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USS Washington (BB-56)
Encyclopedia
USS Washington (BB-56), the second of two battleships in the North Carolina class
, was the third ship of the United States Navy
named in honor of the 42nd state. Her keel
was laid down on 14 June 1938 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
. Launched
on 1 June 1940, Washington went through fitting-out
before being commissioned
on 15 May 1941 with Captain
Howard H. J. Benson in command. In early 1942, Washington and twenty other American ships were the first to be equipped with fully operational radar
. She has the distinction of being the only American battleship to sink an enemy battleship during World War II in a "one on one" surface engagement. Washington suffered no losses to hostile action during the entire course of the war, although she had some close calls: she was almost hit by "Long Lance" torpedoes off Guadalcanal, and was hit once by enemy ordnance, a 5-inch shell that passed through her radar antenna without detonation.
In 1942, she was sent to the North Atlantic to fill in for British ships that had been redeployed around Madagascar
. She was assigned to guard against a possible sortie
by the German battleship , and to provide distant cover for several Iceland–Murmansk convoys
. In July, she returned to the United States for an overhaul before being deployed to the Pacific in August for action against Imperial Japan
, where she became the flagship
of Rear Admiral Willis Augustus Lee. Two months after her arrival at Tonga
in September 1942, Washington was tasked with intercepting a Japanese naval task force near Guadalcanal along with and four destroyers. In the ensuing battle
, South Dakota was severely damaged, but Washington sustained almost no damage while her guns sank the battleship and the destroyer . Washington operated as an escort for aircraft carrier
task forces for most of 1943, and then bombarded Nauru
in December in company with five other battleships. Around dawn on 1 February 1944, Washington rammed the battleship and incurred several fatalities when the latter was maneuvering across the formation to refuel destroyers. With around 60 feet (18.3 m) of her bow heavily damaged, Washington was forced to retire. The Pearl Harbor
shipyards fitted the battleship with a temporary bow; a full restoration had to wait until the ship docked in the Puget Sound Navy Yard.
Washington arrived back in the war zone only in mid-1944. She took part in bombarding Saipan
and Tinian
before joining the Battle of the Philippine Sea
, where the Japanese Combined Fleet
's aircraft were decisively defeated by American sea-based fighters and anti-aircraft fire. For the rest of the war, Washington alternated between shore bombardment and carrier escort, including direct support in the battles of Iwo Jiwa
and Okinawa
. On 1 July 1945, the battleship headed for the United States for a badly needed overhaul. She entered the Puget Sound Navy Yard and did not emerge until October, after the end of the war
. She sailed to Philadelphia, participating in Navy Day
celebrations there, before her assignment to Operation Magic Carpet, the withdrawal of American military personnel from overseas deployments. Washington was decommissioned on 27 June 1947, struck on 1 June 1960, and sold for scrapping
on 24 May 1961.
Washington and sister ship
were both authorized in January 1937. Five shipyards, including three private corporations (Bethlehem Shipbuilding
, New York Shipbuilding
, and Newport News Shipbuilding), and two naval shipyards (Philadelphia
and Brooklyn, New York
) tendered bids to build the ships. As the government-owned yards had significantly lower bids, the Navy assigned North Carolina to Brooklyn and Washington to Philadelphia.
Washingtons keel
was laid on 14 June 1938 in Philadelphia's Slipway
No. 3, and the hull was launched
on 1 June 1940, the first battleship launched in the United States since 1921. After a near debacle during the launch of the destroyer , when a merchant ship did not heed the warnings of the Coast Guard
, the Delaware River
was closed for 2 miles (3.2 km) around the site of Washingtons launch. This had the added—or primary—benefit of clearing the river to deprive potential spies of photographic and other information on the ships. Other efforts to prevent any photos included air patrols above the slipway, state police
across the river, and the exclusion of any person who could not produce proper credentials. Still, 25,000 attended the ceremony and heard a speech by Senator David I. Walsh
, the chairman of the Senate's Committee on Naval Affairs
. Washington was sponsored
and christened by 15-year-old Virginia Marshall (a direct descendant of former Chief Justice
John Marshall
), who broke a bottle of champagne over the bow as the ship slid into the water. Immediately after, tugboat
s pushed the incomplete ship into a nearby drydock for fitting-out
. The main guns were installed during this time after being transported from the Washington Navy Yard
on two barges towed by . Soon after being completed, Washington was commissioned
into the United States Navy on 15 May 1941.
Washington was 728 foot long, 108 foot wide, and had a 34 in 9 in (10.59 m) maximum draft
. The ship was powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox three-drum express-type boilers driving four sets of General Electric
geared turbines. These were nominally rated at 121,000 shaft horsepower (shp) to four propeller
s, giving the ship a top speed of roughly 28 kn (34.1 mph; 54.9 km/h). At the more economical 15 kn (18.3 mph; 29.4 km/h), Washington could steam for 17450 nmi (20,081.2 mi; 32,317.4 km).
Washingtons main battery
was composed of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 gun
s arranged in three turrets
; two superfiring
turrets were located near the bow, while the third was at the stern. Secondary armament included dual purpose
5"/38 caliber Mark 12 guns, arranged all around the superstructure, and greatly varying numbers of 1.1"/75 caliber guns, Browning .50 caliber machine guns, and Bofors 40 mm and Oerkilon 20 mm
autocannon
s.
During these tests, Washington joined Battleship Division Six as the flagship
of Rear Admiral
John W. Wilcox, Jr.
, the commander of the division and of all battleships in the Atlantic Fleet
. During this time, she was accompanied at times by North Carolina and the recently commissioned aircraft carrier . On 26 March 1942, Washington was reassigned to Task Force 39, which was also commanded by Wilcox. She continued serving as his flagship as they departed that day from Portland
, Maine with , , , and various smaller ships. Their destination was the United Kingdom; they were needed to reinforce the British Home Fleet in case left port and to take the place of British ships being sent to Madagascar
as part of Operation "Ironclad"
.
While crossing the Atlantic, a man went overboard
in heavy seas. It was found shortly thereafter that it had been Wilcox. Planes from Wasp assisted while Tuscaloosa dropped life buoys and two destroyers combed the area behind the battleship. A crewman aboard saw a body face-down in the water, but the ship was unable to bring it aboard due to the sea conditions. It will probably never be known what exactly happened; he could have been washed overboard by a large wave, while the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
says "one school of thought has it that he had suffered a heart attack
."
Now commanded by Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen
in Wichita, the force continued to Scapa Flow
, arriving on 4 April 1942. They became part of the Home Fleet, which was commanded by Admiral John C. Tovey
; he flew his flag on the battleship . The majority of this month was filled with maneuvers and practicing. It was only on 28 April that Washington left Scapa Flow for an operation. Accompanied by various ships, including King George V, , and six destroyers from Britain and Wichita, Tuscaloosa and four destroyers from the United States, Washington was assigned to provide distant cover for PQ-15
, one of the Iceland–Murmansk convoys
. It was the first time that American ships had ever operated with the Home Fleet. Washington was damaged on 1 May when King George V accidentally rammed the destroyer , cutting it in two. Directly behind King George V, Washington passed through the same stretch of sea as the sinking destroyer, receiving damage from depth charge
s as they went down with the ship and exploded as they sank. Though damage to the hull was minimal—limited to only one leaking fuel tank—many devices on the ship were damaged, including all of the main battery range finders and three circuit breaker
s. In addition, three fire control systems and the radar were put out of action from mechanical shock
. King George V, her bow heavily damaged, was forced to leave the task force with an escort of destroyers to be repaired.
