Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:23-1:41

Why North Carolina's vibration did not persist into later classes

The North Carolina-class vibration problem was difficult to cure in the completed ships but could be removed from later designs.

North Carolina Class BattleshipsSouth Dakota Class Battleships (1939)US NavyWarship Design
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Question

Did the vibration problems in Washington and North Carolina continue into the South Dakota and Iowa classes?

Short answer

No. They were hard to fix once built into the North Carolinas, but understanding the problem allowed later designers to remove it.

Notes

Correcting a defect already built into a ship is harder than preventing it in the next design. The original North Carolina-class ships remained difficult to fix. Once engineers understood the vibration source, they could remove it from the South Dakota and Iowa designs.