USS Indiana (BB-58)
![]() USS Indiana, underway in 1944
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History | |
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Namesake | State of Indiana |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Laid down | 20 November 1939 |
Launched | 21 November 1941 |
Commissioned | 30 April 1942 |
Decommissioned | 11 September 1947 |
Stricken | 1 June 1962 |
Fate | Broken up, 1963 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | South Dakota-class battleship |
Displacement |
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Length | 680 ft (210 m) o/a |
Beam | 108 ft 2 in (32.97 m) |
Draft | 35 ft 1 in (10.69 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) |
Range | 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Crew |
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Armament |
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Armor |
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Aircraft carried | 3 × "Kingfisher" floatplanes |
Aviation facilities | 2 × catapults |
USS Indiana (BB-58) was the second of four South Dakota-class fast battleships built for the United States Navy in the 1930s. The first American battleships designed after the Washington treaty system began to break down in the mid-1930s, they took advantage of an escalator clause that allowed increasing the main battery to 16-inch (406 mm) guns, but refusal to authorize larger battleships kept their displacement close to the Washington limit of 35,000 long tons (35,562 t). A requirement to be armored against the same caliber of guns as they carried, combined with the displacement restriction, resulted in cramped ships, a problem that was exacerbated as wartime modifications that considerably strengthened their anti-aircraft batteries significantly increased their crews.
Indiana entered service in April 1942, by which time the United States was engaged in
After returning to the fleet in April 1944, she took part in the
Design
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/ONI_identification_image_South_Dakota_class_battleship.jpg/220px-ONI_identification_image_South_Dakota_class_battleship.jpg)
The
Indiana was 680 feet (210 m)
The ship was armed with a main battery of nine
The main
Modifications
Indiana received a series of modifications through her wartime career, consisting primarily of additions to anti-aircraft battery and various types of radar sets. The first addition was the installation of SC air
The ship's light anti-aircraft battery was gradually expanded. Three more 40 mm quad mounts were added in late 1942. By January 1943, she had another eighteen 20 mm guns installed, bringing the total to fifty-three of the guns. Two more 40 mm quadruple mounts were added in February, and another seven 20 mm guns were added later that year for a total battery of sixty barrels. By July 1944, Indiana had had five of the 20 mm guns removed; three more had been removed by the end of the war in mid-1945.[6]
Service history
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_1942.jpg/220px-USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_1942.jpg)
Construction
The new battleship was authorized on 27 March 1934 by the
Pacific Theater operations
Battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Kwajalein
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_In_a_South_Pacific_harbor.jpg/220px-USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_In_a_South_Pacific_harbor.jpg)
On 14 November, Indiana was assigned as the flagship for Task Group (TG) 2.6, which included the
By January 1943, the ship had been joined by the
On 1 January 1944, Indiana was assigned to TG 37.2, and on 16 January she took part in gunnery practice with South Dakota and the destroyers USS Burns, Charrette, and USS Conner. The five ships, joined by North Carolina, Washington, and three more destroyers, then got underway on 18 January for the next major amphibious operation the Pacific, the Marshall Islands campaign. While en route, the ships conducted training with their anti-aircraft batteries. They rendezvoused with the carriers Bunker Hill and Monterey at sea, and after arriving in Funafuti on 20 January the unit was redesignated as TG 58.1. By this time, the group had grown to include the carriers Enterprise, Yorktown, Belleau Wood, and several more cruisers and destroyers. Further training took place from 25 to 28 January, including more anti-aircraft practice; Indiana also served as a target for simulated air attacks from the carrier aircraft. During the operation, Indiana served as the flagship of Battleship Division 8 (BatDiv), commanded by Rear Admiral Glenn B. Davis.[14]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_at_Pearl_Harbor%2C_13_February_1944%2C_after_collision_with_USS_Washington_%28BB-56%29.jpg/220px-USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_at_Pearl_Harbor%2C_13_February_1944%2C_after_collision_with_USS_Washington_%28BB-56%29.jpg)
In late January, Indiana took part in operations to prepare for the
Indiana thereafter withdrew to escort the carrier task force overnight. While operating off the islands in the early hours of 1 February, Indiana collided with Washington.
