USS New Hampshire (Battleship #25) BB-25

Type:
Battleship

Class:

Connecticut (Class Overview)
Builder:
New York Shipbuilding Corp.
Camden, New Jersey
Hull Number:
Battleship #25
BB-25 (July 17, 1920)
Ordered:
December 27, 1904
Commissioned:
March 19, 1908
Keel Laid:
May 1, 1905
Decommissioned:
May 21, 1921
Launched:
June 30, 1906
Stricken:


November 10, 1923
Fate:
Sold Nov. 1, 1923 and scrapped.


Dimensions, machinery and performance
Length:
456' 3"
Engines:
2 four cylinder vertically inverted triple expansion
Beam:
76' 10"
Boilers:
12 Babcock & Wilcox (coal fired)
Draft:
24' 6"
Shafts:
2
Displacement:
16,000 std. / 17,665 full
HP:
16,500
Speed:
18 knots
Crew:
963
Range:
5,000 NM @ 10 knots


Armament as designed
Number Carried
Type
Arrangement
Maximum Range / Ceiling
4
12"/45 (305mm) Mk 5
2 twin turrets
20,000 yards @ 15° (11.3 miles)
870 lb. AP shell
Rate of fire 2-3 RPM

8
8"/45 (203mm) Mk 6
4 twin turrets
22,500 yards @ 20.1° (12.7 miles)
260 lb. AP shell
Rate of fire 1-2 RPM

12
7"/45 (178mm) Mk 2
single mounts
(casemates)
16,500 yards @ 15° (9.3 miles)
165 lb. AP shell
Rate of fire 4 RPM

20
3"/50 (76mm)
single mounts
14,600 yards @ 43° (8.2 miles)
AA ceiling 30,400'
13 lb. HE shell
Rate of fire 15-20 RPM

4
21" torpedo tubes
submerged
4,000 yards @ 27 knots (2.2 miles)
200 lb. wet gun-cotton warhead


The second New Hampshire (BB-25) was laid down 1 May 1905 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; launched 30 June 1906; sponsored by Miss Hazel E. McLane, daughter of Governor John McLane of New Hampshire; and commissioned 19 March 1908, Capt. Cameron M. Winslow in command.

After fitting out at New York, New Hampshire carried a Marine Expeditionary Regiment to Colon, Panama, 20-26 June 1908, then made ceremonial visits to Quebec, Portsmouth, New York, and Bridgeport. Overhaul at New York and Caribbean exercises were followed by participation in the Naval Review by President Theodore Roosevelt in Hampton Roads 22 February 1909, welcoming home the "Great White Fleet." Through the next year and a half she exercised along the east coast and in the Caribbean, then departed Hampton Roads 1 November 1910 with the Second Battleship Division for Cherbourg, France and Weymouth, England. Leaving England 30 December 1910, she returned to the Caribbean until arriving in Norfolk 10 March 1911 to prepare for a second European cruise which took her to Scandinavian, Russian, and German ports. The squadron returned to New England waters 13 July 1911.

New Hampshire trained Naval Academy midshipmen off New England in the next two summers, and patrolled off strife torn Hispaniola in December 1912. From 14 June 1913 until 29 December 1913, she similarly protected American interests along the Mexican coast, to which she returned 15 April 1914 to support the occupation of Vera Cruz. New Hampshire sailed north 21 June 1914, was overhauled at Norfolk, and exercised along the cast coast and in the Caribbean until returning to Vera Cruz in August 1915.

Arriving Norfolk 30 September 1915, New Hampshire operated in northern waters until 2 December 1916, when she sailed for Santo Domingo, where her commanding officer took part in the government of the revolt-torn country. She returned to Norfolk in February 1917 for overhaul, where she lay when the United States entered World War I. For the next year and a half she trained gunners and engineers in northern coastal waters, and on 15 September 1918 began the first of two convoy escort missions, guarding transports from New York to a rendezvous point off the French coast. On 24 December 1918 she sailed on the first of four voyages bringing veterans home from France to east coast ports. This duty completed 22 June 1919, she was overhauled at Philadelphia, then 5 June 1920 sailed with Academy midshipmen embarked for a cruise through the Panama Canal to Hawaii and west coast ports. She returned to Philadelphia 11 September 1920.

New Hampshire served as flagship for the special naval force in Haitian waters from 18 October to 12 January 1921, and on 25 January 1921 sailed with the remains of Swedish Minister Wilhelm Ekengren for Stockholm, arriving 14 February 1921. She called also at Kiel and Gravesend before returning to Philadelphia 24 March 1921. There she decommissioned 21 May 1921.

She was sold for scrapping 1 November 1923 in accordance with the Washington Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armaments.

(History from the DANFS)

 



Page revised Sept. 15, 2007