Editing Florida-class battleship (section)

=== Armament ===
[[File:Florida class battleship 1912 LOC hec 01148.jpg|thumb|Port side view of ''Florida''-class battleship, with ten [[12"/45-caliber Mark 5 gun|12"/45-caliber Mark 5]] main guns arranged exactly the same as on the ''Delaware''-class ships|alt=left side view of a large ship steaming through the water, with two boxy gun turrets in front and three in back, each with two guns.]]

==== Main guns ====
It was intended originally to arm these ships with eight [[14"/45-caliber gun|{{convert|14|in|adj=on|0}}/45]]-caliber guns then in development in superfiring fore-and-aft mountings.{{sfn|Breyer|p=199}} As this gun did not go into service until 1914, the arrangement of ten [[12"/45-caliber Mark 5 gun|{{convert|12|in||adj=on|0}}/45-caliber Mark 5 guns]] in five twin [[gun turret]]s was retained from the ''Delaware'' class.<ref name="DiGiulian Mk1,2,3&5" /> The gun housings were the Mark 8 type, and they allowed for depression to −5&nbsp;degrees and elevation to 15&nbsp;degrees. The guns had a [[rate of fire]] of 2 to 3 rounds per minute. They fired {{cvt|870|lb|lk=on|0}} shells, of either [[armor-piercing shot and shell|armor-piercing]] (AP) or Common types, though the Common type was obsolete by 1915 and put out of production. The [[propellant charge]] was {{cvt|310|lb|0}} in silk bags, and provided a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{cvt|2700|ft/s|lk=on|0}}. The guns were expected to fire 175 rounds before the barrels would require replacement. The two ships carried 100 shells per gun, or 1,000 rounds in total. At 15&nbsp;degrees elevation, the guns could hit targets out to approximately {{cvt|20000|yd|0}}<ref name="Navweaps12" />

Unfortunately, the turret layout of the ''Delawares'' was also retained, with its respective challenges. Two turrets, Numbers 1 and 2, were mounted fore in a superfiring pair, while the other three were mounted aft of the main superstructure, all on the centerline. The rearmost turret, number 5, was placed on the main deck, facing rearward, the next turret, Number 4, was placed on the main deck facing forward, but could only have fired on either [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]], it could not have fired straight forward or aft. The center turret, Number 3, placed in a superfiring position facing rearward, could not fire astern when the turret directly under it had its guns trained forward. This left only the rearmost turret, with its pair of 12-inch guns, to cover the rear quarter of the ship.{{sfn|Hore|p=57}} Also, since the engine room was situated between the superfiring rear turret and the ones behind it, steam lines ran from the boiler rooms amidships around the ammunition magazine for Number 3 turret to the engine room. These lines, it was later found, had the potential to heat the powder in the magazine and degrade its ballistics. This design flaw was also prevalent in several British dreadnoughts but was considered inescapable by naval designers on structural grounds.{{sfn|Friedman|1985|p=65}}

==== Other weapons ====
[[File:Starboard forward 5 inch gun battery USS Utah (BB-31) LOC ggbain 10757.jpg|thumb|Starboard forward battery of 5"/51-caliber guns on ''Utah'']]

C&R proposed {{convert|6|in|adj=on|0}} secondary guns for these ships, protected by {{cvt|6.5|in|0}} [[casemate]] armor. This would have been the only change from the protective scheme carried over from the ''Delaware'' class. However, a new 5-inch/51-caliber gun was adopted instead after concerns about inadequate splinter protection for secondary gun casemates and smoke uptakes led to an increase in armor.{{sfn|Friedman|1985|pp=71–72}} Sixteen of these weapons were fitted in individual casemates.<ref name="USN Florida class" /> These guns fired a {{cvt|50|lb|0}} armor-piercing (AP) shell at a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|3150|ft/s|0}} and a rate of 8 to 9 rounds per minute. The guns could depress to −10&nbsp;degrees and elevate to 15&nbsp;degrees. The guns were manually operated, and had a range of train of about 150&nbsp;degrees in either direction.<ref name="Navweaps5" />

''Florida'' and ''Utah'' received two [[3"/23-caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|adj=on|0}}/23-caliber guns]] in 1917 for anti-aircraft (AA) defense. This was increased to eight guns between 1926 and 1928. These guns fired a {{cvt|16.5|lb|0}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|1650|ft/s|0}} to a maximum range of {{cvt|8800|yd|0}} and ceiling of {{cvt|18000|ft|0}} at an elevation of 75 degrees and a rate of between eight and nine rounds per minute.{{sfn|Breyer|p=201}}<ref name="NavWeaps AA"/>

The ships were also armed with two {{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}} submerged torpedo tubes. The tubes were mounted one on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]. The torpedoes were {{cvt|16.4|ft|m|0}} long and carried a {{cvt|200|lb|0}} warhead. They had a range of {{cvt|4000|yd|0}} and traveled at a speed of {{cvt|26|kn|0}}.<ref name="NavweapsTorp" />