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USS Kentucky, circa 1905-08
History
US
Name	USS Kentucky
Awarded	2 January 1896
Builder	Newport News SB&DD
Cost	US$4,998,119.43
Laid down	30 June 1896
Launched	24 March 1898
Sponsored by	Miss Christine Bradley
Commissioned	15 May 1900
Decommissioned	28 August 1909
Refit	1909–1911
Identification	Hull symbol: BB-6
Recommissioned	23 June 1915
Decommissioned	29 May 1920
Stricken	27 May 1922
Fate	Sold for scrap, 24 March 1923
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass- pre-dreadnought battleships
Displacement	11,540 short tons (10,470 t)
Length	375 ft 4 in (114.40 m)
Beam	72 ft 3 in (22.02 m)
Draft	23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Installed power	5 boilers, 12,179 ihp (9,082 kW)
Propulsion	2 VTE engines, 2 propeller shafts
Speed	16.897 kn (19.445 mph; 31.293 km/h)
Complement	40 officers and 514 enlisted men
Armament	list error: mixed text and list (help) 4 × 13 in (330 mm)/35 cal guns 4 × 8 in (203 mm)/35 cal guns 14 × 5 in (127 mm)/40 cal guns 20 × 6-pounders (57 mm or 2.2 in) 8 × 1-pounders (37 mm or 1.5 in) 4 × .30 in (7.6 mm) machine guns 4 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor	list error: mixed text and list (help) Belt: 5–16.5 in (127–419 mm) Barbettes: 12.5–15 in (318–381 mm) Turret (primary): 15–17 in (381–432 mm) Turret (secondary): 6–11 in (152–279 mm) Conning tower: 10 in (254 mm)

USS Kentucky (BB-6), the second and last Template:Sclass- pre-dreadnought battleship, was a United States Navy ship. The Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Virginia laid down her keel, on 30 June 1896. She was launched on 24 March 1898, sponsored by Miss Christine Bradley, daughter of Governor William O'Connell Bradley of Kentucky, and commissioned on 15 May 1900.

In her twenty-year service, Kentucky participated in no major combat. Between 1901 and 1904, she served in East Asia, and from 1904 to 1907, she cruised the Atlantic. In 1907, she joined the Great White Fleet, returning in 1909. She was modernized in 1910, but did not operate again until 1915, when she sailed to the Mexican cost, where she stayed until 1916. From 1917 until decommissioning in 29 May 1920, she served as a training ship, and was sold for scrap on 24 March 1923.

Design

The Kearsarge-class battleships were designed to be used for coastal defense. They had a displacement of 11,540 short tons (10,470 t), an overall length of 375 feet 4 inches (114.40 m), a beam of 72 feet 3 inches (22.02 m) and a draft of 23 feet 6 inches (7.16 m). The two 3-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines and five Scotch boilers, connected to two propeller shafts, produced a total of 12,179 indicated horsepower (9,082 kW), and gave a maximum speed of 16.897 knots (19.445 mph; 31.293 km/h). Kentucky was manned by 40 officers and 514 enlisted men, a total of 554 crew.

Kentucky, like USS Kearsarge, had two double turrets, with two 13-inch (330 mm) guns and two 8-inch (203 mm) guns each, stacked in two levels. The guns and turret armor were designed by the Bureau of Ordnance, while the turret itself was designed by the Bureau of Construction and Repair. This caused the guns to be mounted far back in the turret, making the ports very large. Admiral William Sims claimed that as a result, a shell fired into the port could reach the magazines below, disabling the guns. In addition to these guns, Kentucky carried fourteen 5-inch (127 mm) guns, twenty 6-pounder (57 mm or 2.2 in) guns, eight 1-pounder (37 mm or 1.5 in) guns, four .30 in (7.6 mm) machine guns, and four 18-inch (460 mm) torpedo tubes. Kentucky had a very low freeboard, which resulted in her guns becoming unusable in bad weather.

The ship's waterline armor belt was 5–16.5 inches (130–420 mm) thick and the main gun turrets were protected by 15–17 inches (380–430 mm) of armor, while the secondary turrets had 6–11 inches (150–280 mm) of armor. The barbettes were 12.5–15 inches (320–380 mm) thick, while the conning tower had 10 inches (250 mm) of armor. The armor was made of harveyized steel.

Construction

Kentucky was authorized on 2 March 1895,, the contract for her construction was awarded on 2 January 1896, and the keel of the vessel was laid down on 30 June 1896 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Virginia. The total cost was US$4,998,119.43. In preparation for the christening of the Kentucky, the Navy asked Kentucky Governor William O'Connell Bradley to select a member of his family to perform the ceremony. Bradley chose his daughter, Christine, who was attending school in Washington, D. C. The Bradleys as a family were teetotalers, so Governor Bradley sent a bottle of water from Lincoln Spring in Hodgenville, Kentucky for Christine to use during the ceremony. Kentucky was christened on 24 March 1898 (the same day as her sister ship, Kearsarge). Soon after Miss Bradley broke the bottle of water over the Kentucky's bow, a delegation from the Women's Christian Temperance Union, led by Frances Beauchamp, presented Christine Bradley with a gift of a silver tray, water pitcher, and two goblets. The inscription read, "Kentucky Christian Temperance Union to Miss Christine Bradley, as a tribute to her loyalty to conviction in the christening of the Battleship Kentucky with water. March 10, 1898." Kentucky was commissioned on 15 May 1900, under the command of Captain Colby Mitchell Chester.

Service history

Early career

During the summer of 1900, Kentucky was fitted out in the New York Navy Yard. On 26 October, Kentucky left Tompkinsville, Staten Island for China, passing through Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. On 5 February 1901 she arrived at Manila, and on 23 March she replaced the Newark as the flagship of Rear Admiral Louis Kempff. Between 1901 and 1904, Kentucky visited numerous ports in China and Japan, including Chefoo, Wusong, Nanking, Taku Forts, Hong Kong, Xiamen, Nagasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama.

In 1902, Kentucky became flagship of Rear Admiral Frank Wildes, although he moved his flag to the Rainbow on 12 April 1902. In November 1902, she became flagship of Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans. On 13 March 1904 she sailed from Manila, passing through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar, and arriving at New York City on 21 May.

After work in the New York Navy Yard, including the addition of smoke ejectors, Kentucky joined the North Atlantic Squadron. The battleship participated in the welcome of the British North Atlantic Squadron at Annapolis, Maryland in October 1905. During the 1906 Cuban Insurrection, she carried Marines to Cuba, embarking them from Provincetown on 23 September, and landing them at Havana, Cuba on 1 October. She remained there until 9 October, and then returned to New England. Kentucky attended the Jamestown Exposition at Norfolk, Virginia on 15 April 1907, and then participated in exercises off the New England coast.

Great White Fleet

Attached to the Fourth Division of the Second Squadron, she sailed on 16 December 1907 with the Great White Fleet. The fleet was commanded by Rear Admiral Evans, Kentucky's former flag officer. The fleet left from Hampton Roads, passed by Trinidad and Rio de Janeiro, and then passed through the Straits of Magellan. From there she passed by the west coast of South America, visiting Punta Arenas and Valparaíso, Chile, Callao, Peru, and Magdalena Bay, Mexico. The fleet arrived at San Diego on 14 April 1908 and continued to San Francisco on 6 May. Two months later the fleet arrived at Honolulu, Hawaii, and from there sailed to Auckland, New Zealand, arriving on 9 August. On 20 August, the fleet reached Sydney, Australia, and after a week sailed for Melbourne.

Kentucky departed Albany, Western Australia on 18 September, passing through ports in the Philippine Islands, Japan, China, and Ceylon before passing through the Suez Canal. The fleet split at Port Said on 8 January 1909, with Kentucky visiting Tripoli and Algiers before reforming with the fleet at Gibraltar. She returned to Hampton Roads on 22 February, and was inspected by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.

1909–1916

As with most of the Great White Fleet ships, the Kentucky was modernized on her return. She was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 28 August 1909, and the modernization was completed in 1911, at a cost of US$675,000. The ship received cage masts, new water-tube boilers, and another four 5-inch guns. The 1-pounder guns were removed, as were sixteen of the 6-pounders. On 4 June 1912, she recommissioned in the Second Reserve, and on 31 May 1913 was transferred to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia.

She recommissioned at Philadelphia on 23 June 1915. On 11 September, she sailed to Mexico, arriving at Veracruz on 28 September. She remained there during the Mexican Revolution, staying there until 2 June 1916 (except for a visit to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras of March 1916).

World War I

The battleship stopped at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Santo Domingo on her way back to Philadelphia, arriving there on 18 June 1916. From July until September, she trained militiamen near Block Island and Boston. On 2 October Kentucky returned to New York, and entered the New York Naval Shipyard on 2 January 1917, remaining there until the United States entered World War I. She arrived at Yorktown, Virginia on 2 May, and trained recruits along the Atlantic coast, from Chesapeake Bay to Long Island Sound. During the war, she trained several thousand men, in 15 groups of recruits.

