USS Illinois (BB-65)
USS Illinois in July 1945, just weeks before construction was canceled
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Namesake: | State of Illinois |
| Ordered: | 9 September 1940 |
| Builder: | Philadelphia Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down: | 15 January 1945 |
| Launched: | Canceled prior to launch |
| Struck: | 12 August 1945 |
| Fate: | Dismantled on builder's ways September 1958 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Iowa-class battleship |
| Displacement: | 45,000 tons (planned) |
| Length: | 887 ft 3 in (270.43 m) (planned) |
| Beam: | 108 ft 2 in (32.97 m) (planned) |
| Speed: | 33 kn (38 mph; 61 km/h) (planned) |
| Complement: | 151 officers, 2,637 enlisted (planned) |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: | |
Illinois (BB-65) was to have been the fifth Iowa-class battleship constructed for the United States Navy and was the fourth ship to be named in honor of the 21st US state.
Hull BB-65 was originally to be the first ship of the Montana-class battleships, but changes during World War II resulted in her being reordered as an Iowa-class battleship. Adherence to the Iowa-class layout rather than the Montana-class layout allowed BB-65 to gain eight knots in speed, carry more 20 mm and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and transit the locks of the Panama Canal; however, the move away from the Montana-class layout left BB-65 with a reduction in the heavier armaments and without the additional armor that were to have been added to BB-65 during her time on the drawing board as USS Montana.
Like her sister ship Kentucky, Illinois was still under construction at the end of World War II. Her construction was canceled in August 1945, but her hull remained until 1958 when it was broken up.
The passage of the Second Vinson Act in 1938 had cleared the way for construction of the four South Dakota-class battleships and the first two Iowa-class fast battleships (those with the hull numbers BB-61 and BB-62). The latter four battleships of the class, those designated with the hull numbers BB-63, BB-64, BB-65, and BB-66 were not cleared for construction until 1940, and at the time BB-65 and BB-66 were intended to be the first ships of the Montana class.
Originally, BB-65 was to be the United States Navy's counter to the Empire of Japan's Yamato-class battleships, whose construction at the time was known to the highest-ranking members of the United States Navy, along with the rumors that the Yamato-class ships would carry guns of up to 18 in (460 mm). To combat this, the United States Navy began designing a 58,000 ton ship with an intended armament of twelve 16 in (410 mm) guns. This battleship took shape in the mid-1930s as USS Montana, the lead ship of her class of battleships. She would have fielded three more 16 in (410 mm) guns than those mounted aboard the Iowa class, a more powerful secondary battery of 5 in (130 mm)/54 caliber Mark 16 dual purpose mounts, and an increase in armor designed to enable Montana to withstand the effects of enemy guns comparable to her own.
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