Only Two USS Nevada Crew Members Remain-- Part 5: Like Field Artillery

For D-Day, Admiral Morton Deyo chose the Nevada to serve as the "fighting battleship" where the officer would command Operation Neptune and also be directly involved by firing its guns at German shoreline defenses as Allied troops landed at Utah Beach.

During the shoreline battle, the Nevada's guns took out 71 German tanks with the help of inland spotter planes.

Dick Ramsey said that in the early morning of D-Day, airplanes from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions of the U.S. Army Air Corps dropped paratroopers behind enemy lines on France's Normandy region with the Nevada training its naval guns towards German targets.

"We became field artillery for the 101st and 82nd," Ramsey said.  "We arrived at 1 a.m. in the morning.  We could see all the paratrooper planes coming and going."

--GreGen

Why Was the USS Utah Never Raised-- Part 3: Expense and Obsolete

After the attack, efforts were made to salvage the USS Utah and return it to service.  However, it was quickly determined that the damage to the ship was too extensive and that raising it would be  difficult and expensive.

The Utah was an older battleship, having been commissioned in 1911, and its design and construction made it less suitable for  salvage than some of the newer battleships that had been sunk.  The ship's position on the bottom of the harbor also made it difficult to access and  work on.

In addition to the practical difficulties of salvaging the Utah, there were strategic considerations thast weighed against the effort.  In the early years of the war, the U.S. Navy was still building up its naval forces and was focused on  more pressing  priorities, such as building new ships and training new sailors.

The ship was already old and obsolete.  After all, it was a target ship by then.

--GreGen

Why Was the USS Utah Never Raised?-- Part 1

From Rebellion Research.

The USS Utah (BB-31) was an American warship (formerly a battleship) sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December7, 1941.

Despite efforts to salvage the ship after the attack, it was ultimately decided to leave it where it was.

This decision was based on a number of factors, including the extent of the damage to the ship, the cost of salvage operations,  and the strategic  priorities of the United States in the early days of the war.

The Utah was moored on the far side of Ford Island from Battleship Row and though just a target ship at the time, was attacked because of its large size.  Hit by two torpedoes it quickly began to list to one side and despite efforts to save her, capsized.  

Fifty-eight sailors died on her.

--GreGen

Why Did They Leave the USS Arizona Underwater-- Part 2:

The USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1916.  At the time, it was one of the most powerful warships in the world.  It had twelve 14-inch guns (three each in four turrets).

It saw action in World War I and in the years following the war served as a training ship and was modernized on several occasions  to keep pace with new develoments in naval architecture.

Sadly, its most  significant moment in history came at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, when it was struck by several bombs, one of which exploded in a forward magazine causing a huge explosion.

**************************

THE BOMB

The Japanese had turned an obsolete  16 inch shell from a Nagato-class battleship into a special bomb.  They also had  modified obsolete  Type 88 shells in 1939-1940 to create the Type 99 Number 80 Mk 5 armor piercing bomb.

You really need to look at this articles for pictures and other information.

--GreGen

Death of Pearl Harbor Survivor Leslie George 'Bud' Hollenbeck, 90 (On USS Pennsylvania)

From the December 28, 2021, Port City (Wilmington, N.C.) Daily.

Died on September 16, 2021, in Massachusetts, formerly of Hamstead, N.C.

Born in Cooperstown, N.Y.  Enlisted in the Navy at age 18 and served during World War II as signalman on the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) in the Pacific Ocean from 1940-1946.

He was at Pearl Harbor and told his stories many times.

The Greatest Generation.

About Those Unused Battleship 16-Inch Cannons-- Part 3

**  Another USS Missouri barrel went by rail to the Arizona Capitol Museum to become part of its World War II Memorial.  It joined a 14-inch barrel from the USS Arizona.

**  A USS New Jersey barrel went by rail to the Hartshorne  Woods Park in Monmouth County Parks in New Jersey (location of the former Battery Lewis at the Navesink Highlands Military Reservation), to be placed in the battery's casemate.

**  Another New Jersey barrel went to the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania for display on its parade ground.

**  Yet another USS New Jersey barrel went to the Battleship New Jersey  Memorial in Camden, New Jersey, to be on display next to the ship.

