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USS ''Arkansas'' underway
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(US)
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3 March 1909
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25 January 1910
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14 January 1911
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17 September 1912
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29 July 1946
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sunk July 25 , 1946 in US nuclear test at Bikini Atoll
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27,243 tons (27,680 t)
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562 ft (171 m)
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931 ft (284 m)
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285 ft (87 m)
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2105 knots (39 km/h)
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58 officers, 1005 men
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12 × 12 inch (305 mm) guns, 21 × 5 inch (127 mm) guns, 2 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
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, a
''Wyoming''-class Battleship was the third ship of the
United States Navy named in honor of
The 25th State .
Her keel was laid down on
25 January 1910 at
Camden, New Jersey , by the
New York Shipbuilding Corporation . She was
Launched on
14 January 1911 sponsored by Miss Nancy Louise Macon, and
Commissioned at the
Philadelphia Navy Yard on
17 September 1912 with Captain Roy C. Smith in command.
The new battleship took part in a fleet review by
President Of The United States William H. Taft in the
Hudson River off
New York City on
14 October , and received a visit from the Chief Executive that day. She then transported President Taft to the
Panama Canal Zone for an inspection of the unfinished isthmian waterway. After putting the inspection party ashore, ''Arkansas'' sailed to Cuban waters for shakedown training. She then returned to the Canal Zone on
26 December to carry President Taft to
Key West, Florida .
Following this assignment, ''Arkansas'' joined the Atlantic Fleet for maneuvers along the east coast. The battleship began her first overseas cruise in late October 1913, and visited several ports in the
Mediterranean Sea . At
Naples, Italy , on
11 November 1913 , the ship celebrated the birthday of King
Vittorio Emanuele III Of Italy .
Earlier, in October 1913, a coup in
Mexico had brought to power a dictator,
Victoriano Huerta .
President Of The United States Woodrow Wilson disapproved of the way in which Huerta had come to power, and insisted on a representative government, rather than a dictatorial one, south of the American-Mexican border. Mexico had been in turmoil for several years, and the United States Navy maintained a force of ships in those waters ready to protect American lives.
In a situation where tension exists between two powers, incidents are bound to occur. One such occurred at
Tampico in the spring of 1914, and although the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up locally, the prevailing state of tension produced an explosive situation. Learning that a shipment of arms for Huerta was due to arrive at Veracruz, President Wilson ordered the Navy to prevent the landing of the guns by seizing the customs house at that port.
While a naval force under Rear Admiral
Henry T. Mayo was already present in Mexican waters, the President directed that the
U.S. Atlantic Fleet , under Rear Admiral
Charles J. Badger , proceed to Veracruz. ''Arkansas'' participated in the landings at Veracruz, contributing a battalion of four companies of bluejackets, a total of 17 officers and 313 enlisted men under the command of Lieutenant Comdr.
Arthur B. Keating . Among the junior officers was Lieutenant (junior grade) Jonas H. Ingram, who would be awarded the
Medal Of Honor for heroism at Veracruz, as would Lieutenant John Grady, who commanded the artillery of the Second Seaman Regiment.
Landing on
22 April , ''Arkansas''
's men took part in the slow, methodical street fighting that eventually secured the city. Two ''Arkansas'' sailors, Ordinary Seamen Louis O. Fried and William L. Watson, died of their wounds on
22 April . ''Arkansas'''s battalion returned to the ship on
30 April , and the ship remained in Mexican waters through the summer before setting course on
30 September to return to the east coast. During her stay at Veracruz, she received calls from Captain
Franz Von Papen , the German military attaché to the United States and Mexico, and Rear Admiral
Christopher Cradock , on
10 May and
30 May 1914 , respectively.
The battleship reached
Hampton Roads ,
Virginia , on
7 October , and after a week of exercises, ''Arkansas'' sailed to the
New York Navy Yard , for repairs and alterations. She then returned to the
Virginia Capes area for maneuvers on the Southern Drill Grounds. On
12 December , ''Arkansas'' returned to the New York Navy Yard for further repairs.
She was underway again on
16 January 1915 , and returned to the Southern Drill Grounds for exercises there from
19 January to
21 January . Upon completion of these, ''Arkansas'' sailed to
Guantanamo Bay ,
Cuba , for fleet exercises. Returning to Hampton Roads on
7 April , the battleship began another training period in the Southern Drill Grounds. On
23 April , she headed to the New York Navy Yard for a two-month repair period. ''Arkansas'' then left
New York City on
25 June bound for
Newport, Rhode Island . She conducted torpedo practice and tactical maneuvers in
Narragansett Bay through late August.
