Original 1917 Design
A bizarre seven-funneled design with boilers both below and above the armor deck due to space requirements. Very lightly armored.
Lexington CC-1: Completed to modified design
Constellation CC-2: Completed as CV-3
Saratoga CC-3: Completed to modified design
Ranger CC-4: Completed as CV-2
Constitution CC-5: Scrapped on the ways, machinery used in liner Liberty
United States CC-6: Scrapped on the ways, machinery used in liner Columbia
USS Lexington Original, United States Battlecruiser laid down 1917
Displacement:
32,416 t light; 34,467 t standard; 36,368 t normal; 37,888 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
874.00 ft / 850.00 ft x 91.00 ft x 34.00 ft (normal load)
266.40 m / 259.08 m x 27.74 m x 10.36 m
Armament:
4 - 14.00" / 356 mm guns (2x2 guns), 1,372.00lbs / 622.33kg shells, 1917 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts
6 - 14.00" / 356 mm guns (2x3 guns), 1,372.00lbs / 622.33kg shells, 1917 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread
20 - 5.00" / 127 mm guns in single mounts, 62.50lbs / 28.35kg shells, 1917 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, 8 raised mounts
4 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm guns in single mounts, 13.50lbs / 6.12kg shells, 1917 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 15,024 lbs / 6,815 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
4 - 21.0" / 533.4 mm above water torpedoes, 4 - 21.0" / 533.4 mm submerged torpedo tubes
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 5.00" / 127 mm 464.95 ft / 141.72 m 11.45 ft / 3.49 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 84 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
1.00" / 25 mm 464.95 ft / 141.72 m 30.89 ft / 9.42 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 6.00" / 152 mm 3.83" / 97 mm 5.00" / 127 mm
2nd: 6.00" / 152 mm 3.83" / 97 mm 5.00" / 127 mm
- Armour deck: 1.50" / 38 mm, Conning tower: 5.00" / 127 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Electric motors, 4 shafts, 232,747 shp / 173,629 Kw = 35.00 kts
Range 12,000nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,422 tons
Complement:
1,316 - 1,711
Cost:
£7.103 million / $28.411 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 1,878 tons, 5.2 %
Armour: 4,777 tons, 13.1 %
- Belts: 1,147 tons, 3.2 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 531 tons, 1.5 %
- Armament: 1,571 tons, 4.3 %
- Armour Deck: 1,410 tons, 3.9 %
- Conning Tower: 118 tons, 0.3 %
Machinery: 8,532 tons, 23.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 17,080 tons, 47.0 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,952 tons, 10.9 %
Miscellaneous weights: 150 tons, 0.4 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
30,235 lbs / 13,714 Kg = 22.0 x 14.0 " / 356 mm shells or 3.1 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.18
Metacentric height 5.9 ft / 1.8 m
Roll period: 15.7 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 43 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.99
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.00
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has low quarterdeck
Block coefficient: 0.484
Length to Beam Ratio: 9.34 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 29.15 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 53 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 37
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 35.22 degrees
Stern overhang: -6.00 ft / -1.83 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 34.00 ft / 10.36 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 29.75 ft / 9.07 m
- Mid (75 %): 28.87 ft / 8.80 m
- Quarterdeck (25 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m (28.00 ft / 8.53 m before break)
- Stern: 21.90 ft / 6.68 m
- Average freeboard: 27.77 ft / 8.46 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 152.6 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 207.8 %
Waterplane Area: 50,799 Square feet or 4,719 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 98 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 207 lbs/sq ft or 1,012 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.95
- Longitudinal: 1.56
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Final, Pre-Cleito, Design
This was the final design of the Lexington, prior to the beginning of negotiations for the Cleito Treaty. As soon as it became clear that the Harding Administration was willing to accept the 15" main gun limit, Naval architects scrambled to redesign the
Lexington again to accommodate the twelve 14" guns used in the final design, which was slightly slower and had better armor.
USS Lexington, United States Battlecruiser laid down 1919
Displacement:
40,039 t light; 42,465 t standard; 44,161 t normal; 45,518 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
874.00 ft / 850.00 ft x 100.00 ft (Bulges 105.50 ft) x 31.00 ft (normal load)
266.40 m / 259.08 m x 30.48 m (Bulges 32.16 m) x 9.45 m
Armament:
8 - 16.00" / 406 mm guns (4x2 guns), 2,048.00lbs / 928.96kg shells, 1919 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
16 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns in single mounts, 108.00lbs / 48.99kg shells, 1919 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, 8 raised mounts - superfiring
6 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm guns in single mounts, 13.50lbs / 6.12kg shells, 1919 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, 4 raised mounts
Weight of broadside 18,193 lbs / 8,252 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
4 - 21.0" / 533.4 mm above water torpedoes, 4 - 21.0" / 533.4 mm submerged torpedo tubes
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 7.00" / 178 mm 699.00 ft / 213.06 m 12.00 ft / 3.66 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Upper: 5.00" / 127 mm 699.00 ft / 213.06 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 127 % of normal length
- Torpedo Bulkhead and Bulges:
2.00" / 51 mm 699.00 ft / 213.06 m 28.57 ft / 8.71 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 11.0" / 279 mm 6.33" / 161 mm 9.00" / 229 mm
- Armour deck: 2.00" / 51 mm, Conning tower: 12.00" / 305 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Electric motors, 4 shafts, 225,739 shp / 168,401 Kw = 33.25 kts
Range 10,000nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,053 tons
Complement:
1,523 - 1,980
Cost:
£9.674 million / $38.696 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 2,274 tons, 5.1 %
Armour: 10,476 tons, 23.7 %
- Belts: 3,525 tons, 8.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,478 tons, 3.3 %
- Armament: 2,943 tons, 6.7 %
- Armour Deck: 2,207 tons, 5.0 %
- Conning Tower: 323 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 8,016 tons, 18.2 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 19,123 tons, 43.3 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 4,122 tons, 9.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 150 tons, 0.3 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
48,393 lbs / 21,951 Kg = 23.6 x 16.0 " / 406 mm shells or 5.9 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.12
Metacentric height 6.2 ft / 1.9 m
Roll period: 17.7 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 54 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.82
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.13
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has low quarterdeck
Block coefficient: 0.556
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.06 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 29.15 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 54 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 48
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 35.22 degrees
Stern overhang: -6.00 ft / -1.83 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 34.00 ft / 10.36 m
- Forecastle (22 %): 29.75 ft / 9.07 m
- Mid (61 %): 28.87 ft / 8.80 m
- Quarterdeck (18 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m (28.00 ft / 8.53 m before break)
- Stern: 21.90 ft / 6.68 m
- Average freeboard: 28.21 ft / 8.60 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 126.4 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 209.3 %
Waterplane Area: 59,655 Square feet or 5,542 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 98 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 212 lbs/sq ft or 1,034 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.97
- Longitudinal: 1.30
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent