1914, uniformly possessed twin turrets, introduced the superimposed turret arrangement that would later become standard on all battleships, and had relatively heavy armor and moderate speed (19–21 knots). Five of the ten ships favored the more mature vertical triple expansion (VTE) propulsion over fuel-inefficient but faster direct-drive turbines. The ships possessed 8 (South Carolina-class), 10 (Delaware and Florida) or 12 (Wyoming-class) 12" guns, or 10 (New York-class) 14" guns. The dreadnoughts gave good service, the last two classes surviving through World War II before being scrapped. However, they had some faults that were never worked out, and the midships turrets in the ten and twelve-gun ships were located near boilers and high-pressure steam lines, a factor that made refrigeration very difficult and problematic in hot climates. One of their number, Texas (BB-35), is the last remaining American battleship of the pre–World War II era and the only remaining dreadnought in the world.
Next came the twelve Standards, beginning with BB-36 Nevada. The last ship commissioned was BB-48 West Virginia (BB-49 through 54 were also Standards, but were never commissioned, and scrapped under the Washington Naval Treaty), commissioned over the period 1914 to 1920. Oklahoma (BB-37) was the last American battleship commissioned with triple expansion machinery; all the other Standards used either geared steam turbines (Nevada, the Pennsylvania-class, Idaho and Mississippi) or turbo-electric propulsion (New Mexico, Tennessee through West Virginia). The Standards were a group of ships with four turrets, oil fuel, a 21-knot top speed, a 700-yard tactical diameter at top speed, and heavy armor distributed on the "All or Nothing" principle. Armament was fairly consistent, starting with ten 14" guns in the Nevada-class, twelve in the Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Tennessee classes, and eight 16" guns in the Colorado-class.
1930s–1940s
After the 1930s "builders holiday," the USN commissioned ten more battleships of an entirely new style, the so-called fast battleship. These ships began with BB-55 North Carolina and the last ship laid down was BB-66 Kentucky (the last completed ship was BB-64 Wisconsin). These ships were a nearly clean break from previous American design practices. All ten ships were built to a Panamax design (technically post-Panamax, as they exceeded normal Panamax beam by two feet, but they were still able to transit the canal). They were fast battleships, and could travel with the aircraft carriers at cruising speed (their speed was not intended for that role, but rather so they could run down and destroy enemy battlecruisers). They possessed almost completely homogeneous main armament (nine 16" guns in each ship, the sole difference being an increase in length from 45 to 50 calibers with the Iowa-class vessels), very high speed relative to other American designs (28 knots in the North Carolina and South Dakota classes, 33 in the Iowa-class), and moderate armor. The North Carolina-class was of particular concern, as their protection was rated as only "adequate" against the 16" superheavy weapon. They had been designed with, and armored against, a battery of three quadruple 14" guns, then changed to triple 16" guns after the escalator clause in the Second London Naval Treaty had been triggered. Secondary in these ships was almost homogeneous as well: Except for South Dakota, configured as a flagship, the other nine ships of this group sported a uniform 20-gun 5" secondary battery (South Dakota deleted two 5" mounts to make room for flag facilities). Visually, the World War II ships are distinguished by their triple-turret arrangement and the massive columnar mast that dominates their superstructure. The last ship, Wisconsin (BB-64), commissioned in 1944 (Wisconsin was approved last; however, Missouri (BB-63) was commissioned 3 months later, due to delays from additional aircraft carrier construction). Missouri (BB-63), famous for being the ship on which the Japanese instrument of surrender was signed, was the last battleship in the world to be decommissioned on 31 March 1992. Seven of these ten ships are still in existence. South Dakota, Washington and Indiana were scrapped, but the remainder are now museum ships. There was intended to be another class of five of these ships, the Montana-class (BB-67 Montana through BB-71 Louisiana), but they were cancelled before being laid down in favor of a greater number of aircraft carriers. The Montana-class ships would have been built to a 60,000-ton post-Panamax design, and carried a greater number of guns (12x 16") and heavier armor than the other ships; otherwise they would have been homogeneous with the rest of the World War II battleships.
In October 2006, the last battleships, (USS<i>Iowa and USS Wisconsin), were stricken from the Naval Registry.
Key

Coastal-defense battleships
USS Texas (1892)


