USS Kansas (BB-21)

Kansas c. 1910–1915
History
United States
Name:	Kansas
Namesake:	State of Kansas
Ordered:	3 March 1903
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding Company
Laid down:	10 February 1904
Launched:	12 August 1905
Sponsored by:	Anna Hoch
Commissioned:	18 April 1907
Decommissioned:	16 December 1921
Struck:	10 November 1923
Fate:	Broken up for scrap at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard in 1924
General characteristics
Class and type:	Connecticut-class battleship
Displacement:	16,000 long tons (16,000 t)
Length:	456 ft 4 in (139.09 m)
Beam:	76 ft 10 in (23.42 m)
Draft:	24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Propulsion:	12 Babcock & Wilcox boilers 16,500 ihp (12,300 kW)
Speed:	18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement:	827 officers and men
Armament:	4 × 12 in (305 mm)/45 caliber Mark 5 guns 8 × 8 in (203 mm)/45 caliber guns 12 × 7 in (178 mm)/45 caliber guns 20 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber guns 12 × 3-pounder guns 4 × 1-pounder guns 4 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:	Belt: 6–11 in (152–279 mm) Barbettes: 6–10 in (152–254 mm) Turret Main: 8–12 in (203–305 mm) Turret secondary: 7 in (178 mm) Conning tower: 9 in (229 mm)

USS Kansas (BB-21) was a US Connecticut-class pre-dreadnought battleship, the fourth of six ships in the class. She was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of Kansas. The ship was launched in August 1905 and commissioned into the fleet in April 1907. Kansas was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (300 mm) guns and was capable of a top speed of 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph).

Shortly after she entered service, Kansas joined the Great White Fleet for its circumnavigation of the globe in 1908–09. She made trips to Europe in 1910 and 1911 and after 1912, became involved in suppressing unrest in several Central American countries, including the United States occupation of Veracruz during the Mexican Revolution. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Kansas was employed as a training ship for new personnel. In September 1918, she began escorting convoys to Europe. After the war ended in November, she then began a series of trips to France to bring American soldiers home.

The ship's postwar career was short. She conducted training cruises for US Naval Academy cadets in 1920 and 1921, the first to the Pacific and the second to Europe. During this period she served briefly as the flagship of the 4th Battleship Division. After returning from the second cruise, Kansas was decommissioned and sold for scrap in August 1923 according to the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.

Kansas was 456.3 ft (139.1 m) long overall and had a beam of 76.9 ft (23.4 m) and a draft of 24.5 ft (7.5 m). She displaced 16,000 long tons (16,000 t) as designed and up to 17,666 long tons (17,949 t) at full load. The ship was powered by two-shaft triple-expansion steam engines rated at 16,500 indicated horsepower (12,300 kW) and twelve coal-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers, generating a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). As built, she was fitted with heavy military masts, but these were quickly replaced by lattice masts in 1909. As completed, she had a crew of 827 officers and men, though this increased to 881 and later to 896.

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