Warships of the US Navy: Battleships, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico and New York-class

US Navy Battleships in the Second World War

Colorado-class battleships

The Colorado-class battleships were a groupof four United States Navy super-dreadnoughts, the last of its pre-Treatybattleships. Designed during the First World War, their construction overlappedthe end of that conflict and continued in its immediate aftermath. Though allfour keels were laid, only three ships entered service: Colorado, Maryland, andWest Virginia. Washington was over 75% completed when she was canceled underthe terms of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922. As such, the 16" gunColorado-class ships were the last and most powerful battleships built by theU.S. Navy until the North Carolina class entered service on the eve of theSecond World War.

The Colorados were the final group of the Standard-type battleships, designedto have similar speed and handling to simplify maneuvers with the line ofbattle. The cancelled South Dakota class which was to follow would have inseveral ways been a departure from this practice. Apart from an upgrade instriking power with their eight 16-inch guns, the Colorados were essentiallyrepeats of the earlier Tennessee class. The Colorados were also the lastAmerican capital ships built with four main armament turrets and twin-mountedguns.

All three ships had extensive careers during the Second World War. Maryland andWest Virginia were both present during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December1941. While Maryland escaped relatively unscathed, West Virginia was sunk inthe shallow waters of the harbor but subsequently raised and repaired. Allthree ships served as naval gunfire support ships during numerous amphibiousoperations. Maryland and West Virginia were present at the last surface actionbetween battleships, the Battle of Surigao Strait during the Battle of LeyteGulf in October 1944. All three ships were placed into the reserve fleet afterthe end of the war and were scrapped by the late 1950s. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Colorado (BB-45) steaming off lower Manhattan, New York City, c1932

USS Colorado (BB-45) was a battleship ofthe United States Navy that was in service from 1923 to 1947. She was the leadship of the Colorado class of battleships. Her keel was laid down on 29 May1919, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. She was launched on 22 March1921, and commissioned on 30 August 1923. She was armed with eight 16-inch (406mm) guns and fourteen 5-inch (127 mm) deck guns; two 5-inch guns were removedin an overhaul.

Colorado took her maiden voyage in 1923, to Europe. She later operated with theBattle Fleet and sailed through the Pacific during the interwar years. She alsounderwent a further refit, during which her four 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraftguns were replaced with an equal number of 5 in (127 mm)/25 cal guns.

During the Second World War, in May 1942, soon after USA's entry into the war, Coloradoundertook a defensive patrol near the Golden Gate Bridge to stop a possibleJapanese invasion. She then sailed to Fiji, to stop any further Japaneseadvance into the Pacific. Next, she supported the landings on Tarawa, theMarshall Islands, Saipan, Guam, and Tinian. On 24 July 1944, during theshelling of Tinian, Colorado received 22 shell hits from shore batteries, butcontinued to support the invading troops until 3 August. She later arrived inLeyte Gulf on 20 November 1944, to support American troops fighting ashore. On27 November, she was hit by two kamikazes which caused moderate damage.

After that, Colorado sailed to Luzon on 1 January 1945, where she participatedin the preinvasion bombardments in Lingayen Gulf. She returned to Okinawa on 6August and sailed from there to Japan for the occupation of the country,arriving in Tokyo on 27 August. Departing Tokyo Bay on 20 September, shearrived at San Francisco on 15 October. She was placed out of commission inreserve in Pearl Harbor on 7 January 1947, and sold for scrapping on 23 July1959. She won seven battle stars during her service. Many of Colorado'santi-aircraft guns are in museums across the state of Colorado (her bell and teak decking are also in museums and the USO in the Seattle-Tacoma airport) ormounted on the museum ship Olympia. (Wikipedia)

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USS Colorado (BB-45) comes about after making a wide turn, possibly near San Diego in October 1924.

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Off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, 9 February 1942, with three Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes on her catapults. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.

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USS Colorado off Tinian, on 24 July 1944, with hull damage, the result of 22 hits from shore batteries.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Maryland (BB-46) underway in 1935.

USS Maryland (BB-46), also known as"Old Mary" or "Fighting Mary" to her crewmates, was aColorado-class battleship. She was the third ship of the United States Navy tobe named in honor of the seventh state. She was commissioned in 1921, andserving as the flagship of the fleet, cruised to Australia, New Zealand, andBrazil.

During the Second World War, she was on Battleship Row during the Attack on PearlHarbor, and was lightly damaged by Japanese bombs. Returning to duty in 1942,she saw service in the Pacific War, first supporting the rest of the fleet atthe Battle of Midway, and then patrolling the Fiji Islands to guard againstJapanese incursion. Next, she went on the offensive, commencing shorebombardments in the Battle of Tarawa and later in the Battle of Kwajalein.During the Battle of Saipan she took torpedo damage to her bow, necessitatingrepairs and refits. She then participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf where shewas hit by a kamikaze. She took another kamikaze hit at the Battle of Okinawa,then completed repairs and upgrades at Bremerton, WA. She was sailing back tothe Pacific Theater when word was received that the war had ended, so sheturned around and returned to the Port of Long Beach, CA.

