The Montana-class battleships were conceived during World War II as the ultimate in naval firepower. These leviathans would have outclassed the Iowa class, with twelve 16-inch guns and far more impressive armor, specifically to counter Japan’s awesome Yamato-class battleships. At any rate, even after all the talk, the Montana class never came to life.
The Montana class was to be a super battleship, better armed and armored than any previous battleship. With twelve 16-inch main guns and twenty 5-inch guns, these ships would have had 25% more firepower than the already powerful Iowa class. These guns could fire projectiles of up to 2,700 pounds out to a range of up to 23 miles. The original designs put forth a ship that was 860 feet in length and displaced 52,000 tons; further designs went as far as to suggest a ship 1,050 feet in length and a displacement of 70,000 tons. Eventually, the final design settled on a length of 921 feet with a power plant capable of 172,000 horsepower.
The impressive design of the Montana-class battleships served no purpose because of the major problems they had. First of all, air power and the strategic role of aircraft carriers made these huge battleships redundant. It was clear that aircraft carriers and other multi-role ships were the more practical vessels for contemporary warfare. Besides the requirement for a big crew – including 2,355 sailors – the huge amount of fuel and extensive maintenance made them less practical in comparison with aircraft carriers.
The strategic priorities of the Navy changed towards the construction of more anti-submarine and amphibious assault ships. That changed the strategic priorities of the Navy toward constructing more anti-submarine and amphibious assault ships. With aircraft and submarines increasingly playing their role, naval warfare veered from where Montana class held any relevancy. In 1943, the Navy canceled the Montana-class program and turned to aircraft carriers as the future of naval warfare.
While some assert that building at least one Montana-class battleship would boost morale immediately after Pearl Harbor, strategic realities at the time made this action impractical. Never built, the Montana-class battleships remain an enduring tribute to the changing nature of naval warfare during World War II.
In contrast, the Alaska-class cruisers were purpose-built to answer specific threats from German commerce raiders and supposed Japanese battlecruisers approved under the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940. The vessels, more appropriately cruiser killers than cruisers in the real sense, belonged to the Alaska class of 808-foot vessels with a displacement of 29,771 tons, armed with nine 12-inch guns, twelve 5-inch guns, fifty-six 40mm guns, and thirty-four 20mm guns. Also, the speed requirements called for them to be fast—33 knots maximum—and to be able to pack a powerful punch.
However, there were many limitations to the Alaska-class cruisers. Most specifically, they did not have enough armor protection against battleships, and a torpedo defense system that would protect them against German U-boats and Japanese torpedoes. The Alaska-class cruisers held a place of peculiarity in light of their contribution to naval warfare, designed as versatile and slated to answer particular threats.
The Montana class of battleships and the Alaska class of cruisers represent opposites of naval warfare in World War II. The Montana class, though never built, was symbolic of the zenith of battleship design, while Alaska-class cruisers were designed to answer specific threats. The two classes epitomize how naval warfare was rapidly evolving and the strategic choices taken by the U.S. Navy in that war.