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USS Illinois (BB-65) was to be the fifth Iowa-class battleship constructed for the United States Navy; she was the fourth ship to be named in honor of the 21st state. Like her sister ship USS Kentucky (BB-66), Illinois was still under construction at the end of World War II and was caught up in the post-war drawdown of the armed services. Her construction was canceled in August 1945, but the hulk remained until 1958 when it was broken up.

Background

Illinois was one of the "fast battleship" designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair. She was to be the fifth of the six authorized ships of the Iowa class of battleships. Her keel was laid down at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 15 January 1945. Like Kentucky, Illinois differed from her earlier sisters in that her design called for an all welded construction. This would have saved weight and increased strength over a combination riveted/welded hull of the type used on the four completed Iowa-class ships. There was thought of redesigning the hull with Montana-class type armor for added torpedo protection; however, this was rejected and Illinois was being built along the regular Iowa class hull design.

Like her Iowa-class sisters, Illinois’s construction began in response to the need for fast escorts for the Essex-class aircraft carriers. She was conceived in 1935, when the United States Navy initiated design studies for the creation of an extended South Dakota class that was not restricted by the Second London Naval Treaty. The latter four Iowa class battleships (Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois and Kentucky) were not cleared for construction until 1940, and at the time Illinois and Kentucky were to be larger, slower battleship mounting twelve 16 inch Mark 7 guns. By late 1939, it had become apparent that the navy needed as many fast battleships as possible and it was decided that BB-65 and BB-66 would follow the same design as their sisters.

Construction

Illinois’s main battery would have consisted of nine 16 inch (406 mm)/50 caliber Mark 7 naval guns, which could hurl 2,700 lb armor piercing shells some 24 miles (39 km). Her secondary battery would have consisted of ten 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns, which could fire at targets up to 9 miles (14 km) away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of allied aircraft carriers; to this end, Illinois was to be fitted with an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns to defend allied carriers from enemy airstrikes.

The keel of Illinois was laid at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 15 January 1945. Construction was canceled on 12 August 1945 when the battleship was about 22 percent complete. Nothing was done with Illinois after cancellation, and the incomplete hulk was sold for scrapping in September 1958.

Fate

Illinois was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 August 1945 and her incomplete hulk was scrapped on the builders ways starting in September 1958. While the ship herself was never completed, the ship's bell was cast, and it currently resides at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; it reads USS Illinois 1946. Although the University of Illinois records are unclear as to whether the bell was donated to the University in general or the NRTOC at the University specifically, the bell has been a welcome addition to the football team, and is traditionally rung by NROTC members when the football team scores points in a game.

Notes

1. ^ Rogers, J. David. "Development of the World's Fastest Battleships" (pdf). Retrieved 2007-04-28.
2. DiGiulian, Tony (Last updated 12 November 2006). "United States of America 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark 7". Unofficial U.S. Navy site. Retrieved 2007-01-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. This was not the first time that changes to the Iowa class had been proposed: at the time the battleships were cleared for construction some policymakers were not sold on the U.S. need for more battleships, and proposed turning the Iowa-class ships into aircraft carriers by retaining the hull design but switching their decks to carry and handle aircraft (This had already been done on the battlecruisers Lexington and Saratoga). This proposal was countered by Admiral Ernest King, the Chief of Naval Operations."BB-61 Iowa-class Aviation Conversion". Retrieved 2007-05-19.
4. At the time, the Montana-class was planned to begin with hull number BB-65, rather than BB-67 as it became after two more Iowas were ordered as BB-65 and BB-66. "Iowa Class (BB-61 through BB-66) Drawings". Retrieved 2007-11-07.
5. It is possible that the design originally intended for BB-65 and BB-66 was to be implemented in the Montana-class battleships. The Montanas would have had twelve 16 inch guns and heavier armor and were intended to have a slower top speed than the Iowa-class.
6. Johnston, Ian & McAuley, Rob (2002). The Battleships. London: Channel 4 Books (an imprint of Pan Macmillian, LTD). pp. page 120. ISBN 0752261886. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. "The 10 Greatest Fighting Ships in Military History". The Discover Channel. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
8. ^ Naval Institute Press. (December 1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. ISBN 0-87021-715-1.
9. Chancellor Richard Herman. "Illinois On Our Watch". Public Affairs for the Office of the Chancellor and the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Retrieved 2007-11-14.

References

• Sumrall, Robert. Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design, Weapons & Equipment. Naval Institute Press, 1988. ISBN 0870212982
• William H. Garzke and Robert O. Dulin, Jr. Battleships: United States Battleships 1935–1992

External links

• NVR - Illinois (BB 65)
• NavSource
• Iowa Class (BB-61 through BB-66), 1940 & 1941 Building Programs

• Iowa class battleships
• Battleships of the United States
• United States Navy proposed ships
• United States Navy Illinois-related ships