The cancelled South Dakotas concentrated firepower and protection for a World War I-style battle line, with twelve 16-inch guns making them formidable opponents in a set-piece engagement. In a later war, their heavy battery could have made them attractive shore-bombardment ships while newer fast battleships served with the fleet. The Marine Corps valued both the effect of the older battleships' guns and the morale benefit of their bombardment, although its actual efficacy varied between islands. Colorado's 16-inch guns provide the comparison for the appeal of a ship carrying twelve weapons of that calibre. The South Dakotas also offered extensive space for anti-aircraft additions. In this counterfactual, modernisation would preserve their usefulness without giving them Lexington's suitability for fast carrier operations.
Chapter · 1:35:21-1:37:39
The 1920 South Dakotas as line-of-battle specialists
The cancelled 1920 South Dakotas paired twelve 16-inch guns with traditional American battle-line priorities and might later have excelled at shore bombardment.