Davis transferred his flag to another vessel and on 2 February, Indiana departed for Majuro for temporary repairs before proceeding on to Pearl Harbor on 7 February in company with the escorting destroyer Remey and the destroyer escort Burden R. Hastings. Four days later, two more destroyers joined the group, which reached Pearl Harbor on 13 February. Indiana was dry-docked the next day for repairs that lasted until 7 April. She then conducted sea trials and test fired her main battery to ensure there were no remaining structural issues from the collision. She spent the next two weeks training her gun crews before departing in late April to rejoin the fleet for the next operation in the central Pacific.[16][14]
Marianas campaign
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_-_NH_52661.tiff/lossy-page1-220px-USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_-_NH_52661.tiff.jpg)
Indiana arrived in Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island on 26 April and Davis came back aboard his flagship two days later. That same day, she got underway in company with Massachusetts and four destroyers to join TF 58 for Operation Hailstone, the major attack on Truk Atoll conducted over the course of 29–30 April. On 1 May, Indiana took part in an attack on Pohnpei in the Senyavin Islands, shelling the island for about an hour before disengaging after having difficulty in locating suitable targets. Three days later the American fleet arrived in Majuro, where it began preparations for the invasion of several islands in the Marianas. The fleet sortied on 6 June to embark on the first stage of the campaign, the invasion of Saipan. Indiana, Washington, and four escorting destroyers were designated as Task Unit (TU) 58.7.3, the Western Bombardment Unit; over the course of the pre-invasion bombardment that began on 13 June and continued for two days, Indiana fired 584 shells from her main battery. Late in the day on 15 June, after the ground forces had gone ashore, Japanese air strikes targeted the invasion fleet. Indiana began evasive maneuvers to avoid the attacks, including a torpedo bomber that launched a torpedo at the ship at around 19:10 that failed to explode. Her anti-aircraft gunners shot the aircraft down, along with another bomber three minutes later. The ship was not damaged in the attacks and remained on station.[14]
A more significant Japanese counterattack came in the form of the
On 4 July, one of Indiana's Kingfishers picked up two men from the carrier
Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_-_80-G-318948.jpg/220px-USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_-_80-G-318948.jpg)
Rear Admiral
The ship got underway again on 10 February as part of TG 58.1 for a raid on Tokyo, Japan; a group of carriers launched air strikes on targets in the area on 16 February, followed by a series of strikes on various targets in the Bonin Islands (including Iwo Jima), after which they conducted a second strike on the Tokyo area on 25 February. In addition to providing anti-aircraft defense for the carriers, Indiana also frequently used her Kingfishers to pick up downed aircrews, and on 1 March one of her aircraft picked up the crews of two such aircraft. The fleet returned to Ulithi on 3 March for replenishment. On 14 March, Indiana sortied with South Dakota, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Washington, now designated TU 58.1.3, to support another round of strikes on Japan that were conducted three days later. She shot down a Japanese aircraft in the early hours of 19 March before the carriers attacked various points on the island of Kyushu. Later that day, the fleet steamed to strike the Kure Naval Arsenal. The carriers Wasp and Franklin were badly damaged by Japanese air attacks and were forced to withdraw.[17]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_-_80-G-342732.tiff/lossy-page1-220px-USS_Indiana_%28BB-58%29_-_80-G-342732.tiff.jpg)
On 23 March, Indiana steamed to
The ships of BatDiv 8 left Okinawa at the end of the month and returned to Ulithi, where they remained from 1 to 9 May. Indiana then got underway again to escort aircraft carriers for another series of strikes on Kyushu that began on 12 May. Two days later, she shot down an A6M kamikaze and assisted in the recovery of an F6F pilot who had been shot down by Japanese fire. On 27 May, Third Fleet relieved Fifth Fleet as the operational command, and all of the fleet's task forces and subordinate units were renumbered back to 30-series designations, returning Indiana to TG 38.1. In early June, a powerful cyclone formed in the Philippine Sea and moved north toward Okinawa; it struck Third Fleet on 5 June south of the island. Indiana recorded winds as high as 80 knots (150 km/h; 92 mph), which tore one of her Kingfishers from its catapult and hurled it into the sea. The winds also blew seawater into the ventilation intakes for the engine room, shorting out her switchboard and disabling her steering controls for about forty minutes. Thirty-six ships of the fleet were damaged by the storm, though Indiana only superficially so.[17]
