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Key Points: The South Dakota-class battleships, constructed during the late 1930s, served as vital stepping stones to the iconic Iowa-class.

-Built under treaty restrictions limiting displacement to 35,600 tons, these battleships addressed shortcomings of their predecessors, the North Carolina-class, by improving underwater protection, engine performance, and deck space.

-Deemed the best treaty-compliant battleships, they saw extensive action during World War II, exemplifying American naval resilience.

-Decommissioned after the war, the South Dakota-class marked the twilight of the battleship era as the Navy transitioned to aircraft carriers.

-Today, the USS Massachusetts and USS Alabama preserve this legacy as floating museums.

South Dakota-Class Battleships: Forgotten Giants of Naval History

One hundred years ago, the battleship was the foundation upon which the US Navy was built. Constructed to deliver raw firepower to distant shores, the battleship was a heavily armed and widely feared surface vessel.

The US Navy, at the turn of the twentieth century still a rising power, invested heavily in the battleship, knowing that the type was key to the outsized ambitions of the still relatively young nation.

Four battleships that the US constructed were of the South Dakota-class, a type of ship that has been mostly overshadowed, and is little remembered, but served as an important stepping stone to the larger and more heralded Iowa-class. 

Stepping Stone to the Iowa-Class

Funding for the South Dakota-class was set aside in Fiscal Year 1939, signaling the Navy’s shift away from the two-ship North Carolina-class, a product of the 1930s. The North Carolina was an appropriate design and a worthwhile investment for the very specific time in which the ship was built – that being a time when international treaties placed strict limitations on the displacement of capital ships below 35,600 tons.

The North Carolina was crafted to fit beneath the 35,600 threshold and accordingly lacked the weaponry, armor, and speed that the Navy would need for global conflict. 

When Japan unilaterally withdrew from the treaty, the “Escalator Clause” of the Second London Naval Treaty was issued, offering a modest increase in displacement allowances, meant to serve as an “escalator,” or increment, to larger displacements.

Despite having wider design latitude, the US Congress was still only willing to sign off on the construction of battleships that adhered to the original treaty’s 35,600 threshold. The South Dakota-class was constructed accordingly. 

Still, despite being the underweight and underpowered relative, the South Dakota offered improvements over the preceding North Carolina. Specifically, the South Dakota addressed deficiencies that had plagued the North Carolina, including inadequate underwater protection, obsolete turbine engines, and insufficient deck space. 

USS South Dakota. Image: Creative Commons.

The Best Battleships  – With an Asterisk

Naval historians have argued that the South Dakota was the best of the battleships designed under the treaty limitations. According to historian Norman Friedman, the South Dakota was “a remarkable achievement within very constricting treaty limits.” 

The South Dakota would serve admirably during World War II, facing heavy action. At war’s end, however, each of the four South Dakota-classes would be decommissioned. The retirement of the South Dakota essentially marked the end of the entire battleship era; the Iowa-class, a ship commissioned after the South Dakota, would be the last class of battleship that the US Navy would ever build.

Granted, the Iowa was in and out of service throughout the back half of the twentieth century, often being decommissioned, or recommissioned, but the true era of the battleship ended during World War II, giving rise to the era of the aircraft carrier within which we still reside. 

USS South Dakota-Class. Image: Creative Commons.

USS South Dakota-Class. Image: Creative Commons.

If you want to see the South Dakota-class today, you would have two options: Fall River, Massachusetts, where the USS Massachusetts rests, or Mobile, Alabama, where the USS Alabama rests, both serve as testaments to a bygone era of naval warfare. 

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.