A snapshot of the USN, circa mid-1922 in my current Rule The Waves game.
EDIT: Now updated to December 1925.
BATTLESHIPSNorth Carolina-class BB.
4 units in service 4 units retired in late 1924, entered service 1906-1907. Developed early and it shows, it has a superfiring X turret but no other real modern features compared to a predreadnought. The large 3" tertiary battery is due to be replaced in their next periodic refit, but there is also motion afoot to scrap these ships outright and build a 30k ton class to replace them. They were the USN's sword and shield at the Battle of Boston during the first war with the British, but their glory days are long behind them. Retired in 1924.
Wyoming-class BB. 2 units in service, entered service 1908. Successors to the North Carolina-class, they're superior in some ways, having an expanded secondary battery and turret configuration ABY plus better armor. They saw no action during the war with the UK but served on Korea station with the Rhode Islands during the Second Northern Asian War and gave excellent service against the Japanese battle line, sinking several armored cruisers, light cruisers, and predreadnoughts.
Rhode Island-class BB. 2 units in service, entered service 1910. A quantum leap in capability compared to the older battleships, the Rhode Islands were the terror of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second Northern Asian War;
USS Rhode Island accounted for three CAs, a battleship, and a pair of battlecruisers, while
USS Indiana sank three Japanese predreadnought battleships and a dreadnought.
Texas Flight 1-class BB. 2 units in service, entered service in 1912-1913. The first USN ship to use the now-classic ABY triple turret layout and established the standard 22 knot speed of the modern USN battle line. The Texas class were, and in many ways still are, considered the ideal battleships by USN designers. They served on the bombardment line outside Formosa during the Second North Asian War and during the war with France, but were never directly engaged by enemy ships.
Texas Flight 2-class BB. 2 units in service, entered service in 1913-1914. With 15" guns, improved deck and turret armor, and a slightly reduced belt, their combat careers were slightly more active, as they saw action against the French battlecruiser force that tried to defend their Caribbean holdings, sinking a ship each.
Montana-class BB.
2 units in service, 1 under construction. 3 units in service.
Date of service 1920 (under construction 1922). Date of service 1920-1922. With 16" guns and 1 knot less speed than the Texas-class but the same ABY turret configuration, slightly reduced secondary battery and improved fire-control, the Montanas are the USN's best currently serving battleships. These were the first USN BBs laid down with an All-or-Nothing protection scheme, making them hugely more durable than previous classes.
So far the British have declined to challenge them in combat. Transferred to the West Coast after the British attempted to invade the Aleutians, the Montana-class engaged a group of British battleships off Washington state in the decisive battle of the war, and tore them to shreds.
Montana flying a captured White Ensign from sunken
HMS Glory during the invasion of British Columbia was a calculated insult the Royal Navy is unlikely to soon forget, but their odds for taking vengeance appear slim.
Georgia-class BB.
4 units under construction. 4 units in service.
Projected date of service 1923. Date of service 1923. The Georgias use their increased weight primarily to improve their armor protection over the Montana-class ships, and are the first USN ships to mount their secondary battery in turrets rather than casemates.
They are projected to be better combat ships than any other battleship class contemporary to them, with their improved armor protection compensating for their broadside being one barrel lighter than some British ships. The Royal Navy sortied in force to oppose the New Brunswick landings, but the Georgia-class ships opposing them caused them to break contact before the action went on very long. Despite hits from 14" and 16" gunfire they sustained little damage.
Vermont-class BB. 4 units in service. Designed to replace the aged Colorado-class ships, the Vermonts are the first USN ships to use quad gun turrets, though their design is otherwise relatively conventional. They make use of a superior 14" gun developed in in 1921 to achieve better performance than older 14" gunned BBs such as Rhode Island.
Battleship 1927. (Virginia-class?) A projected 16"-gunned 40k-ton replacement for the Wyoming and Rhode Island classes of BB. Possibly to use quad turrets, the end-of-war cutbacks mean that design work has been delayed.
BATTLECRUISERSConstellation-class CC.
3 units in service, 1 unit lost in action. 2 units retired in late 1923, 2 units lost in action. Date of service 1906. The first American dreadnought-type ships, the affectionately-nicknamed Connies are the most-decorated ships in the USN. They carried the brunt of the first war with the UK, soundly defeating their opposite numbers in the Royal Navy's Indefatigable-class battlecruisers on numerous occasions. Every ship finished the war with at least two kills of their opposite numbers and they served with distinction against Japan's Tsukaba-class battlecruisers during the First North Asian War as well. This made the loss of
Saratoga to the brand-new
HMS Lion near the end of the war particularly painful and the USN has long held a grudge. The loss of Connie herself during the invasion of Newfoundland drove the USN into a fury, and saw much of the Canadian coastline reduced to ashes under American guns.
