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USS California at sea, mid-1930.
The USS ''California'' |
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| Authorized: | 3 March 1915 |
| Laid down: | 25 October 1916 |
| Launched: | 20 November 1919 |
| Commissioned: | 10 August 1921 |
| Decommissioned: | 14 February 1947 |
| Fate: | sold for scrap |
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| Displacement: | 32,300 tons |
| Length: | 624.5 feet |
| Beam: | 97.3 feet |
| Draft: | 30.3 feet |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
| Complement: | 57 officers, 1026 men |
| Armament: | 12 14-inch guns, 14 five-inch guns, four three-inch guns, two 21-inch torpedo tubes |
, a
''Tennessee''-class Battleship , was the fifth ship of the
United States Navy named in honor of
The 31st State . Her keel was laid down on
25 October 1916 by the
Mare Island Navy Yard . She was
Launched 20 November 1919 sponsored by
Mrs. R.T. Zane ; and
Commissioned 10 August 1921 with Captain
H.J. Ziegemeier in command. She immediately reported to the
Pacific Fleet as
Flagship .
For 20 years from
1921 until
1941 , ''California'' served first as flagship of the Pacific Fleet, then as flagship of the
Battle Fleet (Battle Force), U.S. Fleet. Her annual activities included joint Army-Navy exercises, tactical and organizational development problems, and fleet concentrations for various purposes. Intensive training and superior performance won her the Battle Efficiency Pennant for
1921 and
1922 , and the Gunnery "E" for
1925 and
1926 .
In the summer of
1925 ''California'' led the Battle Fleet and a division of cruisers from the
Scouting Fleet on a very successful good-will cruise to
Australia and
New Zealand . She took part in the Presidential reviews of
1927 ,
1930 , and
1934 . She was modernized in late
1929 and early
1930 and equipped with an improved antiaircraft battery.
In
1940 ''California'' switched her base to
Pearl Harbor . On
7 December 1941 she was moored at the southernmost berth of "Battleship Row" and was with other dreadnoughts of the Battle Force when the Japanese launched their aerial attack. As she was about to undergo a material inspection, watertight integrity was not at its maximum; consequently, the ship suffered great damage when hit. At 0805 a bomb exploded below decks, setting off an antiaircraft ammunition magazine and killing about 50 men. A second bomb ruptured her bow plates. Despite valiant efforts to keep her afloat the in-rushing water could not be isolated and ''California'' settled into the mud with only her superstructure remaining above the surface. When the action ended, 100 of her crew were lost and 62 wounded.
On
25 March 1942 ''California'' was refloated and dry-docked at Pearl Harbor for repairs. On
7 June she departed under her own power for
Puget Sound Navy Yard where a major reconstruction job was accomplished, including improved protection, watertight compartmenting, stability, antiaircraft battery, and fire control system. Like her sister, she was a virtually new ship built on the bones of the old.
''California'' departed
Bremerton, Washington , on
31 January 1944 for shakedown at
San Pedro, California , and sailed from
San Francisco, California , on
5 May for the invasion of the
Marianas . Off
Saipan in June, she conducted effective shore bombardment and call fire missions. On
14 June she was hit by a shell from an enemy shore battery which killed one man and wounded nine. Following Saipan, her heavy guns helped blast the way for the assault force in the
Guam and
Tinian operations from
18 July to
9 August . On
24 August she arrived at
Espiritu Santo for repairs to her port bow damaged in a collision with
USS ''Tennessee'' (BB-43) .
On
17 September 1944 ''California'' sailed to
Manus to ready for the invasion of the
Philippines . From
17 October to
20 November she played a key role in the
Leyte operation, including the destruction of the Japanese fleet in the
Battle Of Surigao Strait on
25 October . On
1 January 1945 she departed the
Palaus for the
Luzon landings. Her powerful batteries were an important factor in the success of these dangerous operations driven home into the heart of enemy-held territory under heavy air attack. On
6 January while providing shore bombardment at
Lingayen Gulf she was hit by a
Kamikaze plane; 44 of her crew were killed and 155 were wounded. Undeterred she made temporary repairs on the spot and remained carrying out her critical mission of shore bombardment until the job was done. She departed
23 January for
Puget Sound Navy Yard , arriving
15 February , for permanent repairs.
''California'' returned to action at
Okinawa 15 June 1945 and remained in that embattled area until
21 July . Two days later she joined
TF 95 to cover the East
China Sea minesweeping operations. After a short voyage to
San Pedro Bay, Philippine Islands in August, the ship departed Okinawa on
20 September to cover the landing of the Sixth Army occupation force at
Wakanoura Wan ,
Honshu . She remained supporting the occupation until
15 October , then sailed via
Singapore ,
Colombo, Ceylon , and
Cape Town ,
South Africa , to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , arriving
7 December . She was placed in commission in reserve there on
7 August 1946 , out of commission in reserve on
14 February 1947 , and sold
10 July 1959 .
