History of the USS Illinois (BB-65)

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USS Illinois (BB-65): History, Patrols, Crews

History

The USS Illinois was to have been the fifth member of the Iowa-class of “fast battleships.” She was the fourth Navy ship to carry the name Illinois. Originally intended to be the first ship of the Montana-class of battleships, she was redesigned to the specifications of the Iowa-class during World War II.

The BB-65 was originally designed to counter the Japanese Navy’s massive Yamato-class of battleships and was ordered on Sept. 9, 1940. The Montana would have been much larger than the Iowa-class; she would have had three more 16-inch guns and heavier armor. The Montana-class, however, would have been slower than the Iowa-class battleships.

Plans for the Montana-class were scrapped once the U.S. entered World War II in favor of the Iowa-class design, and the hull of the BB-65 was changed accordingly. The demand for battleships had been eclipsed by the demand for aircraft carriers, adding to her plight; the Navy needed faster battleships to provide protection for the Essex-class carriers. When BB-65 was re-designated an Iowa-class battleship, she dropped the name Montana and became the Illinois.

By the time the Illinois’ keel was laid on Jan. 15, 1945, the war in the Pacific had swung heavily in favor of the United States and her allies. The Illinois was still in the early phases of construction when Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945 and the contract to build her was cancelled. Her hull remained intact until 1958, when it was scrapped. The ship’s bell now resides at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois; it is rung every time the Illini score a touchdown or kick a field goal.

Characteristics of the USS Illinois (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):

Class and type: Iowa-class battleship
Displacement: 45,000 tons (45,722 tonnes)
Length: 887 ft 3 in (270 m)
Beam: 108 ft 2 in (32.9 m)
Draft: 37 ft 2 in (11.3 m)
Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement: 151 officers, 2647 enlisted
Armament: 1943:
9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
80 x 40 mm 56 cal. anti-aircraft guns
49 x 20 mm 70 cal. anti-aircraft guns
1984:
9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
12 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
32 x BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles
16 x RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles
4 x 20 mm/76 cal. Phalanx CIWS
Armor: Belt: 12.1 in (307 mm)
Bulkheads: 11.3 in (287 mm)
Barbettes: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 439 mm)
Turrets: 19.7 in (500 mm)
Decks: 7.5 in (190 mm)

Career

Ordered: 9 September 1940
Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 15 January 1945
Launched: Canceled prior to launch
Fate: Dismantled in her dry dock September 1958:

Timeline:

September 1940: BB-65 (originally USS Montana) ordered
January 1945: Keel of USS Illinois laid down
September 1945: USS Illinois cancelled
September 1958: hull of USS Illinois scrapped

Links:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/65.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Illinois_(BB-64)

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