APNS Commune of Little Rock (BB-33) underway on April 11th, 1944.
The Wyoming-class battleship was the fourth series of two dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy (and later American People's Navy. The class comprised two ships: Wyoming and Arkansas. At the time of the design of this pair of dreadnoughts, not a single one of the previous designs had yet gone to sea. While somewhat larger than their predecessors they retained all the features that were common to American battleships to date, with centerline turrets, low freeboard, long service ranges, and very thick side armor. They were also the last American capital ships armed with 12 inch (305 mm) guns; the Alaska-class battlecruisers which would follow in World War II were classified by the navy as "large cruisers", despite having 12" guns.
The two ships served during both World War I and World War II. In the First World War, both ships were assigned to the 6th Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet, and saw limited action in the North Sea from 1917 to 1918. Wyoming and Arkansas were both rebuilt in the mid-1920s, as was the case for all of the American battleships of the era. After the Second American Civil War, both ships were captured and used as training ships. Both ships were struck from the Navy list after the end of the war; Commune of Cheyenne was scrapped in 1947, while Commune of Little Rock was expended as a target during the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests in 1946.
Specifications[]
Original Configuration[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1912-1947
- Characteristics:
- Length: 562 feet (171.3 meters)
- Beam: 93 feet 2 inches (28.4 meters)
- Draft: 28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters)
- Displacement: 26,000 tons (Standard); 27,243 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,063 officers and enlisted
- Propulsion: 12 x Babcock and Wilcox coal-fired boilers with oil spray, 4-shaft direct-drive steam turbines, 28,000 shp
- Range: 5,190 nautical miles (9,612 kilometers) at 12 knots (22.22 km/h)
- Speed: 21 knots (38.9 km/h)
- Armament:
- 12 x 12"/50-caliber Mk.VII naval guns
- 21 x 5"/51-caliber dual purpose naval guns
- 2 x 3"/50-caliber anti-aircraft guns
- 2 x 21" torpedo tubes
- Armour:
- Belt: 11-inches (279.4 mm)
- Turret Face: 12-inches (304.8 mm)
- Conning Tower: 11.5-inches (292.1 mm)
1925-1927 Modernization[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1912-1947
- Characteristics:
- Length: 562 feet (171.3 meters)
- Beam: 93 feet 2 inches (28.4 meters)
- Draft: 28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters)
- Displacement: 26,066 tons (Standard); 30,610 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,063 officers and enlisted
- Propulsion: 4 x White-Forester oil-fired boilers, 4-shaft direct-drive steam turbines, 28,000 shp
- Range: 5,190 nautical miles (9,612 kilometers) at 12 knots (22.22 km/h)
- Speed: 21 knots (38.9 km/h)
- Armament:
- 12 x 12"/50-caliber Mk.VII naval guns
- 16 x 5"/51-caliber Mk.15 dual purpose naval guns
- 8 x 3"/50-caliber anti-aircraft guns
- Armour:
- Belt: 11-inches (279.4 mm)
- Turret Face: 12-inches (304.8 mm)
- Conning Tower: 11.5-inches (292.1 mm)
- Aircraft Carried: 3 x floatplanes
- Aviation Facilities: 1 x catapult
1942 Rebuild[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1912-1947
- Characteristics:
- Length: 562 feet (171.3 meters)
- Beam: 93 feet 2 inches (28.4 meters)
- Draft: 28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters)
- Displacement: 26,066 tons (Standard); 30,610 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,063 officers and enlisted
- Propulsion: 4 x White-Forester oil-fired boilers, 4-shaft direct-drive steam turbines, 28,000 shp
- Range: 5,190 nautical miles (9,612 kilometers) at 12 knots (22.22 km/h)
- Speed: 21 knots (38.9 km/h)
- Armament:
- 12 x 12"/50-caliber Mk.VII naval guns
- 6 x 5"/51-caliber Mk.15 dual purpose naval guns
- 10 x 3"/50-caliber anti-aircraft guns
- 36 x Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns
- 26 x Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft cannons
- Armour:
- Belt: 11-inches (279.4 mm)
- Deck: .75 - 1.75-inches (19.05 to 44.45 mm)
- Turret Face: 12-inches (304.8 mm)
- Barbettes: 3.5-inches (88.9 mm)
- Conning Tower: 11.5-inches (292.1 mm)
- Aircraft Carried: 3 x floatplanes
- Aviation Facilities: 1 x catapult
Unit Run[]
- USS Wyoming (BB-32) - renamed APNS Commune of Cheyenne
- USS Arkansas (BB-33) - renamed APNS Commune of Little Rock