USS North Carolina (BB-55)

History of the USS North Carolina (BB-55)

The USS North Carolina (BB-55) was the capital ship of the North Carolina-class fast battleships and the first of its type designed for the founding navy of the United States . Built under the Washington Treaty system, the North Carolina design was limited in displacement and armament, although the United States used a clause in the Second London Naval Treaty to reduce the main gun from its original armament to twelve 14-inch guns (356mm) raises nine 16" (406mm) guns. The ship was laid in 1937 and completed in April 1941, when the United States was still neutral during World War II.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, North Carolina was mobilized for war and was initially dispatched to deal with a possible sortie of the German battleship Tirpitz, although this did not materialize and North Carolina was quickly moved to the Pacific Counterattack Allied reinforcements during the Battle of Guadalcanal. There, she inspected the aircraft carriers involved in the campaign and took part in the Battle of the East Solomons on August 24-25, 1942, where she shot down several Japanese aircraft.

The following month, she was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine without serious damage. Once repaired, she returned to the field and continued her carrier screening in the Central Pacific Campaign of 1943 and 1944, including the use of saws in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and Mariana and Palau Islands serving in the Philippine Naval Battle.

The ship was overhauled during the invasion of the Philippines, but took part in the later stages of the Philippine campaign and was present when the fleet was damaged by Typhoon Cobra. In 1945, she participated in offensive operations in support of the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, which included several attacks on Japan. After the Japanese surrender in August, she was carried home by U.S. military personnel during Operation Magic Carpet. North Carolina operated off the east coast of the United States in 1946, then was decommissioned and retained the following year. The ship was removed from the Naval Ship Register in 1960 and preserved from the Crusher Dockyard through a campaign to preserve the ship as a museum ship of the same name.

In 1962, the North Carolina Museum opened in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Specification

BASICS

Year of Service

1941

Origins

United States

Status

stop service

Reserved.

supplement

2,340

staff

Class information

Class

North Carolina Class

Class Size

2

ships

Class

USS North Carolina (BB-55); USS Washington (BB-56)

Carrier

United States

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Flagship/Capital Ship

Take on the role of fleet flagship or capital ship in old battleship design/terminology.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

728. 8 feet

222.14m

Ray

108. 3 feet

33.01 m

Draft

33. 0 feet

10.06 m

Shift

34,000 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

8 x boilers; 4 GE steam turbines driving 4 axles.

Surface Velocity

26. 0 nodes

(29.9 km/h)

Area

17,380nm

(20,000 miles | 32,187 km)

Weapons

9 x 16 in (410 mm)/45 caliber Mark 6 guns 20 x 5 in (130 mm)/38 caliber DP guns 16 x 1.1 in (28 mm) anti-aircraft guns[ /p]

AIRCRAFT

3 x Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes