Behind Five Iconic U.S. Warship Pictures

Intro

World of Warships Closed Beta Test is well underway, so, in the spirit of ships, we decided to roundup a collection of iconic and interesting images that graced the global theatre of war. In this edition, you’ll find famous U.S. vessels that saw action all around the world.

USS Shaw

USS Shaw was a Mahan-class destroyer and the second ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for Captain John Shaw, who was a naval officer. Though commissioned in 1936, the vessel did not become fully operational until 1938 due to boatload of construction deficiencies. Trained in the Atlantic, she later headed to the Pacific and was dry docked in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

It was at Pearl Harbor where Shaw endured significant damage from multiple bomb hits by Japanese forces during the historic attack. The picture (above) proved to be an iconic image of that day, and Shaw was later repaired. The ship served in the Pacific through the rest of World War II, even earning an impressive 11 battle stars.

USS Washington

USS Washington was the second of two battleships in the North Carolina class, and was the third ship in the US Navy named in honor of the 42^nd state. In early 1941, Washington and some twenty other American ships were the first to be outfitted with a fully operation radar. Washington was also the only American battleship to sink an enemy battleship in a “one-on-one” (Hornfischer p. 366) surface engagement during World War II.

Another extraordinary fact was that Washington suffered no losses from enemy action during the entirety of the war. However, she was almost hit by “Long Lance” torpedoes off Guadalcanal, and was hit once by enemy ordnance, a 5-inch shell that tore through the vessel’s radar antenna without detonating.

In her service, Washington earned 13 Battle Stars.

USS West Virginia

USS West Virginia was a Colarado-class battleship; the second ship named in honor of the 35^th state. She was the most recent of the “super-dreadnoughts”, and employed the latest in naval architecture. Its watertight compartmentation of the hull and scale of her protection was a great step forward.

The attack on Pearl Harbor saw West Virginia receive significant damage. Torpedo strikes devastated the vessel, eventually sinking her. The picture above shows sailors in a motorboat attempting to rescue a man overboard as West Virginia burns, shortly after the Japanese attack on the harbor.

USS Texas

USS Texas, a New York-class battleship was launched on May 18, 1912 and cost around $5,830,000 (of the time). Texas also had many firsts; it was the first US Navy vessel to accommodate a permanently assigned contingent of US Marines, the first US battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns, the first to become a permanent museum ship, and much more.

When compared with other remaining battleships, Texas is one of the only remaining World War I era dreadnought battleships. While not as old as the Mikasa (ordered in 1898), she is also noteworthy for being one of only six remaining ships to have served in both World Wars. Texas featured in Operation Torch, Operation Overlord, Battle of Cherbourg and Operation Dragoon.

USS Franklin

USS Franklin, nicknamed “Big Ben”, was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the U.S. Navy. Franklin served in several campaigns in the Pacific War and earned four battle stars.

It was the picture above, on March 19, 1945, when she had maneuvered to within 80 km of the Japanese mainland, a Japanese bomber cleared the cloud cover and attacked the ship. The diver bomber dropped its payload, and the explosion on the hangar deck ignited its fuel tanks, causing devastation. Suffering further damage, Franklin lay dead in the water.

These pictures are just a few of many that show some of the more dramatic, iconic, and unusual aspects of US Navy during the 20^th century. What images from this period are your favorites? Don’t forget to share them with us below!