New Mexico class
USS NEW MEXICO
USS New Mexico was the lead ship of a class of three standard type of battleship and was commissioned on 20 May 1918. She was 624ft long, had a beam of 97ft
5in and her displacement of 32,000 tonnes made her sit 30ft below the waterline. She was the first battleship to be outfitted with a turbo-electric transmission powered by four-shaft General Electric steam turbines and nine oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The ship was armed with 12 x 14in/50cal guns in four, three-gun turrets on the centreline, placed in two super firing pairs forward and aft of the superstructure. A feature unique to this class was their main gun’s ability to elevate independently. The secondary battery consisted of 14 x 5in/51cal guns mounted in individual casemates amidships on the superstructure. She also carried four x 3in/50cal guns and two submerged 21in torpedo tubes mounted port and starboard.
New Mexico’s overhaul (1931-1933) transformed her appearance into a very sleek ship by replacing her cage masts to a more modern tower superstructure.
She also received a significant amount of additional armour and weapons. However, although her top speed of 21 knots was average for a US battleship, it was only 1.5 knot faster than Japan’s slowest battleships. New Mexico was stationed in the
Pacific in 1942 operating in Hawaiian waters, then to the Aleutians to take part in operations to recapture Attu and Kiska. She supported the invasions in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in late 1943 and in early 1944, bombed Japanese positions on New Ireland, and assisted in the conquest of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam in June and July.
She was overhauled and returned to the Pacific to take part in the capture of Mindoro and on 6 January 1945 while supporting the Luzon operation, she was hit by a suicide plane that killed and injured over 100 members of her crew. After repairs, New Mexico participated in the invasion of Okinawa during which she was hit by another kamikaze on 12 May, suffering 170 casualties.
USS MISSISSIPPI
USS Mississippi was the second ship of the New Mexico class and commissioned in December 1917. She performed exercises and training operations in the Pacific with other battleships for over 10 years. On 12 June 1924 while involved in gunnery practice, a fire in a gun turret claimed the lives of 48 crew members.
Mississippi underwent a major modernisation (1931-33) that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament, and enhanced armour protection. She returned to the Pacific in October until June 1941, when she was brought to the Atlantic. In May 1942, the original 5in/51cal guns of the secondary battery were removed to accommodate anti-aircraft machine guns.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi re-joined the Pacific Fleet until 1943 when, while temporarily in the Atlantic, she took part in operations against Kiska Island. Back in the Pacific, she participated in the capture of the Gilbert Islands, but suffered another tragic turret explosion on 29 November, resulting in 43 deaths.
She participated in the bombardment of Kwajalein on 31 January 1944, Tarawa on 20 February, and Wotje the following day. She shelled Japanese positions on
New Ireland on 15 March subsequently returning to Puget Sound Navy Yard for an overhaul to increase the number of 5in/25cal guns to 14. Later in the year, Mississippi was part of the force that invaded Palau and Leyte during which she encountered a large Japanese naval task force in Surigao Strait.
Fitted with outdated fire control radar,
USS New Mexico
Class: New Mexico
Displacement: 32,000 tonnes
Length: 624ft
Beam: 97ft 5in
Draft: 30ft
Speed: 21 knots
Range: 9,206 miles
Crew: 114 officers and 2,129 enlisted (after 1943) Armament: 12 × 14in guns • 12 × 5in/51cal guns • 10 x 5in/38cal guns • 10 quadruple Bofors 1.6in guns • 43 x .79in Oerlikon guns
Armour: Deck - 3.5in, Waterline belt - 8in–13.5in