Editing Indiana-class battleship (section)

=== 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 [[QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss|Hotchkiss 6-pounders]], and six [[QF 1 pounder pom-pom|Maxim-Nordenfelt 1-pounders]], as well as six{{efn|name=torpedo}} [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450 mm)]] tubes.{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|pp=54–55}}

[[File:USS Indiana (BB-1) - NH 52653.jpg|thumb|left|alt=several men stand on deck next to a large turret, with a smaller one visible in the background|The forecastle of ''Indiana'', showing its fore 13-inch turret and one of the 8-inch turrets]]

The 13-inch gun was 35 [[Caliber (artillery)|calibers]] long and used [[black powder]], giving a range of about {{convert|12000|yd}} at 15 degrees of elevation. At {{convert|6000|yd}}, a shell was expected to penetrate {{convert|10|-|12|in}} of side armor.{{sfn|NavWeaps 13"/35 (33 cm) Marks 1 and 2}} 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 {{sclass|Illinois|battleship}}s).{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=55}} 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 (watercraft)|list]] in the direction the guns were aimed. This reduced the maximum arc of elevation (and thus range) to about five 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,{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=62}} but the gun mountings never performed in an entirely satisfactory manner.{{sfn|Gardiner|Lambert|1992|p=121}}

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.{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=60}} 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.{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=52}} 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"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|adj=on|0}}/50-caliber]] single-purpose guns were added midships and in the fighting tops.{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=62}}

Sources conflict on the number of torpedo tubes originally included in the ships,{{efn|name=torpedo}} 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.{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=62}}
 
In 1918 there was a proposal to modify the three ''Indiana''-class ships to carry a single 98-caliber {{convert|9|in|mm|adj=on|0}} gun built by lining down a 50-caliber [[14"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|14|in|mm|adj=on|0}} gun]] to that size. Preliminary design of the turret for the gun was completed in October for service in mid-1919, but the end of the war the following month caused the program to be converted into a test program for long-range guns. The [[Bureau of Ordnance]] decided to first test a [[7"/44 caliber gun|{{convert|7|in|mm|adj=on|0}} gun]] lined down to 3 inches as a proof of concept, but those tests did not commence until 1922.{{sfn|Wright|2007|pp=143–145}}