Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Battleship

USS Massachusetts (BB-59) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Before commissioning

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Accession: 69-322-A Plaque, Builder's USS MASSACHUSETTS (BB-59) 13.25 "H x 23.625" L x1.5" D Brass USS MASSACHUSETTS was launched on the 23rd September 1941 and was decommissioned on the 27th March 1947. She received 11 battle stars for her service in World War II. She can now be found at Falls River Massachusetts where she was transferred to the Massachusetts Memorial Committe in 1965. Collection Naval History & Heritage Command from Washington, DC, USA — 69-322-A PLAQUE, BUILDER'S, USS MASSACHUSETTS (BB 59) — CC BY 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons

One of the thirteen original States of the Union, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ratified the Constitution on 6 February 1788.

Second World War 1939–1945

1939

The fourth Massachusetts (BB‑59) was laid down on 20 July 1939 at Quincy, Mass., by Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched on 23 September 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams; and commissioned on 12 May 1942 at Boston, Capt. Francis E. M. Whiting in command.

1942

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) maneuvering off Casablanca, Morocco, during the North Africa invasion, 8 November 1942. Note that Massachusetts is flying two very large national ensigns. USN (photographed from USS Mayrant (DD-402)) — Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-2133 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

After shakedown, Massachusetts departed Casco Bay, Maine, on 24 October 1942 and 4 days later made rendezvous with the Western Naval Task Force for the invasion of north Africa , serving as flagship for Adm. H. Kent Hewitt. While steaming off Casablanca on 8 November, she came under fire from French battleship Jean Bart's 15‑inch guns. She returned fire at 0740, firing the first 16‑inch shells fired by the U.S. against the European Axis Powers. Within a few minutes she silenced Jean Bart's main battery; then she turned her guns on French destroyers which had joined the attack, sinking two of them. She also shelled shore batteries and blew up an ammunition dump. After a cease‑fire had been arranged with the French, she headed for the United States on 12 November, and prepared for Pacific duty.

1943

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
ONI identification: South Dakota class battleship United States Navy — http://archive.hnsa.org/doc/id/fm30-50-naval/sheet022.htm — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Massachusetts arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia, on 4 March 1943. For the next months she operated in the South Pacific, protecting convoy lanes and supporting operations in the Solomons. Between 19 November and 21 November, she sailed with a carrier group striking Makin, Tarawa , and Abemama in the Gilberts; on 8 December she shelled Japanese positions on Nauru; and on 29 January 1944 she guarded carriers striking Tarawa in the Gilberts.

1944 Hollandia

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) underway at 15 knots off Point Wilson, Washington (USA), on 11 July 1944. U.S. Navy; The original uploader was RadicalBender at English Wikipedia .,5 February 2004 (original upload date) — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 97255 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command ; Originally from en.wikipedia — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

The Navy now drove steadily across the Pacific. On 30 January 1944 Massachusetts bombarded Kwajalein, and she covered the landings there 1 February. With a carrier group she struck against the Japanese stronghold at Truk on 17 February. That raid not only inflicted heavy damage on Japanese aircraft and naval forces, but also proved to be a stunning blow to enemy morale. On 21 to 22 February, Massachusetts helped fight off a heavy air attack on her task group while it made raids on Saipan , Tinian, and Guam . She took part in the attack on the Carolines in late March and participated in the invasion at Hollandia 22 April which landed 60,000 troops on the island. Retiring from Hollandia, her task force staged another attack on Truk.

Massachusetts shelled Ponape Island 1 May 1944, her last mission before sailing to Puget Sound to overhaul and reline her gun barrels, now well‑worn. On 1 August she left Pearl Harbor to resume operations in the Pacific war zone. She departed the Marshall Islands on 6 October, sailing to support the landings in Leyte Gulf. In an effort to block Japanese air attacks in the Leyte conflict, she participated in a fleet strike against Okinawa on 10 October. Between 12 and 14 October, she protected forces hitting Formosa. While part of TG 38.3 she took part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf 22 to 27 October, during which planes from her group sank four Japanese carriers off Cape Engano.