The acquisition of modern, European-built warships by Argentina, Brazil, and Chile had alarmed the United States. The straw that broke the camel's back was Brazil's commissioning of the battleship Riachuelo, which suddenly made the Brazilian Navy the strongest in the Americas. Congressman Hilary A. Herbert, chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee, said of the situation, "if all this old navy of ours were drawn up in battle array in mid-ocean and confronted by the Riachuelo it is doubtful whether a single vessel bearing the American flag would get into port." Facing the possibility of enemy ironclads operating in American coastal waters, the Naval Consulting Board began planning a pair of ironclads of their own, which would be able to use all major American naval bases and have a minimum speed of 17 knots (31km/h; 20mph). The first of these two was USS Texas, 308feet 10inches (94.13m) long, sporting an armor belt 12 inches (305mm) thick, displacing 6,316 long tons (6,417t), sailing at a top speed of 17.8 knots (33.0km/h; 20.5mph), and armed with two 35-caliber 12in (305mm) primary and six 30-caliber 6in (152mm) secondary guns.[10]
Texas was authorized by Congress on 3 August 1886, but construction lagged until she was laid down on 1 June 1889. She was launched in the presence of the granddaughter of Sam Houston on 28 June 1892, and commissioned on 15 August 1895.[11] Texas's early service revealed a number of structural issues, which was addressed via some reinforcement of various parts of the ship,[12] and she ran aground near Newport, Rhode Island in September 1896.[13]This in turn revealed even more faults with Texas, as massive flooding easily disabled her in the shallow waters where she ran aground.[14] After repairs, she joined the North Atlantic Squadron, briefly leaving for a Gulf Coast visit to Galveston and New Orleans that saw her beached on a mud bank off Galveston, an event whose aftermath gave Texas her nickname, "Old Hoodoo."[15][16] After repairs, she returned to the North Atlantic Squadron and her patrols of the Eastern Seaboard. In the Spring of 1898, Texas's near-sister ship USS<i>Maine(ACR-1) (the other of the two original coastal defense ships) was destroyed by an internal explosion in Havana's harbor, and the United States went to war with the Spanish Empire. An American fleet including Texas was ready and waiting at Key West, and was part of the Flying Squadron in its engagements with Spanish fortifications on the Cuban coast. She saw real surface fleet combat on 3 July at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba alongside USS<i>Iowa, USS<i>Gloucester, and USS<i>Indiana against the fleet of Pascual Cervera y Topete as it tried to escape the American fleet and emerged with only light damage.[11][17] After the war, Texas was decommissioned and refitted on two occasions before finally be declared obsolete in 1911 and permanently decommissioned and converted into a target ship in the same year.[18][19] On 15 February 1911, Texas was christen San Marcos to free the name up for the dreadnought USS<i>Texas(BB-35),[11] and was then sunk in the waters of Tangier Sound by USS<i>New Hampshire's guns. The remains of the San Marcos continued to be used for gunnery practice after her sinking until January 1959,[20] when vast quantities of explosives were used to bury her remains.[21]


Indiana-class




USS Iowa




Predreadnought battleships
Kearsarge-class




Illinois-class


Displacement: 11,565 tons
Armament: 4 × 13 in (330mm) (2x2), 14 × 6 in (152mm) (14x1), 16 × 6 pounders (2.7kg) (16x1), 6 × 1 pounders (454 g) (6x1), 4 torpedo tubes
Speed: 17 knots
Ships in class: 3: USS<i>Illinois, USS<i>Alabama, and USS<i>Wisconsin
Commissioned: 16 October 1900 (Alabama)
Decommissioned 15 May 1920 (Illinois, Wisconsin)
Fate: Illinois transferred to New York Naval Militia 1921, renamed Prairie State 1941, scrapped 1956; Alabama sunk as target 1921; Wisconsin scrapped 1922.


Maine-class




Virginia-class

Displacement: 15,000 tons
Armament: 4 × 12 in (305mm) (2x2), 8 × 8 in (203mm) (4x2), 12 × 6 in (152mm) guns (12x1), 24 1-pounders (24x1), 4 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: Belt 11inches; Turret 12inches; Deck 3inches
Speed: 19 knots
Ships in class: 5: USS<i>Virginia, USS<i>Nebraska, USS<i>Georgia, USS<i>New Jersey, and USS<i>Rhode Island
Commissioned: 19 February 1906 (Rhode Island)
Decommissioned: 13 August 1920 (Virginia)
Fate: Virginia and New Jersey sunk as targets, remainder sold for scrap, 1923


Connecticut-class

Displacement: 16,000 tons
Armament: 4 × 12 in (305mm) (2x2), 8 × 8 in (203mm) (4x2), 12 × 7 in (178mm) (12x1), 10 × 3 in (76mm) (10x1), 4 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 11in Belt / 3in Deck
Speed: 18 knots
Ships in class: 6: USS<i>Connecticut, USS<i>Louisiana, USS<i>Vermont, USS<i>Kansas, USS<i>Minnesota, and USS<i>New Hampshire
Commissioned: 2 June 1906 (Louisiana)
Decommissioned: 1 March 1923 (Connecticut)
Fate: Scrapped 1923-24


