The Montana-class battleships, authorized but never constructed, represented what could have been the pinnacle of U.S. naval power during World War II, eclipsed by the strategic shift towards aircraft carriers. Designed to outclass the preceding Iowa-class in firepower and size, the Montana-class aimed to enhance U.S. naval capabilities significantly.
The USS North Carolina, a battleship constrained by the Washington Naval Treaty yet emboldened by the Second London Naval Treaty's escalator clause, represents a pivotal shift in naval armament and strategy leading up to and during World War II.
The USS Alabama was the final of four powerful South Dakota-class battleships built for the US Navy in the 1930s. Though designed earlier, treaty restrictions delayed her construction until World War II. Alabama saw action protecting Allied convoys and in the Pacific, notably providing early warning against Japanese air attacks.
In most configurations, the Lion-Class would have been somewhat smaller, somewhat slower, slightly better protected Iowas, more effective than the U.S. North Carolina and South Dakota classes. Lion likely would have had little trouble with the latest German or Italian battleships, in part because of the latter’s fiscal inability to compete with the Royal Navy, and the former’s
This March, the USS New Jersey will once again be on the move following nearly three decades of museum duty. However, the mighty Iowa-class battleship will not be returning to service.