USS Paducah (PG-18)

Figure 1: USS Paducah (PG-18) date and place unknown. Courtesy Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Paducah (PG-18) date and place unknown. Courtesy Robert Hirst. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Paducah (PG-18) at Gibraltar during World War I. Courtesy David Smith. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Dubuque (PG-17) or USS Paducah (PG-18) underway in harbor, circa 1916 or early 1917. Probably seen from USS Melville (Destroyer Tender # 2). A column of older ("pre-Dreadnought") battleships is steaming past in the background, headed toward the right. The original photograph is printed on postcard stock. Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2007. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: The former American gunboat USS Paducah (PG-18) as she appeared in 1947 after being converted into the passenger ship Geula. She is seen here entering the Mediterranean on her way to Bayonne, France, just before embarking on her epic journey to Palestine. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: Geula being boarded by British Royal Marines after she was captured by the Royal Navy on 2 October 1947. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: Passengers leaving Geula after she was brought to Haifa by the Royal Navy on 2 October 1947. These Jewish refugees then were taken to detention camps on Cyprus before eventually being sent back to Palestine to become citizens in the new state of Israel. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after a city in western Kentucky, USS Paducah (PG-18) was a 1,084-ton Dubuque class gunboat that was built by the Gas Engine and Power Company at Morris Heights, Long Island, New York, and was commissioned on 2 September 1905. She was the only sister ship of USS Dubuque (PG-17) and also had a “composite” hull (which was made up of wooden planks over a steel frame) that was built specifically for service in tropical climates. Paducah was approximately 200 feet long and 35 feet wide, had a top speed of 13 knots, and had a crew of 184 officers and men. The ship was armed with six 4-inch guns, four 6-pounders and two 1-pounder guns.

After a shakedown cruise, Paducah was assigned to the Caribbean Squadron in early 1906 and was used as a typical gunboat, protecting American lives and property throughout the Caribbean and along the coasts of South and Central America. She patrolled off the coast of Mexico right after the famous American landing at Vera Cruz in the summer of 1914, but returned to operations in the Caribbean shortly after that.

After America entered World War I in April 1917, Paducah was sent to the Portsmouth Navy Yard at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and converted into a convoy escort. She left the United States on 29 September 1917 and arrived at Gibraltar on 27 October and was based there throughout the war. While based at Gibraltar, Paducah escorted convoys to North Africa, Italy, the Azores, and Madeira. On 9 September 1918, Paducah attacked a German U-boat after it had torpedoed and sunk a ship in the convoy she was escorting. Paducah was credited with damaging the submarine, but there was no confirmation that the submarine had actually sunk.

Paducah left Gibraltar on 11 December 1918 and returned to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 7 January 1919. The ship was decommissioned on 2 March 1919 but was re-commissioned on 16 August 1920. Paducah was assigned to survey duty in the Caribbean and then was decommissioned once again on 9 September 1921. The gunboat was re-commissioned for the third time on 2 May 1922 and on 20 June she began a new career as a training ship for Naval Reservists in the Ninth Naval District and was based at Duluth, Minnesota.

Paducah returned to the East Coast in early 1941 and, after America entered World War II on 7 December, the old gunboat was sent to Little Creek, Virginia, where she was used as a gunnery practice ship for the US Naval Armed Guard School that was located there. For the remainder of World War II, Paducah served as a training ship for the Naval Armed Guard and stayed primarily in Chesapeake Bay. Paducah was decommissioned for the last time on 7 September 1945 and was transferred to the Maritime Commission. She was sold to Maria Angelo of Miami, Florida, on 19 December 1946.

After the ship was sold, she was transferred to the Israeli group Haganah and was renamed Geula, which means “Redemption” in Hebrew. A crew of American volunteers sailed the ship to Bayonne, France, and then continued the trip to Bulgaria, where Geula took on board 1,388 Jewish refugees. The ship tried to break through the British naval blockade of Palestine but was captured on 2 October 1947. Geula was brought to the port of Haifa, where she was held with other ships that also attempted to bring Jewish refugees to Palestine. She remained there for a while until the fledgling Israeli Navy examined her in 1948 for possible use as a warship. However, Geula was in such bad shape that the Israeli Navy decided against taking her into service. She then was converted into an Israeli merchant ship and steamed from Haifa to Naples, Italy, in late 1948. But this proved to be the end of the road for Geula, once known as USS Paducah. The elderly ex-gunboat never left Naples again and eventually was sold for scrap in 1951.