After service in Operation Magic Carpet, she was decommissioned in 1947, andsold for scrap in 1959. She received seven battle stars for her Second WorldWar service. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Maryland (BB-46) alongside the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor. The USS West Virginia (BB-48) is burning in the background.

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USS Maryland (BB-46). Running post-overhaul speed trials in Puget Sound, Washington, 26 April 1944.

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USS Maryland in Puget Sound Navy Yard in August 1945, with her refit completed just as the war ended.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington (USA), 2 July 1944, following reconstruction. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 7D.

USS West Virginia (BB-48) was the fourthdreadnought battleship of the Colorado class, though because Washington wascancelled, she was the third and final member of the class to be completed. TheColorado class proved to be the culmination of the standard-type battleshipseries built for the United States Navy in the 1910s and 1920s; the ships wereessentially repeats of the earlier Tennessee design, but with a significantlymore powerful main battery of eight 16-inch (406 mm) guns in twin-gun turrets.West Virginia was built between her keel laying in 1920 and her commissioninginto the Navy in 1923. The ship spent the 1920s and 1930s conducting routinetraining exercises, including the typically annual Fleet Problems, whichprovided invaluable experience for the coming war in the Pacific.

West Virginia was moored on Battleship Row on the morning of 7 December 1941when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II.Badly damaged by torpedoes, the ship sank in the shallow water but was laterrefloated and extensively rebuilt over the course of 1943 and into mid-1944.She returned to service in time for the Philippines Campaign, where she led theAmerican line of battle at the Battle of Surigao Strait on the night of 24–25October. There, she was one of the few American battleships to use her radar toacquire a target in the darkness, allowing her to engage a Japanese squadron inwhat was the final action between battleships in naval history.

After Surigao Strait, the ship remained in the Philippines to support troopsfighting during the Battle of Leyte in 1944 and then supported the invasion ofLingayen Gulf in early 1945. The ship also took part in the Battles of Iwo Jimaand Okinawa later that year, providing extensive fire support to the groundforces invading those islands. During the latter operation, she was hit by akamikaze that did little damage. Following the surrender of Japan, WestVirginia took part in the initial occupation and thereafter participated inOperation Magic Carpet, carrying soldiers and sailors from Hawaii to themainland United States before being deactivated in 1946. She was decommissionedin 1947 and assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet, where she remained until1959 when she was sold to ship breakers and dismantled. (Wikipedia)

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USS West Virginia (BB-48) Photo #: 80-G-1027204 In San Francisco Bay, California, circa 1934.

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Photograph of the damage done to the USS West Virginia, sunk in the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 1941.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington, 2 July 1944, following reconstruction. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 7D.

Iowa-class battleships

The Iowa class was a class of six fastbattleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940. They were initially intended to intercept fast capital ships such as the Japanese Kongō-class battlecruiser and serve as the "fast wing" of the U.S. battleline. The Iowa class was designed to meet the Second London Naval Treaty's "escalator clause" limit of 45,000-long-ton (45,700 t) standard displacement. Beginning in August 1942, four vessels, Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin, were completed; two more, Illinois and Kentucky, were laid down but canceled in 1945 and 1958, respectively, before completion, and both hulls were scrapped in 1958–1959.

The four Iowa-class ships were the last battleships commissioned in the U.S. Navy. All older U.S. battleships were decommissioned by 1947 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register (NVR) by 1963. Between the mid-1940s and the early 1990s, the Iowa-class battleships fought in four major U.S. wars. In the Pacific Theater of the Second World War, they served primarily as fast escorts for Essex-class aircraft carriers of the Fast Carrier Task Force and also shelled Japanese positions. During the Korean War, the battleships provided naval gunfire support (NGFS) for United Nations forces, and in 1968, New Jersey shelled Viet Cong and Vietnam People's Army forces in the Vietnam War. All four were reactivated and modernized at the direction of the United States Congress in 1981, and armed with missiles during the 1980s, as part of the 600-ship Navy initiative. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Missouri and Wisconsin fired missiles and 16-inch (406 mm) guns at Iraqi targets.

Costly to maintain, the battleships were decommissioned during the post-Cold War drawdown in the early 1990s. All four were initially removed from the Naval Vessel Register, but the United States Congress compelled the Navy to reinstatetwo of them on the grounds that existing shore bombardment capability would beinadequate for amphibious operations. This resulted in a lengthy debate over whether battleships should have a role in the modern navy. Ultimately, all four ships were stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and released for donation to non-profit organizations. With the transfer of Iowa in 2012, all four are museum ships part of non-profit maritime museums across the US. (Wikipedia)

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USS Iowa (BB-61) c1944, in a Measure 32 pattern. The photo shows an open bridge on the 04 level.

