USS Colorado BB-45
History of the USS Colorado Battleship
The USS Colorado (BB-45) was ordered for the U.S. Navy on August 29, 1916. Her keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey on May 29, 1919. She was launched on March 22, 1921 and commissioned on August 30, 1923 under the command of Captain R. R. Belknap.
USS Colorado’s maiden voyage brought her from New York City to Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France; Villefranche, France; Naples, Italy and Gibraltar before she returned to New York on February 15, 1924. She sailed for San Francisco, California later that year and served as a member of the Navy’s Pacific Battle Fleet. The battleship participated in fleet exercises and ceremonies and aided in fleet problems. Her guns were upgraded in 1928 and 1929.
The USS Colorado helped provide earthquake relief at Long Beach, California in March 1933. She assisted in the search for Amelia Earhart from June to July of 1937. She was based in Pearl Harbor for training exercises and war games from January until July of 1941, when she headed to Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington for overhaul.
The battleship joined in World War II when she and the USS Maryland formed a line of defense in case the Japanese attempted an attack on San Francisco. She then headed for the Fiji Islands and New Hebrides via Pearl Harbor from November 1942 until September 1943. The battleship provided pre-invasion bombardment and fire support for the invasion of Tarawa in October, and then for the invasions of Kwajalein and Eniwetok from January to February 1944.
After being overhauled at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, USS Colorado set out for bombardment and fire support duties at Saipan, Guam and Tinian. She was hit by enemy shells on July 24, but remained to support the mission until August 3. After being repaired on the West Coast, the battleship provided support to the U.S. troops fighting on shore in Leyte Gulf on November 20, 1944. One week later, she was hit by two kamikazes, killing 19 men, injuring 72 others, and causing moderate damage. She remained to bombard Mindoro as planned, then headed to Manus Island for emergency repairs.
USS Colorado took part in pre-invasion bombardments in Lingayen Gulf in January 1945. On January 9, she was hit by accidental gunfire to her superstructure, killing 18 men and injuring 51. The battleship replenished at Ulithi before aiding in the bombardment and fire support at Kerama Retto for the invasion of Okinawa.
The USS Colorado made it to Seattle, Washington for the Navy-Day celebration on October 27, 1945. She made a number of runs to Pearl Harbor for Operation Magic Carpet, transporting over 6,000 veterans back to the United States mainland. The battleship received seven battle stars for her service during World War II.
USS Colorado then reported to Bremerton Navy Yard in Washington for inactivation. She was decommissioned on January 7, 1947 and sold for scrap on July 23, 1959.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
Sources include:
John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed, “Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences,” Ulster Med. J. 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008)
Naval Historical Center, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships – USS Colorado