USS Dubuque (PG-17)

Figure 1: USS Dubuque (PG-17), date and place unknown. Courtesy David Buell. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Dubuque (PG-17), date and place unknown. Courtesy the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Dubuque (PG-17) or USS Paducah (PG-18) underway in harbor, circa 1916 or early 1917. Probably seen from USS Melville (Destroyer Tender # 2). A column of older ("pre-Dreadnought") battleships is steaming past in the background, headed toward the right. The original photograph is printed on postcard stock. Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2007. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Dubuque (PG-17) as seen during World War I. Courtesy US Warships of World War I. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: "O-Boats" of Submarine Division Eight at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, circa Christmas 1918. Note holiday greenery displayed on the submarines' superstructures. The three outboard submarines are (from left to right): USS O-6 (Submarine # 67); USS O-3 (Submarine # 64); and USS O-7 (Submarine # 68). The two-stack ship in the left center distance is probably USS Dubuque (PG-17). Copied from the collection of David J. Lohr, by courtesy of Radioman 1st Class Pamela J. Boyer, USN, 1986. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USS Dubuque (PG-17), circa 1943. US Navy photo. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Dubuque (PG-17) as she appeared on 15 June 1943. US Navy photo. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after a city in Iowa, USS Dubuque (PG-17) was a 1,084-ton gunboat that was built by the Gas Engine and Power Company at Morris Heights, Long Island, New York, and was commissioned on 3 June 1905. The ship had a “composite” hull (which was made up of wooden planks over a steel frame) and was built specifically for service in tropical climates. Dubuque was approximately 200 feet long and 35 feet wide, had a top speed of 13 knots, and had a crew of 198 officers and men. She was armed with six 4-inch guns, four 6-pounders and two 1-pounder guns.

Dubuque initially was based at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but eventually was sent to the Caribbean to protect American lives and property in the region. She participated in the notable rescue of American citizens from Cuban bandits on 19 May 1907 and remained in the area for four more years. Dubuque then was sent to Chicago, Illinois, and arrived there on 29 June 1911. She was decommissioned on 22 July and was given to the Illinois Naval Militia for use as a training ship.

Dubuque was re-commissioned on 4 August 1914 and steamed back to Portsmouth where she was placed in reserve on 3 October. Dubuque was brought out of reserve and converted into a mine-training ship. On 30 July 1915, she was assigned to the Mining and Minesweeping Division of the Atlantic Fleet and participated in training exercises along America’s Atlantic coast. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Dubuque installed and tended to submarine nets at Hampton Roads and at New London, Connecticut. The gunboat also was used to train reserve officers at the US Naval Academy.

During World War I, Dubuque also served as a convoy escort, making three trips from New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 6 June to 14 July 1917. On 3 August, she joined the Caribbean Patrol and was based at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Her primary duty was to search small harbors and inlets in the Caribbean and along the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia and prevent them from being used as a refuge for German submarines. On 8 December 1918, Dubuque was assigned to the American Patrol Detachment of the Atlantic Fleet, where she continued patrolling off of America’s East Coast. Dubuque returned to Portsmouth on 6 May 1919 and was decommissioned there on 27 May.

Dubuque was re-commissioned on 25 May 1922 and sent to Detroit, Michigan, where she arrived on 24 June. She was assigned to the Ninth Naval District and was used as a training ship for Naval Reservists. Dubuque was based at Detroit and went on training cruises on Lakes Superior and Michigan every summer. The ship eventually was placed in reduced commission on 1 November 1940 and on 14 November was sent to Boston, where she was assigned to the First Naval District. The old gunboat was updated and refitted and fully re-commissioned on 1 July 1941. She patrolled off the coast of New England until 14 October and on 16 October arrived at Little Creek, Virginia, where she was used as a gunnery practice ship for the US Naval Armed Guard School that was located there. For the remainder of World War II, Dubuque served as a training ship for the Naval Armed Guard and stayed primarily in Chesapeake Bay. Dubuque was decommissioned for the last time on 7 September 1945 and was transferred to the Maritime Commission. She was sold for scrapping on 19 December 1946.