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The American ships in the group left formation on 5 May to put in at Hvalfjörður
, Iceland to load supplies from . On 15 May they left to rejoin elements of the Home Fleet, and docked at Scapa Flow on 3 June. On 4 June, Washington hosted the commander of naval forces in Europe, Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark
, who set up a temporary headquarters on the ship for the next few days. On 7 June, King George VI inspected the battleship. For the next month, Washington remained in the North Atlantic to provide distant cover against the threat of German heavy ships (including Tirpitz) for the next two PQ convoys, PQ-16 and PQ-17
.
PQ-17 was notable for being a complete disaster. In a confusing series of events, the British Admiralty
ordered the convoy to scatter on 4 July; the way the messages were phrased indicated to the commanders of the convoy and escort that Tirpitz was nearby. However, Tirpitz, escorted by and six destroyers, was still off northern Norway. The decision to disperse the ships left many of the merchant ships alone; the ones that were lucky enough to still have an escort had only small warships, as all ships larger than destroyers had been ordered to sail west at high speed, fearing a U-boat
attack. Only thirteen merchant ships of the thirty-four present before scattering reached Russia; the rest were sunk by U-boats and aircraft of the Luftwaffe
. Washington was recalled to the United States shortly after this debacle. She departed Hvalfjörður on 14 July with an escort of four destroyers and set sail for New York. She put in at Gravesend Bay
on 21 July, but two days later she moved to the Brooklyn Navy Yard
for an overhaul.
and traversed the locks
on 28 August. Once through, she continued west into the Pacific, arriving off Nukuʻalofa
, the capital of Tonga
, on 14 September. She was chosen by Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr. to be his flagship. Washington was assigned to Task Force 17, based around the aircraft carrier , on the 15th. Along with various other ships, Washington operated out of Nouméa
and Espiritu Santo
and took part in various elements of the Solomon Islands campaign
, including protecting the convoys moving needed materiel
to the Battle of Guadalcanal
, until early November.
By this time, the naval outlook for the Allies in the Pacific was poor. With the torpedoing of by and the loss of , only one carrier, was available. In addition, the Japanese were using their naval night-fighting prowess to great effect by sending heavy warships to shell Henderson Field
while light forces would run supplies to beleaguered soldiers on Guadalcanal. After the Japanese army was repulsed during the Battle for Henderson Field
, reinforcements were needed, so Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
loaded eleven transports with members of the Japanese 38th Infantry Division and put together a support force that included the rebuilt s and . The latter group was to neutralize Henderson Field so that the slower transports could reach Guadalcanal. During the first attempt to accomplish this, made on the night of 12/13 November, the support force destroyed or damaged nearly every ship of an American task force of five cruisers and eight destroyers, as well as taking the lives of two US Navy Rear Admirals, Norman Scott riding the light cruiser Atlanta and the task force commander Daniel J. Callaghan
in the heavy cruiser San Francisco, but then turned and retreated, losing Hiei to American aircraft on the 13th. Running low on available undamaged ships, South Dakota and Washington, along with the destroyers , , , and , were dispatched from the vicinity of Nouméa
.
Another Japanese fleet, this one made up of Kirishima, the cruisers , , , , and nine destroyers, was sent to Guadalcanal. The American submarine spotted this force east of Santa Ysabel late in the afternoon of the 14th, and after firing and missing with three torpedoes, reported the position and number of the oncoming ships to Lee. Approaching on a northerly course, nine miles west of Guadalcanal, Task Force 64 was reported by the Japanese reconnaissance planes to consist of a battleship, a cruiser, and four destroyers steaming in column formation. Walke led, followed by Benham, Preston, Gwin, and the two battleships, Washington and South Dakota. Both the Japanese and Americans knew about the same information on each others' forces by the afternoon of 14 November.
Vectored in, the American force prepared to intercept the Japanese. Prior to the battle, Prestons primitive SC radar equipment was interfering with the more advanced set on the Washington, so it was shut off. At 22:55, Washingtons SG surface-search radar found a firm target 18000 yards (16,459.2 m) to the northwest well off the starboard bow. This was Sendai. Although the American ships were in firing range, they held fire while they searched for additional targets. At 23:12 Washington obtained a visual sighting, and the South Dakota reported that they also had a sighting over the TBS (Talk Between Ships) radio. Four minutes later, Admiral Lee gave the order to all of TF 16 "open fire when you are ready." Washington and South Dakota both immediately opened fire at the Sendai with their 16 in (406.4 mm) guns at a range of 11000 yd (6.3 mi; 10.1 km). Almost simultaneously, Washington fired three of her starboard 5-inch guns at . All of the 16 in (406.4 mm) shots missed—42 from Washington—and Rear Admiral Shintarō Hashimoto
ordered Sendai and Shikinami to lay down a smoke screen and retreat. However, Washington fired until they were well out of visual view, using its 5 inch guns, hoping to discourage Ayanami and Uranami from attacking from that area. However the South Dakota did not fire as they were afraid of hitting the Washington. The four escorting destroyers moved in to fire torpedoes, but were easily destroyed or damaged enough to take no further part in the battle. Walke sunk directly in front of Washington at 2342, which was unable to turn away but dropped several lifeboats
into the water.
aboard the heavy cruiser Atago was still intent on accomplishing his mission of blasting Henderson Field
with 14 inch shells with his battleship Kirishima. And he still discounted sightings of US battleships, even while lookouts from his cruisers Atago and Takao consistently reported that US battleships were present in the American surface group. With reports from his destroyers that the fight was going well against the US Navy, Kondo dispatched his light cruiser Nagara and destroyers to continue with the fray as he took the Kirishima, Atago and Takao to continue towards Henderson Field for bombardment.
South Dakotas effectiveness was drastically reduced by power failures. Having no radar and virtually blind, South Dakota sailed to within 5000 yd (2.8 mi; 4.6 km) of the Japanese force and was illuminated by searchlights. She suffered heavy damage, receiving some 27 hits from 5-, 6-, 8- and 14-inch shells. However, with attention focused on South Dakota the Washington was able to maneuver completely undetected. She moved to about 8400 yd from 12650 yd away from Kirishima and opened fire. In the span of seven minutes, the Japanese ship was struck by nine 16-inch and around forty 5-inch shells, destroying her ability to steer and setting her on fire. Now realizing Washingtons position, some of the Japanese destroyers gave chase and fired torpedoes, forcing Washington to evade (several detonated in her wake), but they soon withdrew under the cover of a smoke screen. Washington found South Dakota later in the morning, and the two set course for Nouméa
.
Washington was not hit during the battle; the nearest shells fell 200 yards (182.9 m) away. She fired a total of 117 16-inch and 522 five-inch shells. South Dakota steamed for the Brooklyn, New York Navy Yard
for two months of repairs and refitting. Kirishima and the destroyer were scuttled during the day after the battle.
Washington departed from Nouméa
on 30 April 1943, bound for Hawaii
. While en route, TF 16 joined up; and, together, the ships reached Pearl Harbor
on 8 May, Washington, as a unit of, and the flagship of, TF 60, carried out battle practice in Hawaiian waters until 28 May 1943, after which time she entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for more overhaul.
Washington resumed battle practice in the Hawaiian operating area upon conclusion of those repairs and alterations and joined a convoy on 27 July to form TG 56.14, bound for the South Pacific. Detached on 6 August, Washington reached Havannah Harbor at Efate
in the New Hebrides
on 7 August. She then operated out of Efate until late in October, principally engaged in battle practice and tactics with the fast carrier task force
.
Departing Havannah Harbor on the last day of October, Washington steamed as a unit of TG 53.2 — four battleships and six destroyers. The next day, carriers Enterprise, , and , as well as the other screening units of TG 53.3, joined TG 53.2 and came under Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee
. The ships held combined maneuvers until 6 November, when the carriers departed the formation. Washington, with her escorts, steamed to Viti Levu
, in the Fiji Islands, arriving on 7 November.
Four days later, however, Washington was again underway, with Rear Admiral Lee — by that point Commander, Battleships, Pacific — embarked, in company with other units of BatDivs 8 and 9. On 16 November, the battlewagons and their screens joined. Rear Admiral Charles Alan Pownall
's TG 50.1, with Rear Admiral Pownall flying his flag on . The combined force then proceeded toward the Gilbert Islands
to join in the daily bombings of Japanese positions in the Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands
, softening them up for impending amphibious assault.
On 19 November, the planes from TG 50.1 attacked Mili
and Jaluit in the Marshalls, continuing those strikes through 20 November, the day upon which Navy, Marine, and Army forces landed on Tarawa
and Makin
in the Gilberts. On 22 November, the task group sent its planes against Mili in successive waves; subsequently, the group steamed to operate north of Makin.
Washington rendezvoused with other carrier groups that composed TF 50 on 25 November and, during the reorganization that followed, she was assigned to TG 50.4, the fast carrier task group under the command of Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman
. The carriers comprising the core of the group were and . The other two battleships screening the carriers were and South Dakota. Eight destroyer
s rounded out the screen.
This task group operated north of Makin
, providing air, surface, and antisubmarine protection for the unfolding unloading operations at Makin, starting on 26 November. Enemy planes attacked the group on 27 November and the next day, but these were driven off without inflicting any damage on the fast carrier task group.
As the Gilbert Islands campaign drew to a close, TG 50.8 was formed on 6 December, under Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, in Washington. Other ships of that group included sister ship , , , South Dakota, and Alabama and the fleet carrier Bunker Hill and the light carrier Monterey. 11 destroyers screened the heavy ships.
The group first steamed south and west of Ocean Island
to take position for the scheduled air and surface bombardment of the island of Nauru
. Before dawn on 8 December, the carriers launched their strike groups while the bombardment force formed in column; 135 rounds of 16-inch fire from the six battleships were fired at the Japanese installations on Nauru; and, upon completion of the shelling, the battleships' secondary batteries took their turn; two airplanes from each battleship spotted the fall of shells.
After a further period of air strikes had been flown off against Nauru
, the task group steamed for Efate
, where they arrived on 12 December. On that day, due to a change in the highest command echelons, TF 57 became TF 37.
Eleven days later, the battleship departed from Efate for the Ellice Islands. Joining TG 37.2, the aircraft carriers Monterey and Bunker Hill and four destroyers, Washington reached Funafuti
, Ellice Islands, on 20 January. Three days later, the battleship, along with the rest of the task group, put to sea to make rendezvous with elements of TF 58, the Fast Carrier Task Force
under the overall command of Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher. Becoming part of TG 58.1, Washington screened the fast carriers in her group as they launched air strikes on Taroa
and Kwajalein
in the waning days of January 1944. Washington, together with Massachusetts and Indiana, left the formation with four destroyers as an ASW
screen, and they shelled Kwajalein Atoll on 30 January. Further air strikes followed the next day.
On 1 February, Washington, while maneuvering in the darkness, rammed as that ship cut across Washingtons bow while dropping out of formation to fuel escorting destroyers. Both battleships retired for repairs. Washington had sustained 60 ft (18.3 m) of crumpled bow plating, and several of her sailors were killed or seriously injured. The captain of Indiana immediately admitted fault for this collision.
Both ships entered the lagoon at Majuro
the next morning. Subsequently, after her damaged bow was temporarily reinforced, Washington departed from Majuro on 11 February, bound for Pearl Harbor
, Oahu
.
With a temporary bow fitted at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, Washington continued on to the West Coast of the United States
. Reaching the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington
, the Washington received a new bow over the weeks that followed her arrival. Joining BatDiv 4 at Port Townsend, Washington
, Washington embarked 500 additional men as passengers, and she steamed towards Pearl Harbor, reaching her destination on 13 June, and disembarking her passengers.
Arriving back at Majuro on 30 May, Washington again flew Admiral Lee's flag as he shifted to this battleship soon after her arrival. Lee, now a Vice Admiral
, rode on the battleship as she headed out to sea again, departing from Majuro on 7 June and joining Mitscher's TF 58.
Washington supported the air strikes pummeling enemy defenses in the Mariana Islands
on the islands of Saipan
, Tinian
, Guam
, Rota
, and Pagan
. TF 58's fliers also attacked twice and damaged a Japanese convoy in the vicinity on 12 June. The following day, Vice Admiral Lee's battleship-destroyer task group was detached from the main body of the force and conducted shore bombardment against enemy installations on Saipan and Tinian. Relieved on 14 June by two task groups under Rear Admirals Jesse B. Oldendorf
and Walden L. Ainsworth
, Vice Admiral Lee's group retired momentarily.
On 15 June, Admiral Mitscher's TF 58 planes bombed Japanese installations on Iwo Jima
in the Volcano Islands
and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands. Meanwhile, marines landed on Saipan under cover of intensive naval gunfire and carrier-based planes.
That same day, Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa
, commanding the main body of the Japanese Fleet, was ordered to attack and destroy the invasion force in the Marianas. The departure of his carrier group, however, came under the scrutiny of the submarine , as it left Tawi Tawi, the westernmost island in the Sulu Archipelago
.
also sighted Ozawa's force as it entered the Philippine Sea
. radioed a contact report on an enemy refueling group on 16 June and continued tracking it as it headed for the Marianas. She again sighted Japanese Combined Fleet units on 18 June.
Admiral Raymond Spruance, commanding the 5th Fleet, had meanwhile learned of the Japanese movement and accordingly issued his battle plan. Vice Admiral Lee's force formed a protective screen around the vital fleet carriers. Washington, six other battleships, four heavy cruisers, and 14 destroyers deployed to cover the flattops; on 19 June, the ships came under attack from Japanese carrier-based and land-based planes as the Battle of the Philippine Sea
commenced. The tremendous firepower of the screen, however, together with the aggressive combat air patrols flown from the American carriers, proved too much for even the aggressive Japanese. The heavy loss of Japanese aircraft, sometimes referred to as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot", caused serious losses in the Japanese naval air arm. During four massive raids, the enemy launched 373 planes; only 130 returned.
In addition, 50 land-based bombers from Guam fell in flames. Over 930 American carrier planes were involved in the aerial action; their losses amounted to comparatively few: 29 shot down and six lost operationally without the loss of a single ship in Mitscher's task force.
Only a few of the enemy planes managed to get through the barrage of flak and fighters, one scoring a direct hit on South Dakota, killing 27 and wounding 29. A bomb burst over the flight deck of the carrier , killing one man, wounding 12, and covering her flight deck with bits of phosphorus
. Two planes dove on Bunker Hill, one scoring a near miss and the other a hit that holed an elevator, knocking out the hangar deck gasoline system temporarily; killing three and wounding 79. Several fires started were promptly quenched. In addition, and Indiana also received slight damage.
