USS Kearsarge Class Battleships

The Kearsarge-Class battleships were built starting in 1895, two of them, Kearsarge and Kentucky, but not completed until 1900.  They were equipped with new quick-firing guns and improved armor protection.  The most innovative element in there design was the double turrets that featured and 8-inch gun over a 13-inch gun.  These were located both forward and aft.  The secondary armament consisted of 14 5-inch/40 caliber guns mounted in casemates on the sides.  Because of the low freeboard, these mounts were useable only in calm seas.  Both of these ships completed the entire cruise around the world.  These ships were slow and difficult to maneuver with only a single rudder.  The gun turrets were slow, 1-shot every 320 seconds.  The mounts had to be brought to 2-degrees elevation to reload each time.   The best way to identify the Kearsarge Class is the double turrets, that are round, not rectangular, and the two boiler funnel stacks in line down the centerline of the ship.


 


 


 

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