USS Dubuque was one of the few warships from the old “Steel Navy” that served in both World Wars. She provided 40 years of service to this nation and proved just how durable and versatile gunboats could be.

USS Tucker (DD-57)

Figure 1: USS Tucker (DD-57) making 30.03 knots on trials, 19 March 1916. Note the ice accumulated amidships. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Tucker (DD-57) underway while running trials, circa 19 March 1916. Note the ice accumulated amidships. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Tucker (DD-57) in a color-tinted photograph printed on a postal card, showing the destroyer underway in 1916 or 1917. Photographed by O.W. Waterman, and published by the Detroit Publishing Company in 1917-1918. Note the World War I "Authorized by Censor" inscription printed at the top. The original postal card was postmarked at Lynn, Massachusetts, on 12 June 1918. Courtesy of Commander Donald J. Robinson, USN (Retired), 1983. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Tucker (DD-57) circa 1919, location unknown. Courtesy Robert Hurst. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USCGC Tucker (CG-23) in Coast Guard service during the Prohibition Era. US Coast Guard Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: Coast Guard cutters Tucker (left) and Cassin (right) at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during the Prohibition Era. US Coast Guard Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USCGC Tucker (CG-23) in Coast Guard service during the Prohibition Era. US Coast Guard Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after an American naval hero during the Revolutionary War, Samuel Tucker, USS Tucker was a 1,090-ton destroyer built by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company at Quincy, Massachusetts, and was commissioned on 11 April 1916. The ship was approximately 310 feet long and 29 feet wide, had a top speed of 29.5 knots, and had a crew of 89 officers and men. Tucker was armed with four 4-inch guns and four 21-inch torpedo tubes.

Tucker patrolled America’s East Coast and the Caribbean for a year before being sent to Great Britain in May 1917, a month after the United States entered World War I. Tucker eventually was based at Queenstown, Ireland, where she was used as a convoy escort and was assigned to various anti-submarine patrol duties as well. While working out of Queenstown, Tucker rescued a total of 86 survivors from two merchant ships that were torpedoed by German U-boats. In June 1918, Tucker was moved to Brest, France, where she continued her convoy escort duties. While based at Brest, Tucker rescued a number of survivors from a French cruiser that was sunk by a German submarine. In August 1918, Tucker also launched a depth-charge attack against a German U-boat and the British Admiralty declared that the American destroyer had “possibly sunk” the German warship, although attempts to verify the “kill” proved inconclusive.

In December 1918, Tucker returned to the United States and spent most of the next year steaming along the coast of New England. She was placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in October 1919 and officially was decommissioned 16 May 1921. But Tucker received a new lease on life when she was transferred to the US Coast Guard on 25 March 1926. The United States was in the middle of the famous (some would say infamous) “Prohibition Era” and the Coast Guard desperately needed ocean-going vessels to intercept illegal “rum runners” that were operating off America’s vast coastline. As a result of this urgent need for ships, the US Navy loaned the Coast Guard 20 old destroyers that were either in reserve or out of commission. Re-designated USCGC Tucker (CG-23), the ship joined what was known as the “rum patrol” and chased numerous ships and motorboats that attempted to smuggle liquor into the United States. It was tedious but sometimes dangerous duty (since most of the rum runners were armed), but Tucker remained on station off America’s East Coast for several years.

While assigned to the US Coast Guard, Tucker also took part in rescue operations off the coast of New Jersey when the airship Akron crashed on 4 April 1933. The crash claimed the lives of 73 men, but Tucker did assist another ship in rescuing three individuals. After the rescue operation was completed, Tucker brought the survivors to the New York Navy Yard.

Once Congress repealed Prohibition, Tucker was returned to the Navy on 30 June 1933. Her name was cancelled on 1 November 1933 so that it could be used for a new destroyer that was about to be built. After that, she was simply known as DD-57 and was used as a training ship based at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The ship was stricken from the Navy list on 24 October 1936 and was sold for scrapping on 10 December of that same year.

