Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Notable Point · 12:40-13:51

A capable Connecticut still needs a screen

The Connecticut class demonstrates that the US battle line's weakness lay in its missing screen rather than the quality of its pre-dreadnoughts.

3-inch Guns7-inch Guns8-inch Guns12-inch Guns21-inch TorpedoesBattleshipsConnecticut Class BattleshipsFleet ScreeningImperial German NavyNaval ArmourNaval GunneryPre-DreadnoughtsRoyal NavyUS Navy
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Notes

The Connecticut class shows that the capital ships themselves were credible. Its battery combined four 12-inch guns, eight 8-inch guns in twin turrets, twelve 7-inch casemate guns, and ten 3-inch guns for defence against destroyers. Four 21-inch torpedo tubes supplemented that gun battery. Protection consisted of an 11-inch belt and a 3-inch deck, and the ships could make 18 knots. The problem was the absence of enough escorts around a battleship worthy of respect. This shortage may help explain why the Royal Navy regarded the American fleet as less threatening than Germany's, despite American competition in battleship technology.