USS Maryland (BB-46)
USS Maryland (BB-46) underway in 1935
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Maryland |
Ordered | 5 December 1916 |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Laid down | 24 April 1917 |
Launched | 20 March 1920 |
Commissioned | 21 July 1921 |
Decommissioned | 3 April 1947 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 8 July 1959 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Colorado-class battleship |
Displacement | 32,600 long tons (33,100 t) |
Length | 624 ft (190 m) |
Beam | 97 ft 6 in (29.72 m) |
Draft | 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) |
Speed | 21.17 kn (39.21 km/h; 24.36 mph) |
Complement | 1,080 officers and enlisted |
Armament |
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Armor |
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Aircraft carried | 4 × floatplanes |
Aviation facilities | 2 × aircraft catapults |
USS Maryland (BB-46), also known as "Old Mary" or "Fighting Mary" to her crewmates, was a Colorado-class battleship. She was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the seventh state. She was commissioned in 1921, and serving as the flagship of the fleet, cruised to Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.
During World War II, she was on Battleship Row during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and was lightly damaged by Japanese bombs. Returning to duty in 1942, she saw service in the Pacific War, first supporting the rest of the fleet at the Battle of Midway, and then patrolling the Fiji Islands to guard against Japanese incursion. Next, she went on the offensive, commencing shore bombardments in the Battle of Tarawa and later in the Battle of Kwajalein. During the Battle of Saipan she took torpedo damage to her bow, necessitating repairs and refits. She then participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf where she was hit by a kamikaze. She took another kamikaze hit at the Battle of Okinawa, then completed repairs and upgrades at Bremerton, WA. She was sailing back to the Pacific Theater when word was received that the war had ended, so she turned around and returned to the Port of Long Beach, CA.
After service in Operation Magic Carpet, she was decommissioned in 1947, and sold for scrap in 1959. She received seven battle stars for World War II service.
Design
In 1916, design work was completed on the next class of battleships to be built for the United States Navy beginning in 1917. These ships were nearly direct copies of the preceding Tennessee class, with the exception of the main battery, which increased from twelve 14-inch (356 mm) guns to eight 16 in (406 mm) guns. The Colorado class proved to be the last class of battleships completed of the standard type.[1]
Maryland was 624 ft (190 m)
She was armed with a main battery of eight
Service history
Inter-war period
Maryland was one of four
Following her commissioning, Maryland undertook an East Coast shakedown cruise.[4] Shortly thereafter, Maryland was made flagship of Admiral Hilary P. Jones.[6] Maryland found herself in great demand for special occasions. She appeared at Annapolis, Maryland, for the 1922 United States Naval Academy graduation and at Boston, Massachusetts, for the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill and the Fourth of July.[7] From 18 August to 25 September, she paid her first visit to a foreign port transporting Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes to Rio de Janeiro for Brazil's Centennial Exposition. The next year, after fleet exercises off the Panama Canal Zone, Maryland transited the canal in the latter part of June to join the battle fleet stationed on the west coast.[4] She continued to be a flagship until 1923 when the flag was shifted to Pennsylvania.[6]
She made another voyage to a foreign port in 1925, this time to Australia and
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On the morning of 7 December, Maryland was moored along Ford Island, with
Seaman Leslie Short—addressing Christmas cards near his machine gun—brought the first of his ship's guns into play, shooting down one of two torpedo bombers that had just released against Oklahoma. Inboard of Oklahoma, and thus protected from the initial torpedo attack, Maryland managed to bring all her antiaircraft (AA) batteries into action.[4] The devastating initial attack sank Oklahoma, and she capsized quickly, with many of her surviving men climbing aboard Maryland to assist her with anti-aircraft defenses.[6]
Maryland was struck by two armor-piercing bombs which detonated low on her hull. The first struck the forecastle awning and made a hole about 12 ft (3.7 m) by 20 ft (6.1 m). The second exploded after entering the hull at the 22 ft (6.7 m) water level at Frame 10. The latter hit caused flooding and increased the draft forward by 5 ft (1.5 m).[9] Maryland continued to fire and, after the attack, sent firefighting parties to assist her compatriots, especially attempting to rescue survivors from the capsized Oklahoma.[7] The men continued to muster the AA defenses in case the Japanese returned to attack. In all, two officers and two men were killed in the attack.[6]