USS West Virginia (BB-48)

Figure 1: USS West Virginia (BB-48) photographed in March 1926 while anchored with other ships of the US Fleet. An Omaha class light cruiser is in the right distance, with destroyers beyond. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS West Virginia (BB-48) in San Francisco Bay, California, circa 1934. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Torpedo planes attack "Battleship Row" at about 0800 on 7 December, seen from a Japanese aircraft. Ships are, from lower left to right: Nevada (BB-36) with flag raised at stern; Arizona (BB-39) with Vestal (AR-4) outboard; Tennessee (BB-43) with West Virginia (BB-48) outboard; Maryland (BB-46) with Oklahoma (BB-37) outboard; Neosho (AO-23) and California (BB-44). West Virginia, Oklahoma and California have been torpedoed, as marked by ripples and spreading oil, and the first two are listing to port. Torpedo drop splashes and running tracks are visible at left and center. White smoke in the distance is from Hickam Field. Gray smoke in the center middle distance is from the torpedoed USS Helena (CL-50), at the Navy Yard's 1010 dock. Japanese writing in lower right states that the image was reproduced by authorization of the Navy Ministry. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. USS West Virginia (BB-48) is on fire forward, immediately after the Japanese air attack. USS Tennessee (BB-43) is on the sunken battleship's opposite side. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Sailors in a motor launch rescue a survivor from the water alongside the sunken USS West Virginia (BB-48) during or shortly after the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor. USS Tennessee (BB-43) is inboard of the sunken battleship. Note extensive distortion of West Virginia's lower midships superstructure, caused by torpedoes that exploded below that location. Also note 5-inch gun, still partially covered with canvas, boat crane swung outboard and empty boat cradles near the smokestacks, and base of radar antenna atop West Virginia's foremast. Note: This is a color-tinted version of a US Navy photograph. It is not an actual color photograph. Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. USS Tern (AM-31) fighting fires aboard the sunken USS West Virginia (BB-48), on 7 December 1941, immediately after the Japanese raid. Note radar antenna, paravanes and 16-inch twin gun turrets on the battleship. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Fighting fires on the sunken battleship West Virginia (BB-48), 7 December 1941. The garbage lighter YG-17 is at right, with her crewmen playing two fire hoses at the flames. Assisting or standing by are a motor launch and an officer's motorboat.USS Tennessee (BB-48) is inboard of West Virginia. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: Pearl Harbor Raid, December 1941. USS Tennessee (BB-43), at left, alongside the sunken USS West Virginia (BB-48), photographed from the capsized hull of USS Oklahoma (BB-37) on 10 December 1941, three days after the Japanese raid. The mainmast of USS Arizona (BB-39) is visible in the right distance. Collection of Vice Admiral Homer N. Wallin. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: USS West Virginia (BB-48) approaching dry dock at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard on 8 June 1942. She entered Drydock Number One on the following day, just over six months after she was sunk in the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: USS West Virginia (BB-48) in dry dock at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 10 June 1942, for repair of damage suffered in the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. She had entered the dry dock on the previous day. Note large patch on her hull amidships, fouling on her hull, and large armor belt. Photographed by Bouchard. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: View of USS West Virginia (BB-48) port side amidships, seen from the floor of Dry Dock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, in June 1942, as patches were being removed. Note the massive damage to hull plating inflicted by several Japanese Type 91 torpedoes that struck this area during the 7 December 1941 air raid. The battleship's side armor belt, at the top of the hole, is seriously distorted. View looks aft, with a patch still in place at the far end of the damage area. Collection of Vice Admiral Homer N. Wallin, USN (Retired). US Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 12: USS West Virginia (BB-48) is moved to a pier after being undocked from Pearl Harbor Navy Yard's Dry Dock Number One, 9 September 1942. Note the large area of her midships upper hull that must still be replaced. West Virginia was then under repair for damages received in the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. A New Mexico class battleship is in the right background. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of The Honorable James V. Forrestal. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 13: USS West Virginia (BB-48) prepares to leave Pearl Harbor on 30 April 1943, en route to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, for reconstruction. The Pearl Harbor Navy Yard had just finished temporary repair of the damage she had received in the Japanese attack of 7 December 1941. The battleship in the left background is USS North Carolina (BB-55). Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 14: USS West Virginia (BB-48) leaving Pearl Harbor on 30 April 1943, en route to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, for reconstruction. The Pearl Harbor Navy Yard had just finished temporary repair of the damage she had received in the Japanese attack of 7 December 1941. A New Mexico class battleship is in the right distance, and at far right is the former mainmast of USS California (BB-44), now serving as a signal tower ashore. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 15: USS West Virginia (BB-48) en route to the West Coast after she had been salvaged and given preliminary repairs at Pearl Harbor. Original photo is dated 20 April 1943. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 16: USS West Virginia (BB-48) off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 2 July 1944 following reconstruction. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 17: USS West Virginia (BB-48) off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 2 July 1944 following reconstruction. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 7D. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 18: USS West Virginia (BB-48) off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 2 July 1944 following reconstruction. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 7D. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 19: USS West Virginia (BB-48) in floating dry dock ABSD-1, off Aessi Island, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, on 13 November 1944. The battleship was docked for upkeep and repair to propellers damaged when she touched ground off Leyte on 21 October. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 20: USS West Virginia (BB-48) anchored in Sagami Wan, Japan, outside of Tokyo Bay, circa late August 1945. Mount Fuji is in the background. Courtesy of Robert O. Baumrucker, 1978. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

