 |
Moored inboard West Virginia, Tennessee
was spared from the torpedo attacks that crippled many of the exposed battleships.
However, she did attract some ordnance, sustaining two 800kg bomb hits from high-altitude
Kates. Fortunately, both failed to properly detonate. The first passed through the
catapult atop turret 3, breaking up as it partially penetrated the turret. Although
it failed to explode the bomb filler ignited and burned, causing an intense fire that
was soon extinguished. The second bomb struck the center gun barrel of turret 2, sending
fragments through the air; one of these fragments mortally wounded West Virginia's Captain
Bennion. In addition to being strafed an estimated 18-20 bombs fell within 100 yards of
Tennessee. Wedged between the sunken West Virginia and the mooring quays,
she was unable to flee the approaching oil fires from Arizona. Although she suffered fire damage on
her stern as a result, Tennessee managed to hold back most of the oil fires with her propeller
wash and deployed fire hoses. Trapped at her berth for ten days, her forward quay was
finally dynamited, freeing her to moor in the Navy Yard, and four days later she set sail
for the West Coast for repairs.
|
SHIPS DATA |
NAME
|
TENNESSEE
|
HULL NUMBER
|
BB-43 |
BUILDER
|
NEW YORK NAVY YARD, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
|
LAID DOWN
|
MAY 14, 1917 |
CHRISTENED
|
APRIL 30, 1919, BY MISS HELEN ROBERTS.
|
COMMISSIONED
|
JUNE 30, 1920
|
CONSTRUCTION COST
|
$7,800,000.00 (HULL AND MACHINERY), $12,750,000.00 (TOTAL)
|
DIMENSIONS |
DISPLACEMENT
|
32,300 TONS (NORMAL); 35,190 TONS (FULL LOAD)
|
LENGTH (WL)
|
600' |
LENGTH (OA)
|
624' 6"
|
MAXIMUM BEAM
|
97' 4"
|
MEAN DRAFT
|
30' 6"
|
MAXIMUM DRAFT
|
35' 6"
|
PROPULSION AND MACHINERY |
TOTAL WEIGHT OF MACHINERY
|
2,045 TONS
|
BOILERS
|
EIGHT ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED, OIL-BURNING BABCOCK AND WILCOX; COMBINED TOTAL HEATING SURFACE OF 50,984 SQUARE FEET.
|
DRIVE
|
TWO WESTINGHOUSE TURBO-ELECTRIC GEARED TURBINES, ARRANGED IN TANDEM ON THE CENTERLINE. COUPLED TO THE TURBINES, TWO THREE-PHASE, 15,000 KVA MAIN GENERATORS SENT A TOTAL OF 6,800 VOLTS TO FOUR 4,300 KW AC MOTORS, EACH OF WHICH WAS ATTACHED TO A SINGLE PROPELLER SHAFT.
|
FUEL OIL
|
2,200 TONS (NORMAL); 3,328 TONS (EMERGENCY)
|
ELECTRICITY
|
TWO THREE-PHASE, 15,000 KWA MAIN GENERATORS.
|
SHAFT HORSEPOWER
|
28,600 (1920)
|
PROPELLERS
|
FOUR, THREE-BLADED; 12' 7" DIAMETER
|
RUDDER
|
ONE BALANCED, TAPERED TYPE. 200 SQUARE FOOT AREA.
|
TACTICAL DIAMETER
|
700 YARDS (FULL HELM, SCREWS TURNING FORWARD)
|
MAXIMUM SPEED
|
21.1 KNOTS (1920)
|
MAXIMUM RADIUS
|
6,400 MILES @ 19 KNOTS; 9,200 MILES @ 15 KNOTS.
|
ARMOR |
BELT
|
14" AMIDSHIPS, TAPERING TO 8" ENDS. ENTIRE BELT EXTENDS 9' ABOVE WATERLINE AND 8' 6" BELOW. PROTECTED TURRET MAGAZINES AND AMIDSHIPS MACHINERY SPACES.
|
DECK
|
1.5" OUTBOARD STRAKES (UPPER DECK); 3.5" AMIDSHIPS. 1.5-2" OUTBOARD STRAKES (LOWER DECK). PROTECTED MACHINERY AREAS AND STEERING GEAR FROM PLUNGING FIRE.
|
FUNNEL
|
15" AT BASE OF BOILER UPTAKES, TAPERING TO 8" AT THE UPPER DECK.
|
TURRETS
|
18" FACES; 8" SIDES; 8" REARS; 5" TOPS; 2" ON EXPOSED UNDERSIDES.
|
BARBETTES |
14" ON EXPOSED SIDES; 16" ON THE TUBE; 14" ON THE CROWN.
|
CONNING TOWER |
16" SIDES; TWO 4" LAYERS ON TOP.
|
LONGITUDINAL TORPEDO BULKHEADS |
THREE UNPIERCED BULKHEADS, EACH COVERED BY 1/4" STEEL PLATE. TOTAL WIDTH OF PROTECTION EACH SIDE IS 17'.
