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March 11, 1916 – USS Nevada (BB-36) is commissioned as the first US Navy “super-dreadnought”. USS Nevada (BB-36), the second United States Navy ship to be named after the 36th state, was the lead ship of the two Nevada-class battleships; her sister ship was Oklahoma. Launched in 1914, the Nevada was a leap forward in dreadnought technology; four of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the “all or nothing” armor principle. These features made Nevada the first US Navy “super-dreadnought”. Nevada served in both World Wars: during the last few months of World War I, Nevada was based in Bantry Bay, Ireland, to protect the supply convoys that were sailing to and from Great Britain. In World War II, she was one of the battleships trapped when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She was the only battleship to get underway during the attack, making the ship “the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning” for the United States. Still, she was hit by one torpedo and at least six bombs while steaming away from Battleship Row, forcing her to be beached. Subsequently salvaged and modernized at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Nevada served as a convoy escort in the Atlantic and as a fire-support ship in four amphibious assaults: the Normandy Landings and the invasions of Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. At the end of World War II, the Navy decided that Nevada was too old to be retained, so they assigned her to be a target ship in the atomic experiments that were going to be conducted at Bikini Atoll in July 1946 (Operation Crossroads). After being hit by the blast from the first atomic bomb, Able, she was still afloat but heavily damaged and radioactive. She was decommissioned on 29 August 1946 and sunk during naval gunfire practice on 31 July 1948.
USS Nevada (BB-36) | Wikiwand
Posted from wikiwand.com
American History
Military History
Navy
Posted >1 y ago
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SP5 Mark Kuzinski LTC Stephen F. CPT Walt Tollefson During WWI my grandfather served as a gunner on the USS Caldwell (DD-69) which proformed escort duty in the North Atlantic; after the war transported troops to Brest, France and was part of President Wilson's escort for the treaty signing. He really enjoyed Paris especially Notre Dame even thou not a catholic. I saw what he meant during my various visits to Paris.
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The age of the Battleship peaked in WWI SP5 Mark Kuzinski when aircraft, tanks and self propelled artillery which dominated in WWII were introduced. Battleships especially our battleships are descended from the ironclads of the US civil war - particularly the Monitor with its rotating gun turret. Before the USA was involved in WWII. Battleships and Heavy cruisers were dominant in the north Atlantic naval battles. By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the dominance had shifted to the aircraft carrier in the Pacific. While battleships and cruisers were important at Coral Sea, Midway and the other major battles it was the Aircraft carriers which were the queen of battle and the target for all sides to attack. It is ironic that the USS Nevada did not participate in any offensive naval action in WWII yet it may well be the most famous battleship because of the memorial in its name.
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SSgt Robert Marx
The battleships took the role of shore bombardment for the U. S. Marine invasions, especially Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The big guns of the navy were instrumental aids for the boot’s doing the fighting. The five inch guns were excellent anti-aircraft platforms plus effective against enemy troop concentrations and tanks. The big sixteen inch guns were most effective against enemy bunkers and fortifications. The boys on the ground could feel the wind and recognize the sound of the ton and a half shells being fired. The fleet movements away from the islands under invasion seriously diminished American ability to destroy enemy infrastructure for aircraft could not see through the jungle canopy overhead on most of the battlefields.
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It is not every ship’s right to boast that a sneak aerial attack by Japan nor an atomic attack by her own side would sink her. She certainly could sustain damage and so was a credit to the Naval service.
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