USS West Virginia (BB-48) was a 32,600-ton Colorado class battleship that was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Newport News, Virginia, and was commissioned on 1 December 1923. She was the last battleship completed for the US Navy for nearly two decades. One of the last “super-dreadnaughts” to be built, West Virginia also represented one of the most advanced battleship designs at the time of her commissioning in 1923. She possessed numerous watertight compartments within her hull and her armor protection was superior to many of the other battleships that were built around that time. West Virginia was approximately 624 feet long and 97 feet wide, had a top speed of 21 knots, and had a crew of 1,407 officers and men. The ship was armed with eight powerful 16-inch guns, twelve 5-inch guns, eight 3-inch guns, four 6-pounders, and two 21-inch torpedo tubes.

During the 1920s and 1930s, West Virginia was an important part of the US fleet, taking part in numerous training exercises and assisting in the development of naval tactics that would maintain the Navy’s combat readiness. West Virginia, along with a large number of American warships, visited New Zealand and Australia in 1925 as a demonstration of the Navy’s ability to project power across the Pacific. As tensions mounted with Japan, West Virginia, along with the bulk of the US surface fleet, was moved to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1940 to serve as a forward deterrent against the Japanese fleet.

On the morning of 7 December 1941, West Virginia was anchored outboard of Tennessee (BB-43) at berth F-6 with only 40 feet of water beneath her keel. Just before 0800, Japanese carrier aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor. West Virginia was hit by seven 18-inch torpedoes in her port side and also was hit by two armor-piercing bombs. The first bomb hit the superstructure deck, causing extensive fires and structural damage. The second bomb hit further aft, demolishing a Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplane and destroying a 5-inch gun turret. But the torpedo hits did the bulk of the damage to the ship. West Virginia flooded rapidly and could have capsized, just like the battleship Oklahoma (BB-37) did a few minutes earlier. Fortunately, the assistant fire control officer, Lieutenant Claude V. Ricketts, had extensive knowledge of damage control techniques and led the efforts to stop the ship from capsizing. Although West Virginia did go down, she eventually sank upright and settled on the harbor bottom on an even keel, making salvage operations much easier.

During the attack, West Virginia’s commanding officer, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, was standing at his post on the battleship’s bridge when he was hit by a fragment from a bomb that exploded on one of the turrets of the nearby battleship Tennessee. Bennion was hit in the abdomen and fell to the deck, mortally wounded. However, he remained alive long enough to direct the ship’s defenses until just before West Virginia was abandoned, at which point he died. For his devotion to duty, courage under fire, and complete disregard for his own life during the attack, Captain Bennion was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

More than 100 of West Virginia’s officers and men were killed during the attack. After the ship was abandoned and sank in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor, volunteers returned to West Virginia to fight the massive fires that were consuming what remained of the ship above water. By the afternoon of 8 December, the fires had finally been extinguished. A garbage lighter, YG-17, played a critical role in fighting these fires during the attack and remained in position alongside the stricken battleship after the raid was over, even though the fires were causing ammunition to explode on board West Virginia.

