Wyoming-class battleship

Wyoming-class battleship. The Wyoming-class consisted of two dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy in the early 1910s. These vessels, USS ''Wyoming'' and USS ''Arkansas'', represented a significant increase in firepower over preceding American designs. They served through both World War I and World War II, with their careers undergoing dramatic transformations from frontline capital ships to training and support vessels.

Design and description

The design was a direct response to the rapid naval arms race, particularly influenced by the launch of the British HMS ''Dreadnought'' and the increasing caliber of main guns in foreign fleets like the Imperial German Navy. Primary armament consisted of a dozen 14-inch/45-caliber guns mounted in six twin gun turrets, arranged in a hexagonal pattern that provided a powerful broadside. This configuration was an evolution from the preceding Florida-class battleship, offering two additional main guns. Protection schemes centered on an extensive belt armor system and thick barbette armor for the turrets, designed to withstand contemporary heavy shellfire. Propulsion was provided by four Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company turbines fed by twelve Babcock & Wilcox coal-fired boilers, giving a top speed just over twenty knots.

Construction and service history

Authorized by the United States Congress in 1909, both ships were constructed at prominent American yards. USS ''Wyoming'' was laid down at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia, while USS ''Arkansas'' was built at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation yard in Camden, New Jersey. They were commissioned in 1912, joining the Atlantic Fleet for routine peacetime exercises and fleet maneuvers. During World War I, they operated primarily with the British Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow, serving as part of the Battleship Division Nine under Admiral Hugh Rodman, though they saw no direct surface combat. In the interwar period, both underwent significant modernization under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, which included the removal of their conning tower armor and some secondary guns.

Ships in class

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Name ! Hull number ! Builder ! Laid down ! Launched ! Commissioned ! Fate |- | USS ''Wyoming'' | BB-32 | William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia | 9 February 1910 | 25 May 1911 | 25 September 1912 | Stricken 1947; scrapped |- | USS ''Arkansas'' | BB-33 | New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey | 25 January 1910 | 14 January 1911 | 17 September 1912 | Sunk as target during Operation Crossroads, 1946 |}

Operational history

Following their post-treaty modifications, USS ''Wyoming'' was converted into a training ship, reclassified as AG-17, and served extensively in this role throughout World War II in the Chesapeake Bay. USS ''Arkansas'' remained a combatant, providing naval gunfire support during critical amphibious operations including the Normandy landings at Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, the Invasion of Southern France, and the Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific Theater. Its final mission was as a target vessel during the Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, where it was sunk by the "Baker" test blast in July 1946.

Assessment and legacy

The class successfully bridged the gap between early American dreadnoughts and the later Standard-type battleships, introducing the powerful 14-inch gun as standard. Their long service lives, spanning from the Edwardian era to the Atomic Age, demonstrated remarkable adaptability. While USS ''Wyoming'' ended its days training thousands of sailors for the Allied invasion of Sicily and other campaigns, USS ''Arkansas'' holds the distinction of being the only American battleship to provide gunfire support in both the European theatre of World War II and the Pacific War. Their careers provide a microcosm of the evolution of naval warfare and the fate of treaty-limited capital ships.

Category:Battleship classes Category:Battleships of the United States Category:World War I battleships of the United States Category:World War II battleships of the United States