USS TENNESSEE (BB-43)

Moored inboard West Virginia, Tennessee was spared from the torpedo attacks that crippled many of the exposed battleships. However, she did attract some ordnance, sustaining two 800kg bomb hits from high-altitude Kates. Fortunately, both failed to properly detonate. The first passed through the catapult atop turret 3, breaking up as it partially penetrated the turret. Although it failed to explode the bomb filler ignited and burned, causing an intense fire that was soon extinguished. The second bomb struck the center gun barrel of turret 2, sending fragments through the air; one of these fragments mortally wounded West Virginia's Captain Bennion. In addition to being strafed an estimated 18-20 bombs fell within 100 yards of Tennessee. Wedged between the sunken West Virginia and the mooring quays, she was unable to flee the approaching oil fires from Arizona. Although she suffered fire damage on her stern as a result, Tennessee managed to hold back most of the oil fires with her propeller wash and deployed fire hoses. Trapped at her berth for ten days, her forward quay was finally dynamited, freeing her to moor in the Navy Yard, and four days later she set sail for the West Coast for repairs.

 
SHIPS DATA
NAME
 TENNESSEE
HULL NUMBER
 BB-43
BUILDER
 NEW YORK NAVY YARD, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
LAID DOWN
 MAY 14, 1917
CHRISTENED
 APRIL 30, 1919, BY MISS HELEN ROBERTS.
COMMISSIONED
 JUNE 30, 1920
CONSTRUCTION COST
 $7,800,000.00 (HULL AND MACHINERY),
$12,750,000.00 (TOTAL)

DIMENSIONS
DISPLACEMENT
 32,300 TONS (NORMAL); 35,190 TONS (FULL LOAD)
LENGTH (WL) 600'
LENGTH (OA)
 624' 6"
MAXIMUM BEAM
 97' 4"
MEAN DRAFT
 30' 6"
MAXIMUM DRAFT
 35' 6"

PROPULSION AND MACHINERY
TOTAL WEIGHT OF MACHINERY
 2,045 TONS
BOILERS EIGHT ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED, OIL-BURNING BABCOCK AND WILCOX; COMBINED TOTAL HEATING SURFACE OF 50,984 SQUARE FEET.
DRIVE
 TWO WESTINGHOUSE TURBO-ELECTRIC GEARED TURBINES, ARRANGED IN TANDEM ON THE CENTERLINE. COUPLED TO THE TURBINES, TWO THREE-PHASE, 15,000 KVA MAIN GENERATORS SENT A TOTAL OF 6,800 VOLTS TO FOUR 4,300 KW AC MOTORS, EACH OF WHICH WAS ATTACHED TO A SINGLE PROPELLER SHAFT.
FUEL OIL
 2,200 TONS (NORMAL); 3,328 TONS (EMERGENCY)
ELECTRICITY
 TWO THREE-PHASE, 15,000 KWA MAIN GENERATORS.
SHAFT HORSEPOWER
 28,600 (1920)
PROPELLERS
 FOUR, THREE-BLADED; 12' 7" DIAMETER
RUDDER
 ONE BALANCED, TAPERED TYPE. 200 SQUARE FOOT AREA.
TACTICAL DIAMETER
 700 YARDS (FULL HELM, SCREWS TURNING FORWARD)
MAXIMUM SPEED
 21.1 KNOTS (1920)
MAXIMUM RADIUS
 6,400 MILES @ 19 KNOTS;
9,200 MILES @ 15 KNOTS.

ARMOR
BELT
 14" AMIDSHIPS, TAPERING TO 8" ENDS. ENTIRE BELT EXTENDS 9' ABOVE WATERLINE AND 8' 6" BELOW. PROTECTED TURRET MAGAZINES AND AMIDSHIPS MACHINERY SPACES.
DECK
 1.5" OUTBOARD STRAKES (UPPER DECK); 3.5" AMIDSHIPS.
1.5-2" OUTBOARD STRAKES (LOWER DECK). PROTECTED MACHINERY AREAS AND STEERING GEAR FROM PLUNGING FIRE.
FUNNEL 15" AT BASE OF BOILER UPTAKES, TAPERING TO 8" AT THE UPPER DECK.
TURRETS 18" FACES; 8" SIDES; 8" REARS; 5" TOPS; 2" ON EXPOSED UNDERSIDES.
BARBETTES 14" ON EXPOSED SIDES; 16" ON THE TUBE; 14" ON THE CROWN.
CONNING TOWER 16" SIDES; TWO 4" LAYERS ON TOP.
LONGITUDINAL TORPEDO BULKHEADS THREE UNPIERCED BULKHEADS, EACH COVERED BY 1/4" STEEL PLATE. TOTAL WIDTH OF PROTECTION EACH SIDE IS 17'.
TRANSVERSE TORPEDO BULKHEADS OUTER BULKHEAD WAS DIVIDED INTO FIVE COMPARTMENTS. THE CENTER THREE WERE FILLED WITH FUEL OIL; THE OUTER TWO WERE LEFT AS AIR SPACES.

