Indiana - class battleship The three " Indiana " - class battleships were the first battleship s to be built by the United States Navy comparable to contemporary European ships , such as the British . Authorized in 1890 and commissioned between November 1895 and April 1896 , they were relatively small battleships with heavy armor and ordnance that pioneered the use of an intermediate battery . Specifically intended for coastal defense , their freeboard was insufficient to deal well with the waves of the open ocean . Their turrets lacked counterweights , and the main belt armor was placed too low to be effective under most conditions . The ships were named , , and and were designated " Battleship Number 1 " through " 3 " . All three served in the Spanish – American War , although " Oregon " — which was stationed on the West Coast — had to cruise 14 , 000 nautical miles ( 26 , 000 km ; 16 , 000 mi ) around South America to the East Coast first . After the war " Oregon " returned to the Pacific and participated in the Philippine – American War and Boxer Rebellion , while her sister ships were restricted to training missions in the Atlantic Ocean . After 1903 , the obsolete battleships were de - and recommissioned several times , the last time during World War I when " Indiana " and " Massachusetts " served as training ships , while " Oregon " was a transport escort for the Siberian Intervention . In 1919 all three ships were decommissioned for the final time . " Indiana " was sunk in shallow water as an explosives test target a year later and sold for scrap in 1924 . " Massachusetts " was scuttled off the coast of Pensacola in 1920 and used as an artillery target . The wreck was never scrapped and is now a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve . " Oregon " was initially preserved as a museum , but was sold for scrap during World War II . The scrapping was later halted and the stripped hulk was used as an ammunition barge during the battle of Guam . The hulk was finally sold for scrap in 1956 . Background . The " Indiana " class was very controversial at the time of its approval by the United States Congress . A policy board convened by the Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F . Tracy came up with an ambitious 15 - year naval construction program on 16 July 1889 , three years after the and the were authorized . The battleships in their plan would include ten first - rate long - range battleships with a 17 - knot ( 31 km / h ; 20 mph ) top speed and a steaming radius of 5 , 400 nautical miles ( 10 , 000 km ; 6200 mi ) at 10 knots ( 19 km / h ; 11 . 5 mph ) — 6 , 500 nmi ( 12 , 000 km ; 7500 mi ) maximum . These ocean - going ships were envisioned as a possible fleet in being , a fleet capable of raiding an enemy ' s home ports and intended to deter powerful warships from ranging too far from home . Twenty - five short - range second - rate battleships would provide home defense in both the Atlantic and Pacific and support the faster and larger long - range vessels . With a range of roughly 2 , 700 nautical miles ( 5 , 000 km ; 3 , 100 mi ) at 10 knots and a draft of 23 . 5 feet ( 7 m ) , they would roam from the St . Lawrence River in the north to the Windward Islands and Panama in the south and would be able to enter all of the ports in the southern United States . It was proposed , probably for cost reasons , that the short - range battleships should have a hierarchy of three subclasses . The first would mount four 13 - inch ( 330 mm ) guns each on eight ships , the second would mount four 12 - inch ( 305 mm ) guns each on ten ships , and the third would mount two 12 - inch and two 10 - inch ( 254 mm ) guns each on five ships . The two battleships already under construction , " Texas " and " Maine " , were to be grouped under the last class . In addition , 167 smaller ships , including rams , cruiser s and torpedo boat s , would be built , coming to a total cost of US $ 281 . 55 million , approximately equal to the sum of the entire US Navy budget during the previous 15 years ( adjusted for inflation , $ 6 . 6 billion in 2009 dollars ) . Congress balked at the plan , seeing in it an end to the United States policy of isolationism and the beginning of imperialism . Even some supporters of naval expansion were wary ; Senator Eugene Hale feared that because the proposal was so large , the entire bill would be shot down and no money appropriated for any ships . However , in April 1890 , the United States House of Representatives approved funding for three battleships . Tracy , trying to soothe tensions within Congress , remarked that these ships were so powerful that only twelve would be necessary instead of the 35 called for in the original plan . He also slashed the operating costs of the Navy by giving the remaining Civil War - era monitors — which were utterly obsolete by this time — to navy militias operated by the states . The appropriation was also approved by the Senate , and in total three coast - defense battleships ( the " Indiana " class ) , a cruiser , and a torpedo boat were given official approval and funding on 30 June 1890 . The first class of short - range ships as envisioned by the policy board were to mount 13 - inch / 35 caliber and new 5 - inch ( 127 mm ) guns , with 17 inches ( 431 mm ) of belt armor , 2 . 