Arkansas-class monitor


The Arkansas-class monitors were the last class of four monitors ordered for the U.S. Navy.

Design

Single-turreted monitors mounted /40 caliber guns, the most modern heavy guns in the US Navy at the time they were built. The Arkansas-class monitors did not see any combat during World War I and instead served as submarine tenders. Alexander C. Brown, writing in the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Historical Transactions noted in a penetrating comment that:
They had a displacement of, measured in overall length, with a beam of and a draft of. They were manned by a total crew of 13 officers and 209 men.
Arkansas were powered by two vertical triple expansion engines driving two screw propellers with steam generated by four steam boilers. The engines in the Arkansas were designed to produce with a top speed of, however, on sea trials only had top speed over 12.5 knots,, the rest came in below. The Arkansas was designed to provide a range of at.
The ships were armed with a main battery of two 12-inch/40 caliber guns, either Mark 3 or Mark 4, in a Mark 4 turret. The secondary battery consisted of four /50 caliber Mark 7 guns along with three 6-pounder guns. The main belt armor was in the middle tapering to at the ends. The gun turrets were between, with barbettes. The Arkansas also had a deck.

Construction

In response to increasing public pressure regarding the state of the nation's coastal defense forces and hastened by the outbreak of war with Spain, the U.S. Congress passed the Naval Appropriations Act of 1898 on May 4, which, among many other things, authorized the appropriation of $5 million to build four new monitors, each of which were to cost no more than $1,250,000. The new ships, created for harbor defense, were designed by chief constructor Philip Hichborn with the original plans calling for a length of 225 ft and a beam of 50 ft, with a displacement of 2700 tons, a coal capacity of 200 tons, and a side armor belt of 11-inch thickness. For armament, the ship was to be equipped with a main battery containing a single turret with two 12-inch guns, and four rapid-fire breech-loading rifles, with a secondary battery consisting of three 6-pound and four 1-pound rifles. Powered by two vertical triple-expansion type engines and twin-screw propellers, the ship would have a maximum speed of 12 knots.

Contractors

Bidding began for the construction of the new monitors on October 1, with the following results, including price:
Following the bidding, the Navy announced the names of the ships.

Criticism and proposed redesign

The new monitors were criticized by many, as their design and armament made them no greater than any of the older monitors, such as the Monterey, Monadnock, and Terror. The main complaint was the single turret, rather than a two-turret design as seen on the Terror. There were also those that argued that the construction of four ships was a waste of money, as the monitors that participated in the Spanish-American War were met with considerable criticism, most chiefly from Rear Admiral William T. Sampson who criticized the slowness of the vessels and their firing accuracy.
In response to these criticisms, Secretary of the Navy John D. Long ordered that all construction on the new vessels be halted while the Bureau of Naval Construction met to decide on changes in early November. Lewis Nixon of the Crescent Shipyard, the contractors of the USS Florida, submitted a new design for the monitors which the Navy appears to have favored. The final proposed changes included the following:
  1. Replacing the single turret of two 12-inch guns with two turrets of two 10-inch guns in each
  2. Increasing the maximum displacement from 2700 tons to 4000 tons
  3. Increase the coal capacity from 200 tons to 400 tons
  4. Lengthening the vessels by 30 ft
The Navy was confident that changes could be made within the $1.25 million budget set by Congress as they were surprised at how low the bids were for the four ships, with the highest contract, costing $875,000, leaving a minimum of $350,000 left over for each ship. The four ships were originally contracted at a price of $3,422,000 altogether. Throughout November the Bureau and shipbuilders discussed possible design changes, with the shipbuilders stating that their proposed changes would still go over the budget set by the Naval Apportions Act. Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement, which included the following:
  1. Retention of the single turret with two 12-inch guns
  2. Increased displacement by over 500 tons
  3. Increased coal capacity
  4. Lengthening the vessels from 225 ft to 255 ft
In the end, the most prominent point of contention, the main armament, was kept the same, with the Navy receiving, on paper, most of what they wanted asides from that. Due to the new changes, the contract price of all monitors was increased by $100,000.

Armor

As November drew to a close, it was reported that the new monitors would be armored with Krupp Steel, which would be a first for a vessel in the U.S. Navy. However, Congress only authorized a maximum payment of $400 a ton for armor, a price that was too low to purchase Krupp Steel. In June the Navy would instead outfit the ships with Harvey armor, which they purchased from both Carnegie Steel and Bethlehem Ironworks. Contracts for this armor were made in August and September 1899, totaling 2,152 tons. The armor was of great want to the Navy in a timely manner and did not wish to have any delays.

''Connecticut'' renaming

The same year it was launched, Connecticut would undergo a change that had been lobbied for since 1898, though not in its design but rather its name. The state of Connecticut protested that a small monitor was named after the state rather than a battleship, as had been the case with Rhode Island. The Navy eventually relented, and the name was removed, with the former Connecticut being referred to as "Monitor No. 8" until another candidate was chosen. Oklahoma and Arizona both offered up their names before it eventually went to Nevada.

Launch and commissioning

Construction progressed throughout the remainder of the 19th century and in the fall of 1900, Wyoming, Arkansas, and Nevada were launched, with Florida following a year later. All Arkansas-class monitors were commissioned by the summer of 1903.