Returning to Hampton Roads on
27 August , the battleship engaged in maneuvers in the Norfolk area through
4 October , then sailed once again to Newport. There, ''Arkansas'' carried out strategic exercises from
5 October to
14 October . On
15 October , the battleship arrived at the
New York Navy Yard for drydocking. Underway on
8 November , she returned to Hampton Roads. After a period of routine operations, ''Arkansas'' went back to
Brooklyn for repairs on
19 October . The ship sailed on
5 January 1916 for Hampton Roads. Pausing there only briefly, ''Arkansas'' pushed on to the
Caribbean Sea for winter maneuvers.
She visited the
West Indies and Guantanamo Bay before returning to the
United States on
12 March for
Torpedo practice off
Mobile Bay . The battleship then steamed back to Guantanamo Bay on
20 March and remained there until mid-April. On
15 April , the battleship was once again at the New York Navy Yard for overhaul.
On
6 April 1917 , the United States entered
World War I on the side of the Allied and Associated Powers. The declaration of war found ''Arkansas'' attached to Battleship Division 7 and patrolling the
York River in
Virginia . For the next 14 months, ''Arkansas'' carried out patrol duty along the east coast and trained gun crews for duty on armed merchantmen.
In July 1918, ''Arkansas'' received orders to proceed to
Rosyth, Scotland to relieve
''Delaware'' (Battleship No. 28) . ''Arkansas'' sailed on
14 July . On the eve of her arrival in
Scotland , the battleship opened fire on what was believed to be the periscope wake of a German
U-boat . Her escorting
Destroyer s dropped
Depth Charge s, but scored no hits. ''Arkansas'' then proceeded without incident and dropped anchor at Rosyth on
28 July .
Throughout the remaining three and one-half months of war, ''Arkansas'' and the other American battleships in Rosyth operated as part of the British Grand Fleet as the 6th Battle Squadron.
The armistice ending World War I became effective on
11 November . The 6th Battle Squadron and other Royal Navy units sailed to a point some 40 miles east of
May Island at the entrance of the
Firth Of Forth . ''Arkansas'' was present at the internment of the German High Seas Fleet in the Firth of Forth on
21 November 1918 .
The American battleships were detached from the
British Grand Fleet on
1 December . From the Firth of Forth, ''Arkansas'' sailed to the
Isle Of Portland ,
England , then out to sea to meet the transport
SS ''George Washington'', with President Wilson on board. ''Arkansas'', along with other American battleships, escorted the President's ship into
Brest, France , on
13 December 1918 . From that French port, ''Arkansas'' sailed to
New York City , where she arrived on
26 December to a tumultuous welcome.
Secretary Of The Navy Josephus Daniels reviewed the assembled battleship fleet from the yacht SS ''Mayflower''.
Following an overhaul the
Norfolk Navy Yard , ''Arkansas'' joined the fleet in Cuban waters for winter maneuvers. Soon thereafter, the battleship got underway to cross the Atlantic. On
12 May 1919 , she reached
Plymouth ; thence she headed back out in the Atlantic to take weather observations on
19 May and act as a reference vessel for the flight of the Navy Curtiss
NC Flying Boat s from
Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland , to Europe.