**  Another New Jersey barrel went to the Mahan Collection Foundation in New Jersey where it will be displayed with a transportation truck and trailer that was used during World War II to move barrels to coast defense batteries.

--GreGen

About Those Unused 16-Inch Battleship Cannons-- Part 2:

As these barrels  also saw wartime service in World War II and the Korean War, organizations that might want to preserve them were approached.

These barrels were placed at St. Julien's Creek in the 1980s as replacements when the four Iowa-class battleships were brought back into active service.

Now, in 2022, we have good news. Seven of the barrels now have found a new home despite the challenge of raising the money to do so.  The remaining barrel hopefully will be preserved soon.

Here are relocations since 2011:

**  A USS Missouri barrel to Cape Henlopen State Park (location of the former Battery Smith at Fort Miles) in Delaware to be part of the Fort Miles Museum

**  Another USS Missouri gun to the U.S. Fish  and Wildlife Refuge at Cape Charles, Virginia, (location of the former Battery  Winslow at Fort John Custis) to be placed in the battery's casemate.

--GreGen

About Those Unused 16-Inch Battleship Cannons-- Part 1

From the December 2022 U.S. Naval Institute  "Homes for the big guns:  Preserving U.S. Navy Heritage" by Terrance McGovern.

In June 2011, the Coast Defense Study group (CDSG) was asked to find homes for  eight historic 16-inch Mark 7 barrels located at St. Julien's Creek Naval Annex in Chesapeake, Virginia, or the barrels would be auctioned off  through the internet with the requirement that they be cut into six-foot sections.

At the time, the Navy was purging all the Iowa-class materials in its inventories.  They had already liquidated another 14 similar 16-inch barrels in storage at Hawthorne, Nevada.

The CDSG was able to convince the Navy to allow more time to find homes for the barrels who would pay for the cost of relocating each of the  68-foot long objects weighing in at about 119 tons.

As these barrels were similar to the ones that were once located in World War II coast defense sites, the owners of those sites were first approached.

--GreGen

USS Oklahoma Unknown Herman Schmidt to Be Buried at Arlington National Cemetery-- Part 1

From the February 14, 2023, Cowboy State Daily (Wyoming) "Sheridan sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery" by  Wendy Corr.

In 1941,  28-year-old Herman Schmidt of Sheridan, Wyoming,  was a Gunner's Mate  3rd Class on the battleship USS Oklahoma, a Nevada-class battleship moored in berth Fox 5 on Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Schmidt, who grew up in Sheridan had joined the Navy in 1937 and had been assigned to the USS Oklahoma.  On the morning of December 7, 1941, he and his crewmates on the ship were enjoying a quiet Sunday morning when his and many others had their world came to an abrupt and terrifying end.

At about ten minutes to 8 that Sunday morning, three torpedoes struck the Oklahoma, dropped from Japanese planes from the carriers Akagi and Kaga.  The Oklahoma immediately began listing to,its port side and eventually capsized, trapping hundreds below deck.

A total of eight torpedoes hit the ship and  429 servicemen died.

--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

U.S. Navy After the War, Nuclear Testing-- Part 6: The Fates of Other Warships

In addition,  the USS Nevada (BB-36), the lead ship of a World War I-era  class of battleships and survivor of Pearl Harbor, had endured both tests and was later towed back to Pearl Harbor for examination. She was later used for gunnery practice and finally was sunk by an aerial torpedo.  Likewise, both the USS New York  (BB-34), the lead of her class, and super-dreadnaught battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) was also at Pearl Harbor and survived the tests and were used for structural testing before finally being sunk.

Most of the other warships used in the tests included many cruisers, including the German Navy's Prinz Eugen, and a destroyer failed to be sunk during the testing.  It became clear that  the atom bomb could level a city easily, but sinking a warship was another matter entirely.

Of course, the radiation would likely have killed the crew, yet contamination  remained a very serious concern.

In fact, a 2016 study found that even after si many years after the nuclear testing, radiation levels in some parts of the Bikini Atoll remain at least six times the maximum safety limit.

Peter Suciu

The U.S. Navy in WW II and Afterwards-- Part 1

From the July 29, 2022, 19fortyfive site  "Why the Navy dropped nuclear  bombs on aircraft carriers and battleships" by PeterSuciu.

