The Colorado class battleships (or Maryland class, for those who prefer to name ship classes after the first unit to be completed) were up-gunned versions of the preceding Tennessee class, sharing their general design and appearance, but replacing the earlier ships' twelve 14"/50 guns with eight 16"/45s. Built with Fiscal Year 1917 appropriations and delayed by higher priorities during World War I, two of the Colorados were the last new U.S. battleships to enter service for nearly two decades. The fourth of the class, Washington, was the only new U.S. ship cancelled under the Naval Limitations Treaty that had actually been launched. Their 32,600-ton standard displacement was slightly heavier than that of the Tennessee class, and the power and accuracy of their sixteen-inch guns represented a notable improvement. The multi-layered anti-torpedo side protection system, armor, turbo-electric drive, and improved fire controls of the Tennessees were repeated in the Colorados, which were typical U.S. battleships of the day: robust, heavily-armed and armored but relatively slow. During the Twenties and Thirties, the five ships of these two classes were popularly known as the Battle Fleet's "Big Five".
During the early 1930s, it was intended to modernize the "Big Five", but the only work actually done produced a modest increase in anti-aircraft guns and the associated fire control systems. Two of the Colorado class, Maryland and West Virginia were at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack there started the Pacific War. The latter was sunk, her side protection system overwhelmed by a mass of Japanese torpedoes. Colorado was then completing an overhaul that added additional depth to the side protection, increasing her beam to 108 feet, and Maryland soon received similar improvements. Both ships were further altered later in 1942, with their "cage" mainmasts cut down and anti-aircraft guns increased in numbers. Later, they received new after superstructures to carry better gun directors. Following Kamikaze damage in late 1944, Maryland was fitted with a sixteen-gun 5"/38 dual-purpose secondary battery, replacing the previous mixed lot of low-angle 5"/51s and high-angle 5"/25s. Colorado finished her days with the mixed second battery.
The massively damaged West Virginia was salvaged in 1942 and 1943, and received the same extensive modernization applied to the two Tennessees: hull widened to 114 feet, greatly improved fire controls and anti-aircraft batteries, a secondary battery of sixteen 5"/38 guns in twin mounts, and a generally "modern" appearance.
These ships saw the usual wartime employment of older battleships, serving as a "fleet in being" in 1942-43 and thereafter providing big-gun bombardment in support of amphibious operations. Maryland and West Virginia were present for the last fight between opposing battleships, the Battle of Surigao Strait on 25 October 1944. Laid up after the War, the three Colorado class ships were part of the Reserve Fleet until 1959, when they were sold for scrapping.
The Colorado class included four ships, three of
which were completed. All were built at east coast shipyards:
Colorado class design characteristics:
This page features a modest selection of photographs of Colorado class battleships, plus images related to these ships' basic design features, and provides links to more extensive pictorial coverage of the individual ships.
For coverage of other classes of U.S. Navy battleships, see: Battleships -- Overview and Special Image Selection.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 55271 Colorado Class Battleships (BB-45 through BB-48) Artwork by F. Muller, circa 1916, depicting a preliminary design for these ships, before the addition of heavier "cage" masts, enlarged superstructure and the elimination of secondary battery gun positions in the hull. The ships of this class were: Colorado (BB-45); Maryland (BB-46); Washington (BB-47) -- not completed; and West Virginia (BB-48). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 65KB; 740 x 345 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 55274 USS Colorado (BB-45) Steaming at high speed in 1923, probably during her trials. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 109KB; 740 x 585 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-1027204 USS West Virginia (BB-48) In San Francisco Bay, California, circa 1934. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 112KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-19949 Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941 USS Maryland (BB-46) alongside the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37). USS West Virginia (BB-48) is burning in the background. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 88KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-28260 USS Colorado (BB-45) Off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, 9 February 1942, with three Vought OS2U "Kingfisher" floatplanes on her catapults. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 55KB; 740 x 575 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-65057 USS Maryland (BB-46) Running post-overhaul speed trials in Puget Sound, Washington, 26 April 1944. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 90KB; 740 x 600 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-316831 (cropped) Okinawa Invasion, 1945 USS Colorado (BB-45) firing her after 16"/45 guns during the pre-invasion bombardment of Okinawa, 29 March 1945. Photographed from USS Minneapolis (CA-36). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 66KB; 740 x 600 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-68376 USS West Virginia (BB-48) Off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 2 July 1944, following reconstruction. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 75KB; 740 x 570 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-86952 USS Maryland (BB-46) Off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, on 5 August 1945, after her final wartime overhaul. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 77KB; 740 x 615 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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For more views of Colorado class battleships, see:
For coverage of other classes of U.S. Navy battleships, see: Battleships -- Overview and Special Image Selection.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 18 June 2000
Coding updated 26 March 2001