Her role in that venture competed, ''Arkansas'' proceeded thence to Brest, where she embarked Admiral
William S. Benson , the
Chief Of Naval Operations , and his wife, on
10 June , upon the admiral's return from the Peace Conference in Paris, before departing for New York. She arrived on
20 June 1919 .
''Arkansas'' sailed from Hampton Roads on
19 July 1919 , assigned to the
Pacific Fleet . Proceeding via the
Panama Canal , the battleship steamed to
San Francisco, California , where, on
6 September 1919 , she embarked Secretary and Mrs. Josephus Daniels. Disembarking the Secretary and his wife at
Blakely Harbor, Washington , on
12 September , ''Arkansas'' was reviewed by President Wilson on
13 September , the Chief Executive having embarked in the famed
''Oregon'' (Battleship No. 3) . On
19 September 1919 , ''Arkansas'' entered the
Puget Sound Navy Yard for a general overhaul. Resuming her operations with the fleet in May 1920, ''Arkansas'' operated off the California coast. On
17 July 1920 , ''Arkansas'' received the designation BB-33 as the ships of the fleet received alphanumeric
Hull Classification Symbol s. That September, she cruised to
Hawaii for the first time. Early in 1921, the battleship visited
Valparaíso ,
Chile ,
Manning The Rail in honor of
President Of Chile Arturo Alessandri Palma .
''Arkansas'''s peacetime routine consisted of an annual cycle of training interspersed with periods of upkeep or overhaul. The battleship's schedule also included competitions in gunnery and engineering and an annual fleet problem. Becoming flagship for the Commander, Battleship Force,
U.S. Atlantic Fleet , in the summer of 1921, ''Arkansas'' began operations off the east coast that August.
For a number of years, ''Arkansas'' was detailed to take midshipmen from the
United States Naval Academy on their summer cruises. In 1923, the battleship steamed to Europe, visiting
Copenhagen, Denmark (where she was visited by King
Christian X Of Denmark on
2 July 1923 );
Lisbon, Portugal ; and
Gibraltar . ''Arkansas'' conducted another midshipman training cruise to European waters the following year, 1924. In 1925, the cruise was to the west coast of the United States. During this time, on
30 June 1925 , ''Arkansas'' arrived at
Santa Barbara, California in the wake of an earthquake. The battleship, along with
''McCawley'' (DD-276) and
Eagle Class Patrol Craft PE-34 landed a patrol of bluejackets for policing Santa Barbara, and established a temporary radio station ashore for the transmission of messages.
Upon completion of the 1925 midshipman cruise, ''Arkansas'' entered the
Philadelphia Navy Yard for modernization. Her coal-burning boilers were replaced with oil-fired ones. Additional deck armor was installed, a single stack was substituted for the original pair, and the after cage mast was replaced by a low tripod. ''Arkansas'' left the yard in November 1926 and, after a shakedown cruise along the eastern seaboard and to Cuban waters, returned to Philadelphia to run acceptance trials. Resuming her duty with the fleet soon thereafter, she operated from
Maine to the
Caribbean Sea ; on
5 September 1927 , she was present at ceremonies unveiling a memorial tablet honoring the French soldiers and sailors who died during the campaign at
Yorktown, Virginia , in 1781.
In May 1928, ''Arkansas'' again embarked midshipmen for their practice cruise along the eastern seaboard and down into Cuban waters. During the first part of 1929, she operated near the Canal Zone and in the Caribbean, returning in May 1929 to the
New York Navy Yard for overhaul. After embarking midshipmen at
Annapolis, Maryland , ''Arkansas'' carried out her 1929 practice cruise to Mediterranean and English waters, returning in August to operate with the
Scouting Fleet off the east coast.
In 1930 and 1931, ''Arkansas'' was again detailed to carry out midshipmen's practice cruises; in the former year she visited
Cherbourg, France ;
Kiel, Germany ;
Oslo, Norway ; and
Edinburgh, Scotland ; in the latter her itinerary included
Copenhagen, Denmark ;
Greenock, Scotland ; and
Cadiz, Spain , as well as
Gibraltar . In September 1931, the ship visited
Halifax ,
Nova Scotia . In October ''Arkansas'' participated in the Yorktown Sesquicentennial celebrations, embarking President
Herbert Hoover and his party on
17 October and taking them to the exposition. She later transported the Chief Executive and his party back to Annapolis on
19 October and
20 October . Upon her return, the battleship entered the
Philadelphia Navy Yard , where she remained until
January 1932.