Stopping briefly at Ulithi, Massachusetts returned to the Philippines as part of a task force which struck Manila on 14 December 1944 while supporting the invasion of Mindoro. Massachusetts sailed into a howling typhoon on 17 December, with winds estimated at 120 knots. Three destroyers sank at the height of the typhoon's fury. Between 30 December 1944 and 23 January 1945, she sailed as part of TF 38, which struck Formosa and supported the landing at Lingayen. During that time she turned into the South China Sea, her task force destroying shipping from Saigon to Hong Kong, concluding operations with airstrikes on Formosa and Okinawa.

1945

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) refuels two Fletcher -class destroyers in 1945. USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

From 10 February to 3 March 1945, with the Fifth Fleet, Massachusetts guarded carriers during raids on Honshu. Her group also struck Iwo Jima by air for the invasion of that island. On 17 March, the carriers launched strikes against Kyushu while Massachusetts fired in repelling enemy attacks, splashing several planes. Seven days later she bombarded Okinawa . She spent most of April fighting off air attacks, while engaged in the operations at Okinawa, returning to the area in June, when she passed through the eye of a typhoon with 100‑knot winds 5 June. She bombarded Minami Daito Jima in the Ryukyus on 10 June.

Massachusetts sailed 1 July 1945 from Leyte Gulf to join the Third Fleet's final offensive against Japan. After guarding carriers launching strikes against Tokyo, she shelled Kamaishi, Honshu, on 14 July, thus hitting Japan's second largest iron and steel center. Two weeks later she bombarded the industrial complex at Hamamatsu, returning to blast Kamaishi on 9 August. It was here that Massachusetts fired what was probably the last 16‑inch shell fired in combat in World War II .

Victory won, the fighting battleship sailed for Puget Sound and overhaul on 1 September 1945 She left there on 28 January 1946 for operations off the California coast, until leaving San Francisco for Hampton Roads, arriving on 22 April. She was decommissioned on 27 March 1947 to enter the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk, Va., and was stricken from the Naval Register on 1 June 1962.

Vietnam War period 1964–1975

1965

"Big Mamie," as she was affectionately known, was saved from the scrap pile when she was transferred to the MassachusettsMemorial Committee on 8 June 1965. She was enshrined at Fall River, Mass., on 14 August 1965, as the Bay State's memorial to those who gave their lives in World War II.

Other photographs

Held for this vessel, and not tied to any part of the account above.

USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The upper part of an American battleship from WWII in a naval museum in Massachusetts Someone35 — Own work ; http://johnred1458.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=137811485 — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
These are the 20mm Oerlikons that are dotted throughout the ship. 20mm is nearly 1" diameter. mliu92 from San Mateo — Twin Spin 0559 — CC BY-SA 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
U.S.S. Massachusetts United States Navy — https://www.navsource.net/archives/01/015904.jpg — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) refueling from the fleet oiler USS Saugatuck (AO-75) on 20 April 1945. Note the four airplanes overhead. USN (photographed from USS Hornet (CV-12)) — Official U.S. Navy photo [1] available at Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) replenishing from the ammunition ship USS Wrangell (AE-12). Wrangell then retired to San Pedro Bay, Leyte, for upkeep and repairs. Wrangell subsequently returned to the open sea on 8 July 1945 and rendezvoused with TG 30.8 (the redesignated TG 50.8) on the 17th. From 20 July to 1 August 1945, she rearmed 35 ships and hit a high point of transferri USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Removed caption read: Photo # NH 46430 USS Massachusetts in Puget Sound, January 1946 US Navy Photo # NH 46430 — http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/bb59.htm — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
5 inch turrets aboard USS Massachusetts (BB-59). Taken during refueling from the T3-S2-A1 class Kaskaskia (AO-27) during a storm at sea, 17 October 1944. US Navy — navsource.org , stated as USN photo — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi, at the time they bombarded the iron works there, as seen from USS South Dakota (BB-57). USS Indiana (BB-58) is the nearest ship, followed by USS Massachusetts (BB-59). Cruisers Chicago (CA-136) and Quincy (CA-71) bring up the rear. tormentor4555 — Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi, at the time they bombarded the iron works there, as seen from USS South Dakota (BB-57). USS Indiana (BB-58) is the nearest ship, followed by USS Massachusetts (BB-59). Cruisers Chicago (CA-136) and Quincy (CA-71) bring up the rear. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-490143.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi, at the time they bombarded the iron works there, as seen from USS South Dakota (BB-57). USS Indiana (BB-58) is the nearest ship, followed by USS Massachusetts (BB-59). Cruisers Chicago (CA-136) and Quincy (CA-71) bring up the rear. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-490143.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
USS Indiana (BB-58) fires a salvo from her forward 16/45 guns at the Kamaishi plant of the Japan Iron Company, 250 miles north of Tokyo. A second before, USS South Dakota (BB-57), from which this photograph was taken, fired the initial salvo of the first naval gunfire bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands. The superstructure of USS Massachusetts (BB-59) is visible directly behind Indiana. The h Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-K-6035.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
USS Indiana (BB-58) fires a salvo from her forward 16/45 guns at the Kamaishi plant of the Japan Iron Company, 250 miles north of Tokyo. A second before, USS South Dakota (BB-57), from which this photograph was taken, fired the initial salvo of the first naval gunfire bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands. The superstructure of USS Massachusetts (BB-59) is visible directly behind Indiana. The h Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-K-6035.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The island of Ebeye, Kwajalein atoll being shelled by U.S. Navy ships on 30 January 1944, among them was the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59). USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The Japanese battleship Nagato at Yokosuka (Japan), as seen from the U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59). USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

