USS Florida (BB-30)

USS *Florida* (BB-30)
History
Florida circa 1921
United States
Name:	Florida
Namesake:	State of Florida
Ordered:	13 May 1908
Builder:	New York Naval Shipyard
Laid down:	8 March 1909
Launched:	12 May 1910
Sponsored by:	E. D. Fleming
Commissioned:	15 September 1911
Decommissioned:	16 February 1931
Struck:	6 April 1931
Identification:	Hull symbol:BB-30
Fate:	Sold 16 February 1931, broken up for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type:	Florida-class battleship
Displacement:	21,825 long tons (22,175 t) (standard) 23,033 long tons (23,403 t) (full load)
Length:	521 ft 6 in (159.0 m) (overall) 510 ft (155.4 m) (waterline)
Beam:	88 ft 3 in (26.9 m)
Draft:	28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) (mean) 30 ft 1 in (9.2 m) (max)
Installed power:	14 × coal-fired superheating Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers 28,000 shp (20,880 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Parsons steam turbines 4 × screws
Speed:	21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Capacity:	Coal: 1,667 long tons (1,694 t) (standard) Coal: 2,520 long tons (2,560 t) (max) Oil: 400 long tons (406 t)
Complement:	1,001 officers and men
Armament:	10 × 12 in (305 mm)/45 caliber Mark 5 guns 16 × 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal guns 4 × 6-pounder 57 mm (2.24 in) guns 2 × 1-pounder 37 mm (1.46 in) guns 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:	Belt: 9–11 in (229–279 mm) Lower casemate: 8–10 in (203–254 mm) Upper casemate: 5 in (127 mm) Barbettes: 4–10 in (102–254 mm) Turret face: 12 in (305 mm) Conning tower: 11.5 in (292 mm) Decks: 1.5 in (38 mm)

USS Florida (BB-30) was the lead ship of the Florida class of dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy. She had one sister ship, Utah. Florida was laid down at the New York Navy Yard in March 1909, launched in May 1910, and commissioned into the US Navy in September 1911. She was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns and was very similar in design to the preceding Delaware-class battleships.

Florida was one of the first ships to arrive during the United States occupation of Veracruz in early 1914, and part of her crew joined the landing party that occupied the city. She was assigned to United States Battleship Division 9 after the American entrance into World War I in April 1917; the division was sent to Europe to reinforce the British Grand Fleet. During the war, Florida and the rest of her unit, reassigned as the 6th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, conducted patrols in the North Sea and escorted convoys to Norway. She saw no action with the German High Seas Fleet, however.

Florida returned to normal peacetime duties in 1919. She was heavily modernized in 1924–1926, including a complete overhaul of her propulsion system. She remained in service until 1930, when the London Naval Treaty was signed. Under the terms of the treaty, Florida and Utah were removed from active service. Therefore, Florida was decommissioned in 1931 and scrapped the next year in Philadelphia.

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Wikipedia