Salvage operations began almost immediately. West Virginia required that an extensive amount of weight be removed from the ship just so it could be refloated and brought into a dry dock. Approximately 800,000 gallons of fuel oil, shells and powder for her 16-inch guns and other equipment were removed from the ship. Massive amounts of burnt and twisted steel also were removed from the superstructure to lighten the ship. Huge patches were placed over the holes made by the torpedoes and the battleship was pumped out and eventually refloated on 17 May 1942. She was moved to Dry Dock Number One on 9 June, where an extensive assessment was made of her damage. Most of the port side of the ship had been blown away by the torpedo hits, with one torpedo even tearing off the ship’s rudder. Gruesome discoveries also were made as the ship was being inspected. The bodies of 70 men who were trapped inside the battleship when it went down were found and, in one compartment, a calendar was discovered. The last date crossed off the calendar was 23 December, indicating that some of the crewmen had survived for a substantial period of time in at least one watertight compartment. Even though West Virginia looked like a hopeless mess, the US Navy decided that she would undergo preliminary repairs at Pearl Harbor and then be sent to the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington, to be completely rebuilt. The enormous amount of preliminary repairs was eventually completed and on 30 April 1943 West Virginia left Pearl Harbor under her own power for the West Coast.

West Virginia was totally reconstructed and left the Puget Sound Navy Yard in July 1944. She was a completely different ship than the one that was sunk on 7 December 1941. Her tall “cage” masts that supported the three-tier fire-control tops were gone, she now had one funnel instead of two, and all-new 5-inch guns were mounted in enclosed turrets. An enormous number of anti-aircraft guns were added, including 40-mm and 20-mm cannons, giving the ship a potent defense against enemy planes. Her new streamlined superstructure also gave the battleship a much more modern-looking silhouette.

West Virginia was sent back to the Pacific and immediately was used for the pre-invasion bombardment of Leyte in the Philippines. On 25 October 1944, a Japanese task force of battleships and smaller warships attempted to make a night attack on the landing beaches at Leyte. West Virginia was part of the large group of American warships that stopped and beat this Japanese task force during the Battle of Surigao Strait. It was the last time in history battleships from two opposing fleets fought each other. The “Battleship Era” was coming to a close and West Virginia was there to see it.

West Virginia went on to take part in the battles to capture Mindoro, Lingayen Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. She primarily used her massive 16-inch guns and her secondary 5-inch guns to support US ground forces on shore. On 1 April 1945, while off Okinawa, West Virginia was hit by a Japanese “Kamikaze” suicide plane. Although damaged, she was able to remain in action and continued her gun-support duties into June. After Japan surrendered, West Virginia supported the occupation of that defeated nation until mid-September 1945. She then participated in “Operation Magic Carpet” during the final months of 1945, transporting troops home from the Pacific. She became inactive in January 1946 and was decommissioned on 9 January 1947. After remaining in the Pacific Reserve Fleet for 12 years, USS West Virginia was sold for scrapping on 24 August 1959.

As we pause this week to remember the attack on 11 September 2001, we should also note that this nation survived another such attack on 7 December 1941. From the flames and wreckage of that terrible day in Hawaii almost 68 years ago, a new Navy was born, one that was bigger, tougher, and destined to take the war directly to the enemy. USS West Virginia embodied that concept, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of 7 December to be rebuilt and sent back into battle to be used in the ultimate defeat of Japan. We have picked ourselves up after 11 September 2001 and we are taking the battle to our enemies overseas, just like West Virginia and her crew did so many years ago. Americans have a proud tradition of quickly recovering from horrible attacks and bringing massive defeat on the people responsible for those crimes. Any group of people or nation that plans on doing us any harm in the future would do well to remember the story of West Virginia.