Ranger-class CC.
3 units in service, 1 unit lost in action. 2 units in service, 2 unit lost in action. Date of service 1909. A 14" gunned direct upgrade of the Constellation-class ships, the Ranger-class fought with distinction in the First and Second North Asian Wars, but largely had their thunder stolen by the Rhode Islands when it came to capital ship sinkings, themselves only being able to claim credit for Japanese armored cruisers.
USS Ranger and
USS Saratoga sank
HMS Lion at the start of the current war with the UK, avenging the original
Saratoga from the first war with Britain. They've proved effective hunting British raiding armored cruisers, but are outmassed significantly by more modern British battlecruisers, as demonstrated by the loss of
USS Independence early in the current war with Britain. The loss of
USS Ranger to
HMS Queen Mary in the Caribbean was the last action in that theater, as
Queen Mary was forced to abandon the area after the fall of Trinidad.
United States-class CC.
4 units under construction. 3 units in service, 1 lost in action, 1 under construction. Date of service 1923 (1926). Designed to restore some firepower to the USN battlecruiser arm, the United States-class ships are actually the most heavily armed USN ships currently projected or or in service, with 11 barrels of 16" guns. Indeed, they are believed to be the most heavily armed ships in the world at the moment. Their relatively light armor allows them their speed. In combat they proved more than a match for the British Queen Mary-class battlecruisers, despite the unfortunate loss of
USS Essex to no less than eight torpedo strikes in quick succession during the Fifth Defense of Norfolk.
Constitution-class CC.
2 units under construction. 2 units in service.
Projected date of service 1925. Date of service 1924. Armed with the new 17" gun, the Constitution-class ships are 30-knot reduced-armor versions of a proposed battleship class from 1923 that was beyond the ability of the USN to build financially or in its existing dockyards. The existing design was stretched for better hydrodynamics and to make space for more powerful machinery and the design laid down using money raised by popular subscription at the start of the war. (No joke, that is a thing that can happen in this game, your battleships be crowdfunded.)
Intrepid-class CC. 8 units under construction. Projected date of service 1926/1928. A 17"-gunned replacement for the now-retired Constellation-class CCs and the soon-to-be-retired Ranger-class CCs, the Intrepids will fill the USN's "light" battlecruiser ranks with newer, more powerful ships suited to the 1920s.
Battlecruiser 1927: A modified United States-class ship with three quad 16" gun turrets, using a new 16" gun acquired during the war from the Italians. Design work put on hold by the end-of-war budget cuts.
LANDING SUPPORT SHIPS (PREDREADNOUGHTS)Michigan-class B. 9 units in service, 1 lost in action, 2 scrapped on ways. Date of service 1899. The oldest USN ships remaining in service, the Michigan-class served in the great fleet battles of the first war with Britain without much distinction. They have long since been relegated to amphibious support duties. Their relatively small size and light draft have proved useful for the role more than the New Jerseys, but they lack the raw firepower of the semidreadnaughts.
New Jersey-class B. 4 units in service, 3 lost in action, 2 scrapped on ways. Date of service 1904. These ships bore the brunt of the Royal Navy's wrath during the first war with the UK, but returned more than equal measures of pain upon perfidious Albion, sinking 6 British predreadnaughts over the course of the war. A very powerful semidreadnaught design, they combine 12" guns fore an aft with casemated heavy 10" secondaries. Like the Michigans, they have been repurposed for amphibious and bombardment operations.
HEAVY CRUISERSMemphis-class CA (Flight One). 2 units in service. Date of service 1917. Developed because it was obviously possible to build a better CA for guard duty around the newly acquired South Korean colonies than the now-retired San Diego-class and Rochester-class CAs, the Memphis-class ships are massively more powerful than the old armored cruisers, which had only four 10" guns, weaker armor, and were 5k tons lighter and 7 knots slower. Their heavy battery of twelve 10" guns makes them more powerful than some battlecruisers, as
USS Charlotte proved when it sank the Japanese battlecruiser
Tsukaba in the last action of the Second Northern Asian War.
Memphis-class Flight Two CA. 8 units in service. Date of service 1919-1920. With the success of
USS Memphis and
USS Charlotte during the Second North Asian War, a full class of Memphises was approved to replace the Rochester and San Diego-class ships. The primary improvements between these ships and the Flight Ones were in fire control for both main and secondary batteries, but turret roof armor was also improved.
The Memphis Flight Twos have yet to see action, as enemy cruisers make every effort to avoid them. USS Pueblo sank the Indefatigable-class battlecruiser
Indignation at the Battle of Washington, and other members of the class saw action against raiding British CLs and CAs, winning all engagements easily.