Fate

Kentucky was overhauled at the Boston Navy Yard, starting 20 December 1918. On 18 March 1919, she left for exercises in Guantanamo Bay, Norfolk, and along the New England coast. Between 29 May and 30 August 1919, Kentucky trained United States Naval Academy midshipmen. The Kentucky was decommissioning on 29 May 1920, because of the Washington Naval Treaty. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 27 May 1922, and she was sold for scrap to Dravo Corporation on 24 March 1923.

Citations

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

1. Crawford 2008, p. 12.
2. ^ Chesneau, Koleśnik & Campbell 1979, p. 141.
3. ^ Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 94.
4. ^ Newhart 1995, p. 22.
5. Friedman 1985, pp. 30–32.
6. Friedman 1985, p. 17.
7. ^ Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 92.
8. Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 83.
9. ^ NVR Kentucky (BB 6).
10. ^ Houston Daily Post 25 March 1898. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHouston_Daily_Post_25_March_1898 (help)
11. ^ Clark & Lane 2002, p. 65–66.
12. Alexandria Gazette 15 May 1900. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAlexandria_Gazette_15_May_1900 (help)
13. ^ DANFS Kentucky (BB-6).
14. The Honolulu Republican 8 November 1900. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Honolulu_Republican_8_November_1900 (help)
15. The Weekly Messenger 17 November 1900. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Weekly_Messenger_17_November_1900 (help)
16. The San Francisco Call 22 December 1900. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_San_Francisco_Call_22_December_1900 (help)
17. The Bee 7 February 1901. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Bee_7_February_1901 (help)
18. Evening Star 23 March 1901. sfn error: no target: CITEREFEvening_Star_23_March_1901 (help)
19. ^ The Saint Paul Globe 15 October 1901. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Saint_Paul_Globe_15_October_1901 (help)
20. ^ The San Francisco Call 29 October 1901. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_San_Francisco_Call_29_October_1901 (help)
21. ^ Evening Star 3 June 1901. sfn error: no target: CITEREFEvening_Star_3_June_1901 (help)
22. The Washington Times 24 July 1902. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Washington_Times_24_July_1902 (help)
23. Evening Star 14 November 1901. sfn error: no target: CITEREFEvening_Star_14_November_1901 (help)
24. The Washington Times 29 June 1902. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Washington_Times_29_June_1902 (help)
25. ^ The Washington Times 13 April 1902. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Washington_Times_13_April_1902 (help)
26. Evening Bulletin 8 November 1902. sfn error: no target: CITEREFEvening_Bulletin_8_November_1902 (help)
27. Daily Public Ledger 26 May 1904. sfn error: no target: CITEREFDaily_Public_Ledger_26_May_1904 (help)
28. Palestine Daily Herald 26 October 1904. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPalestine_Daily_Herald_26_October_1904 (help)
29. ^ The Salt Lake Tribune 31 October 1905. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Salt_Lake_Tribune_31_October_1905 (help)
30. The Sun 26 September 1906. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Sun_26_September_1906 (help)
31. The Bemidji Daily Pioneer 9 October 1906. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Bemidji_Daily_Pioneer_9_October_1906 (help)
32. ^ Yarsinske 1999, p. 107.
33. Albertson 2007, p. 46.
34. ^ Albertson 2007, p. 181.
35. Albertson 2007, p. 54.
36. Albertson 2007, p. 66.
37. Albertson 2007, p. 64.
38. Albertson 2007, p. 67.
39. Albertson 2007, p. 69.
40. Albertson 2007, p. 73.
41. Albertson 2007, p. 184.
42. Albertson 2007, p. 185.
43. Albertson 2007, pp. 90–95.
44. Albertson 2007, p. 95.
45. Albertson 2007, p. 188.
46. Albertson 2007, p. 188–190.
47. Albertson 2007, p. 191.
48. Yarsinske 1999, p. 109.
49. Albertson 2007, pp. 191–192.
50. Friedman 1985, p. 82.
51. Harris 1992, p. 489.
52. Friedman 1985, pp. 82–83.
53. Bogart 2010.
54. The Sun 6 June 1916. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Sun_6_June_1916 (help)
55. The Ogden Standard 25 July 1916. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Ogden_Standard_25_July_1916 (help)
56. The Ogden Standard 19 August 1916. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Ogden_Standard_19_August_1916 (help)
57. Kentucky Irish American 2 September 1916. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKentucky_Irish_American_2_September_1916 (help)
58. The Sun 3 January 1917. sfn error: no target: CITEREFThe_Sun_3_January_1917 (help)
59. New York Tribune 15 January 1922. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNew_York_Tribune_15_January_1922 (help)