USS Chicago (CA-29)

Figure 1: USS Chicago (CA-29) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, in April 1931, soon after she was commissioned. Courtesy of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 1970. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Chicago (CA-29) at Tutuila, American Samoa, during her shakedown cruise in 1931. Courtesy of Wiley H. Smith, 1981. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Chicago (CA-29), at right, turning in formation with three other Scouting Force heavy cruisers to create a "slick" for landing seaplanes during exercises off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 31 January 1933. Planes are landing astern of the middle cruisers. The other ships are (from front to back): USS Louisville (CA-28), USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) and USS Northampton (CA-26). Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Chicago (CA-29) underway off New York City during the 31 May 1934 fleet review. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: Guadalcanal Landings, August 1942. Ships maneuvering off Tulagi, Solomon Islands, on 9 August 1942. Photographed from USS Ellet (DD-398). USS Chicago (CA-29) is at right, with a destroyer's stern and wake in the foreground. Column of smoke in the left center distance, beyond the two destroyers, may be from the burning USS George F. Elliott (AP-13). Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: Battle of Savo Island, 9 August 1942. USS Chicago (CA-29) off Guadalcanal the day after the action, showing crewmen cutting away damaged plating to enable the ship to get underway. She had been torpedoed at her extreme bow during the night action of 9 August 1942. View looks forward along her port side, with No. 1 eight-inch gun turret in the upper right. Note life rafts hung on the turret side and destroyers in the distance. Official US Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Chicago (CA-29) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 14 December 1942. Circles mark alterations made during her last overhaul, including the repair of her torpedo-damaged bow. Note railway cars on the pier, including one full of scrap material. Barges alongside the pier at right include YF-388 (furthest right) and YF-349. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: USS Chicago (CA-29) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, at the end of her last overhaul, 20 December 1942. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: USS Chicago (CA-29) low in the water on 30 January 1943, after she had been torpedoed by Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Rennell Island. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

The 9,300-ton USS Chicago (CA-29) was a Northampton class heavy cruiser that was built by the Mare Island Navy Yard near San Francisco, California, and was commissioned on 9 March 1931. The ship was approximately 600 feet long and 66 feet wide, had a top speed of 32 knots, and had a crew of 621 officers and men. Chicago was armed with nine 8-inch guns, four 5-inch guns, and six 21-inch torpedo tubes. She also carried four reconnaissance float planes.

Chicago went on her shakedown cruise to Hawaii, Tahiti, and American Samoa and in August 1931 she steamed to America’s Atlantic coast, where she became the flagship of Commander Cruisers of the Scouting Force. On 31 May 1934, Chicago took part in the naval review for President Franklin D. Roosevelt off New York City. Later that same year, Chicago moved to her new base at San Pedro, California, where she stayed until September 1940, when she was relocated to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Throughout these years, Chicago participated in numerous naval exercises with the US Fleet.

Chicago was at sea when Pearl Harbor was attacked on 7 December 1941. She was assigned to patrol missions during the first few weeks of the war and in early February was sent to the south Pacific to escort Allied shipping and to guard against Japanese warships. Chicago participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in early May 1942 and served as an escort for the American surface task force that was going to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet bound for Port Moresby, New Guinea. Although the US Navy turned back the Japanese invasion fleet, Chicago was slightly damaged in an enemy air attack on 7 May.

Though damaged, Chicago was able to remain in the south Pacific. In August 1942, she participated in the US invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. During the late evening hours of 8-9 August 1942, Chicago was patrolling the waters between Guadalcanal and Savo Island with the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra and two destroyers. The Allied ships were suddenly attacked by a group of Japanese cruisers and destroyers. During the ensuing battle, a Japanese warship managed to hit Chicago with a torpedo, which slammed into the extreme bow of the American cruiser. Chicago managed to steam away from the area the next day under her own power and eventually returned to San Francisco, California, for more permanent repairs.

After being repaired, Chicago was once again assigned to the south Pacific in January 1943. While steaming back to Guadalcanal with a group of cruisers and destroyers on 29 January, she was hit by two torpedoes dropped by Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Rennell Island. Although the two torpedo hits caused serious flooding and loss of power, Chicago’s crew managed to keep the ship afloat. Her sister ship, USS Louisville (CA-28), initially took Chicago under tow but was relieved in this task by a tug the following morning. Unfortunately, while being towed away from the area, Japanese aircraft struck again and hit Chicago with four more torpedoes on 30 January. Chicago was overwhelmed and sank, but at least most of her crew was rescued by four American ships that were escorting the stricken cruiser. The waters off Guadalcanal proved to be a graveyard for many American warships during World War II and, sadly, USS Chicago was one of them.