USS Colorado (BB-45)

USS Colorado (BB-45)
U.S. Navy[2] · Public domain · source
Ship name	USS Colorado
Ship namesake	Colorado (state)
Ship class	Colorado-class battleship
Ship displacement	33,590 t (standard)
Ship length	624 ft
Ship beam	97 ft
Ship draft	30 ft
Ship laid down	21 October 1919
Ship launched	29 March 1921
Ship commissioned	30 August 1923
Ship decommissioned	7 July 1947
Ship fate	Sold for scrap, 1959

USS Colorado (BB-45) USS Colorado (BB-45) was the lead ship of the Colorado-class battleship series and the fifth United States Navy capital ship to carry the name for the State of Colorado. Commissioned in 1923, she served through the interwar period, the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and extensive World War II operations in the Pacific Ocean, providing gunfire support, carrier escort, and shore bombardment before decommissioning after the war.

Design and construction

Colorado was designed under the constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty negotiations and the lessons of World War I naval engagements, embodying improvements over the preceding Tennessee-class battleship. Built at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, her design featured twelve 16-inch/45 caliber guns in four triple turrets, enhanced armour protection, and heavier machinery derived from studies of HMS Dreadnought developments and the Battleship Division 1 requirements. Her construction reflected interwar naval architecture trends influenced by engineers associated with Bureau of Construction and Repair (USN) and BuShips modernization programs. She was laid down on 21 October 1919, launched on 29 March 1921, and commissioned on 30 August 1923 under Captain Walter F. Boone.

Operational history

During the 1920s and 1930s Colorado operated with the United States Fleet and later the Battle Fleet on training cruises and fleet problems, participating in exercises alongside carriers such as USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3), battleships like USS California (BB-44), USS Maryland (BB-46), and cruisers including USS Northampton (CA-26). She made goodwill visits to Nagasaki, ports in Australia, and the Panama Canal Zone while hosting dignitaries from President Calvin Coolidge's administration and naval delegations from Imperial Japanese Navy officers during peacetime exchanges. Colorado took part in Fleet Problem I through later maneuvers, influencing doctrinal developments adopted by Admiral William S. Sims and staff of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Modernizations in the 1930s aligned with standards set by Admiral Ernest J. King and reflected interwar strategic debates involving the Naval War College.

World War II service

At the outbreak of World War II she was in the Pacific Fleet and took part in the immediate response to the Attack on Pearl Harbor by conducting patrols and convoy escort missions between Hawaii and the continental United States. Colorado subsequently served as flagship for Rear Admiral Thomas C. Hart for periods while providing anti-aircraft defense during carrier operations with Task Force 58 and Task Force 38 under Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.. She supported amphibious operations in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, the Marianas campaign, and the Philippine Sea engagements, delivering naval gunfire during the Battle of Saipan, the Battle of Peleliu, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf screening sorties. Colorado also provided preinvasion bombardments for Iwo Jima and Okinawa, coordinated with amphibious commanders from Admiral Richmond K. Turner and General Douglas MacArthur's staff elements during liberation operations, and endured kamikaze threats described in after-action reports compiled by Commander Task Force 58 staff.

Postwar fate and decommissioning

Following Japan's surrender after the Surrender of Japan ceremonies, Colorado participated in occupation support operations off Tokyo Bay and provided fire support for postwar repatriation and demilitarization tasks directed by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. She returned to the United States for inactivation amid fleet reductions under the Naval Appropriation Acts and was decommissioned on 7 July 1947 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register in the late 1940s, she was ultimately sold for scrap in 1959 to a commercial demolition firm, ending a career that had intersected with figures like Frank Knox, Henry Stimson, and postwar naval planners from the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) office.

Armament and modifications

Originally armed with twelve 16-inch/45 caliber guns, Colorado also carried twenty-two 5-inch/51 caliber secondary guns, multiple 3-inch AA guns, and machine guns consistent with interwar batteries authorized by the General Board of the United States Navy. Wartime exigencies prompted progressive upgrades: anti-aircraft suites expanded with twin 5-inch/38 caliber dual-purpose mounts, 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon cannons installed per directives from Chief of Naval Operations ordnance boards, and radar systems such as SG radar and SC radar added as part of fleetwide electronic enhancements. Structural modifications included augmented deck armor and fire-control improvements drawing on research from Bureau of Ordnance and experimental data from Naval Research Laboratory studies. Refits were performed at shipyards including Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Bremerton Navy Yard under specifications authorized by Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal.

Service awards and legacy

Colorado earned campaign stars for the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal operations in multiple engagements, and crew members received individual awards including Navy Unit Commendation citations and personal decorations such as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for combat actions. Her operational record contributed to postwar analysis in reports by the Naval Historical Center and influenced battleship retention debates during rearmament discussions involving Congress and the Department of Defense leadership. Artifacts and relics from Colorado found their way to museums like the National Museum of the United States Navy and regional historical societies in Colorado (state), commemorating her service alongside memorials to crews who served on contemporaries like USS West Virginia (BB-48), USS Tennessee (BB-43), and USS New Mexico (BB-40). Her legacy persists in naval scholarship at institutions such as the Naval War College and in public memory preserved by veteran organizations like the United States Navy Memorial.

Category:Colorado-class battleships Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia Category:1921 ships Category:World War II battleships of the United States