South Dakota Class Battleship Summary

This is the 3D print sculpt of the South Dakota class battleship by EBard Models.

The South Dakota class comprised of 4 ships: South Dakota, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Alabama. They were designed to the same treaty standard displacement limit of 35,000 long tons as the preceding North Carolina class and had the same main battery of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in three-gun turrets, but were more compact and better protected.

A number of deficiencies in the preceding North Carolinas were to be fixed in the South Dakotas. To keep to treaty tonnage limits, the class would be shorter and have a more compact hull that needed less overall armor protection. The design was much shorter than the preceding North Carolinas  - 680 ft vs. 729 ft.

The size of the hull was a problem though, as a longer hull generally equates to a higher top speed, but also requires more armor to protect it. The design initially called for a top speed of at least 22.5 knots, which was deemed sufficient to keep up with opposing battleships and outrun surfaced submarines. In late 1936, cryptanalysts deciphered radio traffic from the Japanese navy which revealed that the battleship Nagato was capable of speeds in excess of 26 knots. In order for the South Dakota design to achieve a higher top speed, higher-performance machinery was required. 

As planned, it would mean the class would have been too slow to be escorts for fast carrier task forces. The insistence on speed presaged the development of the Iowa class.

The class has a single funnel and can be visually distinguished from the earlier North Carolinas which has twin funnels.

Construction began in 1939 and were commissioned in 1942. Durin the war, the four ships served in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. All four ships were retired shortly after World War II; South Dakota and Indiana were scrapped in the 1960s, Massachusetts and Alabama were retained as museum ships.

South Dakota design is considered the best "treaty battleship" ever built.

Ships of Class

• BB-57 South Dakota
• BB-58 Indiana
• BB-59 Massachusetts
• BB-60 Alabama

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