  1. History Massachusetts IV (BB-59) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
  2. Facts USS Massachusetts (BB-59) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
  3. Photograph USS Massachusetts (BB-59) underway c1944 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  4. Photograph ONI identification image South Dakota class battleship United States Navy — http://archive.hnsa.org/doc/id/fm30-50-naval/sheet022.htm — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  5. Photograph American battleship, massachusetts Someone35 — Own work ; http://johnred1458.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=137811485 — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons
  6. Photograph Twin Spin 0559 (5519367780) mliu92 from San Mateo — Twin Spin 0559 — CC BY-SA 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons
  7. Photograph USS Massachusetts (BB-59) off Casablanca 1942 USN (photographed from USS Mayrant (DD-402)) — Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-2133 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  8. Photograph USS Massachusetts BB-59 5-12-1942 Boston Harbor United States Navy — https://www.navsource.net/archives/01/015904.jpg — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  9. Photograph Uss massachusetts bb U.S. Navy; The original uploader was RadicalBender at English Wikipedia .,5 February 2004 (original upload date) — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 97255 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command ; Originally from en.wikipedia — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  10. Photograph USS Massachusetts (BB-59) refuels Fletcher class destroyers 1945 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  11. Photograph USS Saugatuck (AO-75) refueling Massachusetts (BB-59) 1945 USN (photographed from USS Hornet (CV-12)) — Official U.S. Navy photo [1] available at Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  12. Photograph USS Wrangell (AE-12) replenishing USS Massachusetts (BB-59) in 1945 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  13. Photograph USS Massachusetts BB-59 US Navy Photo # NH 46430 — http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/bb59.htm — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  14. Photograph 5 inch turrets aboard USS Massachusetts (BB-59) US Navy — navsource.org , stated as USN photo — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  15. Photograph 69-322-A PLAQUE, BUILDERS, USS MASSACHUSETTS (BB 59) Naval History & Heritage Command from Washington, DC, USA — 69-322-A PLAQUE, BUILDER'S, USS MASSACHUSETTS (BB 59) — CC BY 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons
  16. Photograph Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi. (50971906608) tormentor4555 — Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  17. Photograph Bombardment of Kamaishi, Japan, 14 July 1945 - 80-G-490143 Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-490143.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  18. Photograph Bombardment of Kamaishi, Japan, 14 July 1945 - 80-G-490143 Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-490143.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  19. Photograph Bombardment of Kamaishi, Japan, 14 July 1945 - 80-G-K-6035 Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-K-6035.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  20. Photograph Bombardment of Kamaishi, Japan, 14 July 1945 - 80-G-K-6035 Unknown author — https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/indiana-bb-58/80-G-K-6035.html — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  21. Photograph Ebeye island being shelled in 1944 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  22. Photograph Japanese battleship Nagato seen from USS Massachusetts (BB-59) 1945 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Massachusetts (BB-59) World War II cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons