Kearsarge class battleship
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| Kearsarge class battleship | |
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| Missing image USSkearsarge-bb5-underway.jpg | |
| Class Overview | |
| Class Type | Battleship |
| Class Namesake | USS Kearsarge (1861) |
| Preceded By | Indiana-class |
| Succeded By | Illinios-class |
| Ships of the Class: | Kearsarge, Kentucky |
Kearsage-class battleships were battleships built for the United States Navy at the beginning of the 20th century. Its first ship, the USS Kearsarge, was commissioned in 1900.
This class of battleships was the first in the U.S. Navy to carry the unusual double-decker turret layout both forward and aft. This arrangement suffered from firing interference between the 13 inch primary guns and the 8 inch secondary guns, and was not used frequently afterwards. Also, this class is distinguishable as the last to sport so-called "cheesebox" turret shapes. These turrets were descendants of the first-generation Monitor design by John Ericsson during the American Civil War. These "cheesebox" turrets mounted their guns far in the back of the turret, requiring a large vulnerable opening to accommodate gun elevation and severely limiting the maximum elevation of the weapons.
Both ships of this class were removed from the Navy as fighting vessels by the Washington Naval Treaty, after which Kentucky was scrapped, and Kearsarge was converted into a floating shipyard crane.
| Kearsarge-class battleship |
| Kearsarge | Kentucky |
| List of battleships of the United States Navy |