75 inches ( 70 mm ) of deck armor and 4 inches ( 102 mm ) of armor over the casemate s . The " Indiana " class , as actually built , exceeded the design in displacement by 25 percent , but most other aspects were relatively similar to the original plan . An 18 - inch ( 460 mm ) belt and a secondary battery of 8 - and 6 - inch ( 203 and 152 mm ) guns were adopted , the latter because the Bureau of Ordnance did not have the capability to construct rapid - firing 5 - inch weaponry . The larger weapons were much slower firing and much heavier , but without the bigger guns , the ships would not be able to penetrate the armor of foreign battleships . Design . General characteristics . The " Indiana " - class ships were designed specifically for coastal defense and were not intended for offensive actions . This design view was reflected in their moderate coal endurance , relatively small displacement and low freeboard , which limited seagoing capability . They were however heavily armed and armored , so much in fact that " Conway ' s All The Worlds Fighting Ships " describes them as " attempting too much on a very limited displacement . " They resembled the British battleship HMS " Hood " , but were shorter and featured an intermediate battery consisting of eight 8 - inch guns not found in European ships , giving them a very respectable amount of firepower for their time . The original design of the " Indiana " class included bilge keels , but with keels they would not fit in any of the American drydocks at the time , so they were omitted during construction . This meant a reduction in stability and caused a serious problem for " Indiana " when both main turrets broke loose from their clamps in heavy seas a year after being commissioned . Because the turrets were not centrally balanced they swung from side to side with the motion of the ship , until they were secured with heavy ropes . When the ship encountered more bad weather four months later , she promptly steamed back to port for fear the clamps would break again . This convinced the navy that bilge keels were necessary and they were subsequently installed on all three ships . Armament . Given their limited displacement , the " Indiana " class had formidable armament for the time : four 13 - inch guns , an intermediate battery of eight 8 - inch guns and a secondary battery of four 6 - inch guns , twenty Hotchkiss 6 - pounders , and six Maxim - Nordenfelt 1 - pounders , as well as six 18 - inch Whitehead torpedo tubes . The 13 - inch gun was 35 calibers long and used black powder , giving a range of about at 15 degrees of elevation . At a shell was expected to penetrate of side armor . The four guns were mounted in two centerline turrets , located fore and aft . The turrets were originally designed to feature sloping side armor , but space requirements made this impossible without using significantly larger gun turrets or redesigning the gun mounts ( which was later done for the s ) . The ships ' low freeboard greatly hindered the use of the main battery in rough weather conditions , because the deck would become awash . Also , because the ship lacked a counterweight to offset the weight of the gun barrels , the ship would list in the direction the guns were aimed . This reduced the maximum arc of elevation ( and thus range ) to about 5 degrees , brought the main armor belt under water on that side , and exposed the unarmored bottom on the other . It was considered in 1901 to replace the turrets with new balanced models used in later ships , but that was decided to be too costly as the ships were already obsolete . Instead counterweights were added , which partially solved the problem . The hydraulic rammers and turning mechanisms of the 8 - inch turrets were also replaced by faster and more efficient electric equivalents , new sights were fitted on " Indiana " and " Massachusetts " , and new turret hoists were installed to improve the reloading speed , but the gun mountings never performed in an entirely satisfactory manner . The eight 8 - inch guns were mounted in pairs in four wing turrets placed on the superstructure . Their arc of fire , although big on paper , was in reality limited . Adjacent gun positions and superstructure would be damaged by their muzzle blast if the gun was trained alongside it , a defect also suffered by the 13 - inch guns . The smaller 6 - inch guns were mounted in twin wing casemate s midships on the main deck level , with a 6 - pounder in between . The other Hotchkiss 6 - pounders lined the superstructure and bridge decks . Four of the 1 - pounders were placed in hull casemates at the bow and stern of the ship and two more in the fighting top s of the masts . In 1908 , all the 6 - inch and most of the lighter guns were removed to compensate for the counterweights added to the main battery and because ammunition supply for the guns was considered problematic . A year later twelve 3 - inch ( 76 mm ) 50 - caliber single - purpose guns were added midships and in the fighting tops . Sources conflict on the number of torpedo tubes originally included in the ships , but it is clear they were located on the berth deck and had above - water ports located on the extreme front and aft and midships . Located too close to the waterline to allow use while moving and vulnerable to gunfire when opened , they were considered useless and were quickly reduced in number , and removed entirely before 1908 . Protection . With the exception of the deck armor , 8 - inch turrets and conning tower — which consisted of conventional nickel steel — the " Indiana " class was protected with the new Harvey armor . Its main protection was a belt 18 inches thick , placed along two thirds of the length of the hull from 3 feet ( 0 . 