The two ships of the North Carolina-class, the USS North Carolina and USS Washington, were the first of a new breed of American fast battleships and the first American battleships built after the Treaty of Washington. They would both see significant action in World War II and were among the first ships to reinforce the Navy’s Pacific Fleet after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
When the North Carolina-class was being designed, it was hampered by limitations set forth in the Second London Naval Treaty. The ships were initially planned to weigh 35,000 tons and be armed with batteries of 14-inch guns. After other nations began to publicly ignore the treaty and developed larger ships with heavier guns, the 14-inch guns were replaced by 16-inch guns. The design modifications, however, still left the North Carolina-class with less armament than other battleships. Still, the two battleships were armed with nine potent 16-inch guns, five-inch guns, substantial anti-aircraft weaponry and the most modern fire control systems.
The North Carolina-class boasted another advantage: its speed. They had a maximum speed of 27 knots, far superior to the pre-treaty Colorado class’ 21 knots and comparable to the largest battleships in the Japanese inventory. It was also a substantially different design for an American battleship; a columnar mast replaced the “cage” mast of older battleships and the 16-inch guns were loaded into three turrets instead of the older four-turret design. Though the design was still not sufficient to protect a North Carolina-class battleship from a hit from an enemy six-inch shell, it was a substantial improvement over the battleships in the existing U.S. arsenal.
Both members of the North Carolina-class were launched in June 1940, with the Washington launching 13 days before the class’ namesake. Both ships were in the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 7, 1941, with the Washington still completing her shakedown cruise. In spite of the surprise attack, both ships would stay in the waters of the Atlantic well into 1942, protecting American merchant shipping and hoping in vain for a confrontation with the German battleship Tirpitz.
By late 1942, both the North Carolina and the Washington were in the waters of the Pacific. When the U.S. invaded Guadalcanal in August 1942, the North Carolina was the only American battleship on the scene; she would shoot down between seven and 14 Japanese aircraft during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. In mid-September, however, she was forced out of the area for repairs after a torpedo fired by a Japanese submarine killed six sailors and caused significant damage.
The Washington, which arrived off Guadalcanal in November, played a critical role in a naval engagement that helped solidify the American grip on the island. In the early morning hours of Dec. 15, 1942, the Washington and USS South Dakota led a small American force against a group of Japanese battleships, cruisers and destroyers attempting to escort transport ships carrying reinforcements to Guadalcanal. In the only duel between battleships in the Pacific Theater, the Washington crippled and sank the Kogo-class battleship Kirishima.
Both members of the North Carolina-class would spend most of 1943 providing support for carrier battle groups attacking Japanese bases throughout the Pacific. On Dec. 8, 1943, both ships took part in the bombardment of the island of Nauru; when American forces invaded the Kwajalein atoll on Jan. 30, 1944, both ships again provided fire support. Two days later, however, the Washington collided with the USS Indiana, suffering severe damage that removed her from action until June.
The North Carolina-class’ primary role for the much of the remainder of the war was to support American carrier operations. At least one member of the class, however was able to fire on Japanese positions before major assaults on the likes of Saipan, Peleliu and Okinawa. By July 1945, the Japanese Navy and Air Force had been depleted to the point where American ships could strike Japan’s Home Islands, and the North Carolina took part in several bombardment missions against industrial targets on Japanese soil. Some of her sailors and marines would be among the first Americans to occupy Japan after the Aug. 15, 1945 surrender, which occurred while the Washington was in dry dock in the United States.
With the ending of the war, the American military began to draw down rapidly. Both ships were quickly decommissioned, though they would not be struck from the Naval Vessel Register until 1960. The Washington was scrapped; the North Carolina endured a better fate. After the children of North Carolina raised $300,000 to purchase her, the Navy officially released her to the people of North Carolina on Sept. 6, 1961. She was dedicated as a floating museum in Wilmington, N.C. on April 29, 1962, where she remains. The North Carolina was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
General characteristics
Class and type: Battleship
Displacement: 35,000 tons (standard); 44,800 tons (1942 full load)
Length: 729 ft (222 m)
Beam: 108 ft (33 m)
Draught: 27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion: 121,000 shp (90 MW) geared turbines Range: 5,740 mi (9,240 km) @ 25 knots
16,320 mi (26,260 km) @ 15 knots
Armament:
• 9 × 16 inch/45 caliber guns
• 20 × 5 inch/38 caliber guns
• 4 × quad 1.1 inch/75 caliber guns
Armour:
Belt:
12.0″ on 0.75″ STS (305 mm on 19 mm), inclined 15 degrees, tapering to 6.6″ on 0.75″ STS (168 mm on 19 mm) at lower edge
Bulkheads:
11.1″ to 1.1″ (282 mm to 28 mm)
Barbettes:
centerline forward: 14.7″ (373 mm)
sides 16.0″ (406 mm)
centerline aft 11.5″ (292 mm)
Turrets:
face plates 16.0″ (406 mm)
sides 9.8″ (249 mm)
back plates 11.8″ (300 mm)
roof plates 7.0″ (178 mm)
Centerline
main 1.45″ (37 mm)
second 1.4″ + 3.6″ (36 mm + 91 mm)
third 0.62″ (16 mm)
total 7.07″ (180 mm)
Outboard
1.45″ (37 mm)
second 1.4″ + 4.1″ (36 mm + 104 mm)
third 0.75″ (19 mm)
total 7.70″ (196 mm)[1]
Aircraft carried: OS2U Kingfisher
