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| USS South Dakota | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | USS South Dakota |
| Ship class | South Dakota-class battleship |
| Ship displacement | ~44,500 long tons (standard) |
| Ship length | 680 ft 6 in (207.4 m) |
| Ship beam | 108 ft 3 in (33.0 m) |
| Ship draft | 36 ft 2 in (11.0 m) |
| Ship propulsion | 4 geared steam turbines, 8 boilers, 130,000 shp |
| Ship speed | 27 knots |
| Ship range | 15,000 nmi at 10 kn |
| Ship complement | 2,092 officers and enlisted |
| Ship armament | 9 × 16 in (406 mm)/45 cal guns; 20 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual-purpose guns; numerous 40 mm and 20 mm AA |
| Ship armor | Main belt 12.2 in to 13.5 in; barbette up to 18 in; turret faces 18 in |
| Ship built | Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard |
| Ship laid down | 14 July 1940 |
| Ship launched | 7 June 1941 |
| Ship commissioned | 20 March 1942 |
| Ship decommissioned | 3 March 1947 |
| Ship struck | 1 June 1962 |
| Ship awards | 13 battle stars |
USS South Dakota was the lead ship of the South Dakota-class battleships commissioned into the United States Navy during World War II. Designed to deliver heavy firepower in a compact hull, she combined 16-inch/45-caliber Mark 6 guns with robust armor and modern radar and fire-control systems. Serving primarily in the Pacific Ocean theater against the Empire of Japan, she earned a reputation for aggressive surface action and extensive carrier-screening operations.
Conceived under the constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty aftermath and the escalating naval competition with the Imperial Japanese Navy, the South Dakota class sought to maximize protection and firepower within treaty-displacement limits; designers at Bureau of Ships (United States Navy) and shipbuilders at Bethlehem Steel's Fore River Shipyard developed a compact, heavily armored profile. Naval architects balanced heavy main battery arrangements—three triple 16-inch turrets—with extensive armor on the belt, turrets, and conning tower to resist ordnance used at engagements such as the Battle of Jutland (lesson application) and contemporary Pacific clashes. Engineering plant choices—steam turbines derived from earlier North Carolina-class battleship work—prioritized sustained 27-knot speeds to operate with Task Force 58 and Fast Carrier Task Force formations under commanders such as Chester W. Nimitz and William F. Halsey Jr..
After commissioning under Captain Thomas J. Senn (first commanding officer), South Dakota underwent shakedown and training with the Atlantic Fleet before transfer to the Pacific Fleet to join carrier task groups. Operating with flag elements including USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Hornet (CV-8), and later USS Yorktown (CV-10), she screened carriers, escorted convoys, and provided bombardment support for amphibious operations like those at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and the Marianas. Her deployments placed her alongside contemporaries such as USS Washington (BB-56), USS Indiana (BB-58), and USS Massachusetts (BB-59), integrating with radar pioneers from Radar Research teams and fire-control officers trained in systems like the Mark 8 fire-control radar.
South Dakota took part in surface and anti-air actions that highlighted modern naval combat. In the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal-era operations, she engaged in night and dawn actions designed to neutralize Japanese battleship threats including units from the Combined Fleet. She contributed anti-aircraft fire during carrier raids at Rabaul and supported carrier task forces during the Philippine Sea, sometimes called the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," where coordinated Allied radar and fighter direction decimated Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service formations. Her participation in escorting carrier strikes against the Kuril Islands and shore bombardments of Iwo Jima and Okinawa further exemplified multi-role use in the Pacific campaign. For these actions she received 13 battle stars.
Throughout wartime service South Dakota underwent iterative modifications reflecting evolving threats identified by Commander, Battle Force leadership and fleet engineers. Anti-aircraft suites expanded with additional 40 mm Bofors mounts and 20 mm Oerlikon cannons to counter kamikaze and dive-bomber attacks seen over places like Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. Radar and fire-control systems received upgrades from early SG and SC sets to more advanced SG-6, SK, and Mk 8 directors, coordinated with Curtis LeMay-era carrier air tactics and Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's carrier doctrine. Habitability and damage-control improvements—trained by United States Naval Academy-bred officers and Navy Yard technicians—reflected lessons from losses such as USS Arizona (BB-39) and USS Lexington (CV-2).
After Victory over Japan Day and the reduction of the battleship role in postwar strategy, South Dakota was assigned to peacetime training and reserve duties before being decommissioned on 3 March 1947 and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1962 amid shifting priorities toward guided missile platforms and nuclear-powered carriers like USS Enterprise (CVN-65), she was sold for scrap and dismantled in the mid-1960s, joining the fate of several contemporaries such as USS Alabama (BB-60) (museum exception).
South Dakota's wartime record influenced mid-20th century battleship doctrine and naval architecture discussions at institutions like the Naval War College and National War College. Artifacts, deck fittings, and archival materials associated with her service are preserved in collections at places including the South Dakota State Historical Society, National Museum of the United States Navy, and regional museums honoring World War II service. Her namesake state continues commemorations through monuments, memorials, and reuses of the name in United States Navy ship naming traditions. Category:South Dakota-class battleships