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USS Mississippi (BB-41)
Encyclopedia
USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), a , was the third ship of the United States Navy
named in honor of the 20th state
, and the second battleship to carry the name. Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I
, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II
, for which she earned eight battle stars. She was one of several pre-war battleships that participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.
After the war, her two sisters were quickly decommissioned and scrapped, but Mississippi continued to serve another decade as a weapons testing ship (AG-128). She played an important role in the development of the RIM-2 Terrier
missile system.
After an attempt to acquire her as a museum ship
failed, she was sold for scrap in 1956.
Company of Newport News, Virginia
. She was launched
on 25 January 1917 sponsored by Miss Camelle McBeath, daughter of the Chairman of the Mississippi
State Highway Commission; and commissioned
on 18 December 1917, Captain
J. L. Jayne in command.
, Mississippi steamed on 22 March 1918 for training in the Gulf of Guacanayabo
, Cuba
. One month later, she returned to Hampton Roads
and cruised between Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City
until departing for winter maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea
on 31 January 1919.
In 1923 the Mississippi was used as part of a public exercise with members of Congress and reporters from the various newspaper, watched as the Mississippi sank the old Spanish-American War era battleship Iowa
, which had been converted to a radio controlled target ship, with her cannons, in the Gulf of Panama.
During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924 off San Pedro, 48 of her men were asphyxiated as a result of an explosion in her Number Two main battery turret. On 15 April 1925, she sailed from San Francisco, California
, for war games off Hawaii
, and then steamed to Australia on a good will tour. She returned to the west coast on 26 September, and resumed operations there for the next four years. During this period, she frequently sailed into Caribbean and Atlantic waters for exercises during the winter months.
Mississippi entered Norfolk Navy Yard on 30 March 1931 for a modernization overhaul. This overhaul significantly changed the ship's profile by removing the original fore and aft lattice mast
. The former was replaced with a tower. Modernization also included replacement of earlier 3 in (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft
guns with eight 5 in (127 mm)/25 cal guns. She departed once again on training exercises in September 1933. Transiting the Panama Canal
on 24 October 1934, she steamed back to her base at San Pedro. For the next seven years, she operated off the west coast, except for winter Caribbean cruises.
on 16 June 1941, she prepared for patrol service in the North Atlantic. Steaming from Newport, Rhode Island
, she escorted a convoy to Hvalfjordur, Iceland. She made another trip to Iceland
on 28 September, and spent the next two months there protecting shipping.
Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor
, Mississippi left Iceland for the Pacific. Arriving on 22 January 1942 at San Francisco, she spent the next seven months training and escorting convoys along the coast. Beginning in May 1942, the original 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal guns of the secondary battery were removed to make room for anti-aircraft machine guns. On 6 December, after participating in exercises off Hawaii, she steamed with troop transports to the Fiji Islands, returning to Pearl Harbor
on 2 March 1943. On 10 May, she sailed from Pearl Harbor to participate in a move to restore the Aleutian Islands to the United States. Kiska Island was shelled on 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. After overhaul at San Francisco, Mississippi sailed from San Pedro on 19 October to take part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands
. While bombarding Makin
on 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men.
On 31 January 1944, she took part in the Marshall Islands
campaign, shelling Kwajalein
. She bombarded Taroa
on 20 February, and struck Wotje the next day. On 15 March, she pounded Kavieng, New Ireland. Due for an overhaul, she spent the summer months at Puget Sound
. This overhaul increased the number of 5 in (127 mm)/25 cal guns from eight to 14.
Returning to the war zone, Mississippi supported landings on Peleliu
, in the Palau Islands on 12 September. After a week of continuous operations she steamed to Manus
, where she remained until 12 October. Departing Manus, she assisted in the liberation of the Philippines
, shelling the east coast of Leyte on 19 October. On the night of 24 October, as part of Rear Admiral
Jesse Oldendorf's battleline, she helped to destroy a powerful Japanese task force at the Battle of Surigao Strait; Mississippi herself fired the final salvo in history by a battleship against other warships. As a result of the engagements at Leyte Gulf
, the Japanese navy was no longer able to mount any serious offensive threat. Her gunfire sank the battleship .
