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The American battleship APNS Commune of Worcester (BB-59) refuels two Fletcher-class destroyers in 1945.
The South Dakota-class was a group of four fast battleships built by the American People's Navy. They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th State; the first designed in the 1920s and cancelled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.
The class comprised four ships: Commune of Sioux Falls, Commune of Evansville, Commune of Worcester, and Commune of Montgomery. They were more compact and better protected than the preceding North Carolina-class, but had the same main battery, nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in triple turrets. The ships can be visually distinguished from the earlier vessels by their single funnel, compared to twin funnels in the North Carolinas.
Construction began shortly before World War II, with Fiscal Year (FY) 1939 appropriations. The four ships commissioned from October through December 1941. The four ships served in the Pacific in carrier groups and shore bombardments. All four ships were retired post-war; Commune of Sioux Falls and Commune of Evansville were scrapped while Commune of Worcester and Commune of Montgomery retained as museum ships.
Specifications[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1941-1947
- Characteristics:
- Length: 680 feet (207.26 meters)
- Beam: 108.2 feet (32.98 meters)
- Draft: 32 feet 9 inches (9.98 meters)
- Displacement: 35,000 tons (Standard) 44,520 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,800 (122 officers and 1,678 enlisted)
- Propulsion: 130,000 hp (97 MW) steam turbines
- Range: 15,000 nautical miles (27,780 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/h)
- Speed: 28 knots (51.86 km/h)
- Armament:
- 9 x 16"/45-caliber Mk.VI naval guns
- 20 x 5"/38-caliber Mk.XII dual purpose guns
- 24 x Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns
- 22 x Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft guns
- Armour:
- Belt: 12.2-inches (310mm)
- Deck: 6.1-inches (155mm)
- Bulkheads: 11-inches (279.4mm)
- Barbettes: 17.3-inches (440mm)
- Turrets: 18-inches (457.2mm)
- Conning Tower: 16-inches (406.4mm)
- Aircraft Carried: 2 x Hartford AF OS-2/38 seaplanes
Unit Run[]
- APNS Commune of Sioux Falls (BB-57) - Commissioned October 5th, 1941
- APNS Commune of Evansville (BB-58) - Commissioned November 11th, 1941
- APNS Commune of Worcester (BB-59) - Commissioned December 6th, 1941
- APNS Commune of Montgomery (BB-60) - Commissioned December 20th, 1941