Not only did the Japanese lose heavily in planes; two of their carriers were soon on their way to the bottom. was torpedoed and sunk by ; was sunk by Cavalla. His flagship Taihō sunk out from under him, Admiral Ozawa transferred his flag to .
As the Battle of the Philippine Sea proceeded to a close, the Japanese Mobile Fleet steamed back to its bases, defeated. Admiral Mitscher's task force meanwhile retired to cover the invasion operations proceeding in the Marianas. Washington fueled east of that chain of islands and then continued her screening duties with TG 58.4 to the south and west of Saipan, supporting the continuing air strikes on islands in the Marianas, the strikes concentrated on Guam by that point.
On 25 July, aircraft of TG 58.4 conducted air strikes on the Palau Islands and on enemy shipping in the vicinity, continuing their schedule of strikes through 6 August. On that day, Washington, with , Indiana, Alabama, the light cruiser , and a destroyer screen, was detached from the screen of TG 58.4, forming TG 58.7, under Vice Admiral Lee. That group arrived at Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands to refuel and replenish on 11 August and remained there for almost the balance of the month. On 30 August, that group departed, headed for, first, the Admiralty Islands, and ultimately, the Palaus.
Washingtons heavy guns supported the taking of Peleliu
and Angaur
in the Palaus and supported the carrier strikes on Okinawa on 10 October, on northern Luzon
and Formosa
from 11 October to 14 October, as well as the Visayan
air strikes on 21 October. From 5 November 1944 to 17 February 1945, Washington, as a vital unit of the fast carrier striking forces, supported raids on Okinawa, in the Ryukyu Islands
; Formosa; Luzon; Camranh Bay and Saigon in French Indochina
; Hong Kong
; Canton
; Hainan Island; Nansei Shoto; and the heart of the enemy homeland, Tokyo
itself.
, including a carrier raid upon Tokyo on 25 February. On 18–19 March, and again on 29 March, Washington screened the Fleet's carriers as they launched airstrikes against Japanese airfields and other installations on the island of Kyūshū
. On 24 March, and again on 19 April, Washington lent her support to the shellings of Japanese positions on the island of Okinawa.
Anchoring at San Pedro Bay
, Leyte, on 1 June 1945 after an almost ceaseless slate of operations, Washington steamed for the west coast of the United States
on 6 June, making stops at Guam and Pearl Harbor before reaching the Puget Sound Naval Yard on 28 June.
As it turned out, Washington would not participate in active combat in the Pacific theater again. Her final wartime refit carried on through V-J Day in mid-August 1945 and the formal Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay
on 2 September. She completed her post-repair trials and conducted underway training out of San Pedro, California, before she headed for the Panama Canal returning to the Atlantic Ocean. Joining TG 11.6 on 6 October, with Vice Admiral Frederick C. Sherman in overall command, she soon transited the Panama Canal and headed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, the place where she had been "born". Arriving at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
on 17 October, she participated in Navy Day
ceremonies there on 27 October.
After embarking 185 Army officers and 1,479 enlisted men, Washington steamed for New York City
. She completed that voyage and, after that brief stint as a transport, was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 June 1947. Assigned to the New York group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Washington remained inactive through the late 1950s, ultimately being struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on 1 June 1960. The vessel was sold on 24 May 1961, and was scrapped soon thereafter.
off Norway, to the southern and western Pacific.
North Carolina class battleship
The North Carolina class was a group of two fast battleships, North Carolina and Washington, built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s and early 1940s...
, was the third 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...
named in honor of the 42nd state. Her keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down on 14 June 1938 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
. 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 1 June 1940, Washington went through fitting-out
Fitting-out
Fitting-out, or "outfitting”, is the process in modern shipbuilding that follows the float-out of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her owners...
before being 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 15 May 1941 with 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....
Howard H. J. Benson in command. In early 1942, Washington and twenty other American ships were the first to be equipped with fully operational radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. She has the distinction of being the only American battleship to sink an enemy battleship during World War II in a "one on one" surface engagement. Washington suffered no losses to hostile action during the entire course of the war, although she had some close calls: she was almost hit by "Long Lance" torpedoes off Guadalcanal, and was hit once by enemy ordnance, a 5-inch shell that passed through her radar antenna without detonation.
In 1942, she was sent to the North Atlantic to fill in for British ships that had been redeployed around Madagascar
Battle of Madagascar
The Battle of Madagascar was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy-French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.-Geo-political:...
. She was assigned to guard against a possible sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
by the German battleship , and to provide distant cover for several Iceland–Murmansk convoys
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
. In July, she returned to the United States for an overhaul before being deployed to the Pacific in August for action against Imperial Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, where she became 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...
of Rear Admiral Willis Augustus Lee. Two months after her arrival at Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
in September 1942, Washington was tasked with intercepting a Japanese naval task force near Guadalcanal along with and four destroyers. In the ensuing battle
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
, South Dakota was severely damaged, but Washington sustained almost no damage while her guns sank the battleship and the destroyer . Washington operated as an escort for 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...
task forces for most of 1943, and then bombarded 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...
in December in company with five other battleships. Around dawn on 1 February 1944, Washington rammed the battleship and incurred several fatalities when the latter was maneuvering across the formation to refuel destroyers. With around 60 feet (18.3 m) of her bow heavily damaged, Washington was forced to retire. The 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...
shipyards fitted the battleship with a temporary bow; a full restoration had to wait until the ship docked in the Puget Sound Navy Yard.
Washington arrived back in the war zone only in mid-1944. She took part in bombarding 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...
and 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....
before joining the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
, where the Japanese Combined Fleet
Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....
's aircraft were decisively defeated by American sea-based fighters and anti-aircraft fire. For the rest of the war, Washington alternated between shore bombardment and carrier escort, including direct support in the battles of Iwo Jiwa
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
and Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
. On 1 July 1945, the battleship headed for the United States for a badly needed overhaul. She entered the Puget Sound Navy Yard and did not emerge until October, after the end of the war
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
. She sailed to Philadelphia, participating in Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
celebrations there, before her assignment to Operation Magic Carpet, the withdrawal of American military personnel from overseas deployments. Washington was decommissioned on 27 June 1947, struck on 1 June 1960, and sold for scrapping
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
on 24 May 1961.
Construction and commissioning
- For further information, see
Washington and sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
were both authorized in January 1937. Five shipyards, including three private corporations (Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works in 1905...
, New York Shipbuilding
New York Shipbuilding
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. Located in Camden, New Jersey on the east shore of the Delaware River, New York Ship built more than 500 vessels for the U.S...
, and Newport News Shipbuilding), and two naval shipyards (Philadelphia
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
and Brooklyn, New York
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...
) tendered bids to build the ships. As the government-owned yards had significantly lower bids, the Navy assigned North Carolina to Brooklyn and Washington to Philadelphia.
Washingtons keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid on 14 June 1938 in Philadelphia's Slipway
Slipway
A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...
No. 3, and the hull 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 1 June 1940, the first battleship launched in the United States since 1921. After a near debacle during the launch of the destroyer , when a merchant ship did not heed the warnings of the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, 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...
was closed for 2 miles (3.2 km) around the site of Washingtons launch. This had the added—or primary—benefit of clearing the river to deprive potential spies of photographic and other information on the ships. Other efforts to prevent any photos included air patrols above the slipway, state police
State police (United States)
In the United States, state police are a police body unique to each U.S. state, having statewide authority to conduct law enforcement activities and criminal investigations...
across the river, and the exclusion of any person who could not produce proper credentials. Still, 25,000 attended the ceremony and heard a speech by Senator David I. Walsh
David I. Walsh
David Ignatius Walsh was a United States politician from Massachusetts. As a member of the Democratic Party, he served in the state legislature and then as Lieutenant Governor and then as the 46th Governor . His first term in the U.S...
