Only Two USS Nevada Crew Members Remain-- Part 3: 'The Honor of Firing the First Shot'

Dick Ramsey has received the French Foreign Legion of Honor and said he still has the letter sent by General Dwight D. Eisenhower telling the troops how significant the Allied landings were.

"Eisenhower had requested some battleships with big guns," said Ramsey.  

"So they sent them the three oldest battleships in the Navy-- the Arkansas, the Texas and the Nevada."

Outside Utah Beach, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Morton Deyo ordered the Nevada to open fire.  "The Nevada had the honor of firing the first shot."  And doubly impactful in that the Nevada was the only one also at Pearl Harbor,

And, another honor for the USS Nevada in the next post.

--GreGen

Five Best Battleships of WW II

From the December 5, 2022, 19fortyfive by Peter Suciu.

More than sixty battleships, including 23 from the United States took part in World War II.

These were the five best of the lot.

This did not include these battleships since they were sunk:  Yamato, Musashi, Bismarck, Tirpitz or Prince of Wales.

I am just listing them.  Go to the site to find out the reasoning for their inclusion.

1.  USS Texas  (BB-35)

2.  USS Alabama (BB-60)

3.  USS Iowa  (BB-61)

4.  USS New Jersey  (BB-62)

5.  USS Missouri  (BB-63)

What!   No USS North Carolina?

--GreGen

USS Iowa-Class Battleships-- Part 2: A Tale of Eight Battleships

Another factor against their coming back is that there is no longer any U.S. Navy facility large enough for such an undertaking.

Today, there are eight  retired U.S. Battleships that have been  maintained as floating mseums.  In addition to the role of service each played, the elements have not been kind to these old warships.

The USS Texas is currently undergoing repairs as her hull is leaking.  (It is also the oldest battleship, havong taken part in World War I.)  Significant restorations were necessary to save the  South Dakota-class USS  Massachusetts.  A special cofferdam had to built to do work on another South Dakota-Class battleship, the USS North Carolina.

The other non-Iowa-class battleship is the USS Alabama.

The four Iowa-class battlewagons, which were the last battleships launched by the U.S., are in better condition, but the USS New Jersey recently underwent its first major replacement of its wooden decks in decades.

--GreGen

Marvin Kornegay of the USS Texas at D-Day-- Part 2

This bombardment continued for the rest of the day, during which a total of 441 shells were fired at the Germans.

Perhaps the best representation of the Texas' power on June 6, 1944, occurred six hours into the invasion when Allied infantry were stopped and forced to cover  by sniper and machine gun fire.  Recognizing the  defense being exhibited around Exit D-1, the Texas moved to within 5,000 yards of the shore.  Accompanied by a few destroyers, she unleashed her main guns on the Germans and "completely demolished all structures in the Exit, reducing them to rubble."

Today, it is a museum ship near Houston, Texas, and the only dreadnaught left in the world.  For four decades she sailed the globe and fought in some of the most important battles of World War II.  She was the most powerful and most complex weapon the world had ever seen when she was commissioned.  For a brief time, in all the world, she had no rival.

--GreGen

The USS Texas and Arkansas Duel With German Guns at Cherbourg

A few weeks after D-Day, the USS Texas and USS Arkansas dueled with German guns at Cherbourg.  The Texas was hit twice in this engagement.

One round caused a casualty  and many other injuries near the bridge  and one that was likely to skip off the water went through the hull, landed in an officer's room and did not explode.  That shell is on display on the Texas.

A photograph accompanies the blog thread.

--GreGen

Marvin Kornegay of the USS Texas at D-Day

From AR-15.com  "Air and Naval Bombardment of the Normandy beaches."

The USS Texas was at D-Day, the second-oldest dreadnaught  in the fleet and though obsolete by then as major fighting ship, its ten 14-inch guns were still able to pack quite a wallop.  It was stationed just off Point de Hoc that morning.

As the Texas sat offshore  of Omaha Beach, her crew had front row seats to the carnage referenced by Captain Baker.  Seaman Second Class Marvin Kornegay manned a five-inch gun on the Texas and while he maintained his confidence in the result of the coming battle, he cringed as he watched the Allied craft  fall to the sea in the pre-dawn aerial bombardment.

This reaction was repeated as Kornegay watched landing craft explode from well-placed German mortar rounds.

At 0550, the Texas got her first chance that day to demonstrate the power of Allied naval fire.  Targeting Pointe du Hoc with her main 14 inch battery and strongpoints surrounding Omaha Beach Exit D-1 with her secondary armament (Kornegay was on the secondary armament), 260 shells were hurled at the Germans over 40 minutes.

A painting of the Texas and a picture of it today accompanies the blog thread.

--GreGen

D-Day Sailor Recalls "Miracle Survivor"-- Part 2: In the 14th Wave at D-Day

According to Glen McClain, "I was very fortunate, I call it a miracle."  He survived, but to this day carries internal scars such as the image of a shipmate who lost a lower jaw and half of his tongue who tried to speak to him.McClain also remembers a soldier calling for help but he couldn't reach him without drowning himself.

They were in the 14th wave going into the beach on June 6, 1944, and didn't expect much in the way of problems.  They were taking artillery in as well as a truck and its crew when they hit a mine designed to sink a battleship.

Mr. McClain was a seaman first class and had enlisted at age 17 and came to Waterloo after the war.  His battle station was a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun on his LCT  (Landing Craft Tank).

His ship had just passed the bow of the battleship USS Texas which was firing shells at the beach.  They were passing overhead.

--GreGen