USS South Dakota (BB-57)
Generated by DeepSeek V3.2Expansion Funnel Raw 71 → Dedup 22 → NER 10 → Enqueued 7
| USS South Dakota (BB-57) | |
|---|---|
| Ship caption | USS *South Dakota* underway in 1943. |
| Ship country | United States |
| Ship name | USS *South Dakota* |
| Ship namesake | South Dakota |
| Ship ordered | 15 December 1938 |
| Ship builder | New York Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Ship laid down | 5 July 1939 |
| Ship launched | 7 June 1941 |
| Ship commissioned | 20 March 1942 |
| Ship decommissioned | 31 January 1947 |
| Ship struck | 1 June 1962 |
| Ship fate | Broken up, 1962 |
| Ship class | South Dakota-class battleship (1939) |
| Ship displacement | 38,000 long tons (38,600 t) |
| Ship length | 680 ft (210 m) |
| Ship beam | 108.2 ft (33.0 m) |
| Ship draft | 36.2 ft (11.0 m) |
| Ship propulsion | General Electric geared steam turbines, 130,000 shp (97,000 kW) |
| Ship speed | 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) |
| Ship complement | 1,793 officers and enlisted men |
| Ship armament | 9 × 16 in (406 mm)/45 cal guns, 16 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal guns, 68 × 40 mm guns, 76 × 20 mm guns |
| Ship armor | Belt armor: 12.2 in (310 mm), Barbettes: 11.3–17.3 in (287–439 mm), Gun turrets: 18 in (457 mm), Conning tower: 16 in (406 mm), Decks: up to 6 in (152 mm) |
| Ship aircraft carried | 2 × Vought OS2U Kingfisher |
| Ship aircraft facilities | 2 × Aircraft catapults |
USS South Dakota (BB-57) was the lead ship of the *South Dakota*-class of fast battleships built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s. Commissioned in 1942, she served with distinction throughout World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, earning 13 battle stars. Nicknamed "Battleship X" by the Imperial Japanese Navy to conceal her identity, she was renowned for her toughness and powerful anti-aircraft armament.
Design and description
The *South Dakota* class was designed under the constraints of the Second London Naval Treaty, which limited battleship displacement to 35,000 long tons. Naval architects, including the Bureau of Construction and Repair, created a compact but heavily armored design, with a shorter hull than the preceding *North Carolina* class but superior protection. Her main battery consisted of nine 16-inch/45 caliber Mark 6 guns mounted in three triple gun turrets, supported by a secondary battery of sixteen 5-inch/38 caliber dual-purpose guns. Advanced fire-control systems, including the Mark 38 Gun Fire Control System, provided exceptional accuracy. The ship's "all-or-nothing" armor scheme featured a thick internal belt armor and an armored citadel designed to withstand fire from contemporary battleships.
Construction and career
The contract for BB-57 was awarded to the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, with her keel laid down on 5 July 1939. She was launched on 7 June 1941, sponsored by Harlan J. Bushfield, wife of the Governor of South Dakota, and commissioned on 20 March 1942 under the command of Captain Thomas Leigh Gatch. Following her shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay and initial training with the Atlantic Fleet, she was quickly deployed to reinforce the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in August 1942, operating alongside the HMS *Duke of York* to guard Arctic convoys against the German battleship *Tirpitz*.
World War II service
*South Dakota*'s combat service began in the Pacific Theater in late 1942. At the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, her robust anti-aircraft fire helped defend Task Force 16, though she sustained a bomb hit. Her most famous action came during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on the night of 14–15 November 1942. Engaging Japanese forces including the battleship *Kirishima*, she suffered a temporary electrical failure and was hit over 40 times but remained operational, allowing the USS *Washington* to sink the *Kirishima*. After repairs at New York Naval Shipyard, she returned to the Pacific in 1943, providing bombardment support for the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign and the Battle of Tarawa. In 1944, she participated in major carrier operations, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where her guns helped repel aerial attacks in the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". She was damaged by a bomb during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and later supported the Invasion of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa, where she was struck by a kamikaze attack. She ended the war covering the Surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay.
Awards and legacy
For her extensive wartime service, USS *South Dakota* was awarded 13 battle stars, a Navy Unit Commendation, and the American Defense Service Medal. Following the war, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet before being decommissioned on 31 January 1947 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. She was placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1962, and sold for scrap that October. Artifacts, including her bridge and a gun turret, are preserved at the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her service is commemorated in numerous historical works, including Samuel Eliot Morison's *History of United States Naval Operations in World War II*.
See also
* List of battleships of the United States Navy * Fast battleship * Battleships in World War II * Iowa-class battleship
Category:South Dakota-class battleships (1939) Category:Ships built in Camden, New Jersey Category:World War II battleships of the United States