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UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT
BUREAU OF CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR
"SPRING STYLES," 1911-1925
BUREAU OF CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR
"SPRING STYLES," 1911-1925
Online Library of Selected Images -- Photo Albums
Bureau of Ships' "Spring Styles" Book # 1 (1911-1925)
-- (Naval Historical Center Lot # S-584) --
Battle Cruiser Preliminary Design Drawings
Eleven of the 211 design drawings in the 1911-1925 "Spring Styles" Book treat battle cruisers. These plans cover both preliminary concept designs that did not lead to ship construction as well as four designs prepared during the course of development of the one class selected for construction, the Lexington (Battle Cruiser # 1) class. (These ships were canceled prior to completion but two were converted to aircraft carriers and completed as Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3). One drawing included shows the design for the British battle cruiser Hood of this era, prepared for comparative purposes. Related drawings in the book that show ships referred to as "fast battleships" are included under battleships. Related drawings of somewhat smaller ships that also carried heavy main battery guns, called "battle scouts" at the time, are included under cruisers. As these drawings show, Navy officials considered a wide range of armor protection schemes in developing ideas for fast surface combatant ships mounting heavy main battery guns. Adoption of comparatively heavy armor protection increased ship size and cost significantly, as did added maximum speed.
This page features those 1911-1925 Bureau of Ships "Spring Styles" plans that concern battle cruisers.
For general information on this album, see:
On the picture data sheets referenced from this page, click on the thumbnail image (small photograph) to prompt a larger view of the same image.
The Battle Cruiser drawings included in this album are:
--One proposed design for a battle cruiser, informing conceptual studies, 1912:
- S-584-024: Preliminary Design Plan for a Battle Cruiser - October 12, 1912. Drawing of a 42,250 ton ship with a main battery of eight 14-inch guns in four twin turrets and a maximum speed of 29 knots. This design was considered for inclusion in the Fiscal Year 1914 building program but dropped in favor of a battleship.
--Three proposed designs for a battle cruiser, related to the "Scout Cruiser" study series, 1915:
- S-584-072: Preliminary Design Plan for a Battle Cruiser - May 1915. Preliminary Design No.133 for a 56,500 ton ship with a main battery of eight 16-inch guns in four twin turrets and a maximum speed of 29 knots. This design probably was prepared as part of the wide-ranging "Scout Cruiser Study" of that year but not selected for construction.
- S-584-078: Preliminary Design Plan for a Battle Cruiser - June 1915. Preliminary Design No.140 for a 52,000 ton ship with a main battery of eight 16-inch guns in four twin turrets and a maximum speed of 30 knots. This design also was not adopted for construction.
- S-584-081: Preliminary design plan for a Battle Cruiser - July 1, 1915. Preliminary Design No.143 for a 30,000 ton ship with a main battery for six 16-inch guns in three twin turrets, a maximum speed of 30 knots, and limited protection. This design was marked as "not completed" and was not adopted for construction.
--Four proposed designs for the Lexington class:
- S-584-082: Preliminary design plan for a Battle Cruiser - August 25, 1915. Preliminary Design No.145 for a 35,500 ton ship with a main battery for eight 14-inch guns in four twin turrets and a maximum speed of 30 knots. The design selected for construction of the Lexington (Battle Cruiser # 1) class followed this general layout.
- S-584-102: Preliminary Design for a Battle Cruiser - June 16, 1916. Preliminary Design No.169 for a 33,500 ton ship with a main battery of ten 14-inch guns in two triple and two twin turrets and a maximum speed of 35 knots. This design was selected as the initial plan for the construction of the Lexington (Battle Cruiser # 1) class ships.
- S-584-135: Preliminary Design for an Improved Battle Cruiser - May 16, 1918. Drawing of a 45,000 ton ship with a main battery of eight 16-inch guns in four turrets and a speed of 33 knots. This design represented a potential improvement of the plan adopted for the Lexington (Battle Cruiser # 1) class as then intended to be built.
- S-584-148: Design Plan for Battle Cruisers # 1 to 6 - March 13, 1919. Drawing of a 35,300 ton ship with a main battery of eight 16-inch guns in four twin turrets and a maximum speed of 35 knots. This drawing represents the third of four design concepts adopted for the Lexington class during their protracted design development.
--Three proposed designs for a "Battleship Cruiser", 1918, not selected for construction:
- S-584-136: Preliminary Design for a "Battleship Cruiser" - May 18, 1918. Drawing of a 53,000 ton ship with a main battery of twelve 16-inch guns in four triple turrets and a maximum speed of 30 knots. This plan was prepared by visiting British Navy designer Stanley Goodall to meet certain U.S. design study goals. No such ship type was selected for construction.
- S-584-137: Preliminary Design for a "Battleship Cruiser" - May 18, 1918. Drawing of a 49,500 ton ship with a main battery of twelve 16-inch guns in four triple turrets and a maximum speed of 30 knots. This plan was prepared by visiting British Navy designer Stanley Goodall to meet certain U.S. design study goals. No such ship type was selected for construction.
- S-584-138: Preliminary Design Armor Protection Plan for a "Battleship Cruiser" - May 18, 1918. Drawing showing the layout of side and deck armor adopted in the preliminary designs for a so-called "Battleship Cruiser" - a blend of battleship and cruiser qualities and limitations--prepared by visiting British Navy designer Stanley Goodall to meet certain U.S. design study goals. No such ship type was selected for construction.
--One drawing illustrating the design selected for the British Battle Cruiser "Hood", 1918:
- S-584-145: Undated U.S. Navy Plan for the British Battle Cruiser Hood. Drawing of the design adopted for the British Navy ship Hood, prepared for comparison with U.S. Navy designs. The plan includes data showing that Hood was to displace 41,120 tons and carry a main battery of eight 15-inch guns and have a maximum speed of 31.25 knots. The U.S. Navy did not pursue a similar ship design.
For general information on this album, see:
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