Bibliography

Books

• Albertson, Mark (2007). They'll Have to Follow You!: The Triumph of the Great White Fleet. Mustang, Oklahoma: Tate Publishing & Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-60462-145-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Chesneau, Roger; Koleśnik, Eugène M.; Campbell, N.J.M. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Clark, Thomas D.; Lane, Margaret A. (2002). The People's House: Governor's Mansions of Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2253-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Crawford, Michael J. (12 May 2008). The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet: Honoring 100 Years of Global Partnerships and Security. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-945274-59-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships, An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-715-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Harris, James Russell (1992). "Kentucky, U.S.S.". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. p. 489. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Newhart, Max R. (1995). American Battleships: A Pictorial History of BB-1 to BB-71. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-57510-004-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Reilly, John C.; Scheina, Robert L. (1980). American Battleships 1886–1923: Predreadnought Design and Construction. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-524-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Yarsinske, Amy Waters (1 July 1999). Jamestown Exposition, Virginia: American Imperialism on Parade. Vol. 2. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-0167-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

Newspapers

• "Kentucky is Launched" (PDF). Houston Daily Post. 25 March 1898. p. 4. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
• "The Kentucky in Commission" (PDF). Alexandria Gazette. 15 May 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
• "Condensed Telegrams" (PDF). The Honolulu Republican. 8 November 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "A Slight War Cloud" (PDF). The Weekly Messenger. St. Martinville, Louisiana. 17 November 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Kentucky in Suez Canal" (PDF). The San Francisco Call. 22 December 1900. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "The Kentucky at Manila" (PDF). The Bee. Earlington, Kentucky. 7 February 1901. p. 6. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
• "Movements of Naval Vessels" (PDF). Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 23 March 1901. p. 2. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
• "Washington Notes" (PDF). The Saint Paul Globe. 15 October 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Flagship New York Sails for Cavite" (PDF). The San Francisco Call. 29 October 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Two Admirals in the East" (PDF). Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 3 June 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Movements of Naval Vessels" (PDF). The Washington Times. 24 July 1902. p. 7. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Admiral Kempff at Hong Kong" (PDF). Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 14 November 1901. p. 7. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Movements of Naval Vessels" (PDF). The Washington Times. 29 June 1902. p. 6. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Change in Flagships" (PDF). The Washington Times. 13 April 1902. p. 7. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Armored Cruiser New York Arrives" (PDF). Evening Bulletin. Honolulu. 8 November 1902. p. 1. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Kentucky Breaks Record of World" (PDF). Daily Public Ledger. Maysville, Kentucky. 26 May 1904. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Safety Device for Naval Gunners" (PDF). Palestine Daily Herald. Palestine, Texas. 26 October 1904. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
• "Go to Meet the Prince" (PDF). The Salt Lake Tribune. 31 October 1905. p. 10. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Army and Navy Get Ready" (PDF). The Sun. New York City. 26 September 1906. p. 5. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Warships Leave Havana" (PDF). The Bemidji Daily Pioneer. 9 October 1906. p. 4. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Movements of Naval Vessels" (PDF). The Sun. New York City. 6 June 1916. p. 13. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
• "Many States Send Naval Militiamen for Practise Cruise on Battleships" (PDF). The Ogden Standard. 25 July 1916. p. 9. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Civilians Off on Navy Practice Cruise" (PDF). The Ogden Standard. 19 August 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Naval Training Cruise" (PDF). Kentucky Irish American. 2 September 1916. p. 4. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
• "Movements of Naval Vessels" (PDF). The Sun. New York City. 3 January 1917. p. 12. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
• "Scrapped American Battleship to Sink With Honors of War" (PDF). New York Tribune. 15 January 1922. p. 12. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

Journals

• Bogart, Charles H. (March 2010). "USS Kentucky (BB 6) at Vera Cruz, Mexico 1915-1916" (PDF). Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log. Universal Ship Cancellation Society: 14–16. Retrieved 1 January 2013. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

Online resources

• "Kentucky". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
• "USS Kentucky (BB 6)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

Further reading

• Alden, John D. (1989). American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise of the Great White Fleet. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-248-6.

External links

• Maritimequest USS Kentucky BB-6 Photo Gallery
• Photo gallery of Kentucky at NavSource Naval History
• Naval Historical Center USS Kentucky (Battleship # 6, BB-6), 1900–1924, Selected Views

• Use dmy dates from October 2012
• Kearsarge-class battleships
• 1898 ships
• World War I battleships of the United States
• United States Navy Kentucky-related ships
• Ships built in Newport News, Virginia