The fleet resumed its normal operations in support of the Okinawa fight on 7 June, including air strikes on Japanese airfields on Kyushu the next day that Indiana supported. With an escort of five destroyers on 9 June, Indiana, Alabama, and Massachusetts steamed to shell Japanese facilities on the island of Minami Daito Jima; they repeated the attack the next day. Indiana was thereafter detached to replenish ammunition and other supplies in San Pedro Bay in the Philippines, arriving there on 11 June.[17]
Operations off Japan
Indiana got underway again in early July and returned to TF 38. She supported carrier strikes on the Tokyo area on 10 July and took part in the first bombardment of the Japanese home islands by
On 1 August, BatDiv 8 was detached to form Support Unit 38.1.2; the ships continued their attacks on coastal cities in company with TF 37. One of Indiana's Kingfishers accidentally crashed in the sea on 7 August, killing its crew. The ships of BatDiv 8 conducted a second attack on Kamaishi on 9 August, with Indiana firing a total of 270 shells between 12:46 and 14:45. Poor visibility again hampered the observers, though this proved to be the ship's last offensive operation. Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally on 15 August while Indiana was en route to the coast to support another wave of carrier strikes. Instead of munitions, food and medical supplies were loaded onto the carriers' aircraft to be dropped on prisoner of war (POW) camps. Indiana contributed a landing party to be sent ashore on 30 August, which was part of the initial occupation forces.[17]
After the formal surrender on 2 September, Indiana steamed into Tokyo Bay on the 5th. Over the course of the next week, Indiana was moored in the harbor and used to process POWs, including 54 USN personnel, 28 marines, 64 civilians, and a number of US Army and Canadian soldiers. On 15 September, she got underway in company with the destroyer Mansfield, bound for California. She was forced to steam at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) since her number 3 shaft had locked up and could not be used. On the way, her crew conducted a variety of shooting drills. The two ships reached Pearl Harbor on 22 September before Indiana continued on the next day for San Francisco, which she reached on 29 September. There, she disembarked 1,013 passengers.[17]
Postwar
Indiana immediately went into drydock at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard for repairs lasting until 31 October. From there, she transferred to Puget Sound, where her ammunition and other flammable material was unloaded. She then went into drydock on 15 November to be prepared for deactivation. On 29 March 1946, the Navy announced Postwar Plan Number Two, which detailed the reductions in force necessary to bring the fleet back to a peacetime footing; Indiana was to be transferred to the Pacific Reserve Fleet along with Alabama.[17]
Plans were drawn up during the period she was in reserve to modernize Indiana and the other ships of her class should they be needed for future active service. In March 1954, a program to equip the four ships with secondary batteries consisting of ten twin 3-inch (76 mm) guns were proposed, but the plan came to nothing. Another plan to convert the ship into a
The ships remained
Several parts of the ship have been preserved in her namesake state, including one of her
Footnotes
Notes
Citations
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 281–282.
- ^ a b c d Friedman 1980, p. 98.
- ^ a b c d DANFS Indiana 1939–1942.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 298–299.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 294–298.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 298–302.
- ^ a b Garzke & Dulin, p. 78.
- ^ Rohwer, p. 224.
- ^ Frank, p. 548.
- ^ Rohwer, p. 258.
- ^ Rohwer, p. 269.
- ^ USS Indiana War Diary.
- ^ Rohwer, p. 292.
- ^ a b c d e f g DANFS Indiana 1944.
- ^ a b Rohwer, pp. 303–304.
- ^ a b Garzke & Dulin, pp. 78, 82.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DANFS Indiana 1945–1963.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 390, 392, 399.
- ^ Nowling, Lacy; Decamp, Ben. "USS Indiana Dedicated At Memorial Stadium". indianapublicmedia.org. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ Lynch, p. S119–123.
References
- Frank, Richard B. (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. Marmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-016561-6.
- Friedman, Norman (1980). "United States of America". In Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 86–166. ISBN 978-0-87021-913-9.
- Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-715-9.
- Garzke, William H. Jr. & Dulin, Robert O. Jr. (1995). Battleships: United States Battleships, 1935–1992. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-174-5.
- "Indiana (BB-58) ii: 1939–1942". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- "Indiana (BB-58) ii: 1944". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- "Indiana (BB-58) ii: 1945–1963". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- Lynch, Timothy (August 2007). "A Historically Significant Shield for In Vivo Measurements". Health Phys. 93 (2): S119–123. S2CID 33969697.
- ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8.
- "USS Indiana War Diary, 22 November 1943 (0000-0400)". US National Archives. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
External links
Media related to USS Indiana (BB-58) at Wikimedia Commons