USS California (BB-44)

USS California (BB-44) was the second of two Tennessee-class battleships built for the United States Navy in the aftermath of World War I. She served as the flagship of the Pacific Fleet for nearly two decades before being severely damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Following an extensive modernization and reconstruction, she returned to service and provided vital naval gunfire support during key amphibious operations in the Pacific War, including the Battle of Leyte and the Battle of Okinawa.

Design and description

The Tennessee-class design represented a significant evolution from the preceding New Mexico-class battleship, incorporating lessons from World War I and the Battle of Jutland. Her most notable feature was an advanced all-or-nothing armor scheme, concentrating heavy protection over vital areas like magazines and engine rooms while leaving non-essential spaces unarmored. Main armament consisted of twelve 14-inch/50-caliber guns mounted in four triple gun turrets, arranged in two superfiring pairs forward and aft. Secondary battery initially comprised fourteen 5-inch/51-caliber guns in individual casemates along the hull, a configuration later deemed problematic. Propulsion was provided by General Electric geared steam turbines and eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers, driving four propeller shafts for a designed speed of 21 knots.

Construction and career

Authorized by the United States Congress in 1915, California was laid down on 25 October 1916 at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. She was launched on 20 November 1919, sponsored by Ruth Mildred Phelps, daughter of California Governor William Stephens. The battleship was commissioned on 10 August 1921 under the command of Captain Henry J. Ziegemeier. She immediately became the flagship of the Battle Fleet, and later the flagship of the entire Pacific Fleet, a role she held under admirals like Hilary P. Jones and Richard H. Jackson. Her interwar period was marked by routine fleet exercises, reviews for dignitaries like King Prajadhipok of Siam, and goodwill visits to ports such as Panama City, Balboa, and Callao.

World War II

On 7 December 1941, California was moored at Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its surprise attack. Struck by two aerial torpedoes and a bomb, she slowly settled into the mud, with the loss of over 100 of her crew, including her commanding officer, Captain Joel W. Bunkley. Raised and patched, she departed for a complete reconstruction at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. The modernization replaced her outdated secondary battery with modern 5-inch/38-caliber guns in dual mounts, added a suite of 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, and installed new radar systems. Returning to combat in 1944, she supported landings at Saipan, Guam, and the Peleliu. She played a crucial role at the Battle of Surigao Strait, part of the larger Battle of Leyte, and later provided sustained gunfire support during the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa, where she was damaged by a kamikaze attack.

Fate

Following the surrender of Japan, California participated in Operation Magic Carpet, transporting American troops home from the Pacific theater. She was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 14 February 1947 and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959, her hulk was sold to the Bethlehem Steel company on 10 July 1959 and subsequently broken up for scrap in Kearny, New Jersey.

Category:Tennessee-class battleships Category:Ships built in Vallejo, California Category:World War II battleships of the United States