9 m ) above to 1 foot ( 0 . 3 m ) under the waterline . Beyond this point the belt gradually grew thinner until it ended 4 feet 3 inches ( 1 . 3 m ) under the waterline , where the belt was only 8 . 5 inches ( 220 mm ) thick . Below the belt the ship had no armor , only a double bottom . On both ends the belt was connected to the barbette s of the main guns with 14 - inch ( 360 mm ) armored bulkheads . In the waterline sections outside this central citadel , compartments were filled with compressed cellulose , intended to self - seal when damaged . Between the deck and the main belt 5 - inch hull armor was used . The deck armor was 2 . 75 inches ( 70 mm ) thick inside the citadel and 3 inches outside it . The hollow conning tower was a single forging 10 inches thick . The 13 - inch gun battery had 15 inches ( 380 mm ) of vertical turret plating and barbettes , while the 8 - inch cannons only had 6 inches of vertical turret plating and barbettes . The casemates protecting the 6 - inch guns were 5 inches thick and the other casemates , lighter guns , shell hoists and turret crowns were all lightly armored . The placement of the belt armor was based on the draft from the design , which was with a normal load of of coal on board . Her total coal storage capacity was , and fully loaded her draft would increase to , entirely submerging the armor belt . During actual service , especially at war , the ships were kept fully loaded whenever possible , rendering her belt armor almost useless . That this was not considered in the design outraged the Walker policy board — convened in 1896 to evaluate the existing American battleships and propose a design for the new s — and they set a standard that the load of coal and ammunition that future ships were designed for had to be at least two - thirds of the maximum , so similar problems would be prevented in new ships . Propulsion . Two vertical inverted triple expansion reciprocating steam engine s powered by four double - ended Scotch boilers drove twin propellers , while two single - ended Scotch boilers supplied steam for auxiliary machinery . The engines were designed to provide 9 , 000 indicated horsepower ( 6700 kW ) , giving the ships a top speed of . During sea trials — which were conducted with limited amounts of coal , ammunition and supplies on board — it was found that the indicated horsepower and top speed exceeded design values and a significant variation between the three ships existed . The engines of " Indiana " delivered , giving a top speed of . " Massachusetts " had a top speed of with and " Oregon " reached a speed of with . Eight Babcock & Wilcox boiler s , including four with superheater s , were installed on " Indiana " in 1904 and the same number on " Massachusetts " in 1907 to replace the outdated Scotch boilers . Ships in class . Indiana ( BB - 1 ) . Commissioned in 1895 , " Indiana " did not participate in any notable events until the outbreak of the Spanish – American War in 1898 , when Indiana was part of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral William T . Sampson . His squadron was ordered to the Spanish port of San Juan in an attempt to intercept and destroy Admiral Cevera ' s Spanish squadron , which was en route to the Caribbean from Spain . The harbor was empty , but " Indiana " and the rest of the squadron bombarded it for two hours before realizing their mistake . Three weeks later news arrived that Commodore Schley ' s Flying Squadron had found Cervera and was now blockading him in the port of Santiago de Cuba . Sampson reinforced Schley two days later and assumed overall command . Cervera saw that his situation was desperate and attempted to run the blockade on 3 July 1898 . " Indiana " did not join in the chase of the fast Spanish cruiser s because of her extreme eastern position on the blockade and low speed caused by engine problems , but was near the harbor entrance when the Spanish destroyer s " Pluton " and " Furor " emerged . Together with the battleship " Iowa " and armed yacht " Gloucester " she opened fire , destroying the lightly armored enemy ships . After the war " Indiana " returned to training exercises before being decommissioned in 1903 . The battleship was recommissioned in January 1906 to function as a training vessel until she was decommissioned again in 1914 . Her third commission was in 1917 when " Indiana " served as a training ship for gun crews during World War I . She was decommissioned for the final time on 31 January 1919 , shortly after being reclassified " Coast Battleship Number 1 " so that the name " Indiana " could be assigned to the newly authorized — but never completed — battleship . She was sunk in shallow water as a target in underwater explosion and aerial bombing tests in November 1920 . Her hulk was sold for scrap on 19 March 1924 . Massachusetts ( BB - 2 ) . Between being commissioned in 1896 and the outbreak of the Spanish – American War in 1898 " Massachusetts " conducted training exercises off the eastern coast of the United States . During the war she was placed in the Flying Squadron under Commodore Winfield Scott Schley . Schley went searching for Cervera ' s Spanish