USS Iowa (BB-61) is a retired battleship,the lead ship of her class, and the fourth in the United States Navy to benamed after the state of Iowa. Owing to the cancellation of the Montana-classbattleships, Iowa is the last lead ship of any class of United Statesbattleships and was the only ship of her class to serve in the Atlantic Oceanduring the Second World War.

During the Second World War, she carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt acrossthe Atlantic to Mers El Kébir, Algeria, en route to a conference of vitalimportance in 1943 in Tehran with Prime Minister Winston Churchill of theUnited Kingdom and Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union. When transferredto the Pacific Fleet in 1944, Iowa shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetokin advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carriersoperating in the Marshall Islands. She also served as the Third Fleet flagship,flying Admiral William F. Halsey's flag at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

During the Korean War, Iowa was involved in raids on the North Korean coast,after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets,better known as the "mothball fleet." She was reactivated in 1984 aspart of the 600-ship Navy plan and operated in both the Atlantic and PacificFleets to counter the recently expanded Soviet Navy. In April 1989, anexplosion of undetermined origin wrecked her No. 2 gun turret, killing 47sailors.

Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in October 1990 after 19 total yearsof active service, and was initially stricken from the Naval Vessel Register(NVR) in 1995, before being reinstated from 1999 to 2006 to comply with federallaws that required retention and maintenance of two Iowa-class battleships. In2011 Iowa was donated to the Los Angeles–based non-profit Pacific BattleshipCenter and was permanently moved to Berth 87 at the Port of Los Angeles in2012, where she was opened to the public as the USS Iowa Museum. (Wikipedia)

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Uss Iowa (BB 61) steaming into Pearl Harbor with rails manned, 28 October 1952, while en route to the U.S. following her first Korean War deployment.

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A starboard beam view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) underway during sea trials, 15 March 1984.

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A high angle port beam view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) underway off the coast of Virginia, 22 Aug 1985.

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A starboard bow view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) at anchor off the coast of Saint Thomas State, Virgin Islands, 10 Feb 1987.

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Crew members man the rails aboard the battleship USS New Jersey (BB 62), at Naval Air Station North Island, California, 8 January 1985.

USS New Jersey (BB-62) is an Iowa-classbattleship, and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named afterthe U.S. state of New Jersey. She was often referred to fondly as "BigJ". New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the otherthree completed Iowa-class battleships, and was the only US battleship used toprovide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.

During the Second World War, New Jersey shelled targets on Guam and Okinawa,and screened aircraft carriers conducting raids in the Marshall Islands. Duringthe Korean War, she was involved in raids along the North Korean coast, afterwhich she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets, betterknown as the "mothball fleet". She was briefly reactivated in 1968and sent to Vietnam to support US troops before returning to the mothball fleetin 1969. Reactivated once more in the 1980s as part of the 600-ship Navy program,New Jersey was modernized to carry missiles and recommissioned for service. In1983, she participated in US operations during the Lebanese Civil War.

New Jersey was decommissioned for the last time in 1991 after having served atotal of 21 years in the active fleet. During her career she earned a Navy UnitCommendation for service in Vietnam, and 19 battle and campaign stars forcombat operations during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, theLebanese Civil War, and service in the Persian Gulf. After a brief retention inthe mothball fleet, she was donated to the Home Port Alliance in Camden, NewJersey, and has served as a museum ship there since 15 October 2001.(Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battlehip USS New Jersey (BB-62) and the French battleship Richelieu at anchor on 7 September 1943.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) fires a nine 40.6 cm (16 in) gun salvo during bombardment operations against enemy targets in Korea, adjacent to the 38th parallel, on 10 November 1951.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) fires a nine gun salvo of 40.6 cm into a target Kaesong, Korea on 1 January 1953.

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USS New Jersey (BB-62) shown during operations in the waters off Korea on 12 April 1953.

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Recommissioned for Vietnam, the New Jersey (BB-62) was little modified. She is shown off Oahu, Hawaii, 11 September 1968. Although she appears festooned with radio antennas, in fact her communication suit was extremely austure. It symbolized a key problem of the reserve fleet. Communication equipment changes relativley rapidly. Ships otherwise quite usable may be entirely unable to communicate with more modern craft unless they are given entirely new radio systems. The other major modification was for self defense: an early version of SHORTSTOP, a combination jammer and chaff-launcher. The ULQ-6B jammer was located in the box atop her foremast, its antennas projecting out on both sides. When the New Jersey was refitted again in 1981-82, the box was retained as a base for a new SLQ-32 system. It was not particularly conveient, and the other refitted battleships have a more streamlined ECM housing. The New Jersey had been laid up with her 40mm mounts in place. All were removed when she was recommissioned, but the foreward gun tubs (on the 01 level), painted white, were used by the crew as swimming pools. Note that the ship retained her old (and quite obsolescent) SPS-12 air-search radar. 11 Sep 1968.

