NavSource Online: Cruiser Photo Archive
USS CONSTELLATION (CC 2)
CLASS - LEXINGTONDisplacement 43,500 Tons, Dimensions, 874' (oa) x 105' 5" x 31' (max).
Armament 8 x 16"/50 16 x 6"/53 4 x 3"8 x 21" tt
Machinery, 180,000 SHP; G.E. Geared Turbines with Electric Drive, 4 screws
Speed, 35 Knots, Crew 1500.
Operational and Building Data
Keel laid in AUG 1920 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newport News, VA
Fate: Construction halted due to the signing of the
Washington Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armaments of 1922 on 6 FEB 1922. Sold for scrap in 1923
| Click On Image For Full Size Image | Size | Image Discription | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
40k | U.S. Battle Cruisers Nos. 1 - 6 Silhouette and table of principal characteristics for the definitive design of these ships, circa 1920. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #NH 99411. |
USNHC | |
 014843 |
245k | Photo from the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company which shows the West Virginia (BB 48) on the shipway awaiting her launching 19 November 1921. One of the two large vessels being built on the ways behind her is most probably the South Dakota class battleship Iowa (BB 53), which would be cancelled 17 August 1923 in accordance with the terms of the Washington Treaty limiting Naval armaments. She was sold for scrap 8 November 1923. The photos of Iowa under construction clearly show her being built in the left-hand (western most) of the two covered ways. So this photo of West Virginia, looking toward the west, would show another ship in the nearer covered way and Iowa would be in the one farther away. Based on the shape of the scaffolding on the nearer covered way, the bow shape suggests warship rather than merchant, and the length would be consistent with one of the battlecruisers. Constellation (CC 2) would be more likely than Ranger (CC 4), based on the height of the scaffold, but that then begs the question of where Ranger was being built since she would have been too long for most of the open ways in the yard. Navsource, Friedman, and Breyer all agree that Constellation was laid down at Newport News in August of 1920. West Virginia was not launched until November 1921. Ranger was laid down in June of 1921, and so her construction (and scaffold height) would probably not have reached the level of that seen in the nearer covered way, based on the slower, peace time work schedule. | Text i.d. courtesy of Richard M. Jensen. Photo courtesy of Dale Hargrave. | |
USS CONSTELLATION (CC 2) History
This Vessel Was Not Listed IN DANFS
To See Another Vessels Entry Click This Link NHHC DANFS Index
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Cruiser Pages By Andrew Toppan.
| Back To The Main Photo Index | Back To The Cruiser Photo Index Page |
Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster
This Page Was Created By Paul R. Yarnall And Maintained By Tom Bateman & Michael Mohl
