Editing Colorado-class battleship (section)

{{Short description|Dreadnought battleship class of the United States Navy}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Colorado (BB-45) New York 1932.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Colorado'' steaming off New York City, c. 1932
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Colorado''-class battleship
| Builders = * [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation|New York Shipbuilding Corp.]] (2)
* [[Newport News Shipbuilding]] (1)
| Operators = {{navy|United States|1912}}
| Class before = {{sclass|Tennessee|battleship|4}}
| Class after = * [[South Dakota-class battleship (1920)|''South Dakota'' class (1920)]] (planned)
* {{sclass|North Carolina|battleship|4}} (actual)
| Built range = 1917–1923
| In commission range = 1921–1947
| Total ships planned = 4
| Total ships completed = 3
| Total ships cancelled = 1
| Total ships retired = 3
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption ={{sfn|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=118}}
| Ship type = [[Super-dreadnought battleship]]
| Ship displacement = {{convert|32600|lt|lk=in}}
| Ship length = {{cvt|624|ft|3|in}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|97|ft|4|in}}
| Ship draft = {{cvt|30|ft|6|in}}
| Ship propulsion = *  4 screws
* [[turbo-electric transmission]]
| Ship power = *8 × [[Babcock & Wilcox]] [[water-tube boiler]]s
* {{cvt|28900|shp|lk=on}}
| Ship speed = {{cvt|21|kn}}
| Ship range = {{cvt|8000|nmi}} at {{cvt|10|kn}} (design){{sfn|Friedman|1985|p=445}}
| Ship complement = 1,080
| Ship sensors = *[[SC radar]] (''Colorado'' and ''Maryland'')
*[[SK radar]]
*[[SRa radar]]
*[[CXAM radar]] (''West Virginia'')
| Ship armament = *  8 × [[16"/45 caliber gun|{{cvt|16|in|0}}/45 caliber Mark 1 guns]] (4 × 2)
* 12 or 14 × [[5"/51 caliber gun|{{cvt|5|in|0}}/51 caliber guns]]
*  2 × [[American 21-inch torpedo|{{cvt|21|in|0}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s
| Ship armor = * [[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|8|-|16|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|13|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Gun turret#Warships|Turret]] face: {{convert|18|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|11.5|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Decks]]: {{convert|3.5|in|abbr=on|0}}
}}
|}

The '''''Colorado''-class battleships'''{{efn|name=class-name}} were a group of four [[United States Navy]] [[super-dreadnought]]s, the last of its [[Treaty battleship|pre-Treaty]] [[battleship]]s. Designed during [[World War I]], their construction overlapped the end of that conflict and continued in its immediate aftermath. Though all four keels were laid, only three ships entered service: {{USS|Colorado|BB-45|2}}, {{USS|Maryland|BB-46|2}}, and {{USS|West Virginia|BB-48|2}}. {{USS|Washington|BB-47|2}} was over 75% completed when she was canceled under the terms of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] in 1922. As such, the [[16-inch/45-caliber gun|16" gun]] ''Colorado''-class ships were the last and most powerful battleships built by the U.S. Navy until the {{sclass|North Carolina|battleship|4}} entered service on the eve of [[World War II]].

The ''Colorado''s were the final group of the [[Standard-type battleship]]s, designed to have similar speed and handling to simplify maneuvers with the [[line of battle]]. The cancelled {{sclass|South Dakota|battleship (1920)|4}} which was to follow would have in several ways been a departure from this practice.  Apart from an upgrade in striking power with their eight 16-inch guns, the ''Colorado''s were essentially repeats of the earlier {{sclass|Tennessee|battleship|4}}. The ''Colorado''s were also the last American [[capital ship]]s built with four main armament [[gun turret|turrets]] and twin-mounted guns.

All three ships had extensive careers during World War II. ''Maryland'' and ''West Virginia'' were both present during the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on 7 December 1941. While ''Maryland'' escaped relatively unscathed, ''West Virginia'' was sunk in the shallow waters of the harbor but subsequently raised and repaired. All three ships served as [[Naval gunfire support|naval gunfire support ships]] during numerous amphibious operations. ''Maryland'' and ''West Virginia'' were present at the last surface action between battleships, the [[Battle of Surigao Strait]] during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] in October 1944. All three ships were placed into the reserve fleet after the end of the war and were scrapped by the late 1950s.