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Aerial bow view of the Iowa-Class Battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) firing its nine 16-inch/50 caliber guns simultaneously, 30 Dec 1986.

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The moving of the Battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) via tugboats down the Delaware River from Camden to Paulsboro, New Jersey, for maintenance, 21 March 2024.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) during battle practice in Chesapeake Bay on 1 August 1944. She is wearing Camouflage Measure 32 Design 22D.

USS Missouri (BB-63) is an Iowa-classbattleship built for the United States Navy (USN) in the 1940s and is a museumship. Completed in 1944, she is the last battleship commissioned by the UnitedStates. The ship was assigned to the Pacific Theater during World War II, whereshe participated in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and shelled theJapanese home islands. Her quarterdeck was the site of the surrender of theEmpire of Japan at the end of World War II.

After the Second World War, the Missouri served in various diplomatic, show of force andtraining missions. In 1950, the ship ran aground during high tide in ChesapeakeBay and after great effort was re-floated several weeks later. She later foughtin the Korean War during two tours between 1950 and 1953. Missouri was thefirst American battleship to arrive in Korean waters and served as the flagshipfor several admirals. The battleship took part in numerous shore bombardmentoperations and also served in a screening role for aircraft carriers. Missouriwas decommissioned in 1955 and transferred to the reserve fleet (also known asthe "Mothball Fleet").

Missouri was reactivated and modernized in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navyplan. Cruise missile and anti-ship missile launchers were added along withupdated electronics. The ship served in the Persian Gulf escorting oil tankersduring threats from Iran, often while keeping her fire-control systems trainedon land-based Iranian missile launchers. She served in Operation Desert Stormin 1991 including providing fire support.

Missouri was again decommissioned in 1992, but remained on the Naval VesselRegister until her name was struck in 1995. In 1998, she was donated to the USSMissouri Memorial Association and became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Wikipedia)

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USS Missouri (BB-63), 26 Oct 1944.

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USS Missouri (BB-63). Photographed while on her shakedown cruise, August 1944.

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USS Missouri (BB-63). Arriving at the Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with President Harry S. Truman and his party on board, 19 September 1947. She is manning the rails in his honor. USS Itara (YTB-391) is pushing on the battleship's port bow.

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A 16-inch salvo from the USS Missouri at Chong Jin, Korea, in effort to cut Northern Korean communications. Chong Jin is only 39 miles from the border of China. 21 October 1950.

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The U.S. Military Sealift Command oiler USNS Kawishiwi (T-AO-146), center, replenishing the U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) and the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) on 25 July 1986.

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USS Missouri (BB 63) begins its 2-mile journey back to Ford Island after being undocked by hundreds of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers, 7 Jan 2010.

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USS Wisconsin (BB-64), 20 January 1952.

USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-classbattleship built for the United States Navy (USN) in the 1940s and is currentlya museum ship. Completed in 1944, the ship was assigned to the Pacific Theaterduring World War II, where she participated in the Philippines campaign and theBattles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The battleship shelled the Japanese homeislands shortly before the end of the war in September 1945. During the KoreanWar, Wisconsin shelled North Korean targets in support of United Nations and SouthKorean ground operations, after which she was decommissioned. She wasreactivated in 1986; after a modernization program, she participated inOperation Desert Storm in January – February 1991.

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USS Wisconsin (BB-64) tied up outboard of the hulk of USS Oklahoma (BB-37), at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 11 November 1944. Note: anti-torpedo netting outboard of the ships. There is a great difference in lengths of these two battleships.

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USS Wisconsin (BB-64) in center and USS Oriskany CA-34 in unknown port on 27 October 1953.

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USS Wisconsin (BB-64) underway at sea, circa 1988-1991.
Wisconsin was last decommissioned in September 1991 after spending a total of14 years in active service. In that time, the ship earned six battle stars forservice in the Second World War and Korea, as well as a Navy Unit Commendationfor service during the January/February 1991 Gulf War. Wisconsin was strickenfrom the Naval Vessel Register on 17 March 2006, and was later donated forpermanent use as a museum ship. As of 2025, Wisconsin is a museum ship operatedby Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia. (Wikipedia)

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USS Wisconsin (BB-64) underway with other warships in the western Pacific Ocean, cDecember 1944 - August 1945.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64), the heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul (CA-73) and the destroyer USS Buck (DD-761) steaming in close formation during operations off the Korean coast on 22 February 1952.