, the chairman of the Senate's Committee on Naval Affairs
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
. Washington was sponsored
Ship Sponsor
A ship sponsor, by tradition, is a female civilian who is invited to "sponsor" a vessel, presumably to bestow good luck and divine protection over the seagoing vessel and all that sail aboard...
and christened by 15-year-old Virginia Marshall (a direct descendant of former Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
John Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
), who broke a bottle of champagne over the bow as the ship slid into the water. Immediately after, tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
s pushed the incomplete ship into a nearby drydock for fitting-out
Fitting-out
Fitting-out, or "outfitting”, is the process in modern shipbuilding that follows the float-out of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her owners...
. The main guns were installed during this time after being transported from the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
on two barges towed by . Soon after being completed, Washington 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...
into the United States Navy on 15 May 1941.
Washington was 728 foot long, 108 foot wide, and had a 34 in 9 in (10.59 m) maximum draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
. The ship was powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox three-drum express-type boilers driving four sets of General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
geared turbines. These were nominally rated at 121,000 shaft horsepower (shp) to four propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s, giving the ship a top speed of roughly 28 kn (34.1 mph; 54.9 km/h). At the more economical 15 kn (18.3 mph; 29.4 km/h), Washington could steam for 17450 nmi (20,081.2 mi; 32,317.4 km).
Washingtons main battery
Main battery
Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns...
was composed of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 gun
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...
s arranged in three 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 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...
turrets were located near the bow, while the third was at the stern. Secondary armament included dual purpose
Dual purpose gun
A dual purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.-Description:Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and cruisers ; a secondary battery for use against enemy...
5"/38 caliber Mark 12 guns, arranged all around the superstructure, and greatly varying numbers of 1.1"/75 caliber guns, Browning .50 caliber machine guns, and Bofors 40 mm and Oerkilon 20 mm
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
autocannon
Autocannon
An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
s.
1941–1942: Atlantic service
Although commissioned, her engine had not been run at full power—like North Carolina, Washington had major problems with acute longitudinal vibrations from her propeller shafts. A problem shared with her sister and other ships like , it was only cured after different propellers were tested aboard North Carolina, including four- and five-bladed versions, as well as a cut-down version of the original three-bladed propeller. Eventually, a combination of two four-bladed propellers on the outside and two five-bladed inboard propellers partially solved the issue, allowing Washington to run builder's trials on 3 August 1941. Loaded at about 44400 long tons (45,112.6 t), the propulsion plant was tested at 123,850 shp, but speed was not recorded. On 2 December, Washington was able to steam at about 28 kn (34.1 mph; 54.9 km/h) when loaded at about 42100 long tons (42,775.7 t), while a full power trial at 45,000 long tons yielded 27.1 kn (33 mph; 53.1 km/h). In February 1942 she achieved 127,100 and 121,000 shp. Still, various propeller combinations were employed through the greater part of 1943, and the vibrations were never fully corrected.During these tests, Washington joined Battleship Division Six 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...
of 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 :...
John W. Wilcox, Jr.
John W. Wilcox, Jr.
Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Jr. was a native of Georgia and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy class of 1905. As commander of Battleships, Atlantic Fleet, he was lost at sea on March 27, 1942, washed from the decks of his flagship, the USS Washington , in the North Atlantic off Sable...
, the commander of the division and of all battleships in 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...
. During this time, she was accompanied at times by North Carolina and the recently commissioned aircraft carrier . On 26 March 1942, Washington was reassigned to Task Force 39, which was also commanded by Wilcox. She continued serving as his flagship as they departed that day from Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Maine with , , , and various smaller ships. Their destination was the United Kingdom; they were needed to reinforce the British Home Fleet in case left port and to take the place of British ships being sent to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
as part of Operation "Ironclad"
Battle of Madagascar
The Battle of Madagascar was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy-French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.-Geo-political:...
.
While crossing the Atlantic, a man went overboard
Man overboard
Man overboard is a situation in which a person has fallen from a boat or ship into the water and is in need of rescue. Whoever sees the person's fall should shout "man overboard" to alert other crew members and attempt to maintain visual contact with the person in the water...
in heavy seas. It was found shortly thereafter that it had been Wilcox. Planes from Wasp assisted while Tuscaloosa dropped life buoys and two destroyers combed the area behind the battleship. A crewman aboard saw a body face-down in the water, but the ship was unable to bring it aboard due to the sea conditions. It will probably never be known what exactly happened; he could have been washed overboard by a large wave, while the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy...
says "one school of thought has it that he had suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
."
Now commanded by Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen
Robert C. Giffen
-Birth to the beginning of World War I:Robert Carlisle Giffen was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on 29 June 1886. He attended the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend, Indiana, before appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy from the State of Nebraska in 1903...
in Wichita, the force continued to Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, arriving on 4 April 1942. They became part of the Home Fleet, which was commanded by Admiral John C. Tovey
John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey
Admiral of the Fleet John Cronyn "Jack" Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey GCB, KBE, DSO, DCL was a Royal Navy admiral who served in both World Wars. He signed himself as "Jack", not "John". Tovey joined the Royal Navy before World War I, and commanded destroyers in that war. He rose, with several senior...
; he flew his flag on the battleship . The majority of this month was filled with maneuvers and practicing. It was only on 28 April that Washington left Scapa Flow for an operation. Accompanied by various ships, including King George V, , and six destroyers from Britain and Wichita, Tuscaloosa and four destroyers from the United States, Washington was assigned to provide distant cover for PQ-15
Convoy PQ 15
Convoy PQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late April 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports after air attacks that sank three ships...
, one of the Iceland–Murmansk convoys
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
. It was the first time that American ships had ever operated with the Home Fleet. Washington was damaged on 1 May when King George V accidentally rammed the destroyer , cutting it in two. Directly behind King George V, Washington passed through the same stretch of sea as the sinking destroyer, receiving damage from depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s as they went down with the ship and exploded as they sank. Though damage to the hull was minimal—limited to only one leaking fuel tank—many devices on the ship were damaged, including all of the main battery range finders and three circuit breaker
Circuit breaker
A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and, by interrupting continuity, to immediately discontinue electrical flow...
s. In addition, three fire control systems and the radar were put out of action from mechanical shock
Shock (mechanics)
A mechanical or physical shock is a sudden acceleration or deceleration caused, for example, by impact, drop, kick, earthquake, or explosion. Shock is a transient physical excitation....
. King George V, her bow heavily damaged, was forced to leave the task force with an escort of destroyers to be repaired.
Hvalfjörður
Hvalfjörður is situated in the west of Iceland between Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The fjord is approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide....
, Iceland to load supplies from . On 15 May they left to rejoin elements of the Home Fleet, and docked at Scapa Flow on 3 June. On 4 June, Washington hosted the commander of naval forces in Europe, Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark
Harold Rainsford Stark
Harold Rainsford Stark served as an officer in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. Stark was the US Navy's 8th Chief of Naval Operations, from August 1, 1939 to 26 March 1942....
