USS Illinois (BB-65)

	USS Illinois (BB-65) in July 1945, just weeks before construction was canceled
History
United States
Name	Illinois
Namesake	State of Illinois
Ordered	9 September 1940
Builder	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Laid down	6 December 1942
Stricken	12 August 1945
Fate	Dismantled on slipway, September 1958
General characteristics
Class & type	Iowa-class battleship
Displacement	Standard: 48,110 long tons (48,880 t); Full load: 57,540 long tons (58,460 t);
Length	887 feet 3 inches (270.4 m) loa
Beam	108 ft 2 in (33 m)
Draft	36 ft 2.25 in (11 m)
Installed power	8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers; 212,000 shaft horsepower (158,000 kW);
Propulsion	4 × steam turbines; 4 × screw propellers;
Speed	32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)
Range	15,000 mi (24,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	117 officers; 1,804 enlisted men;
Armament	9 × 16 in (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns; 20 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal Mark 12 guns; 80 × 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft guns; 49 × 20 mm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft guns;
Armor	Belt: 12.1 in (307 mm); Bulkheads: 14.5 in (368 mm); Barbettes: 17.3–11.6 in (439–295 mm); Turrets: 19.5 in (495 mm); Decks: 6 in (152 mm);

USS^[a] Illinois (BB-65) was an uncompleted Iowa-class fast battleship, the fifth of her type laid down for the United States Navy during World War II. The Navy had initially planned on building four of the Iowas and then developing a new, more powerful ship for what was to be BB-65. The pressing need for more warships at the outbreak of World War II in Europe led the Navy to conclude that new designs would have to be placed on hold to allow the shipbuilding industry to standardize on a small number of designs. As a result, BB-65 was ordered to the Iowa design in 1940. Illinois was laid down in December 1942, but work was given a low priority, and was still under construction at the end of World War II. She was canceled in August 1945, but her hull remained as a parts hulk until she was broken up in 1958.
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