World War Two, Pacific Naval Construction Authorizations

1922. Naval Arms Limitation Treaty.

Washington 1921-22. Britain, USA, Japan, France and Italy attended.  The major result was a ten year moratorium on battleship construction.  All nations were so impoverished by WWI that they agreed to reduce new expenditures.  Japan had profited by the war and wanted to expand but was coaxed into an agreement at the, so called ratio of 5:5:3 by tonnage of  British, and U.S. and Japanese naval tonnage in capital ships.  The net effect was for Britain to retain 22 old capital ships; U.S. 18 battleships, but newer and larger;  Japan 10 battleships plus Mutsu.

Seven existing U.S. battleships were decommissioned per the treaty. Utah (BB-31) was converted to a target ship.
Seven more were building and were scrapped incomplete on the ways. BB-47 and BB-49 to BB-54.

Decommissioned
BB-25 New Hampshire	1908-1921	16,000	4 -12",	8 8", 12 7", 20 3", 4 21" tt
BB-26 South Carolina	1910-1921	16,000	8 -12"
BB-27 Michigan	1910-1922	16,000	8 -12"
BB-28 Delaware	1910-1928	20,000	10-12"
BB-29 North Dakota.	1910-1923	20,000	10-12"
BB-30 Florida	1911-1931	21,800	10-12"
BB-31 Utah,	1911-1931	21,800	10-12"	(AG-16). Sunk Pearl Harbor
Scrapped Incomplete
BB-47,   76%	BB-49 ,	BB-50 ,	BB-51 ,
BB-52 ,	BB-53 ,	BB-54 .

The sixteen remaining, and older, U.S. battleships were Wyoming (BB-32) thru Maryland (BB-46) and West Virginia (BB-48), all of which saw WW2 service and several were attacked and sunk at Pearl Harbor. 
A collier (AC-3) was allowed to be converted to the first U.S. aircraft carrier, Langley (CV-1) in 1922.

BB-32 Wyoming	1912-1931	27,000	12-12".	WWI 1917, coal to oil 1927.	Training AG-17 1931.
BB-33 Arkansas	1912-1946	27,243	12-12"	Vera Cruz 1914, WWI 1918, oil 1926, WW2 Atlantic. Pac'45 .	4 . Sunk Bikini
BB-34 New York	1914-1946	27,000;	10-14"	Vera Cruz, WWI 1917, Pacific 1919, Atlantic 1937, Pac'45 .	3 . Bikini 1946, Sunk'48.
BB-35 Texas	1914-1948	27,000	10-14"	Vera Cruz 1914, WWI 1918, Atlantic 1937, Pac'45 .	5 . Monument, TX
BB-36 Nevada	1916-1946	27,500;	10-14"	WWI 1918, Pac'30, beached Pearl H, Pac'42, Atl'44, Pac'45	7 Bikini '46, Sunk'48.
BB-37 Oklahoma	1916-1944	27,500	10-14"	WWI 1918, Pac'36, Sunk Pearl Harbor, Decom '44, Sunk'47.
BB-38 Pennsylvania	1916-1946	31,400	12-14"	Pearl H, returned duty Apr'42 .	8 Bikini '46, Sunk'48.
BB-39 Arizona	1916-1941	31,400	12-14"	Atlantic 1917. Pac'34. Sunk Pearl Harbor .  Monument, HI
BB-40 New Mexico	1918-1946	32,000	12-14"	Pacific 1919, Neutrality Patrol 6/41, Pacific Jan'42 .	6
BB-41 Mississippi	1917-1946	32,000	12-14"	Pac 1919. Iceland 6/41, Pac Jan'42 .	8 .  1946 AG-128.
BB-42 Idaho	1919-1946	32,000	12-14"	Pac 1919, Neutrality Patrol  6/41. Pac Jan'42 .	7 .
BB-43 Tennessee	1920-1947	33,190	12-14"	Pac 1921, Pearl Harbor. return duty Feb'42.	10 .
BB-44 California	1921-1946	33,300	12-14"	Pac 1921, sunk Pearl Harbor, returned duty Jan'44 .	7 .
BB-45 Colorado	1923-1947	32,600	8-16"	Pac 1924. in overhaul .	7 .
BB-46 Maryland	1921-1947	32.600;	8-16"	Pac 1923. Pearl H., returned duty Feb'42 . 7 .
BB-48 West Virginia	1923-1947	32,590	8-16"	Atlan 1924, Pac'39   sunk Pearl H, returned to duty July'44 . 5	.
CV -1 Langley	1922-1937	11,300	Pacific 1924-35 when converted to seaplane tender AV-3. Sunk 27Feb42 by bombers off Java.