Nevada-class battleships

The Nevada class comprised two dreadnought battleships—Nevada and Oklahoma—built for the United States Navy in the 1910s. They were significant developments in battleship design, being the first in the world to adopt "all or nothing" armour, a major stepforward in armour protection because it emphasized protection optimized forlong-range engagements before the Battle of Jutland demonstrated the need forsuch a layout. They also introduced three-gun turrets and oil-fired water-tubeboilers to the US fleet. The two Nevadas were the progenitors of the standard-type battleship, a group that included the next four classes of broadly similar battleships that were intended to be tactically homogeneous.

Nevada and Oklahoma deployed to Ireland in 1918 to escort convoys during the First World War but saw no action. After the war, they were transferred to the Pacific Fleet, where they spent most of the 1920s and 1930s. During this period, they conducted extensive training operations and made several long-distance cruises, including to Australia and New Zealand in 1925 and Oklahoma's voyage to Europein 1936. Both vessels were extensively modernized between 1927 and 1930, having their armament improved, protection scheme strengthened, and new boilers installed. They were moored in Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941; Oklahoma was sunk in the attack while Nevada was able to get underway before being forced to ground herself to avoid sinking in deeper water.

Only Nevada was salvageable, and she was repaired and modernized by mid-1943 when she joined the Aleutian Islands campaign. She then supported the Normandy landings in June 1944 and Operation Dragoon in August before returning to the Pacific in time for the Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945, followed by the Battle of Okinawa from March to June. Worn out by the end of the war, she was allocated to Operation Crossroads in late 1945 for use in the nuclear weapon stests in mid-1946. She survived both of the Crossroads blasts and was ultimately sunk with conventional weapons off Hawaii in 1948. Oklahoma, meanwhile, was raised over the course of 1943, partially dismantled in 1944, and sold to shipbreakers in 1946. While under tow to San Francisco in May 1947, she became separated from the vessel towing her and foundered. (Wikipedia)

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The battleships USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37) steaming in the Atlantic, circa the early-mid 1920s.

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USS Nevada (BB-36) underway off of the U.S. Atlantic coast on 17 September 1944.

USS Nevada (BB-36), the third United StatesNavy ship to be named after the 36th state, was the lead ship of the twoNevada-class battleships. Launched in 1914, Nevada was a leap forward indreadnought technology; four of her new features would be included on almostevery subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal forfuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all ornothing" armor principle. These features made Nevada, alongside her sistership Oklahoma, the first US Navy "standard-type" battleships.

Nevada served in both World Wars. During the last few months of World War I,Nevada was based in Bantry Bay, Ireland, to protect supply convoys that weresailing to and from Great Britain. In World War II, she was one of thebattleships trapped when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Nevada was theonly battleship to get underway during the attack, making the ship "theonly bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning" for theUnited States. Still, the ship was hit by one torpedo and at least six bombswhile steaming away from Battleship Row, forcing the crew to beach the strickenship on a coral ledge. The ship continued to flood and eventually slid off theledge and sank to the harbor floor. Nevada was subsequently salvaged andmodernized at Puget Sound Navy Yard, allowing her to serve as a convoy escortin the Atlantic and as a fire-support ship in five amphibious assaults (theinvasions of Attu, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa).

At the end of the Second World War, the Navy decided that, due to age, Nevadawould not be retained as part of the active fleet and she was instead assignedas a target ship for the atomic experiments at Bikini Atoll in July 1946(Operation Crossroads). The ship was hit by the blast from atomic bomb Able,and was left heavily damaged and radioactive. Unfit for further service, Nevadawas decommissioned on 29 August 1946, and sunk for naval gunfire practice on 31July 1948, in Operation Crossroads. (Wikipedia)

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The USS Nevada (BB-36) "In Dry Dock Number 1 at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, Hawaii, circa 1935. Note men painting her boot topping from stages rigged over the side, and outline of her anti-torpedo blister where it merges with her forward hull.

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USS Nevada beached at Hospital Point after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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USS Nevada (BB-36) after her 1942 upgrade.

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USS Nevada (BB-36), 1942.

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USS Oklahoma wearing experimental camouflage, circa 1917.

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was a Nevada-classbattleship built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation for the United StatesNavy, notable for being the first American class of oil-burning dreadnoughts.Commissioned in 1916, the ship served in World War I as a part of BattleshipDivision Six, protecting Allied convoys on their way across the Atlantic. Afterthe war, she served in both the United States Battle Fleet and Scouting Fleet.Oklahoma was modernized between 1927 and 1929. In 1936, she rescued American citizensand refugees from the Spanish Civil War. On returning to the West Coast inAugust of the same year, Oklahoma spent the rest of her service in the Pacific.

