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USS Michigan (BB-27)
Encyclopedia
USS Michigan (BB-27), a South Carolina-class
battleship
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named in honor of the 26th state
. She was the first battleship in the world to be commissioned with superimposed, or Superfire
type turrets.
Michigan was laid down on 17 December 1906 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey
. She was launched
on 26 May 1908 sponsored by Mrs Frank W. Brooks, Jr., daughter of Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Truman Newberry, delivered to the United States Government on September 1, 1909, and commissioned
on 4 January 1910, Captain
N. R. Usher in command.
, Michigan conducted shakedown off the East Coast and in the eastern Caribbean Sea
until 7 June 1910. Standing out of New York Harbor
on 29 July, the battlewagon then steamed along the New England
and Middle Atlantic coasts on maneuvers. On 2 November, she departed Boston, Massachusetts, for a training cruise to western Europe
. After visiting the Isle of Portland
in England, she arrived Cherbourg, France on 8 December. She sailed on 30 December for the Caribbean, touched Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
on 10 January 1911, and reached Norfolk, Virginia
on 14 January.
Michigan operated along the Atlantic Coast until standing out from the Virginia Capes
on 15 November 1912 for a cruise to the Gulf of Mexico
. After visiting Pensacola, Florida
, New Orleans, Louisiana
, and Galveston, Texas
, she arrived Veracruz, Mexico
on 12 December. She headed for home two days later, and reached Hampton Roads
on 20 December. She operated along the East Coast until departing Quincy, Massachusetts
on 6 July for the Gulf coast of Mexico to protect American interests endangered by civil strife in Mexico. The battleship anchored off Tampico
on 15 July, and remained alert off the Mexican coast until sailing for New York City
on 13 January 1914, reaching Brooklyn Navy Yard
on 20 January.
She began a run from Norfolk to Guacanayabo Bay, Cuba
on 14 February, and returned to Hampton Roads on 19 March. Underway again on 16 April she joined American forces at Veracruz. Reaching that troubled Mexican city on 22 April, she landed a battalion of Marines
as part of the main occupation force, then operated off the Mexican coast, heading home on 20 June and entered the Delaware Capes on 16 April.
, operated out of various ports on the Eastern Seaboard. Assigned to Battleship Force 2 on 6 April 1917, the warship escorted convoy
s, trained recruits, and engaged in fleet maneuvers and battle practice. The battleship suffered two notable accidents, one in September 1916 when a twelve-inch gun of her second turret burst while being fired and the second in January 1918 when her "cage" foremast collapsed during a storm at sea.
On 15 January 1918, while steaming in formation with the fleet off Cape Hatteras
, Michigans foremast buckled and was carried away over the port side as the battlewagon lurched violently in the trough of a heavy sea. Six men were killed and 13 injured, five seriously, in this accident. Michigan proceeded to Norfolk where the next day she transferred her casualties to . On 22 January, she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. Early in April, she resumed operations off the East Coast and trained gunners in Chesapeake Bay
until World War I ended.
in late December 1918, the battleship made two voyages to Europe - from 18 January-3 March, and 18 March-16 April 1919 - returning 1,052 troops to the United States. During this period, the crew was briefly allowed to unionize, an action against naval policy that saw Clark Daniel Stearns
stripped from command of the ship.
Following overhaul at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in May-June, Michigan resumed training exercises in the Atlantic until 6 August, when she was placed in limited commission at Philadelphia Navy Yard. She next put to sea on 19 May, sailing to Annapolis, Maryland
, to embark midshipmen for a training cruise through the Panama Canal
to Honolulu, Hawaii
, arriving there on 3 July. The cruise continued to major West Coast naval bases and Guantanamo Bay before the battleship returned home in September. She returned to Philadelphia on 5 September, and was placed in ordinary until sailing on 4 April 1921 for the Caribbean. Returning to Hampton Roads on 23 April, she reached Annapolis on 18 May to begin her second midshipmen training cruise. She got underway on 4 June for Europe, visiting Kristiania, Norway
; Lisbon, Portugal; and Gibraltar
; and returning to Hampton Roads on 11 August. The veteran battleship put to sea on 31 August to make her final cruise up the Delaware River
to Philadelphia, arriving on 1 September. Michigan decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 11 February 1922 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 10 November 1923. In accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
, she and four other battleships were scrapped by the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1924. Materials from their hulls were sold to four different foundries.
South Carolina class battleship
The United States Navy's South Carolina class consisted of two battleships: and , both of which were launched in 1908. These were among the first warships built with armament organized on the "all-big gun" and the first American battleships of the type...
