Comparison between HMS King George V and USS North Carolina 1

Comparison between HMS King George V and

USS North Carolina
Introduction
In 1940 and 1941 the Royal Navy and the United States Navy commissioned the lead ships of their latest battleship
classes. The ships were nominally limited to 35000 tons standard displacement under the Washington Naval Treaty,
although this figure was exceeded after the outbreak of WW2 led to the abandonment of the treaty limitations. Since
both the USN and RN were tasked with building the same class of vessel, the comparison reveals differences in
design philosophy dictated both by tactical and strategic requirements and by the historical context into which the
two navies were operating on the eve of WW2.[1]

Battleship comparison[2]
Ship

HMS King George V (41) North Carolina

Length (WL) 740 ft 714 ft

Beam (Ext) 103-0 ft-in 108-3 ft-in

Draft (Deep) 32-9 ft-in 33-4 ft-in

Displacement(Std) (tons) 36,730 36,600

Displacement(Full Load) (tons) 42,080 44,800

Weight Equipment (tons) 1150 1200

Weight Machinery (tons) 2770 2900

Weight Armament (tons) 6570 7000

Weight Protection (tons) 12,460 11,300

Weight Hull (tons) 13,780 14,200

Weight Oil (tons) 3770 5500

Power (SHP) 110,000 121,000

Speed(Deep) (knots) 28.25 26.5

Main Battery 10-14in 9-16in

Belt - 15in(magazines) 12in (15 deg slope)

14in(machinery)

Barbettes 13in 16in

Conning Tower 4in 16in

Turret Face/Rear 13in/6in 16in/7in

Deck 6in(magazines) 3.6&4.1 on

5in(machinery) 1.375in
5in-2.5in(fwd) None (Fwd)
4.5in(aft) 6in(Steer Gear)

Freeboard(Deep) 18-0 ft-in 16-0 ft-in

Armoured Freeboard(Deep 9-9 ft-in 5 ft-in

Armour depth (deep) [3] 11 ft-in (below deep waterline)

13-9 ft-in
Comparison between HMS King George V and USS North Carolina 2

Torpedo defence 1000 lb 700 lb (warhead weight)

Metacentric height 8.0 ft 8.5 ft

Turning circle(14.5kts) 930 yds 575 yds

Source: U.S. battleships: an illustrated design history, Friedman, p278 and "taken from ADM 1/15578 in the Public Record Office, Kew".

The information is from US Battleships, by Norman Friedman. The data was produced during WW2 by the RN
Director of Naval Construction to explore the differences between RN and USN Battleships as there were concerns
that the RN was falling behind it's foriegn counterparts in battleship design. Specifically there were concerns that the
USN had produced a more powerful ship on the same displacement. The RN study made with full access to USN
records and physical access to USN battleships showed, however, that the USN had achieved more fire power and
range, by reductions in armour and speed while the USN torpedo protection was designed to protect against a much
smaller warhead. The RN study argued that the USN had given up too much in the way of protection to achieve
greater fire power and range.

References
[1] US Battleships, Friedman, P277
[2] U.S. battleships: an illustrated design history, Friedman, p278 and "taken from ADM 1/15578 in the Public Record Office, Kew".
[3] British Battleships of WW2, Raven and Roberts, p293. Total belt height = 23.5 ft. The height of the belt above and below the waterline,
would, of course, vary as the ship's displacement varied. Since North Carolina's belt is inclined 15 degrees it would not present a full 16 feet of
height to an incoming shell, rather about 15.5 feet.
Article Sources and Contributors 3

Article Sources and Contributors

Comparison between HMS King George V and USS North Carolina  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=330125470  Contributors: Damwiki1, MBK004, Toddy1, TomStar81,
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