Four battle cruisers that were building in 1922 ; two were canceled, Ranger (CC-4, 4%) and United States (CC-6, 12%) and the hulls of two more used for aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3) - nice big ships with large flight decks.  Eighteen cruisers were decommissioned 1921-1923 and scrapped about 1930.

CV -2 Lexington	1927-1942	33,000	Pacific 1928,  2 .  Sunk 8May42 at Coral Sea.
CV -3 Saratoga	1927-1946	33,000	Pacific 1928,  7 .  Indian Ocean 1944-45.  Sunk Bikini '46.

Geneva Conference 1927.  The topic was cruisers.  Britain had 40 modern cruisers, Japan had 19, the U.S. 10.  France and Italy did not attend.  The U.S. wanted to extend the 5:5:3 tonnage ratio to cruisers.  Britain claimed need for many light cruisers to patrol her shipping lanes.  The U.S. wanted longer range, heavy cruisers to cruise the vast Pacific.  The conference failed. Reconvened, a political agreement was reached. The U.S. scrapped all pre-war (WWI) cruisers.   The ten modern U.S. cruisers surviving were light cruisers Omaha (CL-4) through Memphis (CL-13).

Name	Comm-Decom	Tons	Armament	Disposition
CL-1 Chester	1908-1921	3,750	2- 5"; 6 3"; 2 tt.	1930 treaty
CL-2 Birmingham	1908-1923	3,750	2- 5"; 6 3"; 2 tt.	1930 treaty
CL-3 Salem	1908-1921	3,750	2- 5"; 6 3"; 2 tt.	1930 treaty
CL- 4 Omaha	1923-1945	7,050	12- 6" 4 3"; 10 21" torpedo tubes.	(1946)	1
CL- 5 Milwaukee	1923-1949	7,050	12- 6" 4 3"	Russia 1944-1949 (1949)
CL- 6 Cincinnati	1924-1945	7,050	10- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)	1
CL- 7 Raleigh	1924-1945	7,050	10- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)	3
CL- 8 Detroit	1923-1946	7,050	10- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)	6
CL- 9 Richmond	1923-1945	7,050	10- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)	2
CL-10 Concord	1923-1946	7,050	12- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1947)	1
CL-11 Trenton	1924-1945	7,050	12- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)	1
CL-12 Marblehead	1924-1945	7,050	10- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)	2
CL-13 Memphis	1925-1945	7,050	12- 6"; 4 3"; 10 21" tt.	(1946)
CA-14 Chicago	1885-1923	4,500	4- 8"; 8 6"; 2 5"	1936
CA-15 Olympia	1895-1922	5,586	4- 8"; 10 5";6 18" tt.	Memorial, Philadelphia
CA-16 Denver	1904-1931	3,200	10- 5"	1933 treaty
CA-17 Des Moines	1904-1921	3,200	10- 5"	1930 treaty
CA-18 Chattanooga	1904-1921	3,200	10- 5"	1930 treaty
CA-19 Galveston	1905-1930	3,200	10- 5"	1933 treaty
CA-20 Tacoma	1905-1924	3,200	10- 5"	Grounded, Mexico
CA-21 Cleveland	1903-1929	3,200	10- 5"	1930 treaty
CA-22 New Orleans	1897-1922	3,343	6- 6"; 4 5"; 3 18" tt.	1930 treaty
CA-23 Albany	1900-1922	3,340	6- 6"; 4 5"; 3 18" tt.	1930 treaty

During this period the U.S. was building eight heavy cruisers: Pensacola (CA-24) thru Augusta (CA-31)

London Conference, 1930.  Britain cut their demands from 70 to 50 light cruisers parity with the U.S. but held the U.S. to 18 heavy cruisers and the rest as light cruisers.  Japan was 70% of the UK and U.S. tonnage.  Size limit for new construction was 10,000 tons. Submarines were set with parity all around.  The ten year battleship building holiday was extended to 1936 at which time there was to be a size limitation of 35,000 tons.  France and Italy did not attend.

The U.S. decommissioned three light cruisers built in 1903-04 per the Treaty.
The U.S. laid down only eight new heavy cruisers: New Orleans (CA-32) thru Quincy (CA-39) commissioned in 1932 to 1934 and, shortly after, Vincennes (CA-44).
Aircraft carriers were also part of the agreement.  The U.S. laid down three carriers between 1931 and 1935.