On 7 December 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, severaltorpedoes from torpedo bombers hit the Oklahoma's hull and the ship capsized. Atotal of 429 crew died; survivors jumped off the ship 50 feet (15 m) intoburning oil on water or crawled across mooring lines that connected Oklahomaand Maryland. Some sailors inside escaped when rescuers drilled holes andopened hatches to rescue them. The ship was salvaged in 1943. Unlike most ofthe other battleships that were recovered following Pearl Harbor, Oklahoma wastoo damaged to return to duty. Her wreck was eventually stripped of herremaining armament and superstructure before being sold for scrap in 1946. The hulk sank in a storm while being towed from Oahu, Hawaii, to a breakers yard inSan Francisco Bay in 1947. (Wikipedia)

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USS Oklahoma (BB-37) passing Alcatraz in the 1930s.

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"Battleship Row" after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37) is visible the foreground, behind her is USS Maryland (BB-46), USS West Virginia (BB-48) burns furiously on the right.

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USS Oklahoma- Salvage. Aerial view toward shore with ship in 90 degree position, 19 March 1943.

New Mexico-class battleships

The New Mexico-class was a class of threesuper-dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy in the late1910s. The class comprised three ships: New Mexico, the lead ship, Mississippi,and Idaho. Part of the standard series, they were in most respects copies ofthe Pennsylvania-class battleships that immediately preceded them, carryingover the same main battery arrangement of twelve 14-inch (356 mm) guns, but nowincreased to 50-caliber. They incorporated several other improvements, includinga better arrangement of the secondary battery that increased its usability, aclipper bow that improved seakeeping, and an experimental turbo-electricpropulsion system adopted on New Mexico. Like the other standard-typebattleships, they had a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) that allowedthe fleet to operate as a tactically homogeneous unit.

All three ships spent the bulk of their peacetime careers in the Pacific Fleet;throughout the 1920s and 1930s, they were involved in numerous Fleet Problems, whichwere large-scale training exercises that helped develop the doctrine lateremployed during the Pacific War. By 1941, the three ships were moved to theEast Coast to join the Neutrality Patrols that protected American merchantships from German U-boat attacks during the Battle of the Atlantic. Followingthe Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, they were quickly transferredback to the Pacific, though they spent most of 1942 escorting convoys off thewest coast of the United States. Beginning in mid-1943, they supportedamphibious operations during the Aleutian Islands, Gilbert and MarshallIslands, and the Mariana and Palau Islands Campaigns. The Philippines Campaignfollowed in late 1944, though Mississippi was the only member of the class toparticipate in the early stages of the campaign, the other vessels being underrefit at the time. There, she was present for the Battle of Surigao Strait on24 October, the last battleship engagement in history.

Mississippi and New Mexico took part in the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, part ofthe Philippines Campaign, in early 1945 and both were hit by kamikazes. As theywere both under repair, only Idaho participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima, butall three ships were part of the bombardment force for the Battle of Okinawa,where all were damaged by kamikazes. They were present for the occupation ofJapan in August and September, thereafter returning to the United States. NewMexico and Idaho were quickly decommissioned and sold for scrap, butMississippi remained in service, having been converted into a gunnery testingand training ship. In this capacity, her crew experimented with anti-aircraftmissiles in the mid-1950s before the ship was sold to ship breakers in 1956. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) San Pedro, California, in 1921.

USS New Mexico (BB-40) was a battleship inservice with the United States Navy from 1918 to 1946. She was the lead ship ofa class of three battleships, and the first ship to be named for the state ofNew Mexico. Her keel was laid down on 14 October 1915 at the New York NavyYard, from which she was launched on 23 April 1917 and commissioned on 20 May1918. New Mexico was the U.S. Navy's most advanced warship and its firstbattleship with a turbo-electric transmission, which helped her reach a maximumspeed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).

Shortly after completing initial training, New Mexico escorted the ship thatcarried President Woodrow Wilson to Brest, France to sign the Treaty ofVersailles. Thereafter she was made the first flagship of the newly createdUnited States Pacific Fleet. The interwar period was marked by repeatedexercises with the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets, use as a trial ship for PIDcontrollers, and a major modernization between March 1931 and January 1933. NewMexico's first actions during World War II were neutrality patrols in theAtlantic Ocean. She returned to the Pacific after the Japanese attack on PearlHarbor and participated in shore bombardments during operations at Attu andKiska, Tarawa, the Marshall Islands, the Mariana and Palau islands, Leyte,Luzon, and Okinawa; these were interspersed with escort duties, patrols, andrefits. The ship was attacked by kamikazes on several occasions. New Mexico wasawarded six battle stars for her service in the Pacific campaign and was presentin Tokyo Bay for Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945. Four days later,she sailed for the United States and arrived in Boston on 17 October.