|
TRANSVERSE TORPEDO BULKHEADS
|
OUTER BULKHEAD WAS DIVIDED INTO FIVE COMPARTMENTS. THE CENTER THREE WERE FILLED WITH FUEL OIL; THE OUTER TWO WERE LEFT AS AIR SPACES.
|
MAIN ARMAMENT |
MAIN BATTERY: 14-INCH/45 CALIBER
|
TWELVE SEPARATELY SLEEVED 14"/50 CALIBER 81.7-TON RIFLED GUNS MOUNTED IN FOUR SUPER-FIRING TRIPLE TURRETS, TWO FORWARD AND TWO AFT.
|
BREECH DIAMETER |
46 INCHES |
MAXIMUM ELEVATION |
30 DEGREES
|
RIFLING
|
SPIRAL GROOVES IN BARREL IMPROVED ACCURACY BY IMPARTING A SPIN TO THE PROJECTILE, GIVING IT A CLOCKWISE TWIST OF ONE REVOLUTION FOR EACH 37.3 FEET OF TRAVEL.
|
MAXIMUM RANGE
|
34-35,000 YARDS
|
MAXIMUM PROJECTILE
|
1,500-LB ARMOR PIERCING |
MUZZLE VELOCITY |
2,825 FEET PER SECOND (1,275 LB HC SHELLS)
|
MAXIMUM SHELL ALTITUDE |
20,500 FEET (1,275 LB HC SHELLS)
|
AVERAGE RATE OF FIRE
|
1.5 PER MINUTE
|
SECONDARY ARMAMENT |
SECONDARY BATTERY: 5-INCH/51 CALIBER
|
FOURTEEN 5-INCH/51 CALIBER, SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS; TEN WITHIN THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKHOUSE AND FOUR ATOP IT, TWO FORWARD AND TWO AFT BETWEEN THE FUNNELS. (THE LATTER TWO WERE REMOVED IN 1922 TO MAKE ROOM FOR ADDITONAL AA WEAPONS.)
|
MAXIMUM ELEVATION |
20 DEGREES
|
MAXIMUM RANGE
|
17,100 YARDS
|
MAXIMUM PROJECTILE
|
50-LB HIGH-CAPACITY |
EXPLOSIVE CHARGE
|
4.5-LB (26.4% OF PROJECTILE WEIGHT).
|
MUZZLE VELOCITY |
3,150 FEET PER SECOND
|
ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARMAMENT |
MAIN AA BATTERY: 5-INCH/25 CALIBER
|
EIGHT 5-INCH/25 CALIBER SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS, LOCATED ATOP THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKHOUSE, FOUR TO A SIDE. (TWO 3-INCH/50 CALIBER SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS WERE PLACED ON THE FORWARD SUPERSTRUCTURE, JUST BELOW THE BRIDGE WINGS, IN 1940.)
|
SECONDARY AA BATTERY: .50 CALIBER MG
|
EIGHT TOTAL; FOUR ON EACH MAST.
|
DIRECTORS |
RADAR
|
NONE
|
FIRE CONTROL
|
TWO ENCLOSED MAIN BATTERY SURFACE RANGEFINDERS; ONE ABOVE BRIDGE, ONE ATOP TURRET TWO. TWO MK 20 MAIN BATTERY GUN DIRECTORS, ONE ENCLOSED ATOP EACH MAST. TWO SECONDARY DIRECTORS; ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF FOREMAST AT BRIDGE LEVEL. TWO MK 28 ANTI-AIRCRAFT DIRECTORS, ABOVE BRIDGE LEVEL.
|
AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS |
AIRCRAFT
|
THREE VOUGHT 0S2U KINGFISHERS (SINGLE ENGINE, LOW-WING, FLOAT-TYPE MONOPLANE; ONE FLOAT UNDER FUSELAGE, ONE FLOAT UNDER EACH WING).
|
CATAPULTS
|
ONE TRAINABLE, POWDER-FIRED, P MK VI ON FANTAIL (TYPICAL PERFORMANCE WAS 6,500 POUNDS AT 65 MPH IN 60 FEET); ONE FIXED, POWDER-FIRED, P MK IV ATOP TURRET THREE (TYPICAL PERFORMANCE WAS 6,350-LB AT 64 MPH IN 60 FEET).
|
STERN CRANE
|
SERVICED FANTAIL P MK VI. 6,000-LB LIFTING CAPACITY.
|
BOAT CRANES
|
SERVICED TURRET-MOUNTED P MK 1V. 25,687-LB LIFTING CAPACITY.
|
HANGAR
|
NONE
|
CREW |
COMPLEMENT
|
1,146 TOTAL, 1941. (50 OFFICERS, 70 MARINES, 1,026 BLUEJACKETS.)
|
|
| | | | | | | | | | |