The four members of the South Dakota-class—the USS South Dakota, USS Alabama, USS Indiana and USS Massachusetts—were built between late 1938 and 1942. All four of these ships saw action in World War II.
Limited in size and weight by the Second London Naval Treaty, the South Dakota-class weighed 35,000 tons and were 680 feet long. Still, each one was armed with nine 16-inch guns mounted in three three-gun turrets; the 16-inch guns were among the largest ever mounted on a ship. The reduced length of the battleships allowed them to be more heavily armored yet stay within the treaty’s limitations.
The South Dakota-class’ underwater armor included side protection and a triple bottom; they were designed to absorb the blast of 700 pounds of TNT, which was believed to be more than the war head on a Japanese torpedo. That assessment was incorrect, as the “Long Lance” torpedo carried a warhead comparable to 900 pounds of TNT.
The South Dakota-class’ design might have allowed it to make do with less armor, but also resulted in diminished performance. To reach the desired top speed of 27 knots, the South Dakota-class’ engines were built to produce 9,000 more horsepower than the older North Carolina-class, but the additional propulsion came at a price as the vessels were significantly more cramped.
The arrival of the South Dakota class in 1942 and early 1943 provided a boost to a U.S. Navy still recovering from the damaging Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Though all four members of the class would see substantial action in the Pacific Theater, the South Dakota, Massachusetts and Alabama also served in the Atlantic Theater of
Operations. The Massachusetts fired the only American 16-inch gun salvos against Axis ships, disabling the Vichy French battleship Jean Bart and sinking two destroyers during Operation Torch off the coast of North Africa. The South Dakota and Alabama both served with the British Home Fleet in 1943, protecting the convoy lanes to the Soviet Union through the Baltic Sea and British territorial waters while Royal Navy vessels were supporting the allied invasion of Sicily.
The South Dakota, along with the North Carolina-class’ USS Washington, helped repulse a Japanese attack force off Guadalcanal in November, but the South Dakota was severely damaged in the process. She would be hit again during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1943, when a Japanese bomb killed 24 sailors and wounded 27 others. No other members of the class would suffer serious damage from Japanese attacks during the course of the war.
As the course of the war shifted and the United States began to go on the offensive, the members of the South Dakota-class spent large periods of time escorting aircraft carriers as they attacked Japanese bases throughout the Pacific. They would also have the opportunity to support American invasion forces as they landed on Japanese-held islands, firing their 16-inch and five-inch guns against enemy fortifications.
In the closing weeks of the war, the Japanese Navy was no longer a significant threat and the South Dakota-class took full advantage, cruising in the waters of the Japanese Home Islands. In July and early August, all four members of the class took part in the bombardment of Japanese industrial facilities near Tokyo on the island of Honshu. The Massachusetts, which fired the first American 16-inch shells in the European Theater, is also believed to fired the final 16-inch salvo of the war.
With the conclusion of the war, the U.S. military began a rapid drawdown and the members of the South Dakota class were rapidly decommissioned, though they were not struck from the Naval Vessel Register until 1962. At that time, the Indiana and South Dakota were sold for scrap; the Massachusetts and Alabama, however, were purchased through fund-raising efforts by their respective namesake states. They survive today as museum ships: the Alabama can be found in Mobile, Ala.; the Massachusetts resides at Fall River, Mass.
Class overview
Name: South Dakota class battleship
Operators: United States Navy
Preceded by: North Carolina-class battleship
Succeeded by: Iowa-class battleship
Completed: 4
Retired: 4
Preserved: 2
General characteristics
Type: Battleship
Displacement: 35,000 tons (standard)
Length: 680 ft (210 m)
Beam: 108.2 ft (33.0 m)
Propulsion: 130,000 hp (97 MW) steam turbines
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h)
Armament: 9 x 16 inch (406 mm) 45-caliber guns in three triple turrets; 20 x five-inch (127 mm) 38-caliber guns in ten twin mountings (South Dakota had 8 x twin mountings)
Aircraft carried: OS2U Kingfisher (x2)