The Japanese erroneously announced that Maryland had been sunk, but on 30 December, the damaged ship entered
Supporting patrols
During the important Battle of Midway, Maryland played a supporting role. Like the other older battleships, she was not fast enough to accompany the aircraft carriers, so she operated with a backup fleet protecting the West Coast.[4] Maryland stood by on security, awaiting the call that she was needed, until the end of the battle. At the end of the action around Midway, Maryland was sent to San Francisco.[10]
Thereafter, Maryland engaged in almost constant training exercises with Battleship Division 2, Battleship Division 3, and Battleship Division 4 until 1 August, when she returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs, her first time in the harbor since the Japanese attack. She departed Pearl Harbor in early November with Colorado, bound for the forward area.[11] On 12 November, King Neptune came aboard Maryland to initiate her "pollywogs" for the line-crossing ceremony. Maryland steamed for the Fiji Islands where she patrolled against Japanese incursion. The two battleships acted as sentinels to guard against Japanese advance to prevent Japanese forces from threatening Australia. During this duty, the two battleships conducted frequent sweeps for Japanese forces.[10]
In early 1943, with the success of the
Battle of Tarawa
Departing the
The
After three days of covering the offensive on Betio Island, she moved to
Battle of Kwajalein Atoll
Maryland steamed from
In the predawn hours of 31 January, the ships began a bombardment of
Battle of Saipan
Two months later, Maryland sailed westward on 5 May, joining Task Force 52 headed for
The Japanese attempted to counter the battleships through the air. On 18 June, the ship's guns shot down their first Japanese aircraft, but on 22 June, a Mitsubishi G4M3 "Betty" medium bomber flew low over the still-contested Saipan hills and found Maryland and Pennsylvania. The Japanese plane dropped a torpedo, which blew a large hole in Maryland's starboard bow. The attack caused light casualties, and in 15 minutes she was underway for Eniwetok, and from there she steamed for the repair yards at Pearl Harbor (in reverse the whole time so as not to do further damage to her bow[13]),[4] escorted by two destroyers. Two men were killed in the attack.[12]
With an around-the-clock effort by the shipyard workers, Maryland was repaired in 34 days, departing on 13 August. She then embarked for the
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Maryland steamed for
For the next several days, Japanese forces launched air raids to counter the incursion. These included the first widespread use of the kamikaze suicide attack. Several days later, U.S. submarines in the South China Sea spotted two Japanese forces on approach: five battleships steaming toward San Bernardino Strait, and another force of four Japanese carriers in northern Luzon.[14]
On 24 October, Maryland, West Virginia,
Following the victory, Maryland patrolled the southern approaches to Surigao Strait until 29 October; she then steamed for the Admiralty Isles for brief replenishment and resumed patrol duty around Leyte on 16 November, protecting the landing forces from continued Japanese air attacks.[11] On 29 November, during another Japanese air attack, a kamikaze aircraft surprised and struck Maryland. The aircraft crashed into Maryland between Turrets No. 1 and 2, pierced the forecastle, main, and armored decks, and blew a hole in the 4-inch steel, causing extensive damage and starting fires. In all, 31 men were killed and 30 wounded in the attack, and the medical department was destroyed but still functional.[14]
The battleship continued her patrols until relieved on 2 December, when she sailed with two heavily damaged destroyers for repairs.[11] She reached Pearl Harbor on 18 December, and was extensively repaired and refitted over the next few months.[14]
Battle of Okinawa
After refresher training, Maryland headed for the western Pacific on 4 March 1945, arriving at
Maryland was assigned targets on the southern coast of Okinawa to support a diversionary landing, which would distract Japanese forces away from the main landing on the west coast.[11] Japanese forces responded with several air raids, with two of Maryland's radar picket destroyers being struck by kamikaze planes, with Luce sinking. On 3 April, she was moved to the west coast invasion beaches to assist the cruiser Minneapolis in destroying several shore batteries. Following the land invasion, she remained with the support force off Bolo Point providing artillery support for the invading troops.[14]
Maryland continued fire support duty until 7 April, when she steamed north to intercept a Japanese surface force with TF 54.[11] The Japanese ships, including the Yamato, came under constant U.S. air attacks that day, and planes of the Fast Carrier Task Force sank six of the 10 ships in the force. At dusk, a kamikaze loaded with a 551 lb (250 kg) bomb crashed the top of Turret No. 3 from starboard. The explosion wiped out the 20 mm mounts and caused a large fire. The 20mm ammunition ignited from the heat, causing further casualties.[4] In all, 10 were killed, 37 injured and 6 missing following this attack. Maryland remained on station for the next week and continued her artillery support mission through several more air raids. Turret No. 3, damaged but usable, remained silent for the remainder of this mission.[15]
