Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Kearsarge-class battleship
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|Pre-dreadnought battleship class of the United States Navy}} {{good article}} {{Use shortened footnotes|date=October 2022}} {| {{Infobox ship begin}} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = USSkearsarge-bb5-underway.jpg | Ship caption = USS ''Kearsarge'' – the lead ship of the class }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=''Kearsarge'' class | Builders = [[Newport News Shipbuilding]] | Operators = {{navy|United States|1912}} | Class before = {{USS|Iowa|BB-4|6}} | Class after = {{sclass|Illinois|battleship|4}} | Built range = 1896–1900 | In commission range = 1900–1920 | Total ships completed = 2 | Total ships retired = 2 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship type = [[Pre-dreadnought battleship]] | Ship displacement = *[[normal displacement|Normal]]: {{convert|11540|LT|t|lk=on}} *[[Full load]]: {{convert|12850|LT|t}} | Ship length = {{cvt|375|ft|4|in|1}} | Ship beam = {{cvt|72|ft|2.5|in|0}} | Ship height = | Ship draft = {{cvt|23|ft|6|in}} | Ship power = *5 × [[Scotch marine boiler]]s *{{cvt|10000|ihp|lk=on}} | Ship propulsion = *2 × [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s *2 × [[screw propeller]]s | Ship speed = {{convert|16|kn|lk=in}} | Ship range = {{convert|5070|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} | Ship complement = *38 officers *548 or 549 enlisted men | Ship armament = * 4 × [[13"/35 caliber gun|{{convert|13|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/35 caliber guns]] * 4 × [[8"/35 caliber gun|{{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/35 caliber guns]] * 14 × [[5"/40 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/40 caliber guns]] * 20 × [[QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss|6-pounder]]s ({{convert|57|mm|in|abbr=on|disp=or}}) * 8 × [[QF 1 pounder pom-pom|1-pounder]]s ({{convert|37|mm|in|abbr=on|disp=or}}) * 4 × [[American 18 inch torpedo|{{cvt|18|in|0}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s | Ship armor = * [[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{cvt|4|-|16.5|in|0}} * [[Gun turret#Warships|Turret]]s (primary): {{cvt|15|-|17|in|0}} * Turrets (secondary): {{cvt|6|-|11|in|0}} * [[Conning tower|Conning Tower]]: {{cvt|10|in|0}} * [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{cvt|2.75|to|5|in|0}} | Ship notes = }} |} The '''''Kearsarge''-class''' was a group of two [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s built for the [[United States Navy]] in the 1890s. The two ships—{{USS|Kearsarge|BB-5|6}} and {{USS|Kentucky|BB-6|6}}—represented a compromise between two preceding battleship designs, the low-[[freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] {{sclass|Indiana|battleship|4}} and the high-freeboard {{USS|Iowa|BB-4|6}}, though their design also incorporated several improvements. Their primary advances over earlier designs consisted of new [[quick-firing gun]]s and improved armor protection, but their most novel feature was their two-story [[gun turret]]s that consisted of a secondary {{convert|8|in|adj=on|0}} gun turret fixed to the top of their primary {{convert|13|in|adj=on}} turrets. The ships suffered from a number of problems, however, including a tertiary battery mounted too low in the [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] and poorly-designed turrets, though the latter were attempted again with the {{sclass|Virginia|battleship|4}} in the early 1900s, also with negative results. ''Kearsarge'' served as the [[flagship]] of the [[North Atlantic Squadron]] after entering service, while ''Kentucky'' was initially sent to [[East Asia]]. In 1904, ''Kearsarge'' was temporarily transferred to the [[European Squadron]], also serving as its flagship. Both vessels returned to the North Atlantic Squadron in 1905, and in 1906, ''Kentucky'' carried [[USMC|marines]] to Cuba during unrest in the country. Both ships participated in the cruise of the [[Great White Fleet]] around the world between late 1907 and early 1908, and after their return, they were modernized between 1909 and 1911, thereafter being placed in [[reserve fleet|reserve]]. The two ships were reactivated in mid-1915 and ''Kearsarge'' was used as a [[training ship]], while ''Kentucky'' was sent to participate in the [[United States occupation of Veracruz]]. After the United States entered [[World War I]] in April 1917, both ships were used as training vessels for the rapidly-expanding fleet before being [[ship commissioning|decommissioned]] in 1920. ''Kentucky'' was quickly discarded, being struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] in 1922 and sold for [[scrap]] the following year, but ''Kearsarge'' was converted into a [[crane ship]]. She was used in this capacity for the next twenty years, being involved in the recovery of the [[submarine]] {{USS|Squalus||2}} and numerous warship construction, repair, and modernization projects. She was ultimately struck in 1955 and sold to [[ship breaker]]s later that year.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)