CA-32 New Orleans	1934-1947	9,950	9 8"	(1959)
CA-33 Portland	1933-1946	9,950	9 8"	(1959)
CA-34 Astoria	1934-1942	9,950	9 8"	Sunk Savo Island.
CA-35 Indianapolis	1932-1945	9,950	9 8"	Sunk Guam to Philippines by I-58.
CA-36 Minneapolis	1934-1946	9,950	9 8"	(1959)
CA-37 Tuscaloosa	1934-1946	9,950	9 8"	(1959)
CA-38 San Francisco	1934-1946	9,950	9 8"	(1959)
CA-39 Quincy	1936-1942	9,400	9 8"	Sunk Savo Island.
CA-44 Vincennes	1937-1942	9,400	9 8"	Sunk Savo Island.
CV -4 Ranger	1934-1946	14,500		(1947)	2
CV -5 Yorktown	1937-1942	19,900		Sunk 1942 by I-26 at Midway.	3
CV -6 Enterprise	1938-1947	19,900			20

London Conference, 1935.  Japan demanded parity and withdrew from the conference.  All three nations initiated battleship rebuilding programs with expiration of the treaty in 1936.

Japan started a massive ship building program of 150 ships.  Two super battleships, Yamoto and Musoshi, were laid down in secret at 69,100 tons, twice the size of treaty limitations accepted by the U.S. and UK.  Germany built Tirpitz and Bismarck at 52,600 tons.

The conference failure and Japan's building program alarmed enough Congressmen to pass a bill that would lay down 100 ships needed to bring the Navy up to full treaty limits.  Two aircraft carriers were laid down in 1936 and 1937, each sized to treaty limits. The administration spoke of creating jobs in the ship building industry.  Isolationists clamored, "Schools, not battleships."  Although battleships were authorized, keels were not laid until 1939 -- after the war started in Europe:   North Carolina (BB-55) and Washington (BB-56) each commissioned Spring'41. South Dakota (BB-57), Indiana (BB-58), Massachusetts (BB-59), and Alabama (BB-60) were commissioned in 1942 -- after the war started in the Pacific  All were 35,000 tons, the Treaty limit. And too slow to keep up with fleet carriers.

CV -7 Wasp	1940-1942	14,700	2 .	Sunk 15Sep42 by I-19.
CV -8 Hornet	1941-1942	20,000	4 .	Sunk 7Oct42 at Santa Cruz.
BB-55 North Carolina	1941-1947	35,000	12 .	Memorial, Wilmington, N.C.
BB-56 Washington	1941-1947	35,000	13 .	(1961)
BB-57 South Dakota	1942-1947	35,000	13 .	(1962)
BB-58 Indiana	1942-1947	35,000	9 .	(1962)
BB-59 Massachusetts	1942-1947	35,000	11 .	Memorial, Fall River, Mass.
BB-60 Alabama	1942-1947	35,000	9 .	Memorial, Mobile, Ala.

Japan had started their buildup sooner and fear of the U.S. catching up was one consideration of Japan attacking Pearl Harbor when she did, while the U.S. was still weak.

War in Europe.  Act of 19July1940

With the opening of full scale war in Europe, Dunkirk and the fall of Paris, the U.S. refurbished some of its 160+ reserve destroyers from WWI, sent 50 to England to replace those lost in the early days of the war and dearly required for convoy escort.  With the British fleet tied up in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and unable to field a Far East fleet; the U.S. being likely to assist Britain in the Atlantic; and as sole defender in the Pacific, funding for a "two-ocean" Navy was signed for eleven battleships (Iowa and Montana classes), eleven carriers (Essex class), fifty cruisers (Baltimore and Cleveland classes) and 100 destroyers.  Four of six Iowa class battleships were built with two Iowa and all five of the Montana class battleships canceled. Eventually sixteen Essex class carriers were build, fourteen in time to participate in the war.  Eight Baltimore class heavy cruisers and only 22 light cruisers, mostly Cleveland class, were finished in time to take part in the War, although nine hulls were used for light carriers (CVL).

A large cruiser class, essentially battle cruisers, was authorized in the 1940 bill as convoy escorts with the intent of driving off convoy raiders and to act as "cruiser killers". Armed with 12" guns they would outgun any treaty cruiser. Alaska (CB-1) and Guam (CB-2) were completed after that need had passed and performed shore bombardment during 1945. Four others were canceled: Hawaii, Philippines, Puerto Rico and Samoa.