Allied Battleships
of World War II
Naval Terminology
beam
The most extreme width (or breadth) of a nautical vessel
class
A group of ships of similar design
displacement
The weight of the water that a ship displaces when it is floating
with its fuel tanks full and all stores aboard
draught
The vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom
of the hull
knot
Nautical mile (1 knot = 1.150779 miles)
pdr
Pounder (weight of shell fired by a gun)
shaft
Propeller shaft
shp
Shaft horsepower—the power delivered to the propeller shafts
Colorado Class
Ships
Maryland, Colorado, Washington, and West
Virginia
Launched
1920–1921
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
32,600 tons
Armament
Main:
8 x 16in guns
Secondary: 12 x 5in guns, 8 x 3in guns, and
2 x 21in torpedoes
Machinery
8 boilers, 4 shafts, 26,800shp
Speed
21 knots
Crew
1,083 men
624ft
97ft 5in
30ft 2in
North Carolina Class
Ships
North Carolina and Washington
Launched
1940
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
37,484 tons
Armament
Main:
9 x 16in guns
Secondary: 20 x 5in guns, 16 x 1.1in guns, and
12 x .5in guns
Machinery
8 boilers, 4 shafts, 121,000shp
Speed
28 knots
Crew
1,880 men
728ft 9in
108ft 4in
33ft
South Dakota Class
Ships
South Dakota, Indiana, Massachusetts, and
Alabama
Launched
1941-1942
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
37,970 tons
Armament
Main:
9 x 16in guns
Secondary: 20 x 5in guns and numerous
lighter guns
Machinery
8 boilers, 4 shafts, 130,000shp
Speed
27.5 knots
Crew
1,793 men
680ft
108ft
35ft
Iowa Class
Ships
Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin
Launched
1942-1944
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
48,110 tons
Armament
Main:
9 x 16in guns
Secondary: 20 x 5in guns, 80 x 1.57in guns,
and 50 x .79in guns
Machinery
8 boilers, 4 shafts, 212,000shp
Speed
33 knots
Crew
1,921 men
887ft
108ft
36ft 2in
Admiral Class
Ships
Hood
Launched
1918
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
42,670 tons
Armament
Main:
8 x 15in guns
Secondary: 12 x 5.5in guns, 4 x 4in guns,
and 6x 21in torpedoes
Machinery
24 boilers, 4 shafts, 144,00shp
Speed
31 knots
Crew
1,477 men
860ft
105ft
28ft
Queen Elizabeth Class
Ships
Queen Elizabeth, Warspite, Valiant, Barham,
and Malaya
Launched
1913-1915
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
27,500 tons
Armament
Main:
8 x 15in guns
Secondary: 16 x 6in guns, 2 x 3in guns, and
4 x 3pdr guns
Machinery
24 boilers, 4 shafts, 75,000shp
Speed
25 knots
Crew
925 men
645ft 9in
90ft 6in
28ft 9in
Revenge Class
Ships
Ramillies, Resolution, Revenge, Royal Oak,
and Royal Sovereign
Launched
1914-1916
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
28,000 tons
Armament
Main:
8 x 15in guns
Secondary: 14 x 6in guns and 4 x 21in
torpedoes
Machinery
18 boilers, 4 shafts, 40,000shp
Speed
21 knots
Crew
908-997 men
624ft
88ft 6in
28ft 6in
Nelson Class
Ships
Nelson and Rodney
Launched
1925
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
33,313 tons
Armament
Main:
9 x 16in guns
Secondary: 12 x 6in guns, 6 x 4.7in guns,
and 2 x 24.5in torpedoes
Machinery
8 boilers, 2 shafts, 45,000shp
Speed
23 knots
Crew
1,314 men
710ft
106ft
33ft 6in
King George V Class
Ships
King George V, Prince of Wales, Duke of York,
Anson, and Howe
Launched
1939-40
Dimensions
Length:
Beam:
Draught:
Displacement
36,727 tons
Armament
Main:
10 x 14in guns
Secondary: 16 x 5.25in guns and 32 x 2pdr
guns
Machinery
8 boilers, 4 shafts, 110,00shp
Speed
28 knots
Crew
1,422 men
745ft
103ft
29ft