Sixth Battle Squadron (United States Navy)
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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Sixth Battle Squadron was the name given to the United States Navy's Battleship Division Nine while serving in the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet from 1917 to 1918.
Integration
According to Rear Admiral William S. Sims, writing after the war:
- [F]or, though our people and the British spoke the same language, the languages of the ships, that is, their methods of communication by signals, were wholly different. It was therefore our duty to stow our signal flags and books down below, and learn the British signal language. This they did so well that four days after their arrival they went out and manœuvred successfully with the Grand Fleet. In the same way they adopted the British systems of tactics and fire control, and in every other way conformed to the established practices of the British.[1]
There is a story that:
- When the American battle squadron joined the Grand Fleet in World War I, the Americans had some difficulty in mastering the British signal books. One day when the whole fleet was at sea, a 'Turn' signal was hoisted. When hauled down, the British ships turned one way, the Americans the other. The US Admiral turned to rend his aide, who forestalled him with: 'Sorry Admiral, I guess I told you wrong!'"[2]
Concentration Firings
Taken from Schleihauf.[3]
| Sixth Battle Squadron Pair Ship Concentration Firings, 27 June, 1918. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Wyoming | Florida | Delaware | |||||||
| Rounds Allowed | 60 | 96 | 80 | 80 | ||||||
| Rounds Fired | 56 | 94 | 78 | 75 | ||||||
| Salvos Required | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| Salvos Fired | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | ||||||
| Time | 5'58" | 5'22" | 10'40" | 12'10" | ||||||
| Average Rounds Per Salvo | 9.3 | 11.8 | 7.8 | 8.3 | ||||||
| Average Interval Between Salvoes | 1'03" | 1'05" | 59" | 1'09" | ||||||
| Number of the First Salvo to Straddle and Time | #1 30" |
#1 1'10" |
#1 1' |
#6 9'40" | ||||||
| Number of Salvos Straddling in Range | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | ||||||
| Number of Salvos on for Deflection | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | ||||||
| Average Pattern (Yards) for Salvos of More than Four Guns | 1043 | 1086 | 559 | 720 | ||||||
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Jones, Jerry W. (1998). U.S. Battleship Operations in World War I. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557504113.
- Schleihauf, William (April, 1998). "A Concentrated Effort: Royal Navy Gunnery Exercises at the End of the Great War." Warship International 35 (2): pp. 117–139.
