High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The United States Navy`s South Carolina class consisted of two battleships: USS South Carolina and USS Michigan, both of which were launched in 1908. These were among the first warships built with armament organized on the "all-big gun" (dreadnought) principle and the first American battleships of the type. Their introduction of superfiring fore-and-aft turrets was a major new development in warship design, one that would eventually be adapted by other navies as the best main-gun arrangement possible. While HMS Dreadnought carried ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns as opposed to the South Carolinas` eight, four of these were carried in wing turrets on either side of the ship. This meant two guns would always be inactive when firing on the broadside. South Carolina and Michigan could bring all eight of their guns on the broadside, which meant they could actually fire an equivalent amount of metal as Dreadnought.