USS Nevada (BB-36)

USS Nevada (BB-36)
Shipname	USS Nevada (BB-36)
Caption	Nevada at Mare Island Naval Shipyard shortly before World War II
Country	United States
Namesake	Nevada (state)
Ordered	1912
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding
Laid down	4 October 1912
Launched	11 July 1914
Commissioned	11 March 1916
Decommissioned	6 February 1947
Fate	Sunk as target (Operation Crossroads)
Displacement	27,500 long tons (standard)
Length	583 ft (overall)
Beam	95 ft
Draft	28 ft
Propulsion	Steam turbines, 4 shafts
Speed	21 kn
Complement	~1,000 officers and enlisted
Armament	10 × 14 in (356 mm) guns; secondary battery varied
Armor	13 in belt

USS Nevada (BB-36)

USS Nevada (BB-36) was the lead ship of the Nevada-class battleships commissioned into the United States Navy in 1916. As the first U.S. dreadnought with triple-gun turrets and oil-fired boilers, Nevada represented a technological shift during the Pre-World War I naval arms race and served through both World War I and World War II, including surviving the Attack on Pearl Harbor and participating in the Normandy landings and Operation Dragoon. Her long career connected major figures and institutions such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Admiral William S. Sims, Admiral Ernest J. King, and yards like Brooklyn Navy Yard and Puget Sound Navy Yard.

Design and Construction

Nevada was designed amid debates involving Alfred Thayer Mahan, Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer, and naval architects influenced by developments in the Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding under contracts overseen by the Bureau of Construction and Repair (Navy) and BuOrd, her hull incorporated an armored cage and a coastal-defense-inspired internal system influenced by experiences from the Russo-Japanese War and lessons from the Battle of Tsushima. She featured innovative triple 14-inch/45 caliber turrets developed with naval ordnance engineers from Washington Navy Yard and machinery arrangements reflecting trials at Naval War College and design critiques by Seaton Schroeder. Her transition to oil firing paralleled policy shifts advocated by Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske and geopolitical considerations involving Standard Oil interests and strategic bases such as Panama Canal Zone and Guam.

Interwar Service

During the interwar years Nevada operated with the Atlantic Fleet and later the Battle Fleet, conducting cruises to ports including Valparaiso, Santo Domingo, San Francisco, and Vancouver as part of fleet problems and diplomatic presence missions tied to the Washington Naval Treaty and later the London Naval Treaty. She underwent modernization at Puget Sound Navy Yard and Norfolk Navy Yard with alterations to her anti-aircraft battery, fire-control systems developed at Naval Proving Ground and Naval Research Laboratory, and armor adjustments influenced by analyses from General Board (Navy). As flagship for commanders like Admiral Hugh Rodman and Admiral Hilary P. Jones, Nevada participated in Fleet Problem I through Fleet Problem XXI, served as a training platform linked with United States Naval Academy curricula, and hosted dignitaries including President Warren G. Harding during peacetime ceremonies and reviews off Coney Island and Cuban waters.

World War II Service

At the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific theater, Nevada was at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and was present during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941; despite severe damage from bombs and a torpedo, she was beached to prevent sinking, efforts directed by officers influenced by tactics from Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Rear Admiral Richard H. Best. Salvage operations involved crews from Naval Salvage School and contractors from Todd Shipyards; she was refloated and modernized at Puget Sound Navy Yard with updated radar systems from Radiation Laboratory (MIT), improved Bofors and Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, and enhanced fire-control with components from Ford Instrument Company.

Recommissioned, Nevada provided naval gunfire support during the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune) off Utah Beach under commanders coordinating with General Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff and British Expeditionary Force liaison officers. Later she supported amphibious operations in the Mediterranean Sea during Operation Dragoon and bombarded coastal defenses tied to German units such as elements from the Wehrmacht and Kriegsmarine. Throughout the Pacific and European operations Nevada worked alongside vessels including USS Texas (BB-35), HMS Warspite, and escort groups from Destroyer Squadron 3, earning battle stars and commendations involving institutions like the Navy Cross and citations from theater commanders such as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.

Postwar Fate and Sinking

After Victory in Europe Day and Victory over Japan Day, Nevada was selected as a target ship for nuclear testing during Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll under authority of the Joint Army-Navy Task Force One; she survived the Able and Baker tests but was contaminated by residual radioactivity. Decommissioned and inspected by teams from Los Alamos National Laboratory and personnel associated with Manhattan Project veterans, she was ultimately deemed too radiologically hazardous for further use. On 31 July 1948, after investigations and towing studies involving Maritime Commission planners, Nevada was sunk by gunfire and aerial bombs off the coast of California to mitigate environmental and security concerns documented by Atomic Energy Commission reports.

Legacy and Commemoration

Nevada's legacy is preserved through artifacts and memorials at institutions such as the National Museum of the United States Navy, Pearl Harbor National Memorial, and naval reunions organized by veteran groups tied to Fleet Week events. Her bell, plaques, and a main-gun pedestal are displayed at museums including Nevada State Museum and Battleship Memorial Park; scholarly studies by historians from Naval Historical Center and monographs published by Naval Institute Press examine her roles in doctrine evolution, coastal bombardment techniques, and survivability analysis influencing postwar designs like the Iowa-class battleship conversions and concepts discussed at Rand Corporation and Center for Naval Analyses. Commemorations occur on anniversaries of Pearl Harbor with participation from officials including representatives of the United States Congress, Governor of Nevada, and veterans' descendants, while academic research on nuclear testing continues at centers such as University of California, Berkeley and Naval War College.

Category:Battleships of the United States Navy Category:World War II battleships of the United States