After repairs and overhaul in Bremerton, the USS Nevada was sent to the Aleutian Islands and from there to Europe where it bombarded Normandy on D-Day. Back to the Pacific it got some payback at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Eleven crew members were killed in kamikazes and two others killed engaging Japanese shore batteries.
Deemed obsolete at the end of the war, it was painted bright orange and became a target during Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, atomic testing. It didn't sink despite two atomic explosions.
On July 28, 1948, 85 miles southeast of Hawaii, it was used for target practice but again didn't sink. Five days later, at 2 p.m., Navy and Air Force planes finally sank the plucky survivor ship.
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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