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Tuesday 25 July 2017

US Navy interested in re-introducing torpedo nets according to the Dutch magazine Marineblad dated 1916-1917 no. 5

Nevada-class

An item reported that the US navy was interested in re-introducing in protection against torpedoes with the use of nets, although of larger strength as the older ones. Already was a test with the battleship Oklahoma (1) done with a result considered by the experts as being an improvement. The department for the navy wanted to sign a contract for the delivery of a steel wire net existing of 16 parts each with a length of 29 metres and a height of around 11 metres. The Army and Navy Register referred to a complementary naval budget including a post of 480.000 US dollars for purchasing torpedo nets for battleships. The nets were fitted to the ships with the use of booms and could be used to a speed of 4-5 miles. The magazine however wondered what the improvements were al mentioned by the engineers but was waiting with interest for the coming tests hoping that the nets also could be higher speeds as 5 miles.

Note
1. Of the Nevada-class consisting of the USS Nevada (BB-36) and Oklahoma (BB-37) preceded by the New York-class and succeeded by the Pennsylvania-class. Building authorized on 4 March 1911. Laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey on 26 October 1912, launched on 23 March 1914, sponsored by Lorena J. Cruce, commissioned on 2 May 1916, modernized at the Philadelphia navy yard between 1927-1930, sunk with the loss of 429 men during the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1942, decommissioned and stricken on 1 September 1944, salvaged and sold to the Moore rycock Company, Oakland, California for 46.000 US dollars to be broken up on 5 December 1946 and underway to her final destination San Francisco Bay sunk on a unknown position in a storm more as 500 miles distance from Hawaii on 17 May 1947.