The keel of the eighth
Washington, BB56, was laid down on June 14, 1938 at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard.
Launched
on June 1, 1940 and Sponsored by Miss Virginia Marshall of
Spokane, Washington.
Commissioned May 15, 1941. Captain
Howard H.J. Bensen takes Command.
Served early 1942 for four
months with British Home Fleet as Flagship Task Force 39, escorting
convoys to Murmansk and Archangel Russia. View
a Comparison of the USS Washington and HMS King George V
24 hours after leaving Casco
Bay, Maine, enroute to Scapa Flow as Task Force 39, Rear Admiral
John Walter Wilcox, Jr, is lost "Overboard"
in heavy seas.
Sailed for Pacific Aug. 23,
1942 and served there for 34 months.
In the Third
Battle of Savo , she fought and won a classic ship to ship duel
with the Japanese Battleship
Kirishima. This made her the first U.S. Battleship to fight an
enemy battleship and the only one to singly destroy one. The
Washington also sinks the Destroyer
Ayanami in the same battle. This battle took place at night.
Patrolled enemy waters for 5
weeks alone, being the only U.S. Battleship in the Pacific.
The USS Washington set a record
steaming 31,494 miles for 79 consecutive days. She fueled destroyers
59 times, and being fueled 16 times herself.
Damaged three enemy cruisers
and a destroyer. She sank a battleship, destroyer, oil tanker and
several transports. She sank more combat tonnage than any U.S.
Battleship in WWII.
Shot down twelve enemy planes,
bombarded ten enemy islands and repelled 53 air attacks.
Steamed 289,609 miles during
World War Two
Fired 3,535 rounds of 16
inch shells, 28,062 rounds of 5
inch projectiles and over 350,000 rounds of 20
millimeter machine gun bullets.
Arrived Puget Sound Navy Yard
June 23, 1945 at the end of the war.
She was struck from the Navy
list June
1, 1960.
She earned 15 Battle
Stars and was never hit or lost a man to the enemy.
Excellent Reading on the
U.S.S. Washington must include
"BATTLESHIP
AT WAR"
By Ivan Musicant
The first gripping account
of the legendary World War II Battleship
that could not be stopped! Library of Congress Catalog card Number:
86-4850
ISBN: 0-380-70487-0
