7, 1943, the second anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. The second Wisconsin was authorized on Jand laid down at the Philadelphia Navy Yard beginning in 1941. The original, BB-9, was decommissioned in 1920 after more than two decades of service. The USS Wisconsin was actually the second battleship named for the Badger State. (Image source: WikiCommons) It was launched exactly two years after Pearl Harbor The USS Wisconsin prepares to depart for duty in the Pacific.
Here are some fascinating facts about this legendary battleship. Resurrected by the City of Norfolk and the USS Wisconsin Foundation, it has become a museum ship and navy heritage site that continues the legacy of duty, honour and country that was the calling card of Wisconsin’s crew, and to inspire future generations of Americans. Long since decommissioned, this great piece of American maritime history was not destined for the scrap yard. BB-64 could hurl shells over the horizon at enemy ships, but also at targets far inland - a duty it performed right up to Operation Desert Storm. Entering service just as the supremacy of battleships was giving way to aircraft carriers, the heavy guns of the four Iowa-class vessels were still unmatched when it came to naval firepower. Wisconsin, or “Big Wiskey” (also sometimes spelled “Whisky”) as it was affectionately nicknamed, enjoyed a service life that spanned six decades and three conflicts. Navy/Creative Commons) “Entering service just as the supremacy of battleships was giving way to aircraft carriers, the heavy guns of the four Iowa-class vessels were still unmatched.”īy Amy Waters Yarsinske Amy Waters Yarsinske is the author of ‘USS Wisconsin: The Last Battleship.’īERTHED TODAY AT Nauticus, the national maritime centre in Norfolk, Virginia, the USS Wisconsin (BB-64) was the last authorized of the four mighty Iowa-class battleships, the largest American dreadnoughts ever built. The USS Wisconsin, which served in three American wars, holds the distinction of being the last battleship in history to fire shots in anger.
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