LIGHT CRUISERSChicago-class protected cruiser.
9 units in service, 2 lost in action. 6 units retired in 1924, 5 units lost in action. Date of service 1899-1901. The Chicago-class ships were the workhorses of the USN for fifteen years and remain exceptionally deadly examples of the type as demonstrated when crippled
USS Raleigh turned the tables on and sunk a pair of modern British Latona-class light cruisers only a month ago, but their speed is too slow for modern light cruiser operations and they have mostly been relegated to duty as merchant raiders.
Nonetheless their long careers and successful service to the USN command respect, and while they may be scrapped at the end of this war and replaced with Tacoma-class ships or a new design, the Navy will be sorry to see them go. The Chicago-class ships went out the only way they should or could: fighting. Despite losses to several new British light cruisers and battlecruisers, they served faithfully to the end, including sinking the
HMS Latona and service at the Battle of New Brunswick. They were retired with honors at the end of the second war with Britain.
Columbia-class protected cruiser.
1 unit in service. 1 unit lost in action. Date of service 1908. Designed to replace the lost
USS Columbia after the first war with Britain, the second
Columbia has seen relatively little action due to her posting on the US East Coast during the North Asian Wars. Her design is relatively outdated in layout compared to the Tacomas but her oil-fired steam turbine engines are much more modern than the Chicagos, and her speed and weight of broadside command respect. She was lost during the Battle of New Brunswick, the only USN casualty.
Tacoma-class light cruiser. 9 units in service, 1 unit lost in action. Date of service 1916. Considered a replacement design for the old Chicago-class ships, the Tacomas instead have ended up supplementing them rather than replacing them. Not quite so well-armored as the old ships, they possess a heavier broadside and a modern armor arrangement, making them still somewhat more durable.
Light Cruiser 1925 (Chattanoga-class?). A projected Chicago-class replacement, on hold until the end of the current war with the UK. The use of superfiring turrets, twin guns, and above-water torpedo tubes are planned, with 8-gun 6" broadside and 6-gun 5" broadside. 8k tons and with superior armor to the Tacomas. Would easily be the most powerful CL in the world.Chattanoga-class CL. 10 units in service, date of service 1924-1925. Completing just in time to see action in the last days of the second war against the UK, the revised Chattanoga-class design served well during the Battle of Washington and the Battle of New Brunswick, and was able to handle British light cruisers with ease. Their only competitors worldwide are the German Undine-class ships; and Germany is now an ally of the United States after the second war against the UK.
DESTROYERSO'Brien-class destroyer. 10 units in service, 2 lost in action. Date of service 1905-1906. A class of war emergency destroyers from the first war with the UK, the O'Briens emphasize gunpower for the fleet screening role. Their successes during that war as escort units sank six British destroyers, and during the First North Asian War they served well beating off Japanese destroyer attacks on the Rhode Islands;
USS Wainright in particular was lost throwing herself on a Japanese torpedo to protect
Rhode Island. Their replacement after the current war is likely, as their coal-fired engines are expensive to maintain and their single torpedo tube makes them of little use offensively. Their retirement is scheduled as soon as sufficient units of the Truxtun class are available.
Whipple-class destroyer.
29 units in service, 1 unit lost in action. 28 units in service, 2 lost in action. Date of service 1913-1914. Designed to replace the old 500-ton Bainbridge-class ships, the Whipples were star performers in the Second North Asian War and the war with France, and their effective torpedo armament and 3x 4" gun broadside make them effective combat units today. They proved unameniable to further refitting with improved fire-control after the second war with the UK, and will be phased out as soon as sufficient units of the Truxton class are available.
Barry-class destroyer. 12 units in service. Date of service 1920. The Barry-class ships are the USN's most modern destroyers, but were viewed as an interim class prior to the outbreak of war with the UK for the second time. Their ten torpedo tubes and four 5" gun broadside make them the most powerful destroyers currently afloat, but work on superfiring guns and twin turrets mean that the postwar destroyer fleet is likely to look significantly different from these ships.
DD 1925 (Truxtun-class?): A projected Whipple-class and O'Brien-class replacement, on hold until the end of the current war with the UK. The use of twin guns and superfiring turrets is a part of the design, giving it an 8-gun 5" broadside and eight torpedoes. 1.5k tons.Truxtun-class DD. 12 units in service, 24 units under construction. Date of service 1925-1926. Completed too late to see combat in the second war with the UK, the Truxtun-class DDs represent a quantum leap in firepower, and in fact outgun by more than twice any other DD class currently in service or under construction in the world, cementing the USN as the premier power in the world for light forces.