At the outbreak of World War II, the British Royal Navy was the strongest  maritime force in the world.  However, by the end of the conflict the United States Navy had ovetaken it for strongest even though it was tasked with fighting a two-front war on the seas.

But the United States proved up to the challenge and produced a massive number of warships.  Even so, the U.S. fleet was a considerable force at  the outbreak of the wat.

In  1939, the U.S. Navy had 15 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 18 heavy cruisers and 19 light cruisers.  Even as a new class of battleships entered service during the war, the vaunted Iowa-class, the focus had shiffed to  aircraft carriers, of which 16 super carriers were built along with dozens of smaller carriers.

When the fighting ended in 1945, the United States had more warships than any other power and there was the consideration of what to do with all of the,.

For many of the older ones, they were used as test targets for a new kind of weapon.

Nuclear.

--GreGen

Where the Remaining Battleships Are Located

From the Complete Pilgrim.

USS TEXAS  (BB-35)  Houston, Texas  (New York-Class launched 1912)

USS NORTH CAROLINA  (BB-55)  Wilmington, North Carolina.  (North Carolina-Class launched 1940)

USS ALABAMA  (BB-60)   Mobile, Alabama    (South Dakota-Class launched 1942)

USS MASSACHUSETTS  (BB-59)  Fall River, Massachusetts  (South Dakota-Class launched 1941)

USS IOWA  (BB-61)  Los Angeles, California  (Iowa-Class launched 1942)

USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62)   Camden, New Jersey  (Iowa-Class launched 1942)  Launched December 7, 1942, on the one year anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

USS WISCONSIN  (BB-64)  Norfolk, Virginia  (Iowa-Class launched December 7, 1943, the second anniversary of Peral Harbor).

USS MISSOURI  (BB-63)   Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  (Iowa-Class launched in 1943)  Located by the wreck of the USS Arizona.

--GreGen

USS Iowa-Class Battleships-- Part 3: Saving One of Those Big Guns

There is yet another reasoon why we won't be seeing these warships returning to active duty again and that is a serious lack of spare parts.  Warships require specialized parts and to maintain the USS New Jersey museum, workers have to travel over to the nearby inactive fleet in Philadelphia Navy Yard to scavenge what they can find.

And, there us also the fact that the Navy continues its policy of getting rid of  equipment it doesn't need.

OVER A BARREL

Storing and maintaining equipment from  retired warships can be  costly, but recently it was reported that a nonprofit group managed to save several battleship barrels (cannons) produced for the U.S. Navy during World War II.  One that had been destined for a scrapyard will now get a new lease on life in Virginia Beach.

The Coast Defense  Study Group was able to acquire a 120-ton barrel, one of nine that had been stored in Chesapeake.  These were capable of firing a  projectile weighing between 1,900 pounds and 2,700 pounds for up to 24 miles.

It was manufactured during the war for the Iowa-class battleships.

--GreGen

Will the USS Iowa-Class Battleships Ever Come Back?-- Part 1

From the July 12, 2022 1945 site "U.S. Navy Iowa-Class battleships broke all the rules (But stop asking for a comeback)" by Peter  Sucio.

The Iowa-class battleships were the best warships of the battleship era.  They were the largest ever built in the United States.  That would be the USS Iowa, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Missouri.

There are still some who call for their return.  And for some, including me,  there is just something too much about seeing one or more of our big gun fast battleships in service again.  And, they have all been preserved intact so it is possible for them to return to duty.

But is that possible?

Not likely.  Smaller and more mobile guided-missile destroyers are today able to do shore bombardment better.  These ships would require massive crews and would simply be too inviting of a target  in this era of hypersonic missiles and stealth aircraft.

And, then there would be the huge costs of modernizing them and operating them.

But Still Wishful Thinking.   Those Were Beautiful Warships.  --GreGen

Remains of Pearl Harbor USS California Unknown Identified: Tceollyar Simmons

From the May 7, 2022, Monroe News (Michigan)'Remains of  Detroit WW II  veteran identified.