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...
, was the second 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 26th state
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. She was the first battleship in the world to be commissioned with superimposed, or Superfire
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...
type turrets.
Michigan was laid down on 17 December 1906 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. 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 26 May 1908 sponsored by Mrs Frank W. Brooks, Jr., daughter of Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....
Truman Newberry, delivered to the United States Government on September 1, 1909, 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 4 January 1910, 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....
N. R. Usher in command.
Pre-World War I
Assigned to the Atlantic FleetUnited 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...
, Michigan conducted shakedown off the East Coast and in the eastern Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
until 7 June 1910. Standing out of New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
on 29 July, the battlewagon then steamed along the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Middle Atlantic coasts on maneuvers. On 2 November, she departed Boston, Massachusetts, for a training cruise to western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. After visiting the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
in England, she arrived Cherbourg, France on 8 December. She sailed on 30 December for the Caribbean, touched Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
on 10 January 1911, and reached 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....
on 14 January.
Michigan operated along the Atlantic Coast until standing out from the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
on 15 November 1912 for a cruise to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. After visiting Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, and Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, she arrived Veracruz, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on 12 December. She headed for home two days later, and reached 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 20 December. She operated along the East Coast until departing 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...
on 6 July for the Gulf coast of Mexico to protect American interests endangered by civil strife in Mexico. The battleship anchored off Tampico
Tampico
Tampico is a city and port in the state of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, directly north across the border from Veracruz. Tampico is the third largest city in Tamaulipas, and counts with a population of 309,003. The Metropolitan area of...
on 15 July, and remained alert off the Mexican coast until sailing for 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 13 January 1914, reaching Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
on 20 January.
She began a run from Norfolk to Guacanayabo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
on 14 February, and returned to Hampton Roads on 19 March. Underway again on 16 April she joined American forces at Veracruz. Reaching that troubled Mexican city on 22 April, she landed a battalion of Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
as part of the main occupation force, then operated off the Mexican coast, heading home on 20 June and entered the Delaware Capes on 16 April.
World War I
Michigan next put to sea on 11 October and from that time until the eve of America's entry into World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, operated out of various ports on the Eastern Seaboard. Assigned to Battleship Force 2 on 6 April 1917, the warship escorted convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s, trained recruits, and engaged in fleet maneuvers and battle practice. The battleship suffered two notable accidents, one in September 1916 when a twelve-inch gun of her second turret burst while being fired and the second in January 1918 when her "cage" foremast collapsed during a storm at sea.
On 15 January 1918, while steaming in formation with the fleet off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
, Michigans foremast buckled and was carried away over the port side as the battlewagon lurched violently in the trough of a heavy sea. Six men were killed and 13 injured, five seriously, in this accident. Michigan proceeded to Norfolk where the next day she transferred her casualties to . On 22 January, she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. Early in April, she resumed operations off the East Coast and trained gunners in Chesapeake Bay
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...
until World War I ended.
Inter-war period
Ordered to duty with the Cruiser and Transport ForceCruiser and Transport Force
The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France.- Composition :...
in late December 1918, the battleship made two voyages to Europe - from 18 January-3 March, and 18 March-16 April 1919 - returning 1,052 troops to the United States. During this period, the crew was briefly allowed to unionize, an action against naval policy that saw Clark Daniel Stearns
Clark Daniel Stearns
Clark Daniel Stearns was the ninth Naval Governor of American Samoa. Stearns commanded various vessels, on which he set up organized committees for the crew to give suggestions to the officers. He hoped to alleviate tensions between the enlisted men and officers...
stripped from command of the ship.
Following overhaul at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in May-June, Michigan resumed training exercises in the Atlantic until 6 August, when she was placed in limited commission at Philadelphia Navy Yard. She next put to sea on 19 May, sailing to Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, to embark midshipmen for a training cruise through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
to Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, arriving there on 3 July. The cruise continued to major West Coast naval bases and Guantanamo Bay before the battleship returned home in September. She returned to Philadelphia on 5 September, and was placed in ordinary until sailing on 4 April 1921 for the Caribbean. Returning to Hampton Roads on 23 April, she reached Annapolis on 18 May to begin her second midshipmen training cruise. She got underway on 4 June for Europe, visiting 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...
; Lisbon, Portugal; and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
; and returning to Hampton Roads on 11 August. The veteran battleship put to sea on 31 August to make her final cruise up the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
to Philadelphia, arriving on 1 September. Michigan decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 11 February 1922 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 10 November 1923. In accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington 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...
, she and four other battleships were scrapped by the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1924. Materials from their hulls were sold to four different foundries.