Upon leaving the navy yard, ''Arkansas'' sailed for the west coast, calling at
New Orleans, Louisiana , en route, to participate in the
New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration. Assigned duty as flagship of the Training Squadron, Atlantic Fleet, ''Arkansas'' operated continuously on the west coast of the United States into the spring of 1934, at which time she returned to the east coast.
In the summer of 1934, the battleship conducted a midshipman practice cruise to
Plymouth ;
Nice, France ;
Naples, Italy , and to
Gibraltar , returning to Annapolis in August; proceeding thence to
Newport, Rhode Island , where she
Manned The Rail for President
Franklin D. Roosevelt as he passed on board the yacht ''Nourmalhal'', and was present for the International Yacht Race. ''Arkansas''' cutter defeated the cutter from the British light
Cruiser HMS ''Dragon'' for the
Battenberg Cup , and the
City Of Newport Cup .
In January 1935, ''Arkansas'' transported the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, to
Culebra for a fleet landing exercise, and in June conducted a midshipman practice cruise to
Europe , visiting
Edinburgh ,
Oslo (where
King Haakon VII Of Norway visited the ship),
Copenhagen ,
Gibraltar and
Funchal on the island of
Madeira . After disembarking
United States Naval Academy midshipmen at Annapolis in August 1935, ''Arkansas'' proceeded to
New York City . There, she embarked reservists from the New York area and conducted a Naval Reserve cruise to
Halifax ,
Nova Scotia in September. Upon completion of that duty, she under went repairs and alterations at the New York Navy Yard that October.
In January 1936, ''Arkansas'' participated in Fleet Landing Exercise No. 2 at Culebra, and then visited New Orleans for the Mardi Gras festivities before she returned to Norfolk for a navy yard overhaul which lasted through the spring of 1936. That summer she carried out a midshipman training cruise to
Portsmouth, England ;
Goteborg, Sweden ; and
Cherbourg , before she returned to Annapolis that August. Steaming thence to Boston, the battleship conducted a Naval Reserve training cruise before putting into the
Norfolk Navy Yard for an overhaul that October.
The following year, 1937, saw ''Arkansas'' make a midshipman practice cruise to European waters, visiting ports in Germany and England, before she returned to the east coast of the United States for local operations out of Norfolk. During the latter part of the year, the ship also ranged from Philadelphia and Boston to
St. Thomas ,
U.S. Virgin Islands , and Cuban waters. During 1938 and 1939, the pattern of operations largely remained as it had been in previous years, her duties in the Training Squadron largely confining her to the waters of the eastern seaboard.
The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 found ''Arkansas'' at
Hampton Roads , preparing for a Naval Reserve cruise. She soon got underway and transported seaplane mooring and aviation equipment from the naval air station at Norfolk to
Narragansett Bay for the seaplane base that was to be established there. While at Newport, ''Arkansas'' took on board ordnance material for destroyers and brought it back to Hampton Roads.
''Arkansas'' departed from Norfolk on
11 January 1940 , in company with
''Texas'' (BB-35) and
''New York'' (BB-34) , and proceeded thence to
Guantanamo Bay for fleet exercises. She then participated in landing exercises at Culebra that February, returning via St. Thomas and Culebra to Norfolk. Following an overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard (
18 March to
24 May ), ''Arkansas'' shifted to the Naval Operating Base (NOB), Norfolk, where she remained until
30 May . Sailing on that day for Annapolis, the battleship, along with ''Texas'' and ''New York'', conducted a midshipman training cruise to
Panama and
Venezuela that summer. Before the year was out, ''Arkansas'' would conduct three V-7 Naval Reserve training cruises, these voyages taking her to Guantanamo Bay, the Canal Zone, and
Chesapeake Bay .