New Mexico was decommissioned in Boston on 19 July 1946 and struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 25 February 1947. She was sold for scrapping to theLipsett Division of Luria Bros in November 1947, but attempts to bring her toNewark, New Jersey for breaking up were met with resistance from cityofficials. City fireboats were sent to block the passage of the battleship andthe Lipsett tugboats, while the United States Coast Guard declared intentionsto guarantee safe passage. The Under Secretary of the Navy Department was sentto defuse what the media began to call the "Battle of Newark Bay";the city agreed to break up New Mexico and two other battleships beforescrapping operations in Newark Bay ceased, while Lipsett was instructed todismantle the ships in a set timeframe or suffer financial penalties. Scrappingcommenced in November and was completed by July 1948. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) at anchor in 1920.

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USS New Mexico (BB 40), aerial oblique. 1921.

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USS New Mexico (BB-40).

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) operating at sea during the later 1930s. She has three Curtiss SOC Seagull aircraft on her catapults.

USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), the secondof three members of the New Mexico class of battleship, was the third ship ofthe United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state. The ship was built atthe Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keellaying in April 1915, her launching in January 1917, and her commissioning inDecember that year. She was armed with a battery of twelve 14-inch (356 mm)guns in four three-gun turrets, and was protected by heavy armor plate, with hermain belt armor being 13.5 inches (343 mm) thick.

The ship remained in North American waters during World War I, conductingtraining exercises to work up the crew. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, theship served in the Pacific Fleet. In May 1941, with World War II and the Battleof the Atlantic raging, Mississippi and her two sister ships were transferredto the Atlantic Fleet to help protect American shipping through the NeutralityPatrols. Two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippideparted the Atlantic to return to the Pacific Fleet; throughout herparticipation in the Second World War, she supported amphibious operations in thePacific. She shelled Japanese forces during the Gilbert and Marshall Islandsand the Philippines campaigns and the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa. TheJapanese fleet attacked American forces during the Philippines campaign, and inthe ensuing Battle of Leyte Gulf, Mississippi took part in the Battle ofSurigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.

After the war, Mississippi was converted into a gunnery training ship, and wasalso used to test new weapons systems. These included the RIM-2 Terrier missileand the AUM-N-2 Petrel missile. She was eventually decommissioned in 1956 andsold to ship breakers in November that year. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) during operations at sea, in the 1920s. Note the cage masts still on the ship prior to her 1931-1933 modernization.

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USS Mississippi (BB-41) anchored off New York City c. 1918.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) in the Mississippi River, en route to take part in Navy Day celebrations at New Orleans, Louisiana, 16 October 1945. Note her anchors suspended below their normal stowed position at the bow.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Idaho (BB-42) during a presidential naval review in Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA), 4 June 1927.

USS Idaho (BB-42), a New Mexico-classbattleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the43rd state. She was the third of three ships of her class. Built by the NewYork Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, she was launched in June1917 and commissioned in March 1919. She was armed with a battery of twelve14-inch (356 mm) guns in four three-gun turrets, and was protected by heavyarmor plate, with her main belt armor being 13.5 inches (343 mm) thick.

Idaho spent most of the 1920s and 1930s in the Pacific Fleet, where sheconducted routine training exercises. Like her sister ships, she was modernizedin the early 1930s. In mid-1941, before the United States entered World War II,Idaho and her sisters were sent to join the Neutrality Patrols that protectedAmerican shipping during the Battle of the Atlantic. After Japan attacked PearlHarbor on 7 December 1941, Idaho and her sisters were sent to the Pacific,where she supported amphibious operations in the Pacific. She shelled Japaneseforces during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and the Philippines campaignsand the invasions of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Idaho was among the ships present in Tokyo Bay when Japan formally surrendered on 2 September 1945. With the war over, the ship was decommissioned in July 1946. She was sold to ship breakers in November 1947 and subsequently dismantled. (Wikipedia)

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USS Idaho (BB-42) in 1927.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Idaho (BB-42) anchored in Hvalfjörður, Iceland, October 1941.

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U.S. Navy battleship USS Idaho (BB-42) fires the 14"/50 guns of turret Three at nearly point-blank range, during the bombardment of Okinawa, 1 April 1945.

New York-class battleships

The New York class was a pair of super-dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy between 1911 and 1914. The two ships of the class, New York and Texas, saw extensive service beginning in the occupation of Veracruz, the First World War and the Second World War.

Designed as a more heavily armed improvement over the previous Wyoming class,the New York class was the first battleship to feature the 14-inch (356 mm)/45 caliber gun and the first American super-dreadnought, but was one of the lastbattleship classes designed with a five-turret layout and coal for fuel. Theclass also suffered several deficiencies such as a lack of anti-aircraft weaponry and armor layout, resulting in several extensive overhauls over thecourse of their careers which greatly changed their appearance. The New York'sproblems were addressed in the subsequent Standard-type battleships starting with the Nevada class.

