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USS Illinois (BB-7)
Encyclopedia
USS Illinois (BB-7), the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named for the 21st state
, was a battleship
, the lead ship
of her class
.
Illinois was laid down on 10 February 1897 by the Newport News Shipbuilding
& Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Virginia
. She was launched
on 4 October 1898, sponsored by Miss Nancy Leiter, daughter of Chicago
multi-millionaire
Levi Leiter
and commissioned
on 16 September 1901, Captain George A. Converse
in command.
After shakedown and training in Chesapeake Bay
, the new battleship sailed on 20 November 1901 for Algiers, Louisiana
, where she was used to test a new floating dry dock
. She returned to Newport News in January 1902, and from 15-28 February served as flagship
for Rear Admiral
R.D. Evans during the reception for Prince Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia. Bearing the flag of Rear Admiral A.S. Crowninshield, the battleship departed New York City
on 30 April and arrived at Naples
on 18 May, where the Admiral took command of the European Squadron. Illinois carried out training and ceremonial duties until 14 July, when she grounded in the harbor of Kristiania, Norway
and had to return to England for repairs. She remained at Chatham Dockyard
until 1 September, then proceeded to the Mediterranean Sea
and South Atlantic for fleet maneuvers.
Illinois was detached from the European Squadron on 10 January 1903 and assigned to the North Atlantic. She engaged in fleet maneuvers, gunnery and seamanship training, and ceremonial operations until December 1907, when she joined the "Great White Fleet
" for the cruise around the world. Following a Presidential review, the mighty battleships sailed from Hampton Roads
on their important voyage. The Atlantic Fleet
joined the Pacific Fleet
on 8 May 1908 in San Francisco Bay
, and after a review by the Secretary of the Navy, the combined fleets continued their cruise. The ships visited Australia
, Japan
, Ceylon, and other countries, arriving at Suez
on 3 January 1909. At Suez, word of the 1908 Messina earthquake
sent Illinois, , and to Messina. After rendering valuable aid to victims of the disaster, the ships rejoined the fleet, returning to Hampton Roads on 22 February. President
Theodore Roosevelt
reviewed the fleet as it arrived, having given the world a graphic demonstration of America's naval might. Illinois decommissioned at Boston, Massachusetts on 4 August. Illinois underwent a major modernization, receiving new "cage" masts and more modern equipment.
on 23 October 1921 for use by the Naval Militia
. Illinois was given the hull number BB-7 in July 1920.
, Illinois was fitted out as a floating armory at New York Navy Yard in 1924 and was assigned to the New York Naval Militia. She remained there for more than 30 years, though reclassified IX-15 on 8 January 1941 and renamed Prairie State to allow her name to be assigned to a projected new battleship, . During World War II
, she served as a Naval Reserve Midshipmen Training School
at New York. Following the war, she was retained on loan to the State as quarters for a Naval Reserve unit until 31 December 1956.
Prairie State, after over 50 years of useful service to the Navy and the Nation, was towed to Baltimore, Maryland, and sold for scrap to Bethlehem Steel Company on 18 May 1956.
dining set provided by the state of Illinois
and presented by Senator William E. Mason
. It consisted of a large and small punch bowl, two candelabra, an ornamented fruit dish, a small fruit dish, two epicurean dishes, a large centerpiece and a ladle. Each item featured engravings of the crest of Illinois and an ear of corn. It was a tradition for states to provide a silver service to ships named after them. The silver was purchased by the state of Illinois after Illinois was decommissioned. It is stored in the breakfront in the state dining room of the Illinois Executive Mansion
.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for the 21st state
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, was a battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
, the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of her class
Illinois class battleship
The Illinois-class battleships were pre-dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy commissioned at the beginning of the 20th century. The first ship of its class, the , was commissioned in 1901...
.
Illinois was laid down on 10 February 1897 by the Newport News Shipbuilding
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
& Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 4 October 1898, sponsored by Miss Nancy Leiter, daughter of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
multi-millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
Levi Leiter
Levi Leiter
Levi Ziegler Leiter was a Chicago businessman. He co-founded what became the Marshall Field & Company retail empire.-Biography:...
and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 16 September 1901, Captain George A. Converse
George A. Converse
George Albert Converse was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, who was noted for his contributions to naval engineering...
in command.
Pre-World War I
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, the new battleship sailed on 20 November 1901 for Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers is a neighborhood within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish on the West Bank of the Mississippi River.Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.-History:...
