Eastern Seaboard, 1917-18 time frame. USS Michigan (closest) and USS South Carolina wait for the call up. Designed before but completed well after the HMS Dreadnought, the South Carolinas had the same broadside with one less turret than the early British Dreadnoughts. Utilizing superfiring turrets that would be standard on all US battleships designed after them the design enabled the US Navy to fit an eight gun broadside into a 16,000 ton ton design when other navies were having troubles with 18,000 ton designs. The South Carolinas had thicker armor than the Dreadnought and with no wing turrets in a better layout. But as with all pre-Jutland designs they were armored more for horizontal fire than plunging fire. The Battle Jutland changed that line of thinking with ranges between engaging ships being much greater than horizontal fire was capable of. The South Carolinas were 3 knots slower that the Dreadnought using older triple expansion propulsion rather than the new turbine propulsion. There several reasons for the use of the older machinery: Triple expansion machinery got better mileage, US manufacturers were unable to supply machinery with the reuired close tolerances, US maufacturers wanted more money for such machinery and the US Congress was unwilling to spend the money required (I heard it had something to do with Gulstreams, jets and computers what ever they were.) So the US Navy opted for something the rest of the Eutopean Navies who were involved in a Naval building race couldn't afford range over top speed. The cage masts were a kind of trademark for US Capital ships until the mid 1930's. The cage masts were supposed to lighter, stronger and give better stability than pole masts, although the USS Michigan lost her formast in an Atlantic storm. The cage mast was phased out in the late twenties, but some US capital ships carried them through the end of WWII. Some design specs: 8 12inch/45 cailber main guns, upt to 22 3"/50 cal secondary guns. Armor belt up to 11 inch. Speed 18.75 knots max (USS Michigan trials). Both ships under went numerous small changes so hence the slightly different look. Everthing rendered in Vue. Ships built in Wings 3D by Osper Enterprises Ship building Division. Buildings are modified from buildings by Stonemason.