Official partners of the Pearl Harbor
Memorial Parade
AMERICAN BATTLESHIPS
Moored at Pearl Harbor
OTHER AMERICAN VESSELS
USS Pennsylvania: 1916 - 1948
USS Pennsylvania was the first in it's class of two (USS Arizona was the
other Pennsylvania Class Battleship). She was a 31,400 ton
battleship built in Newport News, Virginia and was commissioned in June
of 1916. Pennsylvania served at the Atlantic Fleet's flagship
until she became the flagship of the Battle Fleet in 1921. During
the 1920's, she led the Navy's battleships in maneuvers in the Atlantic,
the Caribbean and the Pacific. From 1929 - 1931, Pennsylvania
received significant upgrades to better support her mission as fleet
flagship, including improved combat systems, and an enlarged armored
conning tower.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Pennsylvania was in dry dock at Pearl Harbor Navy
Yard and received relatively light damage although the destroyers,
Cassin & Downes that were docked with her received heavy damage.
The Pennsylvania was hit with a Japanese bomb though that destroyed the
gun on the starboard deck and killing the crew operating the gun.
Even though she was in dry-dock, Pennsylvania was one of the first ships
to open fire at the on coming Japanese planes. When the destroyer,
Downes was hit, a part of her torpedo tube hit the forecastle of the
Pennsylvania. During the attack, 15 of her crew were killed,
including her executive officer, 14 were missing in action and another
38 were wounded.
USS Pennsylvania after the Pearl Harbor attack
Thanks to her relatively light damage from the attack, Pennsylvania was
quickly repaired and returned to duty. She sailed to Alaskan
waters where she was instrumental in the recapture of
Attu and
Kiska in 1943. In
November of 1943, she supported amphibious landings on the Gilbert
Islands. In September 1944, while supporting landings in Palaus, the
Japanese Navy responded vigorously and Pennsylvania helped destroy part
of the enemy fleet in the Battle of Surigao Strait. In August of
1945, off the coast of Okinawa,
she was seriously damaged by a Japanese torpedo and became the last
major ship to be hit during World War II. Because of her age, she
was only repaired enough to be suitable for target duty. She
served in this capacity in the Bikini atomic bomb tests in 1946, then
moored at Kwajalein for radioactivity study until she was scuttled at
sea on February 19, 1948.