Mississippi continued to support the operations at Leyte Gulf until 16 November, when she steamed to the Admiralty Islands
. She then entered San Pedro Bay
, Leyte on 28 December, to prepare for the landings on Luzon
. On 6 January 1945, she began bombarding in Lingayen Gulf
. Despite damages near her waterline received from the crash of a kamikaze
, she supported the invasion forces until 10 February. Following repairs at Pearl Harbor, she sailed to Nakagusuku Wan, Okinawa, arriving on 6 May to support the landing forces there. Her powerful guns destroyed the defenses at Shuri Castle
, which had stalled the entire offensive. On 5 June, another kamikaze crashed into her starboard side, but the fighting ship continued to support the troops at Okinawa until 16 June.
After the announced surrender of Japan, Mississippi steamed to Sagami Wan, Honshū
, arriving on 27 August as part of the support occupation force. She anchored in Tokyo Bay
, witnessed the signing of the surrender documents, and steamed for home on 6 September.
. She also assisted in the final evaluation of the Petrel missile
, a radar-homing weapon, in February 1956.
Mississippi decommissioned at Norfolk on 17 September 1956. It was proposed that the State of Mississippi convert the ship as a museum at sea, in the same way that in Mobile, Alabama
operates, but these plans were not carried out. Instead, the Bethlehem Steel Company purchased the ship as scrap metal on 28 November of the same year.
service.
Her bell is securely installed in the gardens at Rosalie Mansion, on the site of Fort Rosalie
overlooking the Mississippi River
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 20th state
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and the second battleship to carry the name. Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, for which she earned eight battle stars. She was one of several pre-war battleships that participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.
After the war, her two sisters were quickly decommissioned and scrapped, but Mississippi continued to serve another decade as a weapons testing ship (AG-128). She played an important role in the development of the RIM-2 Terrier
RIM-2 Terrier
The Convair RIM-2 Terrier was a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile , and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships. Originally, the Terrier had a launch thrust of 23 kN , and weight of 1392 kg...
missile system.
After an attempt to acquire her as a museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
failed, she was sold for scrap in 1956.
Construction and commissioning
Her keel was laid down on 5 April 1915 by Newport News ShipbuildingNorthrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
Company of Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 25 January 1917 sponsored by Miss Camelle McBeath, daughter of the Chairman of the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
State Highway Commission; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 18 December 1917, 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....
J. L. Jayne in command.
World War I service
The ship was commissioned too late to participate in combat during World War I. Following exercises off VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Mississippi steamed on 22 March 1918 for training in the Gulf of Guacanayabo
Gulf of Guacanayabo
The Gulf of Guacanayabo is a bay along the southern coast of Cuba, bordered by Granma and Las Tunas provinces. It is located at .The largest port on the bay is Manzanillo, ad to the north-west, the gulf is bordered by the Jardines de la Reina archipellago...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. One month later, she returned to Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
and cruised between Boston, Massachusetts, and 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...
until departing for winter maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
on 31 January 1919.
Inter-War period
On 19 July 1919, she left the Atlantic seaboard and sailed for the west coast. Arriving at her new base, San Pedro, California, she operated along the west coast for the next four years, entering the Caribbean during the winter months for training exercises. Two of the original 14 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal guns were removed in 1922.In 1923 the Mississippi was used as part of a public exercise with members of Congress and reporters from the various newspaper, watched as the Mississippi sank the old Spanish-American War era battleship Iowa
USS Iowa (BB-4)
| The second half of the 19th century saw radical changes in shipbuilding design. Wood-built sailing ships with cannons were replaced by steam-powered warships armored with steel...
, which had been converted to a radio controlled target ship, with her cannons, in the Gulf of Panama.
During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924 off San Pedro, 48 of her men were asphyxiated as a result of an explosion in her Number Two main battery turret. On 15 April 1925, she sailed from San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, for war games off 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...
, and then steamed to Australia on a good will tour. She returned to the west coast on 26 September, and resumed operations there for the next four years. During this period, she frequently sailed into Caribbean and Atlantic waters for exercises during the winter months.
Mississippi entered Norfolk Navy Yard on 30 March 1931 for a modernization overhaul. This overhaul significantly changed the ship's profile by removing the original fore and aft lattice mast
Lattice mast
Lattice masts, or cage masts, are a type of observation mast common on major warships in the early 20th century. They were used most prominently on American dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers of the World War I era. Observation posts were mounted on the masts and used to direct the fire...
