RNfanDan wrote:
I am planning a build of the SoDak, but have very little reference and research material on-hand for this specific ship.
As far as I know, SoDak was the only ship of the four to complete with 16 5-inch/.38 DP guns. I have some questions to start with:
1) Was the SoDak designed with only eight secondary turrets?
2) If not, was she ever fitted with the "missing" pair before war's end?
3) Also, if she wasn't designed with only 16 5"DP, what was the reason she was not initially fitted with "all 20" ?
4a)From what positions, in relation to the rest of her sisterships, were the two turrets absent, and; 4b)what weapons, if any, occupied these positions until the turrets (if so) were replaced?
Check out this
page on the Naval Historical Center website, which says
"Compared with her three "sisters", South Dakota had extra command facilities and two fewer 5-inch twin gun mounts". BB-57 (which was built here in NJ!) was designed as a flagship, so two 5inch mounts were eliminated from her design to save weight.
If you look at these pictures, one of
South Dakota and one of
Indiana, you can see the different layout of the secondary battery. It appears that
SoDak not only had a different number of 5 inch twin turrets, but they were laid out a little differently.
So, to answer your questions:
1) Yes
2) No
3) See #1
4a) See the attached pictures
4b) Her AA fit depends on what time frame you want to build her as.
These were quite handsome ships. IMO, they were the best of the treaty battleships. I've got the BWN
SoDak and the YMW
Indiana in my stash. I'm thinking of backdating
SoDak to her "as launched" configuration, in which she wore (briefly) a Ms12 mod camo.
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Martin"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
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