Over the months that followed, the United States gradually edged toward war in the Atlantic; early the following summer, after the decision to occupy
Iceland had been reached, ''Arkansas'' accompanied the initial contingent of marines to that place. That battleship, along with ''New York'', and the light
Cruiser ''Brooklyn'' (CL-40) provided the heavy escort for the convoy. Following this assignment, ''Arkansas'' sailed to
NS Argentia ,
Newfoundland for the
Atlantic Charter conference between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill , which took place on board the Royal Navy battleship
HMS ''Prince Of Wales'' . During the conference, ''Arkansas'' provided accommodations for the Under Secretary of State, Sumner Welles, and Mr. Averell Harriman from
8 August to
14 August 1941 .
The outbreak of war with the Japanese
Attack On Pearl Harbor found ''Arkansas'' at anchor in Casco Bay, Maine. One week later, on
14 December , she sailed to
Hvalfjordur, Iceland . Returning to Boston via
NS Argentia on
24 January 1942 , ''Arkansas'' spent the month of February carrying out exercises in Casco Bay in preparation for her role as an escort for troop and cargo transports. On
6 March , she arrived at Norfolk to begin overhaul. Underway on
2 July , ''Arkansas'' conducted shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, then proceeded to New York City, where she arrived on
27 July .
The battleship sailed from New York on
6 August , as flagship of Task Force #38, a troopship convoy of twelve transports, with fourteen destroyers, bound for
Greenock, Scotland . Two days later, the ships paused at Halifax, Nova Scotia, then continued on through the stormy North Atlantic. The convoy reached Greenock on
17 August , and ''Arkansas'' returned to New York on
4 September . She escorted another Greenock-bound convoy across the Atlantic, then arrived back at New York on
20 October . With the Allied invasion of North Africa, American convoys were routed to
Casablanca to support the operations. Departing from New York on
3 November , ''Arkansas'' covered a troop convoy to
Morocco , and returned to New York on
11 December for overhaul.
On
2 January 1943 , ''Arkansas'' sailed to
Chesapeake Bay for gunnery drills. She returned to New York on
30 January and began loading supplies for yet another transatlantic trip. The battleship made two runs between Casablanca and New York City from February through April. In early May, ''Arkansas'' was dry-docked at the
New York Navy Yard , emerging from that period of yard work to proceed to Norfolk on
26 May .
''Arkansas'' assumed her new duty as a training ship for midshipmen, based at Norfolk. After four months of operations in Chesapeake Bay, the battleship returned to New York to resume her role as a convoy escort. On
8 October , the ship sailed for
Bangor, Northern Ireland . She was in that port throughout November, and got underway to return to New York on
1 December . ''Arkansas'' then began a period of repairs on
12 December . Clearing New York for Norfolk two days after
Christmas of 1943, ''Arkansas'' closed the year in that port.
The battleship sailed on
19 January 1944 with a convoy bound for
Northern Ireland . After seeing the convoy safely to its destination, the ship reversed her course across the Atlantic and reached New York on
13 February . ''Arkansas'' went to Casco Bay on
28 March for gunnery exercises, before she proceeded to Boston on
11 April for repairs.
On
18 April , ''Arkansas'' sailed once more for Bangor, Northern Ireland. Upon her arrival, the battleship began a training period to prepare for her new role as a shore bombardment ship. On
3 June , ''Arkansas'' sailed for the French coast to support the Allied
Invasion Of Normandy . The ship entered the
Baie De La Seine on
6 June , and took up a position 4,000 yards off "Omaha" beach. At 0552, ''Arkansas'''s guns opened fire. During the day, the venerable battleship underwent shore battery fire and air attacks; over ensuing days, she continued her fire support. On
13 June , ''Arkansas'' shifted to a position off
Grandcamp Les Bains .