, who set up a temporary headquarters on the ship for the next few days. On 7 June, King George VI inspected the battleship. For the next month, Washington remained in the North Atlantic to provide distant cover against the threat of German heavy ships (including Tirpitz) for the next two PQ convoys, PQ-16 and PQ-17
Convoy PQ-17
PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied World War II convoy in the Arctic Ocean. In July 1942, the Arctic convoys suffered a significant defeat when Convoy PQ 17 lost 24 of its 35 merchant ships during a series of heavy enemy daylight attacks which lasted a week. On 27 June, the ships sailed...
.
PQ-17 was notable for being a complete disaster. In a confusing series of events, the British Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
ordered the convoy to scatter on 4 July; the way the messages were phrased indicated to the commanders of the convoy and escort that Tirpitz was nearby. However, Tirpitz, escorted by and six destroyers, was still off northern Norway. The decision to disperse the ships left many of the merchant ships alone; the ones that were lucky enough to still have an escort had only small warships, as all ships larger than destroyers had been ordered to sail west at high speed, fearing a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attack. Only thirteen merchant ships of the thirty-four present before scattering reached Russia; the rest were sunk by U-boats and aircraft of the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Washington was recalled to the United States shortly after this debacle. She departed Hvalfjörður on 14 July with an escort of four destroyers and set sail for New York. She put in at Gravesend Bay
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
on 21 July, but two days later she moved to the 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...
for an overhaul.
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Washington departed the navy yard on 23 August with an escort of three destroyers. She sailed south to the Panama CanalPanama 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...
and traversed the locks
Panama Canal Locks
The Panama Canal Locks, which lift ships up 25.9 m to the main elevation of the Panama Canal, were one of the greatest engineering works ever to be undertaken at the time, eclipsed only by other parts of the canal project. No other concrete construction of comparable size was undertaken...
on 28 August. Once through, she continued west into the Pacific, arriving off Nukuʻalofa
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
, the capital of Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, on 14 September. She was chosen by Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr. to be his flagship. Washington was assigned to Task Force 17, based around the aircraft carrier , on the 15th. Along with various other ships, Washington operated out of Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
and Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
and took part in various elements of 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...
, including protecting the convoys moving needed materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
to the Battle of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
, until early November.
By this time, the naval outlook for the Allies in the Pacific was poor. With the torpedoing of by and the loss of , only one carrier, was available. In addition, the Japanese were using their naval night-fighting prowess to great effect by sending heavy warships to shell Henderson Field
Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)
Henderson Field is a former military airfield on Guadacanal, Solomon Islands during World War II. Today it is Honiara International Airport.-Japanese construction:...
while light forces would run supplies to beleaguered soldiers on Guadalcanal. After the Japanese army was repulsed during the Battle for Henderson Field
Battle for Henderson Field
The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Henderson Field or Battle of Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23-26 October 1942 on and around Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands...
, reinforcements were needed, so Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto
was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....
loaded eleven transports with members of the Japanese 38th Infantry Division and put together a support force that included the rebuilt s and . The latter group was to neutralize Henderson Field so that the slower transports could reach Guadalcanal. During the first attempt to accomplish this, made on the night of 12/13 November, the support force destroyed or damaged nearly every ship of an American task force of five cruisers and eight destroyers, as well as taking the lives of two US Navy Rear Admirals, Norman Scott riding the light cruiser Atlanta and the task force commander Daniel J. Callaghan
Daniel J. Callaghan
Daniel Judson Callaghan was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. In a career spanning just over 30 years, he served his country in two wars...
in the heavy cruiser San Francisco, but then turned and retreated, losing Hiei to American aircraft on the 13th. Running low on available undamaged ships, South Dakota and Washington, along with the destroyers , , , and , were dispatched from the vicinity of Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
.
Another Japanese fleet, this one made up of Kirishima, the cruisers , , , , and nine destroyers, was sent to Guadalcanal. The American submarine spotted this force east of Santa Ysabel late in the afternoon of the 14th, and after firing and missing with three torpedoes, reported the position and number of the oncoming ships to Lee. Approaching on a northerly course, nine miles west of Guadalcanal, Task Force 64 was reported by the Japanese reconnaissance planes to consist of a battleship, a cruiser, and four destroyers steaming in column formation. Walke led, followed by Benham, Preston, Gwin, and the two battleships, Washington and South Dakota. Both the Japanese and Americans knew about the same information on each others' forces by the afternoon of 14 November.
Vectored in, the American force prepared to intercept the Japanese. Prior to the battle, Prestons primitive SC radar equipment was interfering with the more advanced set on the Washington, so it was shut off. At 22:55, Washingtons SG surface-search radar found a firm target 18000 yards (16,459.2 m) to the northwest well off the starboard bow. This was Sendai. Although the American ships were in firing range, they held fire while they searched for additional targets. At 23:12 Washington obtained a visual sighting, and the South Dakota reported that they also had a sighting over the TBS (Talk Between Ships) radio. Four minutes later, Admiral Lee gave the order to all of TF 16 "open fire when you are ready." Washington and South Dakota both immediately opened fire at the Sendai with their 16 in (406.4 mm) guns at a range of 11000 yd (6.3 mi; 10.1 km). Almost simultaneously, Washington fired three of her starboard 5-inch guns at . All of the 16 in (406.4 mm) shots missed—42 from Washington—and Rear Admiral Shintarō Hashimoto
Shintaro Hashimoto
-Web:- Firsthand account of the battle by a member of HMS Vigilant's crew.- Fairly detailed account of the battle...
ordered Sendai and Shikinami to lay down a smoke screen and retreat. However, Washington fired until they were well out of visual view, using its 5 inch guns, hoping to discourage Ayanami and Uranami from attacking from that area. However the South Dakota did not fire as they were afraid of hitting the Washington. The four escorting destroyers moved in to fire torpedoes, but were easily destroyed or damaged enough to take no further part in the battle. Walke sunk directly in front of Washington at 2342, which was unable to turn away but dropped several lifeboats
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
into the water.
Battleship Kirishima vs Washington
IJN Admiral KondoKondo
Kondō is a Japanese surname, and is sometimes used in other contexts.People named Kondo:* Koji Kondo, musician, composer* Dorinne K...
aboard the heavy cruiser Atago was still intent on accomplishing his mission of blasting Henderson Field
Henderson Field
Henderson Field is the name of several airports:* Henderson Field on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands, renamed to Honiara International Airport in 2003....
with 14 inch shells with his battleship Kirishima. And he still discounted sightings of US battleships, even while lookouts from his cruisers Atago and Takao consistently reported that US battleships were present in the American surface group. With reports from his destroyers that the fight was going well against the US Navy, Kondo dispatched his light cruiser Nagara and destroyers to continue with the fray as he took the Kirishima, Atago and Takao to continue towards Henderson Field for bombardment.
South Dakotas effectiveness was drastically reduced by power failures. Having no radar and virtually blind, South Dakota sailed to within 5000 yd (2.8 mi; 4.6 km) of the Japanese force and was illuminated by searchlights. She suffered heavy damage, receiving some 27 hits from 5-, 6-, 8- and 14-inch shells. However, with attention focused on South Dakota the Washington was able to maneuver completely undetected. She moved to about 8400 yd from 12650 yd away from Kirishima and opened fire. In the span of seven minutes, the Japanese ship was struck by nine 16-inch and around forty 5-inch shells, destroying her ability to steer and setting her on fire. Now realizing Washingtons position, some of the Japanese destroyers gave chase and fired torpedoes, forcing Washington to evade (several detonated in her wake), but they soon withdrew under the cover of a smoke screen. Washington found South Dakota later in the morning, and the two set course for Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
.
