Montana-class battleship Class Overview Technical Information Usage [Source] The Montana-class battleship was a class of planned battleships for the United States Navy. The class was designed to replace the Iowa-class battleships. It was not designed to counter the Yamato-class "super battleships" because it was designed before the war started and the United States did not know about the yamato at the time. Five vessels were approved for construction during World War II, but the heavier demand for aircraft carriers resulted in their cancellation before any work could begin.