Both New York and Texas entered service in 1914 and immediately served in the occupation of Veracruz, and service reinforcing the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet in the North Sea during the First World War, during which time New York is believed tohave sunk a U-boat in an accidental collision. Both ships undertook numeroustraining exercises and overhauls during the interwar era, and joined theNeutrality Patrol at the beginning of the Second World War. Outmoded by more advancedbattleships in service, both ships served primarily as convoy escorts and navalartillery during the war. New York supported Operation Torch in North Africa,undertook convoy patrols and training in the Atlantic, and supported the Battleof Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. Texas supported Operation Torch,Operation Overlord, the bombardment of Cherbourg, Operation Dragoon and thebattles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Following the war, New York was used as atarget ship in Operation Crossroads and sunk as a target in 1948, while Texaswas converted into a museum ship, and was moored in San Jacinto State Parkuntil being moved to a drydock in Galveston, Texas in August 2022 forrestoration operations. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy battleship USS New York (BB-34) leads USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37) during maneuvers, in 1932. The aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV-1) is partially visible in the distance.

Shortly after commissioning, New Yorkbecame flagship for the United States occupation of Veracruz in 1914.[24]During World War I, she became flagship of Battleship Division 9, commanded byRear Admiral Hugh Rodman. Sent to reinforce the British Grand Fleet in theNorth Sea, she conducted blockade and escort duties. She twice came intocontact with German U-boats, and is believed to have accidentally sunk one. Shereturned to the United States at the end of the war, and began taking on patroland training duties. New York was fitted with XAF RADAR in February 1938,including the first United States duplexer so a single antenna could both sendand receive.

She was a part of the Neutrality Patrol following the outbreak of the SecondWorld War in September 1939, and spent the beginning of the war escortingconvoys between New York and Iceland. She saw action supporting OperationTorch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, where she targeted shore batteriesthreatening the landings in November 1942. She remained in convoy patrol andtraining for several years, until she was moved to the Pacific Fleet late inthe war and supported landings on Iwo Jima in February 1945, and later theinvasion of Okinawa in April 1945. She was lightly damaged by a kamikaze attackin this battle. Following the war, she was used as a target ship during the twoatomic bomb tests of Operation Crossroads, and was subsequently studied for itseffects, before being sunk as a target off Hawaii in 1948. (Wikipedia)

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The U.S. Navy battleship USS New York (BB-34) underway at high speed on 29 May 1915.

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The U.S. Navy battleship USS New York (BB-34) underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA), on 4 November 1944, escorted by tugs. She had just completed a refit at Norfolk Naval Shipyard which included new 76mm gun directors (Mark 50) one above the bridge and the other atop her stub mainmast. The 20 mm AA gun array along main deck edge is clearly visible. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 31a, Design 8B.

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Battleship USS Texas (BB-35). Off New York City, circa 1919.

Texas also participated in the occupation of Veracruz for several months in 1914,[39] before conducting training andupgrades to become the first ship of the US Navy to mount anti-aircraftweapons. She conducted convoy patrols early in the First World War and was the first US ship to fire on a German one during a convoy mission in 1917. Shejoined other US battleships in reinforcing the British fleet near the end ofthe war and was present for the German surrender. In the inter-war period shebecame one of the first battleships to launch and operate aircraft,[41] andfrequently alternated her time between the Atlantic and Pacific waters ontraining exercises.

She was part of the Neutrality Patrol at the beginning of the Second World War and supported Allied landings at North Africa, and then conducted convoy patrolduty to North African and European ports throughout 1943. On 6 June 1944, shesupported Operation Overlord, covering Allied landings on the beaches ofNormandy, France, in particular the battle at Pointe du Hoc. Later that monthon 25 June, she supported the bombardment of Cherbourg and there was damagedwhen she was hit with a German artillery shell. In July she moved to support Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. Following extensive repairs and training, she moved to the Pacific and supported the invasion of Iwo Jima in February 1945. She then moved to support landings on Okinawa inApril. Following the end of the war, Texas was decommissioned, and in 1948 she was moved to San Jacinto State Park and converted into a museum ship. She remained there until 31 August 2022. She was floated to a drydock in Galveston, Texas for $35,000,000 restoration project estimated to last for 12–18 months. In 2024, it was announced that the ship will stay in Galveston as a museum ship when restoration is completed. (Wikipedia)

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USS Texas (BB-35). Underway off Norfolk, Virginia, 15 March 1943, with her main battery gun turrets trained to port.

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USS Texas (BB-35). Dressed with flags for Navy Day, 27 October 1940.

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USS Texas (BB-35) underway off Iwo Jima during the landings there in February 1945.

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