Washington was not hit during the battle; the nearest shells fell 200 yards (182.9 m) away. She fired a total of 117 16-inch and 522 five-inch shells. South Dakota steamed for the Brooklyn, New York 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...
for two months of repairs and refitting. Kirishima and the destroyer were scuttled during the day after the battle.
1943
While South Dakota steamed all the way to New York City for major repairs, Washington remained in the South Pacific theater, based at New Caledonia and continuing as flagship for Rear Admiral Lee. The battleship protected aircraft carrier groups and task forces engaged in the ongoing Solomons campaign until late in April 1943, operating principally with TF 11, which included the recently repaired , which had been hit by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine, and with TF 16, built around .Washington departed from Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
on 30 April 1943, bound for Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. While en route, TF 16 joined up; and, together, the ships reached 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...
on 8 May, Washington, as a unit of, and the flagship of, TF 60, carried out battle practice in Hawaiian waters until 28 May 1943, after which time she entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for more overhaul.
Washington resumed battle practice in the Hawaiian operating area upon conclusion of those repairs and alterations and joined a convoy on 27 July to form TG 56.14, bound for the South Pacific. Detached on 6 August, Washington reached Havannah Harbor at Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
in the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
on 7 August. She then operated out of Efate until late in October, principally engaged in battle practice and tactics with the fast carrier task force
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...
.
Departing Havannah Harbor on the last day of October, Washington steamed as a unit of TG 53.2 — four battleships and six destroyers. The next day, carriers Enterprise, , and , as well as the other screening units of TG 53.3, joined TG 53.2 and came under Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee
Willis A. Lee
Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee, Jr. was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for the island...
. The ships held combined maneuvers until 6 November, when the carriers departed the formation. Washington, with her escorts, steamed to Viti Levu
Viti Levu
Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
, in the Fiji Islands, arriving on 7 November.
Four days later, however, Washington was again underway, with Rear Admiral Lee — by that point Commander, Battleships, Pacific — embarked, in company with other units of BatDivs 8 and 9. On 16 November, the battlewagons and their screens joined. Rear Admiral Charles Alan Pownall
Charles Alan Pownall
Charles Alan Pownall was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and Governor of Guam . He was the third military Governor and first naval Governor of Guam following the United States recapture of the island from the Japanese...
's TG 50.1, with Rear Admiral Pownall flying his flag on . The combined force then proceeded toward 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...
to join in the daily bombings of Japanese positions in the Gilbert Islands and 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...
, softening them up for impending amphibious assault.
On 19 November, the planes from TG 50.1 attacked Mili
Mili Atoll
Mili Atoll is a coral atoll of 92 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately southeast of Arno Its total land area is making it the second largest of the Marshall Islands after Kwajalein. It encloses a...
and Jaluit in the Marshalls, continuing those strikes through 20 November, the day upon which Navy, Marine, and Army forces landed on Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
and 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:...
in the Gilberts. On 22 November, the task group sent its planes against Mili in successive waves; subsequently, the group steamed to operate north of Makin.
Washington rendezvoused with other carrier groups that composed TF 50 on 25 November and, during the reorganization that followed, she was assigned to TG 50.4, the fast carrier task group under the command of Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman
Frederick C. Sherman
Frederick Carl Sherman was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.Sherman was born in Port Huron, Michigan in 1888. His grandfather, Loren Sherman, was the longtime editor and publisher of The Daily Times in Port Huron...
. The carriers comprising the core of the group were and . The other two battleships screening the carriers were and South Dakota. Eight 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 rounded out the screen.
This task group operated north of 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:...
, providing air, surface, and antisubmarine protection for the unfolding unloading operations at Makin, starting on 26 November. Enemy planes attacked the group on 27 November and the next day, but these were driven off without inflicting any damage on the fast carrier task group.
As the Gilbert Islands campaign drew to a close, TG 50.8 was formed on 6 December, under Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, in Washington. Other ships of that group included sister ship , , , South Dakota, and Alabama and the fleet carrier Bunker Hill and the light carrier Monterey. 11 destroyers screened the heavy ships.
The group first steamed south and west of Ocean Island
Banaba Island
Banaba Island , an island in the Pacific Ocean, is a solitary raised coral island west of the Gilbert Island chain and 300 km east of Nauru. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. It has an area of 6.5 km², and the highest point on the island is also the highest point in Kiribati, at 81...
to take position for the scheduled air and surface bombardment of the island of 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...
. Before dawn on 8 December, the carriers launched their strike groups while the bombardment force formed in column; 135 rounds of 16-inch fire from the six battleships were fired at the Japanese installations on Nauru; and, upon completion of the shelling, the battleships' secondary batteries took their turn; two airplanes from each battleship spotted the fall of shells.
After a further period of air strikes had been flown off against 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...
, the task group steamed for Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, where they arrived on 12 December. On that day, due to a change in the highest command echelons, TF 57 became TF 37.
1944
Washington remained at Efate for less than two weeks. Underway on Christmas Day, flying Rear Admiral Lee's flag, the battleship steamed out in company with her sister ship North Carolina and a screen of four destroyers to conduct gunnery practice, returning to the New Hebrides on 7 January 1944.Eleven days later, the battleship departed from Efate for the Ellice Islands. Joining TG 37.2, the aircraft carriers Monterey and Bunker Hill and four destroyers, Washington reached Funafuti
Funafuti
Funafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
, Ellice Islands, on 20 January. Three days later, the battleship, along with the rest of the task group, put to sea to make rendezvous with elements of TF 58, the Fast Carrier Task Force
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...
under the overall command of Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher. Becoming part of TG 58.1, Washington screened the fast carriers in her group as they launched air strikes on Taroa
Taroa
Taroa, also known as Tarawa, is an island in the east of Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. During World War II, it was the site of a major Japanese airfield...
and Kwajalein
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...
in the waning days of January 1944. Washington, together with Massachusetts and Indiana, left the formation with four destroyers as an ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
screen, and they shelled Kwajalein Atoll on 30 January. Further air strikes followed the next day.
On 1 February, Washington, while maneuvering in the darkness, rammed as that ship cut across Washingtons bow while dropping out of formation to fuel escorting destroyers. Both battleships retired for repairs. Washington had sustained 60 ft (18.3 m) of crumpled bow plating, and several of her sailors were killed or seriously injured. The captain of Indiana immediately admitted fault for this collision.
Both ships entered the lagoon at Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
the next morning. Subsequently, after her damaged bow was temporarily reinforced, Washington departed from Majuro on 11 February, bound for 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...
, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
With a temporary bow fitted at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, Washington continued on to the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Reaching the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, the Washington received a new bow over the weeks that followed her arrival. Joining BatDiv 4 at Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately north-northwest of Seattle . The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census an increase of 9.3% over the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County...
, Washington embarked 500 additional men as passengers, and she steamed towards Pearl Harbor, reaching her destination on 13 June, and disembarking her passengers.
Arriving back at Majuro on 30 May, Washington again flew Admiral Lee's flag as he shifted to this battleship soon after her arrival. Lee, now a Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
, rode on the battleship as she headed out to sea again, departing from Majuro on 7 June and joining Mitscher's TF 58.
Washington supported the air strikes pummeling enemy defenses in the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
on the islands of 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....
, 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...
, Rota
Rota (island)
Rota also known as the "peaceful island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. It lies approximately 40 miles north-northeast of the United States territory of Guam...
