Some 80 years ago today, the final American battleship laid down whose construction was completed* entered the fleet.
The second U.S. Navy warship to be named for the 30th State, USS Wisconsin (BB-64), was ordered on 12 June 1940, laid down on 25 January 1941 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched on the second anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, 7 December 1943 (of note, sistership USS New Jersey was commissioned on the 1st anniversary the year before); sponsored by Mrs. Margaret Roche Goodland, wife of Wisconsin Governor Walter S. Goodland; and commissioned on 16 April 1944, with Milwaukee-born Capt. Earl Everett Stone (USNA 1917), in command.
A Badger-state battlewagon, for sure!
*While Wisconsin was the fourth and final– sisters Illinois and Kentucky were never completed– Iowa class super battleship ordered, the third member of the class, USS Missouri (BB-63), which was ordered on the same day (12 June 1940) and laid down two weeks before BB-64 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, was not commissioned until 11 June 1944, making the third member of the class the last delivered, even though she had an earlier hull number and keel authentication date.
USS Wisconsin (BB-64) at anchor on 30 May 1944, during her Atlantic coast shakedown period. 80-G-453313
After shakedown in the Caribbean, Wisconsin sailed for the Pacific in October 1944 and stopped at Pearl Harbor to be inspected by Nimitz himself on her way to the combat zone.
She tied up next to the shattered hulk of the raised dreadnought USS Oklahoma (BB-37), which had only been decommissioned two months prior.
USS Wisconsin tied up outboard of the hulk of USS Oklahoma (BB-37), at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 11 November 1944. Note: anti-torpedo netting outboard of the ships as well as the great difference in lengths of these two battleships (887 vs 583 feet), commissioned just 28 years apart. NH 78940
Over the next nine months, Wisconsin took part in operations to capture the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, as well as raids on the Japanese home islands, surviving two typhoons in the process.
Wisconsin earned five battle stars for her WWII service, another for Korea, and the Navy Unit Commendation for Desert Storm. Although 62 years passed from when she was commissioned and stricken for good, she only served roughly 14 of those (1944-48, 1951-58, and 1988-1991) on active duty.
Wisconsin also held a couple of other important “lasts” in naval history.
While Missouri and Wisconsin both fought in the First Gulf War (Desert Storm) in 1991, it was the “Big W” who fired the last battleship naval gunfire-support mission of the war, and, on 28 May 1991, would be the final member of her class to fire her 16-inch guns.
The Wisconsin (BB-64) fires one of its Mark 7 16-inch 50-caliber guns from turret No. 2 while underway. This is the last firing of the vessel’s guns, 28 May 1991. USN photo # DN-ST-92-00496, by PH1 Bruce M. Morris, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection.
Iowa and Wisconsin were finally stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 17 March 2006, making them the last battleships in service in the world.
Now, some 80 years in the rearview, and 33 after her guns fell silent, she is still beautiful.
The Nauticus Museum, where she has been since 2001 (although the Navy only transferred ownership to the City of Norfolk in 2010, still technically holding on to the possibility of reactivating her until then) is celebrating all month.
When in Norfolk, please stop by and tell the old girl hello.
