Battleship Texas BB-35 (2)

BB -- Battleships
Until July 1920, U.S. Navy Battleships did not officially have "BB" series hull numbers. They were, however, referred to by "Battleship Number", with that number corresponding to the "BB" number formally assigned in July 1920, or which would have been assigned if the ship had still been on the Navy list. For convenience, all of these ships are listed below under the appropriate numbers in the "BB" series.

The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The British battleship HMS Dreadnought had such an impact when launched in 1906 that battleships built after her were referred to as 'dreadnoughts', and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts. Her design had two revolutionary features; an 'all-big-gun' armament scheme and steam turbine propulsion. The arrival of the dreadnoughts renewed the naval arms race, principally between Britain and Germany but reflected worldwide, as the new class of warships became a crucial symbol of national power.

The concept of an all-big-gun ship had been in development for several years before Dreadnought's construction. The Imperial Japanese Navy had begun work on an all-big-gun battleship in 1904, but finished the ship as a pre-dreadnought; the United States Navy was also building all-big-gun battleships. Technical development continued rapidly through the dreadnought era. Successive designs increased rapidly in size and made use of improvements in armament, armor, and propulsion. Within ten years, new battleships outclassed Dreadnought herself. These more powerful vessels were known as 'super-dreadnoughts'. Most of the dreadnoughts were scrapped after the end of World War I under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, though many newer super-dreadnoughts continued serving through World War II.

While dreadnought building consumed vast resources in the early 20th century, there was only one pitched battle between dreadnought fleets. At the Battle of Jutland, the British and German navies clashed with no decisive result. The term 'dreadnought' gradually dropped from use after World War I, as all battleships shared dreadnought characteristics. 'Dreadnought' can also be used to describe battlecruisers, the other type of ship resulting from the dreadnought revolution

In addition, the Navy's first two "modern" battleships (rated as "Second Class Battleships") never received hull numbers. For the sake of completeness, these two ships are included at the beginning of this page's "BB" series.

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Education

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• history
• battleships
• war
• weapons
• ships
• education

[moptrucks]

You did a fine job. Thank you.