On 14 April, Maryland left the firing line at Okinawa and escorted several retiring transports. They steamed via the Mariana Islands and Guam to Pearl Harbor,[4] and she reached the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton on 7 May for extensive overhaul.[11] All of her 5 in guns were removed and replaced by sixteen 5 inch/38 cal guns in new twin mounts.[8] The light AA armament was revised to forty Bofors 40 mm in ten quad mounts and thirty-six Oerlikon 20 mm in eighteen dual mounts,[16] though another source gives Maryland forty-four 40 mm in eleven quad mounts and forty-four 20 mm in twenty twin and one quad mount in the same timeframe.[17] The armored conning tower was removed and replaced by a similar but lighter STS structure with only 1.2 in (30 mm) armor to compensate for the extra weight gained during this refit. An extra 3in of STS was added over the magazines, with 2 in (51 mm) elsewhere over the protective deck, while turret-top armor was raised to 7 in (180 mm). New double-layer anti-torpedo bulges were installed, increasing the armored freeboard to compensate for the increase in weight. SK-2 radar was installed in place of the previous SK, and the main battery received new Mk.13 radars for fire control.[16] Turret No. 3 was repaired and the crew quarters were improved. She completed repairs in August, leaving for tests and training runs just as Japan surrendered, ending the war.[15]
Post-war
Maryland now joined the Operation Magic Carpet fleet.[15] During the remaining months of 1945, Maryland made five voyages between the west coast and Pearl Harbor, returning more than 8,000 servicemen to the United States. Arriving at Seattle, Washington on 17 December, Maryland completed her Operation Magic Carpet duty. She entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 15 April 1946, and was placed in commission in inactive reserve on 16 July.[15] She was decommissioned at Bremerton on 3 April 1947, and remained there as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Maryland was sold for scrapping to Learner Company of Oakland, California on 8 July 1959.[4]
On 2 June 1961, Governor of Maryland J. Millard Tawes, dedicated a monument to the memory of Maryland and her men. Built of granite and bronze and incorporating the ship's bell, this monument is located on the grounds of the State House in Annapolis.[18]
Footnotes
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Notes
Citations
- ^ Friedman 1985, p. 137.
- ^ a b Friedman 1986, p. 118.
- ^ a b Friedman 1985, p. 445.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o DANFS Maryland (BB-46).
- ^ Mooney 1981, p. 256.
- ^ a b c d e f Vreeken 1997, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d Mooney 1981, p. 257.
- ^ a b c Breyer 1973, p. 230.
- ^ Wallin 1968, p. 192.
- ^ a b c d e f Vreeken 1997, p. 10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mooney 1981, p. 258.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Vreeken 1997, p. 11.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: navyreviewer (15 March 2011). "Colorado class". Retrieved 15 April 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c d e f Vreeken 1997, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d Vreeken 1997, p. 13.
- ^ a b McDonald, p. 210.
- ^ Sturton, p. 217.
- ^ Mooney 1981, p. 259.
References
- Breyer, Siegfried (1973). Battleships and Battle Cruisers 1905–1970. Doubleday and Company. ISBN 0-385-07247-3.
- Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-715-1.
- Friedman, Norman (1986). "United States of America". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 105–133. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
- McDonald, Rod (2023). Pearl Harbor's Revenge: How the Devastated US Battleships Returned to War. Philadelphia: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-39901-329-1.
- Mooney, James (1981). Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, V. 4: L-M, Volume 4. Washington DC: Naval History Division.
- Sturton, Ian (2008). Conway's Battleships: The Definitive Visual Reference to the World's All-Big-Gun Ships (Revised and Expanded ed.). London: Conway Maritime Books. ISBN 9781844860685.
- Vreeken, Fred R. (1997). USS Maryland (BB-46). Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company.
- ISBN 0-89875-565-4.
- "Maryland". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
External links
- US Navy Historical Center USS Maryland gallery Archived 28 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- MaritimeQuest USS Maryland BB-46 Photo Gallery
- Photo gallery of Maryland at NavSource Naval History
- DANFS photographs of USS Maryland (BB-46)
- Image of USS Maryland battleship on the water, 1923-1925. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.