Illinois-class battleship

USS Illinois, the lead ship of the class
Class overview
Operators:	United States
Preceded by:	Kearsarge class
Succeeded by:	Maine class
Completed:	3
Retired:	3
Preserved:	0
General characteristics
Type:	Pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement:	11,565 tons Mean War Service
Length:	368 ft (112 m)
Beam:	72 ft 3 in (22.02 m)
Draft:	23 ft 5 in (7.14 m)
Speed:	17 kn (20 mph; 31 km/h)
Complement:	660 officers and men
Armament:	Main: 4 × 13 in (330 mm) guns Secondary: 14 × 6 in (150 mm) guns Light guns: 16 × 6-pounder guns (57 mm (2.2 in)) 6 × 1-pounder guns (37 mm (1.5 in)) Torpedoes: 4 × torpedo tubes
Armor:	Belt: 5.5–16.5 in (140–419 mm) Barbettes: 10–15 in (254–381 mm) Turret (Mains): 14 in (356 mm) Turret (secondary): 5.5–6 in (140–152 mm) Conning tower: 10 in (254 mm)

The Illinois-class battleships were pre-dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy commissioned at the beginning of the 20th century. The first ship of its class, the USS Illinois, was commissioned in 1901. These were the first US ships to use modern "British-style" turrets, which were easier to armor and smaller than the Monitor-style turrets used on preceding ships.

Ships in class

USS Illinois
USS Illinois	Designation: BB-7 Laid down: 10 February 1897 Launched: 4 October 1898 Commissioned: 16 September 1901 Operations: European Squadron, Great White Fleet. Victories: None Fate: Refitted as an armory ship and renamed IX-15 Prairie State, scrapped on 18 May 1956
USS Alabama
USS Alabama	Designation: BB-8 Laid down: 1 December 1896 Launched: 18 May 1898 Commissioned: 16 October 1900 Operations: Great White Fleet Victories: None Fate: Decommissioned on 7 May 1920 for use as a target ship, sunk on 27 September 1921
USS Wisconsin
USS Wisconsin	Designation: BB-9 Laid down: 9 February 1897 Launched: 26 November 1898 Commissioned: 4 February 1901 Operations: The Peace of the Wisconsin, Great White Fleet Victories: None Fate: Decommissioned on 15 May 1920 and sold for scrap on 26 January 1922

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Roger; Koleśnik, Eugène M.; Campbell, N.J.M. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5. 
• "Illinois". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
• "Alabama". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
• "Wisconsin". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 

See also

• List of battleships of the United States Navy
• List of ship launches in 1898
• List of ship commissionings in 1901
• List of ship decommissionings in 1920
• List of shipwrecks in 1921