, and Pagan
Pagan Island
Pagan is an island of the Northern Mariana Islands chain,located at , approximately 320 kilometers northof Saipan.Pagan has an area of 47.23 km² , making it the fourth largest island of the Northern Marianas, and consists of two stratovolcanoes joined by a narrow strip of land.The...
. TF 58's fliers also attacked twice and damaged a Japanese convoy in the vicinity on 12 June. The following day, Vice Admiral Lee's battleship-destroyer task group was detached from the main body of the force and conducted shore bombardment against enemy installations on Saipan and Tinian. Relieved on 14 June by two task groups under Rear Admirals Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse Bartlett "Oley" Oldendorf was an admiral in the United States Navy, famous for defeating a Japanese force in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II...
and Walden L. Ainsworth
Walden L. Ainsworth
Walden Lee "Pug" Ainsworth was an admiral of the United States Navy. For his role in commanding destroyer and cruiser task forces in the Pacific during World War II, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit.-Early life and career:Ainsworth was...
, Vice Admiral Lee's group retired momentarily.
On 15 June, Admiral Mitscher's TF 58 planes bombed Japanese installations on 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...
in the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands. Meanwhile, marines landed on Saipan under cover of intensive naval gunfire and carrier-based planes.
That same day, Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa
Jisaburo Ozawa
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of Combined Fleet. Many military historians regard Ozawa as one of the most capable Japanese flag officers.-Biography:...
, commanding the main body of the Japanese Fleet, was ordered to attack and destroy the invasion force in the Marianas. The departure of his carrier group, however, came under the scrutiny of the submarine , as it left Tawi Tawi, the westernmost island in the Sulu Archipelago
Sulu Archipelago
The Sulu Archipelago is a chain of islands in the southwestern Philippines. This archipelago is considered to be part of the Moroland by the local rebel independence movement. This island group forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea....
.
also sighted Ozawa's force as it entered the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
. radioed a contact report on an enemy refueling group on 16 June and continued tracking it as it headed for the Marianas. She again sighted Japanese Combined Fleet units on 18 June.
Admiral Raymond Spruance, commanding the 5th Fleet, had meanwhile learned of the Japanese movement and accordingly issued his battle plan. Vice Admiral Lee's force formed a protective screen around the vital fleet carriers. Washington, six other battleships, four heavy cruisers, and 14 destroyers deployed to cover the flattops; on 19 June, the ships came under attack from Japanese carrier-based and land-based planes as the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
commenced. The tremendous firepower of the screen, however, together with the aggressive combat air patrols flown from the American carriers, proved too much for even the aggressive Japanese. The heavy loss of Japanese aircraft, sometimes referred to as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot", caused serious losses in the Japanese naval air arm. During four massive raids, the enemy launched 373 planes; only 130 returned.
In addition, 50 land-based bombers from Guam fell in flames. Over 930 American carrier planes were involved in the aerial action; their losses amounted to comparatively few: 29 shot down and six lost operationally without the loss of a single ship in Mitscher's task force.
Only a few of the enemy planes managed to get through the barrage of flak and fighters, one scoring a direct hit on South Dakota, killing 27 and wounding 29. A bomb burst over the flight deck of the carrier , killing one man, wounding 12, and covering her flight deck with bits of phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
. Two planes dove on Bunker Hill, one scoring a near miss and the other a hit that holed an elevator, knocking out the hangar deck gasoline system temporarily; killing three and wounding 79. Several fires started were promptly quenched. In addition, and Indiana also received slight damage.
Not only did the Japanese lose heavily in planes; two of their carriers were soon on their way to the bottom. was torpedoed and sunk by ; was sunk by Cavalla. His flagship Taihō sunk out from under him, Admiral Ozawa transferred his flag to .
As the Battle of the Philippine Sea proceeded to a close, the Japanese Mobile Fleet steamed back to its bases, defeated. Admiral Mitscher's task force meanwhile retired to cover the invasion operations proceeding in the Marianas. Washington fueled east of that chain of islands and then continued her screening duties with TG 58.4 to the south and west of Saipan, supporting the continuing air strikes on islands in the Marianas, the strikes concentrated on Guam by that point.
On 25 July, aircraft of TG 58.4 conducted air strikes on the Palau Islands and on enemy shipping in the vicinity, continuing their schedule of strikes through 6 August. On that day, Washington, with , Indiana, Alabama, the light cruiser , and a destroyer screen, was detached from the screen of TG 58.4, forming TG 58.7, under Vice Admiral Lee. That group arrived at Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands to refuel and replenish on 11 August and remained there for almost the balance of the month. On 30 August, that group departed, headed for, first, the Admiralty Islands, and ultimately, the Palaus.
Washingtons heavy guns supported the taking of Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
and Angaur
Angaur
Angaur or Ngeaur is an island in the island nation of Palau. The island, which forms its own state, has an area of 8 km² . Its population is 188 . State capital is the village of Ngeremasch on the western side...
in the Palaus and supported the carrier strikes on Okinawa on 10 October, on northern Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
and 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...
from 11 October to 14 October, as well as the Visayan
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
air strikes on 21 October. From 5 November 1944 to 17 February 1945, Washington, as a vital unit of the fast carrier striking forces, supported raids on Okinawa, 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...
; Formosa; Luzon; Camranh Bay and Saigon in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
; 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...
; Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
; Hainan Island; Nansei Shoto; and the heart of the enemy homeland, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
itself.
1945
From 19 February to 22 February, Washingtons heavy rifles hurled 16-inch shells shoreward in support of the landings on Iwo Jima. In preparation for the assault, Washingtons main and secondary batteries destroyed gun positions, troop concentrations, and other ground installations. From 23 February to 16 March, the fast battleship supported the unfolding invasion of Iwo JimaBattle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
, including a carrier raid upon Tokyo on 25 February. On 18–19 March, and again on 29 March, Washington screened the Fleet's carriers as they launched airstrikes against Japanese airfields and other installations on the island of 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....
. On 24 March, and again on 19 April, Washington lent her support to the shellings of Japanese positions on the island of Okinawa.
Anchoring at San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, Leyte, on 1 June 1945 after an almost ceaseless slate of operations, Washington steamed for the west coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 6 June, making stops at Guam and Pearl Harbor before reaching the Puget Sound Naval Yard on 28 June.
As it turned out, Washington would not participate in active combat in the Pacific theater again. Her final wartime refit carried on through V-J Day in mid-August 1945 and the formal Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
on 2 September. She completed her post-repair trials and conducted underway training out of San Pedro, California, before she headed for the Panama Canal returning to the Atlantic Ocean. Joining TG 11.6 on 6 October, with Vice Admiral Frederick C. Sherman in overall command, she soon transited the Panama Canal and headed for 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,...
, the place where she had been "born". Arriving at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
on 17 October, she participated in Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
ceremonies there on 27 October.
Post-war
Assigned to troop transport duty on 2 November 1945 as part of Operation Magic Carpet, Washington went into dockyard hands on that day, emerging on 15 November with additional bunking facilities below and a crew that now consisted of only 84 officers and 835 men. Steaming on 16 November for the British Isles, Washington reached Southampton, England on 22 November.After embarking 185 Army officers and 1,479 enlisted men, Washington steamed 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...
. She completed that voyage and, after that brief stint as a transport, was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 June 1947. Assigned to the New York group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Washington remained inactive through the late 1950s, ultimately being struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on 1 June 1960. The vessel was sold on 24 May 1961, and was scrapped soon thereafter.
Awards
Washington earned 13 service stars during World War II in operations that had carried her from the Arctic CircleArctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
off Norway, to the southern and western Pacific.