USS Washington (BB-56)
Service
- as Washington15 May 1941 — 27 June 19471,571 days of the war
- Name
- USS Washington
- Pennant / hull number
- BB-56
- Namesake
- Washington
- Builder
- Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
- Laid down
- 14 June 1938
- Launched
- 1 June 1940
- Commissioned
- 15 May 1941
- Decommissioned
- 27 June 1947
- Struck
- 1 June 1960
- Fate
- Sold for scrap, 24 May 1961 (1961)
- Status
- Scrapped
Specifications
- Displacement, standard
- 35,000 long tons (35,562 t)
- Displacement, full load
- 44,800 long tons (45,519 t)
- Length
- 221.89 m (728 ft)
- Beam
- 32.92 m (108 ft)
- Draught
- 9.75 m (32 ft)
- Speed
- 28 knots (51.9 km/h, 32.2 mph)
- Range
- 17,450 nmi (32,317 km)
- Complement
- 1,800
- Main gun
- 406 mm (16 in)
Washington , the 42nd state, was admitted to the Union on 11 November 1889. The first six Washingtons were named for George Washington; the seventh and eighth, for Washington state.
The eighth Washington (BB-56) was laid down on 14 June 1938 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pa.; launched on 1 June 1940; sponsored by Miss Virginia Marshall, of Spokane, Wash., a direct descendant of former Chief Justice Marshall; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 15 May 1941, Capt. Howard H. J. Benson in command.
Her shakedown and underway training ranged along the eastern seaboard and into the Gulf of Mexico and lasted through American entry into World War II in December 1941. Sometimes operating in company with her sistership North Carolina (BB-55) and the new aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-8), Washington became the flagship for Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Commander, Battleship Division (ComBatDiv) 6, and Commander, Battleships, Atlantic Fleet.
Continue to the full service history About 3,966 words
From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (Washington VIII (BB-56)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.
Armament and machinery
Armament and machinery
- Propulsion
- 4 × General Electric steam turbines
- 4 × screw propellers
- Power
- 8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers
- 121000 shp
- Armament
- 9 × 16 in guns
- 20 × 5 in dual-purpose guns
- 16 × 1.1 in anti-aircraft guns
- 18 × .50-cal machine guns
- Armour
- Belt: 12 in
- Gun turret: 16 in
- Deck: 5.5 in
- Conning tower: 16 in
- Aircraft
- 3 × Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes
Sister ships
Sources
- Facts harvested from USS Washington (BB-56) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Service history reproduced verbatim from Washington VIII (BB-56) , Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships — public domain, a work of the United States Government.
- Photograph: US Navy — Naval Historical Center ; "Photograph from the en:Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives." — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons