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USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Encyclopedia
USS Massachusetts (BB-59), known as "Big Mamie" to her crewmembers during World War II, was a battleship
of the second South Dakota-class
. She was the seventh ship of the United States Navy
to be named in honor of the sixth state
, and one of two ships of her class (along with her sister ) to be donated for use as a museum ship. Among the ships armed with 16 inch guns during World War II, Massachusetts stands out because it is believed that she fired the US Navy's first and last 16 in (406.4 mm) shells of the war.
During World War II Massachusetts was initially assigned to duty in the Atlantic Fleet, and exchanged shots with the Vichy French
battleship Jean Bart
during Operation Torch
. Transferred to the Pacific fleet in 1943, Massachusetts participated in the Solomon Islands campaign
and the Philippines Campaign, and in the latter campaign took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
. In 1945 she was one of several ships assigned to shell targets on Honshū
, the largest of the Japanese Home Islands.
Following the end of World War II Massachusetts was involved in routine operations off the US coast and eventually reassigned to the Atlantic fleet. Decommissioned in 1947, she was laid up in the reserve fleet at Norfolk Virginia until stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
in 1962. In an effort to spare the battleship from scrapping, citizens of her home state pooled resources to raise money for her transfer to the Massachusetts Memorial Committee, and in 1965 the Navy formally donated the battleship to the committee. Massachusetts was towed to Battleship Cove
, Fall River, Massachusetts
, and formally opened as a museum ship on 14 August 1965. She is one of eight surviving battleships built by the United States.
s of the South Dakota-class to be authorized for construction by the United States Congress
in 1938. Her keel was laid down on 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard
of Quincy, Massachusetts
. She was launched
on 23 September 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams
, wife of a former Secretary of the Navy. She was commissioned
on 12 May 1942 at Boston
, Massachusetts, Captain
Francis E.M. Whiting in command.
Massachusetts main battery consisted of nine 16 in (406 mm) 45 caliber Mark 6
guns in three triple turrets
(two in a superfiring
pair forward, the third turret mounted aft of the main superstructure
) that were capable of firing 2,700 pounds (1,225 kilograms) armor-piercing (AP) Mark 8 shells. Her secondary battery consisted of twenty 5"/38 caliber guns, which could hit targets up to 9 miles (14 km) away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of Allied aircraft carriers; to this end, Massachusetts was fitted with a number of different anti-aircraft (AA) guns. Initially, the guns selected were 0.50 cal machine guns and 1.1"/75 caliber guns, but by the end of the war these had been removed in favor of an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and quadruple Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.
, Massachusetts set sail from the United States on 24 October 1942; four days later she joined a task force forming to support Operation Torch
, an invasion of North Africa causing the Naval Battle of Casablanca
. The battleship served as the flagship
for Admiral
Henry Kent Hewitt. Early in the morning on 8 November while off Casablanca
, Massachusetts, the heavy cruiser
s and and four destroyer
s, came under fire from four 194 mm (7.6 in) and four 138 mm (5.4 in) guns in a shore battery at El Hank. The American ships, in response, began shooting at , an incomplete French battleship that had been forced to sail from Saint-Nazaire
in May 1940 to escape advancing Nazi forces. At the time of the gunfight Jean Bart was only 75% complete; an attempt to ship the other turret and gun barrels had ended in failure when the cargo vessel carrying the guns and turret was torpedoed and sunk, as a result she had only one turret with which to engage Massachusetts.
Massachusetts began firing at 0704 at a range of 22000 m (72,178.5 ft); she continued firing until 0833 with a seven-minute halt from 0740 to 0747. A total of nine full broadside
s and thirty-eight partial—varying between three and six guns—were fired, with five hitting Jean Bart. One of these, a hit at 0806, disabled the one main turret. Other shots that missed Jean Bart fell around her, striking docks and merchant ships, sinking two.
With the help of the heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa, Massachusetts next targeted French destroyers which had joined the attack, sinking and as well as the light cruiser
. The battleship herself was hit twice by the battery at El Hank, but sustained only superficial damage. She also shelled shore batteries, as well as an ammunition dump. After a cease-fire had been arranged with the French, she headed for the United States on 12 November, and prepared for deployment to the Pacific. By the end of the engagement Massachusetts had fired 786 rounds of 16 inch ammunition out of the total 800 rounds she carried, or 98% of her total complement of main battery shells.
. From 19–21 November, she sailed with an aircraft carrier
group striking Makin
, Tarawa
, and Abemama
in the Gilbert Islands
; on 8 December, she shelled Japanese positions on Nauru
.
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The Navy now drove steadily across the Pacific. On 30 January 1944, Massachusetts bombarded Kwajalein
, and she covered the landings there on 1 February. With a carrier group she struck against the Japanese stronghold at Truk on 17 February. That raid not only inflicted heavy damage on Japanese aircraft and naval forces, but also proved to be a stunning blow to enemy morale. On 21–22 February, Massachusetts helped fight off a heavy air attack on her task group while it made raids on Saipan
, Tinian
, and Guam
. She took part in the attack on the Caroline Islands
in late March and participated in the landing of U.S. troops
at Hollandia
on 22 April. Upon retiring from Hollandia, Massachusetts and the other ships of Task Force 38 staged another attack on Truk.
Massachusetts shelled Ponape Island on 1 May, her last mission before sailing to Puget Sound
to overhaul and reline her gun barrels, now well-worn. On 1 August, she left Pearl Harbor
to resume operations in the Pacific war zone. She departed the Marshall Islands
on 6 October, sailing to support the landings in Leyte Gulf
. In an effort to block Japanese air attacks in the Leyte conflict, she participated in a fleet strike against Okinawa on 10 October. From 12–14 October she screened Allied forces while they struck Formosa
. While part of Task Group 38.3 (TG 38.3) she took part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf from 22–27 October, during which planes from her group sank four Japanese carriers off Cape Engaño. After having stopped briefly at Ulithi
, Massachusetts returned to the Philippines
as part of Task Force 38 which struck Manila
on 14 December.
On 18 December 1944 Massachusetts and the other ships of Task Force 38
unexpectedly found themselves in a fight for their lives when Typhoon Cobra overtook the force. At the time of the typhoon Massachusetts was sailing with the Third Fleet's Task Group 38.1 and reported one injured sailor and two planes lost as a result of the typhoon.
From 30 December–23 January 1945, she sailed as part of Task Force 38 (TF 38), which struck Formosa and supported the landing at Lingayen
. During that time she turned into the South China Sea
, where TF 38 destroyed shipping from Saigon to Hong Kong
; the operation concluded with air strikes on Formosa and Okinawa.
From 10 February–3 March, with the 5th Fleet, Massachusetts guarded carriers during raids on Honshū
. Her group also struck Iwo Jima
by air for the invasion of that island. On 17 March, the carriers launched strikes against Kyūshū
while Massachusetts fired in repelling enemy attacks, splashing several planes. Seven days later, she bombarded Okinawa. She spent most of April fighting off air attacks, while engaged In the operations at Okinawa, returning to the area in June, when she passed through the eye of a typhoon with 100 kn (121.8 mph; 196 km/h) winds on 5 June. She bombarded Minami Daito Jima in the Ryukyu Islands
on 10 June.
Massachusetts sailed on 1 July from Leyte Gulf to join the 3rd Fleet's final offensive against Japan. After protecting carriers that launched strikes against Tokyo, she formed part of a force which shelled
Kamaishi
, Honshū on 14 July, which was Japan's second largest iron and steel center. Two weeks later, she bombarded the industrial complex at Hamamatsu before she returned to blast Kamaishi on 9 August. It was here that Massachusetts fired what was probably the last 16 in (406.4 mm) shell fired in combat in World War II.
coast, until leaving San Francisco, California
, for Hampton Roads, arriving 22 April. She was decommissioned on 27 March 1947 to enter the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia
, and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 June 1962. After being stricken, approximately 5,000 tons of equipment were stripped from Massachusetts for use on other naval vessels, including both of her explosively driven catapults used to launch float planes.
"Big Mamie", as she was affectionately known, was saved from the scrap pile when veterans and citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with the assistance of Massachusetts schoolchildren who raised $50,000 for her preservation, was transferred to the non-profit Massachusetts Memorial Committee on 8 June 1965. She was enshrined at Battleship Cove
in Fall River, Massachusetts
, on 14 August 1965, as the Bay State's memorial to those who gave their lives in World War II.
In the 1980s, when the Reagan
administration, as part of its "600-ship Navy
" plan, recommissioned all four of the s, the US Navy recovered large amounts of specialized equipment and spare parts that were still in storage aboard the Massachusetts. Despite being used as a parts cache to get the Iowa-class battleships back in service, Massachusetts was added to the National Register of Historic Places
and was designated a National Historic Landmark
14 January 1986.
In November 1998, Massachusetts was closed to the public in advance of her planned departure for Boston, where she was scheduled to undergo an overhaul. She departed on her 300 mile trip to the capital at 6:30 AM 4 November 1998 with a tug boat moving her under the Braga, Mt. Hope and Newport Bridges, then up the coast to Boston. She arrived 7 November and entered drydock, where an inspection determined the battleship was in need of additional steel plating along her hull at the water line to protect against the sea water. In addition, the survey also located leaking rivet
s and identified a need to remove two of the battleship's propellers for repair purposes. For the next four months Massachusetts underwent repairs to correct these problems, including the addition of nearly 225,000 pounds of steel to her hull and the addition of a compound known as Red Hand Epoxy to encase and protect the hull against further deterioration. In March 1999 Massachusetts emerged from her dry docking period and returned under tow to Battleship Cove, arriving at her berth 3:30 PM 13 March 1999 to a crowd of citizens, dignitaries, veterans, and civic officials.
At present, the battleship is listed as being in good condition and she remains mostly unaltered, adhering to her World War II era configuration. Former crewmembers have held reunions each year since the ship was decommissioned, with the 65th annual reunion taking place in June 2010. Massachusetts is one of seven remaining US battleships to be spared scrapping and donated for use as museum ships; the other battleships honored in this way are , , , , , and . An eighth, , is currently berthed in the Suisun Bay reserve fleet
in Benicia, California
, and is awaiting donation as a museum.
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...
of the second South Dakota-class
South Dakota class battleship (1939)
The South Dakota-class was a group of four fast battleships built by the United States Navy. They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th State; the first class was designed in the 1920s and canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. The class comprised four...
. She was the seventh ship of the United States Navy
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 in honor of the sixth state
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and one of two ships of her class (along with her sister ) to be donated for use as a museum ship. Among the ships armed with 16 inch guns during World War II, Massachusetts stands out because it is believed that she fired the US Navy's first and last 16 in (406.4 mm) shells of the war.
During World War II Massachusetts was initially assigned to duty in the Atlantic Fleet, and exchanged shots with the Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
battleship Jean Bart
French battleship Jean Bart (1940)
The Jean Bart was a French battleship of World War II named for the seventeenth-century seaman, privateer, and corsair Jean Bart.Derived from the Dunkerque class, Jean Bart were designed to counter the threat of the heavy ships of the Italian Navy...
during Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
. Transferred to the Pacific fleet in 1943, Massachusetts participated in the Solomon Islands campaign
Solomon Islands campaign
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942...
and the Philippines Campaign, and in the latter campaign took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
. In 1945 she was one of several ships assigned to shell targets on Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, the largest of the Japanese Home Islands.
Following the end of World War II Massachusetts was involved in routine operations off the US coast and eventually reassigned to the Atlantic fleet. Decommissioned in 1947, she was laid up in the reserve fleet at Norfolk Virginia until stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
in 1962. In an effort to spare the battleship from scrapping, citizens of her home state pooled resources to raise money for her transfer to the Massachusetts Memorial Committee, and in 1965 the Navy formally donated the battleship to the committee. Massachusetts was towed to Battleship Cove
Battleship Cove
Battleship Cove, located in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial that traces its origins to the wartime crew of the World War II battleship . This dedicated veterans group was responsible for the donation of the decommissioned vessel from the Navy and its...
, Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
, and formally opened as a museum ship on 14 August 1965. She is one of eight surviving battleships built by the United States.
Construction
Massachusetts was one of four fast battleshipFast battleship
Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship which emphasized speed without - in concept - undo compromise of either armor or armament. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster than subsequent classes...
s of the South Dakota-class to be authorized for construction by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1938. Her keel was laid down on 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard
Fore River Shipyard
The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved...
of Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. 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 23 September 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams
Charles Francis Adams III
Charles Francis Adams III was the United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover and a well-known yachtsman.-Life:...
, wife of a former Secretary of the Navy. She was 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 12 May 1942 at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Francis E.M. Whiting in command.
Massachusetts main battery consisted of nine 16 in (406 mm) 45 caliber Mark 6
16"/45 caliber Mark 6 gun
The 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 gun was a naval gun designed in 1936 by the United States Navy for their Treaty battleships. It was first introduced in 1941 aboard their North Carolina-class battleships, replacing the originally intended 14"/50 caliber Mark B guns and was also used for the followup South...
guns in three triple turrets
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
(two in a superfiring
Superfire
The idea of superfire is to locate two turrets in a row, one behind the other, but with the second turret located above the one in front so that the second turret could fire over the first...
pair forward, the third turret mounted aft of the main superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
) that were capable of firing 2,700 pounds (1,225 kilograms) armor-piercing (AP) Mark 8 shells. Her secondary battery consisted of twenty 5"/38 caliber guns, which could hit targets up to 9 miles (14 km) away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of Allied aircraft carriers; to this end, Massachusetts was fitted with a number of different anti-aircraft (AA) guns. Initially, the guns selected were 0.50 cal machine guns and 1.1"/75 caliber guns, but by the end of the war these had been removed in favor of an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and quadruple Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.
Atlantic operations
After a shakedown cruiseShakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
, Massachusetts set sail from the United States on 24 October 1942; four days later she joined a task force forming to support Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, an invasion of North Africa causing the Naval Battle of Casablanca
Naval Battle of Casablanca
The Naval Battle of Casablanca was a series of naval engagements fought between American ships covering the invasion of North Africa and Vichy French ships defending the neutrality of French Morocco in accordance with the Second Armistice at Compiègne during World War II...
. The battleship served as the 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 Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Henry Kent Hewitt. Early in the morning on 8 November while off Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, Massachusetts, the heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
s and and four destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, came under fire from four 194 mm (7.6 in) and four 138 mm (5.4 in) guns in a shore battery at El Hank. The American ships, in response, began shooting at , an incomplete French battleship that had been forced to sail from Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
in May 1940 to escape advancing Nazi forces. At the time of the gunfight Jean Bart was only 75% complete; an attempt to ship the other turret and gun barrels had ended in failure when the cargo vessel carrying the guns and turret was torpedoed and sunk, as a result she had only one turret with which to engage Massachusetts.
Massachusetts began firing at 0704 at a range of 22000 m (72,178.5 ft); she continued firing until 0833 with a seven-minute halt from 0740 to 0747. A total of nine full broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
s and thirty-eight partial—varying between three and six guns—were fired, with five hitting Jean Bart. One of these, a hit at 0806, disabled the one main turret. Other shots that missed Jean Bart fell around her, striking docks and merchant ships, sinking two.
With the help of the heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa, Massachusetts next targeted French destroyers which had joined the attack, sinking and as well as the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
. The battleship herself was hit twice by the battery at El Hank, but sustained only superficial damage. She also shelled shore batteries, as well as an ammunition dump. After a cease-fire had been arranged with the French, she headed for the United States on 12 November, and prepared for deployment to the Pacific. By the end of the engagement Massachusetts had fired 786 rounds of 16 inch ammunition out of the total 800 rounds she carried, or 98% of her total complement of main battery shells.
Pacific war
Massachusetts arrived at Nouméa, New Caledonia on 4 March 1943. For the next few months, she operated in the South Pacific, protecting convoy lanes and supporting operations in the Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. From 19–21 November, she sailed with an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
group striking Makin
Makin (islands)
Makin is the name of a chain of islands located in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati, specifically in the Gilbert Islands.-Geography:...
, Tarawa
Battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa, code named Operation Galvanic, was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
, and Abemama
Abemama
Abemama is an atoll in the central part of the Kiribati Group located 152 kilometres southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator.- Geography :...
in the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
; on 8 December, she shelled Japanese positions on Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
.
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
, and she covered the landings there on 1 February. With a carrier group she struck against the Japanese stronghold at Truk on 17 February. That raid not only inflicted heavy damage on Japanese aircraft and naval forces, but also proved to be a stunning blow to enemy morale. On 21–22 February, Massachusetts helped fight off a heavy air attack on her task group while it made raids on Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. She took part in the attack on the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
in late March and participated in the landing of U.S. troops
Operations Reckless and Persecution
Operation Reckless, known as the Landing at Hollandia and Operation Persecution known as the Aitape landing, were Allied amphibious landings which commenced the Western New Guinea campaign. Both operations commenced on 22 April 1944....
at Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
on 22 April. Upon retiring from Hollandia, Massachusetts and the other ships of Task Force 38 staged another attack on Truk.
Massachusetts shelled Ponape Island on 1 May, her last mission before sailing to Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
to overhaul and reline her gun barrels, now well-worn. On 1 August, she left Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
to resume operations in the Pacific war zone. She departed the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
on 6 October, sailing to support the landings in Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
. In an effort to block Japanese air attacks in the Leyte conflict, she participated in a fleet strike against Okinawa on 10 October. From 12–14 October she screened Allied forces while they struck Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. While part of Task Group 38.3 (TG 38.3) she took part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf from 22–27 October, during which planes from her group sank four Japanese carriers off Cape Engaño. After having stopped briefly at Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
, Massachusetts returned to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
as part of Task Force 38 which struck Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
on 14 December.
On 18 December 1944 Massachusetts and the other ships of Task Force 38
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
unexpectedly found themselves in a fight for their lives when Typhoon Cobra overtook the force. At the time of the typhoon Massachusetts was sailing with the Third Fleet's Task Group 38.1 and reported one injured sailor and two planes lost as a result of the typhoon.
Lingayen, Pangasinan
Lingayen is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the capital municipality and the seat of government of the province of Pangasinan. According to the latest census, it has a population of 95,773 people in 16,467 households.Lingayen...
. During that time she turned into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, where TF 38 destroyed shipping from Saigon to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; the operation concluded with air strikes on Formosa and Okinawa.
From 10 February–3 March, with the 5th Fleet, Massachusetts guarded carriers during raids on Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
. Her group also struck Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
by air for the invasion of that island. On 17 March, the carriers launched strikes against Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
while Massachusetts fired in repelling enemy attacks, splashing several planes. Seven days later, she bombarded Okinawa. She spent most of April fighting off air attacks, while engaged In the operations at Okinawa, returning to the area in June, when she passed through the eye of a typhoon with 100 kn (121.8 mph; 196 km/h) winds on 5 June. She bombarded Minami Daito Jima in the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
on 10 June.
Massachusetts sailed on 1 July from Leyte Gulf to join the 3rd Fleet's final offensive against Japan. After protecting carriers that launched strikes against Tokyo, she formed part of a force which shelled
Allied naval bombardments of Japan during World War II
During the last weeks of World War II, warships of the United States Navy, Britain's Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy bombarded several cities and industrial facilities in Japan. These bombardments caused heavy damage to several of the factories targeted, as well as nearby civilian areas...
Kamaishi
Kamaishi, Iwate
is a small, historic city located on the Sanriku rias coast of Iwate, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 41,022 and a density of 92.9 persons per km². The total area is 441.42 km². It is famous in modern times for its steel production and most recently for its promotion...
, Honshū on 14 July, which was Japan's second largest iron and steel center. Two weeks later, she bombarded the industrial complex at Hamamatsu before she returned to blast Kamaishi on 9 August. It was here that Massachusetts fired what was probably the last 16 in (406.4 mm) shell fired in combat in World War II.
Post-war
After the war, the battleship sailed for Puget Sound and overhaul 1 September. She left there 28 January 1946 for operations off the CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast, until leaving San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, for Hampton Roads, arriving 22 April. She was decommissioned on 27 March 1947 to enter the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 June 1962. After being stricken, approximately 5,000 tons of equipment were stripped from Massachusetts for use on other naval vessels, including both of her explosively driven catapults used to launch float planes.
"Big Mamie", as she was affectionately known, was saved from the scrap pile when veterans and citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with the assistance of Massachusetts schoolchildren who raised $50,000 for her preservation, was transferred to the non-profit Massachusetts Memorial Committee on 8 June 1965. She was enshrined at Battleship Cove
Battleship Cove
Battleship Cove, located in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial that traces its origins to the wartime crew of the World War II battleship . This dedicated veterans group was responsible for the donation of the decommissioned vessel from the Navy and its...
in Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
, on 14 August 1965, as the Bay State's memorial to those who gave their lives in World War II.
In the 1980s, when the Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
administration, as part of its "600-ship Navy
600-ship Navy
The 600 Ship Navy was a strategic plan of the United States Navy during the 1980s to rebuild its fleet after cutbacks that followed the end of the Vietnam War...
" plan, recommissioned all four of the s, the US Navy recovered large amounts of specialized equipment and spare parts that were still in storage aboard the Massachusetts. Despite being used as a parts cache to get the Iowa-class battleships back in service, Massachusetts was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
14 January 1986.
In November 1998, Massachusetts was closed to the public in advance of her planned departure for Boston, where she was scheduled to undergo an overhaul. She departed on her 300 mile trip to the capital at 6:30 AM 4 November 1998 with a tug boat moving her under the Braga, Mt. Hope and Newport Bridges, then up the coast to Boston. She arrived 7 November and entered drydock, where an inspection determined the battleship was in need of additional steel plating along her hull at the water line to protect against the sea water. In addition, the survey also located leaking rivet
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the buck-tail. On installation the rivet is placed in a punched or pre-drilled hole, and the tail is upset, or bucked A rivet...
s and identified a need to remove two of the battleship's propellers for repair purposes. For the next four months Massachusetts underwent repairs to correct these problems, including the addition of nearly 225,000 pounds of steel to her hull and the addition of a compound known as Red Hand Epoxy to encase and protect the hull against further deterioration. In March 1999 Massachusetts emerged from her dry docking period and returned under tow to Battleship Cove, arriving at her berth 3:30 PM 13 March 1999 to a crowd of citizens, dignitaries, veterans, and civic officials.
At present, the battleship is listed as being in good condition and she remains mostly unaltered, adhering to her World War II era configuration. Former crewmembers have held reunions each year since the ship was decommissioned, with the 65th annual reunion taking place in June 2010. Massachusetts is one of seven remaining US battleships to be spared scrapping and donated for use as museum ships; the other battleships honored in this way are , , , , , and . An eighth, , is currently berthed in the Suisun Bay reserve fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
in Benicia, California
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
, and is awaiting donation as a museum.
Awards and honors
Massachusetts received 11 battle stars for World War II service as a result of her participation in operations in North Africa, the Gilbert, Carolinas, and Marshall Islands campaigns, as well as operations during the battles for Leyte, Luzon, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. No U.S. Navy sailors or Marines were killed in action aboard the battleship during the war.External links
- Battleship Cove museum site
- Historic Naval Ships Association
- Photography from Google Maps
- Maritimequest USS Massachusetts BB-59 Photo Gallery
- USS Massachusetts Photos on board the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) in Fall River, Massachusetts
- List of U.S. battleships and their fates
- Maritime History of Massachusetts, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org