Mississippi-class

Displacement: 13,000 tons
Armament: 4 × 12 in (305mm) (2 × 2), 8 × 8 in (203mm) (4 × 2), 8 × 7 in (178mm) (8x1), 12 × 3 in (76mm) (12 × 1), 6 × 3 pounder gun (6 × 1), 2 × 1-pounder Mark 6 (2 × 1), 6 × .30-caliber machine guns (6 × 1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:
Speed: 17 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Mississippi and USS<i>Idaho
Commissioned: 1 February 1908 (Mississippi)
Fate: Decommissioned 30 July 1914 and sold to Greece. Kilkis (ex-Mississippi) and Limnos (ex-Idaho) sunk by German bombers in April 1941.



Dreadnought battleships
South Carolina-class
Displacement: 16,000 tons
Armament: 8 × 12 in (305mm) guns (4 × 2), 22 × 3 in (76mm) (22x1), 2 × 3 pounder (2 × 1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:
Speed: 18 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>South Carolina and USS<i>Michigan
Commissioned: 4 January 1910 (Michigan)
Decommissioned: 11 February 1922 (Michigan)
Fate: Scrapped 1924

Delaware-class
Displacement: 20,380 tons
Armament: 10 × 12 in (305mm) (5x2), 14 × 5 in (127mm) (14x1), 22 × 3 in (76mm) (22x1), 2 × 3 pounder (2x1) guns, 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Delaware and USS<i>North Dakota
Commissioned: 4 April 1910 (Delaware)
Decommissioned: 22 November 1923 (North Dakota)
Fate: Delaware scrapped 1924; North Dakota converted to target ship 1924, scrapped 1931

Florida-class
Displacement: 21,800 tons
Armament: 10 × 12 in (305mm) (5x2), 16 × 5 in (127mm) (16x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Florida and USS<i>Utah
Commissioned: 31 August 1911 (Utah)
Decommissioned: 16 February 1931 (Florida)
Fate: Florida scrapped in 1932, Utah became target ship (AG-16) in 1931, sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941

Wyoming-class
Displacement: 26,000 tons
Armament: 12 × 12 in (305mm) (6x2), 21 × 5 in (127mm) (21x1), two 3-inch (3x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 11in Belt / 2in Deck
Speed: 20.5 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Wyoming and USS<i>Arkansas
Commissioned: 17 September 1912 (Arkansas)
Decommissioned: 1 August 1947 (Wyoming)
Fate: Wyoming became a training ship (AG-17) in 1931, scrapped in 1947. Arkansas sunk at Operation Crossroads in 1946

New York-class
Displacement: 27,200 tons
Armament: 10 × 14 in (356mm) (5x2), 21 5-inch (21x1), two 3-inch (2x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 12in Belt
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>New York and USS<i>Texas
Commissioned: 12 March 1914 (Texas)
Decommissioned: 21 April 1948 (Texas)
Fate: New York sunk as target 1948; Texas preserved as a memorial 1948

Nevada-class
Displacement: 27,500 tons
Armament: 10 × 14 in (356mm) (2x3, 2x2), 21 × 5 in (127mm) (21x1), 4 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:13.5in Belt / 3in Deck
Speed: 20 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Nevada and USS<i>Oklahoma
Commissioned: 11 March 1916 (Nevada)
Decommissioned: 29 August 1946 (Nevada)
Fate: Nevada sunk as target 1948; Oklahoma sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941, raised and stripped of salvageable parts, sunk en route to scrapping 1947

Pennsylvania-class
Displacement: 31,400 tons
Armament: 12 × 14 in (356mm) (4x3), 22 × 5 in (127mm) (22x1), 4 × 3 in (76mm) (4x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 13.5in Belt / 3in Deck
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Pennsylvania and USS<i>Arizona
Commissioned: both in 1916
Fate: Pennsylvania sunk after Operation Crossroads in 1946, Arizona destroyed at Pearl Harbor in 1941, designated as a memorial.

