Mon. Apr 20th, 2026

USS Massachusetts (BB-2)

USS Massachusetts was the second ship of the United States Navy to belong to the Indiana battleship class. This ship was ordered from William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 30, 1890, and six years later was commissioned.

Its main role was to protect the coast, but the ship also participated in other naval operations. After the end of active service, she was still included in the reserve fleet. It was last decommissioned in March 1919 and was used as a training target and sunk in a shallow bay in Florida. The wreck now serves as an artificial reef and is a very popular destination for divers.

technical parameters USS Massachusetts (BB-2)

Name Massachusetts
Builder William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ordered 30 June 1890
Renamed Coast Battleship Number 2 29 March 1919
Laid down 25 June 1891
Launched 10 June 1893
Commissioned 10 June 1896
Decommissioned  8 January 1906
Recommissioned 2 May 1910
Decommissioned 23 May 1914
Recommissioned 9 June 1917
Decommissioned 31 March 1919
Stricken 22 November 1920
Fate Scuttled, 6 January 1921
Class and type Indiana-class pre-dreadnought battleship
Length 350 ft 11 in (107.0 m)
Beam 69 ft 3 in (21.1 m)
Draft 27 ft (8.2 m)
Displacement 10,288 long tons (10,453 t) standard
Propulsion
  • 2 × triple-expansion steam engines
  • 2 × shafts
Installed power 9,000 ihp (6,700 kW) (design) – 4 × Scotch boilers
Range 4,900 nmi (9,100 km; 5,600 mi)
Speed 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Armament
  • 2 × twin 13 in (330 mm)/35 caliber guns
  • 4 × twin 8 in (203 mm)/35 caliber guns
  • 4 × single 6 in (152 mm)/40 caliber guns
  • 20 × single 6-pounder (57 mm (2.24 in)) guns
  • 6 × single 1-pounder (37 mm (1.46 in)) guns
  • 4 × 18-inch 450 mm torpedo tubes
Complement 473 officers and men
Armor
  • Belt: 18–8.5 in (460–220 mm)
  • 13″ turrets: 15 in (380 mm)
  • Hull: 5 in (130 mm)
  • 8″ turrets: 6 in (150 mm)
  • Conning Tower: 10 in (250 mm)
  • Deck: 3 in (76 mm)

USS Massachusetts (BB-2)

Massachusetts (BB2). Starboard bow at wharf, 06-1901 - NARA - 535432