. The former was replaced with a tower. Modernization also included replacement of earlier 3 in (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns with eight 5 in (127 mm)/25 cal guns. She departed once again on training exercises in September 1933. Transiting the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on 24 October 1934, she steamed back to her base at San Pedro. For the next seven years, she operated off the west coast, except for winter Caribbean cruises.
World War II service
Returning to Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on 16 June 1941, she prepared for patrol service in the North Atlantic. Steaming from Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, she escorted a convoy to Hvalfjordur, Iceland. She made another trip to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
on 28 September, and spent the next two months there protecting shipping.
Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Mississippi left Iceland for the Pacific. Arriving on 22 January 1942 at San Francisco, she spent the next seven months training and escorting convoys along the coast. Beginning in May 1942, the original 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal guns of the secondary battery were removed to make room for anti-aircraft machine guns. On 6 December, after participating in exercises off Hawaii, she steamed with troop transports to the Fiji Islands, returning to 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 2 March 1943. On 10 May, she sailed from Pearl Harbor to participate in a move to restore the Aleutian Islands to the United States. Kiska Island was shelled on 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. After overhaul at San Francisco, Mississippi sailed from San Pedro on 19 October to take part in the invasion of 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...
. While bombarding 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:...
on 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men.
On 31 January 1944, she took part in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
campaign, shelling 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...
. She bombarded 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...
on 20 February, and struck Wotje the next day. On 15 March, she pounded Kavieng, New Ireland. Due for an overhaul, she spent the summer months at Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. This overhaul increased the number of 5 in (127 mm)/25 cal guns from eight to 14.
Returning to the war zone, Mississippi supported landings on 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....
, in the Palau Islands on 12 September. After a week of continuous operations she steamed to Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, where she remained until 12 October. Departing Manus, she assisted in the liberation of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, shelling the east coast of Leyte on 19 October. On the night of 24 October, as part of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Jesse Oldendorf's battleline, she helped to destroy a powerful Japanese task force at the Battle of Surigao Strait; Mississippi herself fired the final salvo in history by a battleship against other warships. As a result of the engagements at Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
, the Japanese navy was no longer able to mount any serious offensive threat. Her gunfire sank the battleship .
Mississippi continued to support the operations at Leyte Gulf until 16 November, when she steamed to the Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
. She then entered 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 28 December, to prepare for the landings on 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...
. On 6 January 1945, she began bombarding in Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
. Despite damages near her waterline received from the crash of a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
, she supported the invasion forces until 10 February. Following repairs at Pearl Harbor, she sailed to Nakagusuku Wan, Okinawa, arriving on 6 May to support the landing forces there. Her powerful guns destroyed the defenses at Shuri Castle
Shuri Castle
Shuri Castle is a gusuku in Shuri, Okinawa. It was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed...
, which had stalled the entire offensive. On 5 June, another kamikaze crashed into her starboard side, but the fighting ship continued to support the troops at Okinawa until 16 June.
After the announced surrender of Japan, Mississippi steamed to Sagami Wan, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, arriving on 27 August as part of the support occupation force. She anchored 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...
, witnessed the signing of the surrender documents, and steamed for home on 6 September.
Post-War
Mississippi arrived on 27 November 1945 at Norfolk, where she underwent conversion to an auxiliary ship, retaining her original name but reclassified as AG-128, effective 15 February 1946. As part of the development force, she spent the last 10 years of her career carrying out investigations of gunnery problems and testing new weapons, while based at Norfolk. She helped launch the Navy into the age of the guided-missile warship when she successfully test fired the Terrier missile on 28 January 1953 off Cape CodCape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. She also assisted in the final evaluation of the Petrel missile
AQM-41 Petrel
The AUM-N-2 Petrel was an air-to -surface missile produced by the United States of America. Later variants were converted into AQM-41A target drones.-Design and development:...
, a radar-homing weapon, in February 1956.
Mississippi decommissioned at Norfolk on 17 September 1956. It was proposed that the State of Mississippi convert the ship as a museum at sea, in the same way that in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
operates, but these plans were not carried out. Instead, the Bethlehem Steel Company purchased the ship as scrap metal on 28 November of the same year.
Awards
Mississippi received eight battle stars for World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service.
Her bell is securely installed in the gardens at Rosalie Mansion, on the site of Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie was a French fort built in 1716 in the territory of the Natchez Native Americans. The present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi developed at this site. As part of the peace terms that ended the Natchez War of 1716, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville required the Natchez to...
overlooking the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...