New Mexico-class
Displacement: 32,000 tons
Armament: 12 × 14 in (356mm) (4x3), 14 × 5 in (127mm) (14x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 3: USS<i>New Mexico, USS<i>Mississippi, and USS<i>Idaho
Commissioned: 18 December 1917 (Mississippi)
Decommissioned: 17 September 1956 (Mississippi)
Fate: New Mexico & Idaho scrapped 1947; Mississippi converted to trials ship (AG-128) 1946, scrapped 1956
Tennessee-class

Displacement: 32,000 tons
Armament: 12 × 14 in (356mm) (4x3), 14 × 5 in (127mm) (14x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>Tennessee, and USS<i>California
Commissioned: 3 June 1920 (Tennessee)
Decommissioned: 14 February 1947 (both)
Fate: sold for scrap 1959
Colorado-class

Displacement: 32,600 tons
Armament: 8 × 16 in (406mm) (4x2), 12 × 5 in (127mm) (12x1), 8 × 3 in (76mm) (8x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:13.5in Belt / 3.5in Deck
Speed: 21 knots
Ships in class: 4: USS<i>Colorado, USS<i>Maryland, USS<i>Washington, and USS<i>West Virginia
Commissioned: Maryland in 1921, Colorado and West Virginia in 1923, Washington not completed and sunk as target
Fate: Remaining three decommissioned 1947 and sold for scrap 1959.
South Dakota-class (1920)
Displacement: 43,200 tons
Armament: 12 × 16 in (406mm) (4x3), 16 × 6 in (152mm) (16x1), 8 × 3 in (76mm) (8x1), 2 × 21 in (533mm) torpedo tubes
Armor: 13.5in Belt / 6in Deck
Speed: 23 knots
Ships in class: 6: USS<i>South Dakota, USS<i>Indiana, USS<i>Montana, USS<i>North Carolina, USS<i>Iowa, and USS<i>Massachusetts
Fate: All cancelled prior to launch in 1923; scrapped on slip

North Carolina-class
Displacement: 35,000 tons
Armament: 9 × 16 in (406mm) (3x3), 20 × 5 in (127mm) (10x2), 16 × 1.1inch AA (4x4)
Armor: 12in Belt / 7in Deck
Speed: 28 knots
Ships in class: 2: USS<i>North Carolina and USS<i>Washington
Commissioned: 1941
Fate: North Carolina preserved as memorial 1965; Washington scrapped 1962

South Dakota-class (1939)
Displacement: 38,000 tons
Armament: 9 × 16 in (406mm) (3 × 3), 20 (16 on South Dakota) × 5inch (10 or 8 × 2), up to 40 × 40mm AA (17 × 4), up to 76 × 20mm AA (76x1), 3 aircraft
Armor: 12in Belt / 7.5in Deck
Speed: 27 knots
Ships in class: 4: USS<i>South Dakota, USS<i>Indiana, USS<i>Massachusetts, and USS<i>Alabama
Commissioned: 1942
Fate: South Dakota and Indiana scrapped 1962 and 1963 respectively; Alabama preserved as memorial 1964; Massachusetts preserved as memorial 1965

Iowa-class
Displacement: 48,500 tons
Armament: 9 × 16 in (406mm) (3x3), 20 × 5 in (127mm) (10x2), 80 × 40mm AA (20x4), 49 × 20mm AA (49x1) (1980s modification added 32 × Tomahawk and 16 × Harpoon missiles and 4 × Phalanx CIWS, and deleted 8 5-in guns and all other light anti-aircraft gun systems)
Armor: 12in Belt / 7.5in Deck
Speed: 33 knots
Ships in class: 6: USS<i>Iowa, USS<i>New Jersey, USS<i>Missouri, USS<i>Wisconsin, USS<i>Illinois, and USS<i>Kentucky
Commissioned: Four commissioned; first, Iowa 1943; last, Missouri 1944.
Fate: Iowa preserved as memorial in San Pedro, California; Missouri preserved as memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Wisconsin preserved as memorial in Norfolk, Virginia; New Jersey preserved as memorial in Camden, NJ; Illinois cancelled and scrapped on slip (bell currently at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's Memorial Stadium (Champaign), home of the Illinois Fighting Illini football team, traditionally rung when the Illini score a touchdown); Kentucky launched 1950, not completed, scrapped 1958.

Montana-class
Displacement: 65,000 tons
Armament: 12 × 16 in (406mm) (4x3), 20 × 5 in (127mm) (10x2), undesignated number of 40mm and 20mm
Armor: 16in Belt / 8.2in Deck
Speed: 28 knots
Ships in class: 5: USS<i>Montana, USS<i>Ohio, USS<i>Maine, USS<i>New Hampshire, and USS<i>Louisiana
Fate: All cancelled in 1943 before being laid down
See also
List of museum ships of the United States military
Arsenal ship
List of ships of the line of the United States Navy
Timeline of battleships of the United States Navy
USS<i>Recruit(1917)
Notes
Footnotes

Citations











Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Journals


; cited in Reilly & Scheina (1980), p.210

Publications

The New York Times

Online resources