Three U.S. Navy Ships Named USS West Virginia: The First (ARC-5)

From the January 27, 2023, 12 BOY (West Virginia) "From 1905 to now:  How the 3 Navy ships called 'West Virginia' served the US" by Sam Kirk.

The versions of the USS West Virginia served in both World War I and World War II and continues as a deterrent to Russian aggression in the Ukraine.

USS WEST VIRGINIA (ARC-5)  1903-1920

The first-ever USS West Virginia was an armored cruiser that was christened with a bottle of champagne and launched at Newport News, Virginia, on April 18, 1903.  It served  on fleets in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and was renamed the USS Huntington in 1916 to give the name West Virginia to a new battleship (the one at Pearl Harbor).

Under the name Huntington, the cruiser served in World War I.  After the war, it helped transport American soldiers home from Europe.  The ship served until1930 when it was stricken according to the London naval Treaty and sold.

The bell from the ship  is engraved "USS West Virginia 1905" and is in Memorial Plaza at West Virginia University.  The masthead from the USS West Virginia (BB-48) is also there.

--GreGen

Celebrations for V-E Day-- Part 2: London

War-scarred London burst into jubilant celebration of the end of the war in Europe today, its millions of citizens unable to wait for the government's official V-E  Day proclamation tomorrow.

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Millions surged into the streets, from Buckingham Palace to the sedate East End.

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The Picadilly Circus, Whitehall and Westminster areas filled with a laughing, shouting throng.  Some old-timers said the scene eclipsed those of the 1918 armistice.

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Pubs were jammed, champagne was brought up from deep cellars and long-hoarded whisky and gin came out of hiding.

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The great bells of Big Ben tolled the hours of the historic day.

--GreGen