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BB-51 MONTANA
Design Plans

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South Dakota Class Battleship: Displacement: 43,200 tons. Dimensions: 684' (length overall); 106' (maximum beam). Powerplant: 60,000 horsepower steam turbines with electric drive, producing a 23 knot maximum speed. Armament (Main Battery): Twelve 16"/50 guns in four triple turrets. Armament (Secondary Battery): Sixteen 6"/53 guns in single mountings (eight guns on each side of the ship). 8 3"/50cal AA, 2 21 inch torpedo tubes (submerged). Armor: 8-13.5 inch belt, 3.5 inch deck, 4.5-13.5 inch barbettes, 5-18 inch turrets, 8-16 inch CT.Crew: 1191.

Operational and Building Data: From the DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS, Vol. I, p. 424. Keel laid 1 September 1920 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., but construction was canceled 8 February 1922 by the Washington Treaty on the limitation of naval armament when 27.6% complete; on 17 August 1922 she was stricken and sold 25 October 1923 and subsequently scrapped.
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BB-49 South Dakota 60k Artwork of a (BB-49-54) class battelship design, by F. Muller. The ships of this class, whose construction was canceled in 1922 under the terms of the Naval Limitations Treaty, were:
South Dakota (BB-49);
Indiana (BB-50);
Montana (BB-51);
North Carolina (BB-52);
Iowa (BB-53);
Massachusetts (BB-54).
 USN Historical Center # NH 44895.
BB-49 South Dakota 69k Plan one of three proposed versions of South Dakota class of December 1916 portray different possible versions for the Fiscal Year of 1918. Note the projected use of twin mounts for the secondary battery in Schemes 1 & 3. The latter was quite radical; the greatly enlarged No.2 barbette would have doubled as a conning tower, with conning tower functions limited to an annulus around the barbette proper. The very limited secondary battery would have been raised on platforms. The other two schemes show the unsatisfactory location of the foremast directly on top of the conning tower, which it would have fouled had it been damaged in action. All of these designs show four seperate smoke stacks. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-49 South Dakota 109k Plan two of three proposed versions of South Dakota class of December 1916 portray different possible versions for the Fiscal Year of 1918. Note the projected use of twin mounts for the secondary battery in Schemes 1 & 3. The latter was quite radical; the greatly enlarged No.2 barbette would have doubled as a conning tower, with conning tower functions limited to an annulus around the barbette proper. The very limited secondary battery would have been raised on platforms. The other two schemes show the unsatisfactory location of the foremast directly on top of the conning tower, which it would have fouled had it been damaged in action. All of these designs show four seperate smoke stacks. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-49 South Dakota 78k Plan three of three proposed versions of South Dakota class of December 1916 portray different possible versions for the Fiscal Year of 1918. Note the projected use of twin mounts for the secondary battery in Schemes 1 & 3. The latter was quite radical; the greatly enlarged No.2 barbette would have doubled as a conning tower, with conning tower functions limited to an annulus around the barbette proper. The very limited secondary battery would have been raised on platforms. The other two schemes show the unsatisfactory location of the foremast directly on top of the conning tower, which it would have fouled had it been damaged in action. All of these designs show four seperate smoke stacks. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-49 South Dakota 133k Starboard and overhead views of the South Dakota class, 1919 line drawing by A.L. Raven. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-49 South Dakota 144k Inboard profile view and cutout of the propulsion system of the South Dakota class, 1919 line drawing by A.L. Raven. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-49 South Dakota 133k Battleship 1919, the South Dakota as designed, dated 3 May 1918. The letter "A" indicates that this is design A, to be compared with a range of fast capital ships. They were rejected by the General Board, which felt that a true fast battleship would be so revolutionary as to make all existing capital ships obsolete. This wartime design was substanially that chosen when the ships were actually laid down. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-49 South Dakota 106k "What the Navy is Doing" poster, cica 1919. USN Historical Center # 80-WP-975.
BB-49 South Dakota 103k "16 Inch Guns for Our Dreadnaughts" Poster from the "What the Navy is Doing" series, published by the Navy Recruiting Bureau, New York, circa 1919. It depicts the manufacture of 16"/50 guns at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., for installation in the Lexington (CC-1) class battle cruisers and South Dakota (BB-49-54) class battleships then planned or in early stages of construction. Also shown are pictures of the battle cruiser design, a firing test at Indian Head, Maryland, and the effect of 16-inch shells on heavy armor. USN Historical Center # 80-WP-1002
South Dakota Class 970k The following eight photos are appropriately battleship size.
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51401 shows Contract Plan No.1 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Lines and Molded Offsets", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features a broadside and a bottom view of this class's keel plus size's of the ships interior compartments.
Note that the signature of the Acting Sec. of Navy in the bottom right section was the soon to be 32nd President of the U.S., Franklin Delano Roosevelt.		 NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 1.7mb
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51402A shows Contract Plan No.2 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Midship Section & Type Details", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features a broadside and a bottom view of this class's keel plus size's of the ships interior compartments.
NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 1.2
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51402B shows Contract Plan No.2 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Midship Section & Type Details", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features a broadside and a bottom view of this class's keel plus size's of the ships interior compartments.
NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 611k
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51403 shows Contract Plan No.3 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Outboard Profile", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features a broadside view of this class and is the same drawing as 014911 above, but in much more detail.
 NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 1.0mb
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51404 shows Contract Plan No.4 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Inboard Profile", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features a broadside view of this class and is the same drawing as 014912 above, but in much more detail.
Note also the very unique rudder crosshead details designed for these ships. 		NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo & partial text courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 2.4mb
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51405 shows Contract Plan No.5 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Structure, Upper Decks & Bridges", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features detailed views of these areas. 		NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 2.7mb
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51406 shows Contract Plan No.6 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Main & Second Decks", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features detailed views of these areas. 		NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 2.4mb
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51407 shows Contract Plan No.7 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Third Deck & First Platform", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features detailed views of these areas. 		NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
South Dakota Class 4.0mb
Bureau of Construction and Repair drawing # 51409 shows Contract Plan No.9 for the South Dakota (BB-49) class battleships; entitled "Cross Sections", and is dated 25 April 1919. It features detailed views of these areas. 		NARA RG19: South Dakota BB-49 (Alph File) Records of the Bureau of Ships documents. Photo courtesy of Bob Darby.
BB-49 South Dakota 106k "What the Navy is Doing" poster, cica 1919. USN Historical Center # 80-WP-975.
BB-49 South Dakota 62k Official model of a South Dakota (BB-49) class battleship, circa 1920. Photo from National Archives & Record Administration (NARA), Record Group (RG-19N) Box 33. Courtesy of Dan Treadwell.
BB-51 MONTANA History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry
(Located On The Hazegray & Underway Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable To This Ship.
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.
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