MAIN ARMAMENT
MAIN BATTERY:
14-INCH/45 CALIBER		 TWELVE SEPARATELY SLEEVED 14"/50 CALIBER 81.7-TON RIFLED GUNS MOUNTED IN FOUR SUPER-FIRING TRIPLE TURRETS, TWO FORWARD AND TWO AFT.
BREECH DIAMETER 46 INCHES
MAXIMUM ELEVATION 30 DEGREES
RIFLING
 SPIRAL GROOVES IN BARREL IMPROVED ACCURACY BY IMPARTING A SPIN TO THE PROJECTILE, GIVING IT A CLOCKWISE TWIST OF ONE REVOLUTION FOR EACH 37.3 FEET OF TRAVEL.
MAXIMUM RANGE
 34-35,000 YARDS
MAXIMUM PROJECTILE
 1,500-LB ARMOR PIERCING
MUZZLE VELOCITY 2,825 FEET PER SECOND (1,275 LB HC SHELLS)
MAXIMUM SHELL ALTITUDE 20,500 FEET (1,275 LB HC SHELLS)
AVERAGE RATE OF FIRE
 1.5 PER MINUTE

SECONDARY ARMAMENT
SECONDARY BATTERY:
5-INCH/51 CALIBER
 FOURTEEN 5-INCH/51 CALIBER, SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS; TEN WITHIN THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKHOUSE AND FOUR ATOP IT, TWO FORWARD AND TWO AFT BETWEEN THE FUNNELS. (THE LATTER TWO WERE REMOVED IN 1922 TO MAKE ROOM FOR ADDITONAL AA WEAPONS.)
MAXIMUM ELEVATION 20 DEGREES
MAXIMUM RANGE
 17,100 YARDS
MAXIMUM PROJECTILE
 50-LB HIGH-CAPACITY
EXPLOSIVE CHARGE
 4.5-LB (26.4% OF PROJECTILE WEIGHT).
MUZZLE VELOCITY 3,150 FEET PER SECOND

ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARMAMENT
MAIN AA BATTERY:
5-INCH/25 CALIBER
 EIGHT 5-INCH/25 CALIBER SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS, LOCATED ATOP THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKHOUSE, FOUR TO A SIDE. (TWO 3-INCH/50 CALIBER SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS WERE PLACED ON THE FORWARD SUPERSTRUCTURE, JUST BELOW THE BRIDGE WINGS, IN 1940.)
SECONDARY AA BATTERY:
.50 CALIBER MG
 EIGHT TOTAL; FOUR ON EACH MAST.

DIRECTORS
RADAR
 NONE
FIRE CONTROL
 TWO ENCLOSED MAIN BATTERY SURFACE RANGEFINDERS; ONE ABOVE BRIDGE, ONE ATOP TURRET TWO.
TWO MK 20 MAIN BATTERY GUN DIRECTORS, ONE ENCLOSED ATOP EACH MAST.
TWO SECONDARY DIRECTORS; ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF FOREMAST AT BRIDGE LEVEL.
TWO MK 28 ANTI-AIRCRAFT DIRECTORS, ABOVE BRIDGE LEVEL.

AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS  
AIRCRAFT THREE VOUGHT 0S2U KINGFISHERS (SINGLE ENGINE, LOW-WING, FLOAT-TYPE MONOPLANE; ONE FLOAT UNDER FUSELAGE, ONE FLOAT UNDER EACH WING).
CATAPULTS ONE TRAINABLE, POWDER-FIRED, P MK VI ON FANTAIL (TYPICAL PERFORMANCE WAS 6,500 POUNDS AT 65 MPH IN 60 FEET); ONE FIXED, POWDER-FIRED, P MK IV ATOP TURRET THREE (TYPICAL PERFORMANCE WAS 6,350-LB AT 64 MPH IN 60 FEET).
STERN CRANE SERVICED FANTAIL P MK VI. 6,000-LB LIFTING CAPACITY.
BOAT CRANES SERVICED TURRET-MOUNTED P MK 1V. 25,687-LB LIFTING CAPACITY.
HANGAR NONE

 

CREW
COMPLEMENT
 1,146 TOTAL, 1941. (50 OFFICERS, 70 MARINES, 1,026 BLUEJACKETS.)