![]() ![]() ![]() This allowed for speeds of 27 knots to be reached in ideal conditions with an operational range of 15,000 nautical miles possible (at 15 knots). ![]() Her machinery was made up of Westinghouse geared steam turbines developing 130,000 horsepower and driving four shafts under stern. The vessel displaced at 35,000 tons and featured a length of681 feet, a beam of 108 feet and a draught of 29 feet. USS Massachusetts was affectionately known as "Big Mamie" over the course of her short ocean-going career. Official commissioning occurred on May 12th, 1942. Her keel was laid down on July 20th, 1939 and she was launched on September 23rd, 1941. USS Massachusetts was ordered on December 15th, 1938 and her construction led by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation at the Fore River Shipyard or Quincy, Massachusetts. The South Dakota-class was made up of USS South Dakota () USS Indiana (), USS Massachusetts (), and USS Alabama (). ![]() The class also featured a sole smoke funnel as opposed to the North Carolina-class's twin funnel approach. The South Dakota-class utilized the same uniformed nine-gun 16" main battery but included better armoring and were of a more compact form. One such class to join the USN inventory became the South Dakota-class, this following the dimensionally larger and similar North Dakota-class into USN service. This led to various classes of battleships emerging to counter the power of the Japanese surface fleet. Following the events of Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy was given major funding to construct all new classes of surface warships and submarines as well as pursue new aircraft designs for the march on Tokyo, Japan. ![]()
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