, where she was used to test a new floating dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
. She returned to Newport News in January 1902, and from 15-28 February served as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
for Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
R.D. Evans during the reception for Prince Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia. Bearing the flag of Rear Admiral A.S. Crowninshield, the battleship departed New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 30 April and arrived at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 18 May, where the Admiral took command of the European Squadron. Illinois carried out training and ceremonial duties until 14 July, when she grounded in the harbor of Kristiania, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and had to return to England for repairs. She remained at Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
until 1 September, then proceeded to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and South Atlantic for fleet maneuvers.
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
" for the cruise around the world. Following a Presidential review, the mighty battleships sailed from Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on their important voyage. The Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
joined the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
on 8 May 1908 in San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, and after a review by the Secretary of the Navy, the combined fleets continued their cruise. The ships visited Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Ceylon, and other countries, arriving at Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
on 3 January 1909. At Suez, word of the 1908 Messina earthquake
1908 Messina earthquake
The 1908 Messina earthquake and tsunami took some 100,000–200,000 lives on December 28, 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy.-Quake:On December 28, 1908 from about 05:20 to 05:21 an earthquake of 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale occurred centered on the of city Messina, in Sicily. Reggio...
sent Illinois, , and to Messina. After rendering valuable aid to victims of the disaster, the ships rejoined the fleet, returning to Hampton Roads on 22 February. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
reviewed the fleet as it arrived, having given the world a graphic demonstration of America's naval might. Illinois decommissioned at Boston, Massachusetts on 4 August. Illinois underwent a major modernization, receiving new "cage" masts and more modern equipment.
World War I
The battleship was placed in reserve commission on 15 April 1912 and recommissioned on 2 November, in time to take part in winter fleet exercises and battle maneuvers with the Atlantic Fleet. In the summers of 1913-1914, Illinois made training cruises to Europe with midshipmen. In 1919, the ship was again laid up at Philadelphia Navy Yard until she was loaned to the State of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 23 October 1921 for use by the Naval Militia
New York Naval Militia
The New York Naval Militia is the Naval Militia of New York State and is under the command of the Governor of New York.With the New York State Guard, as well as the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, it is under the control of the New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs and New...
. Illinois was given the hull number BB-7 in July 1920.
Inter-war period and beyond
Excluded from further use as a warship by the terms of the Washington Naval TreatyWashington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
, Illinois was fitted out as a floating armory at New York Navy Yard in 1924 and was assigned to the New York Naval Militia. She remained there for more than 30 years, though reclassified IX-15 on 8 January 1941 and renamed Prairie State to allow her name to be assigned to a projected new battleship, . During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she served as a Naval Reserve Midshipmen Training School
U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School
The United States Navy Reserve Midshipmen's School, known as the Navy College Training Program, V-7, was announced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 26, 1940, to recruit 36,000 naval reserve officers to command the vasty expanding fleet in preparation for the war effort...
at New York. Following the war, she was retained on loan to the State as quarters for a Naval Reserve unit until 31 December 1956.
Prairie State, after over 50 years of useful service to the Navy and the Nation, was towed to Baltimore, Maryland, and sold for scrap to Bethlehem Steel Company on 18 May 1956.
Silver Service
On 17 November 1901, Illinois was presented with a silver serviceSilver (household)
Household silver or silverware includes dishware, cutlery and other household items made of sterling, Britannia or Sheffield plate silver. The term is often extended to items made of stainless steel...
dining set provided by the state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and presented by Senator William E. Mason
William E. Mason
William Ernest Mason was a U.S. Representative and Senator from Illinois.Mason was born in Franklinville, New York. His family moved to Bentonsport, Iowa when he was 8. He attended Birmingham College. After graduating, he taught at Bentonsport Academy, which he had previously attended...
. It consisted of a large and small punch bowl, two candelabra, an ornamented fruit dish, a small fruit dish, two epicurean dishes, a large centerpiece and a ladle. Each item featured engravings of the crest of Illinois and an ear of corn. It was a tradition for states to provide a silver service to ships named after them. The silver was purchased by the state of Illinois after Illinois was decommissioned. It is stored in the breakfront in the state dining room of the Illinois Executive Mansion
Illinois Executive Mansion
The Illinois Executive Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of Illinois. It is located at 410 E. Jackson Street in Springfield, Illinois and is open to tours on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, free of charge. The Georgian style Mansion was designed by Chicago architect John M....
.