Shipbucket

I now continue my post Majhost reboot with my rework of the next class after, the USS New Hampshire (BB-55) the lead ship of that class.
The basic assumption is that the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty failed to be agreed upon. As such the South Dakota-class battleships were never cancelled and in fact was followed by USS New Hampshire-class a behemoth dreadnought heavier and nearly as long as the Iowa-class, sporting a main armament of 8 eighteen inch/50 caliber guns, 24 six inch/53 caliber secondary battery and 8 5inch/25 caliber dual purpose battery.
Here is the Spring sharp report:
USS New Hampshire, USA Battleship laid down 1927 (Commissioned 1931)

Displacement:
63,991 t light; 67,714 t standard; 73,807 t normal; 78,682 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
883.00 ft / 850.00 ft x 126.00 ft x 36.00 ft (normal load)
268.22 m / 259.08 m x 38.40 m x 10.97 m

Armament:
8 - 18.00" / 457 mm guns (4x2 guns), 2,916.00lbs / 1,322.68kg shells, 1927 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts – superfiring

24 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns (8x3 guns), 108.00lbs / 48.99kg shells, 1927 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on side, evenly spread, 4 raised mounts
8 - 5.00" / 127 mm guns in single mounts, 62.50lbs / 28.35kg shells, 1927 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts

Weight of broadside 26,420 lbs / 11,984 kg

Shells per gun, main battery: 150

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max)Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 16.0" / 406 mm 650.00 ft / 198.12 m 13.47 ft / 4.11 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 118 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 16.0" / 406 mm 9.00" / 229 mm 12.0" / 305 mm
2nd: 8.00" / 203 mm 4.00" / 102 mm 8.00" / 203 mm

- Armour deck: 9.00" / 229 mm, Conning tower: 20.00" / 508 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Electric motors, 4 shafts, 193,141 shp / 144,083 Kw = 29.00 kts
Range 6,000nm at 21.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 10,969 tons

Complement:
2,238 - 2,910

Cost: £21.336 million / $85.343 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 3,303 tons, 4.5 %
Armour: 26,794 tons, 36.3 %
- Belts: 5,913 tons, 8.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 6,211 tons, 8.4 %
- Armour Deck: 13,912 tons, 18.8 %
- Conning Tower: 758 tons, 1.0 %
Machinery: 6,097 tons, 8.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 27,799 tons, 37.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 9,816 tons, 13.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
107,440 lbs / 48,734 Kg = 36.8 x 18.0 " / 457 mm shells or 7.0 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.12
Metacentric height 8.8 ft / 2.7 m
Roll period: 17.9 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 51 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.50
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.18

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
Block coefficient: 0.670
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.75 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 29.15 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 52 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 43
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 45.00 degrees
Stern overhang: -10.00 ft / -3.05 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 30.00 ft / 9.14 m
- Forecastle (60 %): 30.00 ft / 9.14 m
- Mid (60 %): 30.00 ft / 9.14 m (22.00 ft / 6.71 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (40 %): 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Stern: 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Average freeboard: 26.80 ft / 8.17 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 62.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 156.5 %
Waterplane Area: 83,556 Square feet or 7,763 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 113 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 246 lbs/sq ft or 1,202 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1.05
- Longitudinal: 1.40
- Overall: 1.08
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

USS New Hampshire (BB-55)
1931 (As commissioned)



During 1935/1936 the New Hampshire underwent the first of three modernizations.

The cage masts were removed and the main mast replaced by a simple tower mast outfitted with a Mk-31 director with three Mk-33 directors just aft of it, one on the centerline and one on either side one deck lower. Two .50cal Browning machine guns were installed one on either side on the lower search light walkway.

The foremast was outfitted with a Mk-31 with a Mk33 fire control director just forward with a Mk-33 director on either side one deck lower and a 15 foot rangefinder just forward of the Mk-33. Six .50cal Browning machine guns were installed three on either side on the conning tower bridge.

Two quadruple 1.1inch (Chicago Piano) Anti-aircraft guns mounted in gun pans on either side of the Fore mast.

The after boom crane was replaced by a newer more robust crane.

USS New Hampshire (BB-55)
1936 (After first modernization)



In 1941 New Hampshire underwent it’s second refit.

Radar antennae were installed on the various fire control gun directors: Mk18 to the Mk33 directors, the Mk 3 to the upper Mk33s fore and aft and Mk18s to the side Mk33s.
Splinter shields were added to protect the 5inch/25 guns on the boat deck

The fore and after tower masts were expanded.

Two additional 1.1inch quad mounts were installed one on either side of the after mast.

The Browning machine guns were replaced with 20mm Oerlikon machine guns.



In late 1942 New Hampshire left the shipyard with measure 11 camouflage and the fore and after masts were further modified. 53 20mm Oerlikons augmented by 10 Quad 40mm Bofors guns made up the anti-aircraft air defenses.

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Beautiful, well thought-out, logical progression... I wonder what the inevitable 5/38 refit will look like.

Nice design but you have all the Main Battery turrets superfiring as well as four of the Secondary Battery turrets.

However, my concern is the lack of a TDS...

I do have some minor things, nothing serious.
If you want a more time correct look to the ship, I'd go with a SoDak style bridge. That look was being used in designs well into the 30s.

I can't help but feel that the bow is not fat enough. Most American BBs were quite wide at the bow. Speed was a secondary concern for the USN.

If the ship is commisioned in 1931, why bother putting a New Mexico style bridge and aft superstructure when any major rework would be superfluous?

Hull form was set by the Panama Canal, which these ships will not fit through. It is notable that even the Tillman-series 'Maximum Battleships' were sized to fit the Panama Canal locks, and only for the Montana class was that restriction lifted. These have the sort of hull form the USN wished it could have.

Actually, the Panama canal docks were to be expanded to fit the Montana, maybe that could be done in this case too.

I am now reworking the bridge along those lines.

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Well, I've replaced the bridge superstrucrure with one which combines features of both the New Mexico modernization and the South Dakota. Furthermore, the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) entered the Philadelphia Naval Yard for modernization during the period of May 2, 1929 to May 25, 1931 where her cage masts were replaced with tripod masts. This being the case, it seems likely that any new battleships constructed during this milieu would also have been completed with tripod masts similar to those found on the Pennsylvania and her sister ship Arizona. I have redrawn USS New Hampshire along that thought using tripod masts.

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My Avatar is
French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.