squadron and found it in the port of Santiago . The battleship was part of the blockade fleet until 3 July , but missed the Battle of Santiago de Cuba , because she had steamed to Guantánamo Bay the night before to resupply coal . The next day the battleship came back to Santiago , where she and " Texas " fired at the Spanish cruiser " Reina Mercedes " , which was being scuttled by the Spanish in a failed attempt to block the harbor entrance channel . During the next seven years , " Massachusetts " cruised the Atlantic coast and eastern Caribbean as a member of the North Atlantic Squadron and then served for a year as a training ship for Naval Academy midshipmen until she was decommissioned in January 1906 . In May 1910 she was placed in reduced commission as a training ship again before entering the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in September 1912 , where she stayed until being decommissioned in May 1914 . " Massachusetts " was recommissioned in June 1917 to serve as a training ship for gun crews during World War I . She was decommissioned for the final time on 31 March 1919 , after being redesignated " Coast Battleship Number 2 " two days earlier so her name could be reused for . On 6 January 1921 she was scuttled off the coast of Pensacola and used as an artillery target for Fort Pickens . The navy attempted to sell her for scrap , but no buyer could be found and in 1956 the ship was declared the property of the state of Florida . The wreck is currently one of the Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves and serves as an artificial reef . Oregon ( BB - 3 ) . " Oregon " served for a short time with the Pacific Station before being ordered on a voyage around South America to the East Coast in March 1898 in preparation for war with Spain . She departed from San Francisco on 19 March , and reached Jupiter Inlet on 24 May , stopping several times for additional coal on the way . A journey of over 14 , 000 nautical miles ( 26 , 000 km ; 16 , 000 mi ) was completed in 66 days , which was considered a remarkable achievement at the time . The " Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships " describes the effect of the journey on the American public and government as follows : " On one hand the feat had demonstrated the many capabilities of a heavy battleship in all conditions of wind and sea . On the other it swept away all opposition for the construction of the Panama Canal , for it was then made clear that the country could not afford to take two months to send warships from one coast to the other each time an emergency arose . " After completing her journey " Oregon " was ordered to join the blockade at Santiago as part of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral Sampson . She took part in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba , where she and the cruiser " Brooklyn " were the only ships fast enough to chase down the Spanish cruiser " Cristobal Colon " , forcing its surrender . Around this time she received the nickname " Bulldog of the Navy " , most likely because of her high bow wave — known as " having a bone in her teeth " in nautical slang — and perseverance during the cruise around South America and the battle of Santiago . After the war " Oregon " was refitted in New York before she was sent back to the Pacific , where she served as a guard ship for two years . She served for a year in the Philippines during the Philippine – American War and then spent a year in China at Wusong during the Boxer Rebellion until May 1901 , when she was ordered back to the United States for an overhaul . In March 1903 " Oregon " returned to Asiatic waters and the ship remained in the Far East , returning only shortly before decommissioning in April 1906 . " Oregon " was recommissioned in August 1911 , but saw little activity and was officially placed on reserve status in 1914 . On 2 January 1915 the ship was returned to full commission and sailed to San Francisco for the Panama – Pacific International Exposition . A year later she was back to reserve status , only to be returned to full commission in April 1917 when the United States joined World War I . " Oregon " acted as one of the escorts for transport ships during the Siberian Intervention . In June 1919 she was decommissioned , but a month later she was temporarily recommissioned as the reviewing ship for President Woodrow Wilson during the arrival of the Pacific Fleet at Seattle . In October 1919 , she was decommissioned for the final time . As a result of the Washington Naval Treaty , " Oregon " was declared " incapable of further warlike service " in January 1924 . In June 1925 she was loaned to the State of Oregon , who used her as a floating monument and museum in Portland . In February 1941 , " Oregon " was redesignated . Due to the outbreak of World War II it was decided that the scrap value of the ship was more important than her historical value , so she was sold . Her stripped hulk was later returned to the Navy and used as an ammunition barge during the battle of Guam , where she remained for several years . During a typhoon in November 1948 , she broke loose and drifted out to sea . She was located 500 miles southeast of Guam and towed back . She was sold on 15 March 1956 and scrapped in Japan . Footnotes . Notes Citations Bibliography . Print references Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Other