Montana class

[paul.mercer]

Gentlemen,
Have scrolled back over some of the posts trying to find out more about the projected 'Montana' class ships. I believe they were to have had 12x 16", but were they just extended 'Iowas' or were they actually a completely new design with heavier armour?

[Steve Crandell]

Gentlemen,
Have scrolled back over some of the posts trying to find out more about the projected 'Montana' class ships. I believe they were to have had 12x 16", but were they just extended 'Iowas' or were they actually a completely new design with heavier armour?

A completely new design. The main battery guns were one of the few similarities. The armor scheme layout was completely different, as was the power plant. Much greater subdivision in the latter, and the former had an external main armor belt, with a thinner internal belt to protect against diving shells.

The post war Midway class carriers used the power plant layout designed for the Montana class battleships.

[alecsandros]

Gentlemen,
Have scrolled back over some of the posts trying to find out more about the projected 'Montana' class ships. I believe they were to have had 12x 16", but were they just extended 'Iowas' or were they actually a completely new design with heavier armour?

A completely new design. The main battery guns were one of the few similarities. The armor scheme layout was completely different, as was the power plant. Much greater subdivision in the latter, and the former had an external main armor belt, with a thinner internal belt to protect against diving shells.

The post war Midway class carriers used the power plant layout designed for the Montana class battleships.

I agree,
the armor array was designed against the 16"/L50 guns, the main belt having a maximum thickness of 410mm declined at 18*.

The main similarities with the Iowas were the superstructures, redundancies and gun caliber. Other than that, they were new ships built without the compromises of the 30s, and built with the intention to destroy enemy battleships.

[paul.mercer]

Gentlemen,
As always, thank you for your information.
It would seem that had they been built they would have been very powerful ships!

[Steve Crandell]

Gentlemen,
As always, thank you for your information.
It would seem that had they been built they would have been very powerful ships!

Yes, but of course the day of the battleship had passed, so there was no longer a reason for them.