The Defense POW/MIA  Accounting Agency (DPAA)  announced that Navy Seaman 2nd Class Tceollyar Simmons, 18, of Detroit, Michigan,  was accounted for on November 18, 2021.

On December 7, 1941, he was on the battleship USS California, moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor.  The California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits which caused it to catch fire and slowly sink.  The attack resulted in the deaths of 104 of its crew members.

Simmons will be buried  on June 14, 2022, in Hacoda, Alabama.

--GreGen

Ise-Class Japanese Battleships: End of the War

While waiting for their air groups, the two sister ships were used to ferry troops and material to Japanese bases.  They participated in the  Battle off Cape  Engano in late 1944 where they decoyed the American fleet supporting the invasion of  Leyte away from the landing beaches.

Afterwards, both ships were transferred to Southeast Asia and in early 1945 participated in  Operation Kita, where they transported petrol and other  strategic materials to Japan.  They were then reduced to reserve until they were sunk during American airstrikes in July.

On 19 March, they were in Kure Navy Base and both were hit by bombs.  After that, they were turned into floating anti-aircraft batteries.  On 24 July, the Ise was struck by five bombs and began to sink  The Hyuga was hit by ten bombs and began foundering, both sustaining heavy casualties.

After the war, they were  scrapped in 1946-1947.

--GreGen

Ise-Class Japanese Battleships: The Ise and Hyuga, Hybrid Battleship/Aircraft Carriers

The front was all battleship.  The back was all aircraft carrier.

From Wikipedia.

These two battleships are of particular interest because they became hybrid ships: half battleship, half carrier.

They were a pair of dreadnaught battleships built for the Japanese Navy during World War I.  Both ships carried supplies for the survivors of the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.  They were modernized in 1934-1937 with improvements to armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style.

Afterwards they played a minor role in the Second Sino-Chinese War.

Despite the expensive and extensive reconstructions, both were considered obsolete by the eve of the Pacific War and neither saw significant action in the early years of the war.  Following the loss of most of Japan's large aircraft carriers in the Battle of Midway, they were rebuilt once again with a flight deck replacing the rear  gun turrets to give them  the ability to operate an air group of float planes.

However, a lack of  aircraft and qualified pilots meant that they never  actually launched aircraft in battle.

Strange Looking Contraptions Indeed.  --GreGen

The Nagato After the War: Operation Crossroads

From Wikipedia.

The battleship Nagato was selected for the testing of the atom bombs at Bikini Atoll in Operation Crossroads.

Getting her to the site was not easy with breakdowns and leaking.

The first test of Operation Crossroads was Test Able, an air burst on 1 July 1946 when she was 1640 yards from Ground Zero (just shy of a mile) and she was only lightly damaged.  A skeleton crew boarded the ship to assess damage and to prepare her for the next test on 25 July.  

Test Baker was an underwater explosion and the ship was 950 yards away from Ground Zero (a little over half mile away).  The Nagato rode out the tsunami from the explosion with little apparent damage and had a slight list to the starboard of two degrees when it passed by.

A more thorough assessment couldn't be made because of radioactivity.  Her list gradually increased over the next five days and she capsized and sank during the night of 29/30 July.

The wreck is upside down and her most prominent features are her four propellers at 110 feet below the surface.  She has become a scuba diving destination in recent years and has been named as one of the top ten  wreck diving sites.

--GreGen

IJN Nagato-- Part 3: Met Her Demise After an Atomic Blast

The U.S. Navy used the Bikini atom bomb tests to see the impact of the new weapon on fleet concentrations.  So they used a variety of  older capital ships and support ships, including battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers and smaller ships.

Many of these ships survived the explosions, though quite a few met their fates testing more conventional weapons.

The Nagato did not.

In early 1946, an American crew took possession of the Nagato and got her in condition to get underway to the Bikini Atoll.  Her condition was poor even before the tests due to age, battle damage and poor maintenance, especially toward the end of the war.

There were leakage and  seaworthiness issues along the way.  Nevertheless, she survived the first test (Test Able) on July 1, 1946.  The second test on July 25 left the Nagato with a list that worsened over the course of a week, until she capsized and sank.

Thus, the Nagato, like the war and Japan's dreams of a Pacific empire, ended with an atomic explosion.

--GreGen