On
25 June 1944 , ''Arkansas'' dueled with German shore batteries off Cherbourg, the enemy repeatedly straddling the battleship but never hitting her. Her big guns helped support the Allied attack on that key port, and led to the capture of it the following day. Retiring to
Weymouth ,
England , and arriving there at 2220, the battleship shifted to Bangor, on
30 June .
''Arkansas'' stood out to sea on
4 July , bound for the
Mediterranean Sea . She passed through the
Strait Of Gibraltar and anchored at
Oran, Algeria , on
10 July . On
18 July , she got underway, and reached
Taranto ,
Italy , on
21 July . The battleship remained there until
6 August , then shifted to
Palermo, Sicily , on
7 August .
On
14 August , Operation "Anvil," the invasion of the southern French coast between
Toulon and
Cannes , began. ''Arkansas'' provided fire support for the initial landings on
15 August , and continued her bombardment through
17 August . After stops at Palermo and Oran, ''Arkansas'' set course for the United States. On
14 September , she reached Boston, and received repairs and alterations through early November. The yard period completed on
7 November , ''Arkansas'' sailed to Casco Bay for three days of refresher training. On
10 November , ''Arkansas'' shaped a course south for the
Panama Canal Zone. After transiting the canal on
22 November , ''Arkansas'' headed for
San Pedro, California . On
29 November , the ship was again underway for exercises held off
San Diego, California . She returned on
10 December to San Pedro.
After three more weeks of preparations, ''Arkansas'' sailed for
Pearl Harbor on
20 January 1945 . One day after her arrival there, she sailed for
Ulithi , the major fleet staging area in the
Caroline Islands , and continued thence to
Tinian , where she arrived on
12 February . For two days, the vessel held shore bombardment practice prior to her participation in the assault on
Iwo Jima .
At 0600 on
16 February , ''Arkansas'' opened fire on Japanese strong points on Iwo Jima as she lay off the island's west coast. The old battlewagon bombarded the island through
19 February , and remained in the fire support area to provide cover during the evening hours. During her time off the embattled island, ''Arkansas'' shelled numerous Japanese positions, in support of the bitter struggle by the marines to root out and destroy the stubborn enemy resistance. She cleared the waters off Iwo Jima on
7 March to return to Ulithi. After arriving at that atoll on
10 March , the battleship rearmed, provisioned, and fueled in preparation for her next operation, the invasion of
Okinawa .
Getting underway on
21 March , ''Arkansas'' began her preliminary shelling of Japanese positions on Okinawa on
25 March , some days ahead of the assault troops which began wading ashore on
1 April . The Japanese soon began an aerial onslaught, and ''Arkansas'' fended off several
Kamikaze s. For 46 days, ''Arkansas'' delivered fire support for the invasion of Okinawa. On
14 May , the ship arrived at
Apra Harbor, Guam , to await further assignment.
After a month at Apra Harbor, part of which she spent in drydock, ''Arkansas'' got underway on
12 June for
Leyte Gulf . She anchored there on
16 June , and remained in Philippine waters until the war drew to a close in August. On
20 August , ''Arkansas'' left Leyte to return to Okinawa, and reached
Buckner Bay on
23 August . After a month spent in port, ''Arkansas'' embarked approximately 800 troops for transport to the United States as part of
Operation Magic Carpet to return American servicemen home as quickly as possible. Sailing on
23 September , ''Arkansas'' paused briefly at Pearl Harbor en route, and ultimately reached
Seattle, Washington , on
15 October . During the remainder of the year, the battleship made three more trips to Pearl Harbor to shuttle soldiers back to the United States.
During the first months of 1946, ''Arkansas'' lay at
San Francisco, California . In late April the ship got underway for
Hawaii . She reached Pearl Harbor on
8 May , and stood out of Pearl Harbor on
20 May , bound for
Bikini Atoll , earmarked for use as target for
Atomic Bomb testing in
Operation Crossroads . On
1 July 1946 , the ''Arkansas'' was to have been sunk via atomic bomb as part of nuclear test
ABLE , but survived. On
25 July 1946 , the venerable battleship was sunk by the United States first underwater nuclear test
BAKER at Bikini Atoll. Decommissioned on
29 July 1946 , ''Arkansas'' was struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on
15 August 1946 .
''Arkansas'' received four
Battle Star s for her
World War II service.
See
USS ''Arkansas'' for other ship of this name.
