South Carolina Class Battleship

South Carolina Class Battleship

The United States Navy's South Carolina class consisted of two battleships: USS South Carolina and USS Michigan, both of which were launched in 1908. These were among the first warships built with armament organized on the "all-big gun" (dreadnought) principle and the first American battleships of the type. Their introduction of superfiring fore-and-aft turrets was a major new development in warship design, one that would eventually be adapted by other navies as the best main-gun arrangement possible. While HMS Dreadnought carried ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns as opposed to the South Carolinas' eight, four of these were carried in wing turrets on either side of the ship. This meant two guns would always be inactive when firing on the broadside. South Carolina and Michigan could bring all eight of their guns on the broadside, which meant they could actually fire an equivalent amount of metal as Dreadnought.

Along with an equal broadside, South Carolina and Michigan proved better protected on 3,000 tons less displacement than Dreadnought. This was important because of strict tonnage guidelines for various classes of warships set by the United States Congress. This was the main motivation for using superfiring turrets in these ships. Because of a limit for capital ships of no more than 16,000 tons, wing turrets could not be adapted and allow for adequate protection or seaworthiness. Great care was therefore taken in making these ships' design as efficient as possible. Although they were considered a case of attempting too much on too small a tonnage in some U.S. naval circles, many foreign naval authorities were impressed in what was accomplished in the design of these ships.

What these ships lacked was speed. Because they used triple-expansion engines instead of the then-new steam turbines, their flank speed was 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h) compared to Dreadnought's 22.4 knots (41.5 km/h). The Battle of Tsushima in 1905 showed the advantage of having ships faster than your enemy's to give the ability to outflank him and effectively control the speed and outcome of a naval contest. As capital ships became faster, the disparity in speed became increasingly acute and effectively sealed the South Carolinas premature obsolescence. At the same time, beginning with these ships, the U.S. Navy priorities of striking and staying power over speed became increasingly evident as subsequent battleships, especially those built to standard type, kept to a common speed while refining main armament and protection.