US Navy Battleships

Battleships are not used in the United States Navy today. Most of the remaining US Navy battleships were decommissioned shortly after World War II. The last of the battleships were decommissioned in the early 1990s.

These great ships were first built at the end of the 19th Century. The first USS Texas, commissioned in 1895, is generally considered the first United States Navy battleship. At that time, the battleship was “supreme at sea,” according to Navy sources. When she was launched, the first Texas was one of the world’s most powerful ships. But the battleships quickly grew heavier and better armed.

In 1905, England’s new HMS Dreadnought became the most powerful in the world and ignited a naval arms race. The US Navy continued to grow, and its battleships grew more powerful, until at the end of World War I, the strength of the US Navy was second only to that of Great Britain. In 1921 at the Washington Disarmament Conference, the United States agreed to reduce some of its Naval force. The majority of those battleships under construction were dismantled, and no new battleships were commissioned until World War II.

The United States began rebuilding its Naval forces in late 1939 in response to the growing conflict in Europe. On December 7, 1941, eight U.S. battleships were sunk or damaged in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Six of those ships were repaired and returned to service. The USS Arizona remains in the waters of Pearl Harbor. And the USS Oklahoma was decommissioned and sank on its way to San Francisco, California for scrapping.

The role of the battleship changed during World War II—the last conflict in which the bulk of USS battleships participated. The battleships were no longer the front line of conflict, but they performed other necessary duties at sea. The battleships provided anti-air defense and gunfire support for troops on shore, and they escorted convoys.

Shortly after the end of World War II, most of the US Navy battleships were decommissioned, and some of those live on as memorials in the states for which they were named—such as the Battleship Texas at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. The last active battleship became a training ship.

US Navy battleships were brought back into service in the early 1950s, when they were used for shore bombardment in the Korean War. But once that conflict was resolved, the battleships were decommissioned once again, and by 1958, no US battleships remained in active service.

In 1968, the USS New Jersey (BB-62) returned to service to serve as a gun platform in Vietman. But the ship was decommissioned for the third time in 1969.

In the 1980s, some of the battleships returned to duty and were modernized and updated to serve around the world. First, the USS New Jersey was called back up in 1982 and armed with Harpoon missiles and Tomahawk missiles, the latter having a range of approximately 500 miles. The remaining Iowa-class battleships were called back to duty beginning in 1984 and went through similar modernization and updating. The ships provided weapons platforms for an enlarged US Navy, helping to establish a strong US naval presence around the world. Two of the battleships—the USS Missouri and the USS Wisconsin—were used to provide gunfire support to ground troops in Kuwait during Dessert Storm.

Because the battleships were expensive and labor intensive to operate, the last of the battleships were decommissioned for the last time in the early 1990s.

The following list is taken from the U.S. Navy’s list of battleships. For those battleships that were active during World War II, we have included profiles, which you can access by selecting the name of the ship.

  • USS Alabama Battleship (BB-8), commissioned October 16, 1900, last decommissioned May 7, 1920
  • USS Alabama Battleship (BB-60), commissioned August 16, 1942, decommissioned January 9, 1947
  • USS Arizona Battleship (BB-39), commissioned October 17, 1916, stricken from Naval Register December 1, 1942
  • USS Arkansas Battleship (BB-33), commissioned September 17, 1912, decommissioned July 29, 1946
  • USS California Battleship (BB-44), commissioned August 10, 1921, decommissioned February 14, 1947
  • USS Colorado Battleship (BB-45), commissioned August 30, 1923, decommissioned January 7, 1947
  • USS Connecticut Battleship (BB-18), commissioned September 29, 1906, decommissioned March 1, 1923
  • USS Delaware Battleship (BB-28), commissioned April 4, 1910, decommissioned November 10, 1923
  • USS Florida Battleship (BB-30), commissioned September 15, 1911, decommissioned February 16, 1931
  • USS Georgia Battleship (BB-15), commissioned September 24, 1906, decommissioned July 15, 1920
  • USS Idaho Battleship (BB-24), commissioned April 1, 1908, decommissioned July 30, 1914
  • USS Idaho Battleship (BB-42), commissioned March 24, 1919, decommissioned July 3, 1946
  • USS Illinois Battleship (BB-7), commissioned September 15, 1900, last decommissioned May 15, 1920
  • USS Indiana Battleship (BB-1), commissioned November 20, 1895, last decommissioned January 31, 1919
  • USS Indiana Battleship (BB-50), not built (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS Indiana Battleship (BB-58), commissioned April 30, 1942, decommissioned September 11, 1947
  • USS Iowa Battleship (BB-4), commissioned June 16, 1897, last decommissioned March 31, 1919
  • USS Iowa Battleship (BB-53), not completed (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS Iowa Battleship (BB-61), commissioned February 22, 1943, last decommissioned October 26, 1990
  • USS Kansas Battleship (BB-21), commissioned April 18, 1907, decommissioned December 16, 1921
  • USS Kearsarge Battleship (BB-5), commissioned February 20, 1900, last decommissioned May 10, 1920
  • USS Kentucky Battleship (BB-6), commissioned May 15, 1900, last decommissioned May 29, 1920
  • USS Louisiana Battleship (BB-19), commissioned June 2, 1906, decommissioned October 20, 1920
  • USS Maine Battleship, commissioned September 17, 1895, decommissioned February 15, 1898
  • USS Maine Battleship (BB-10), commissioned December 29, 1902, last decommissioned May 15, 1920
  • USS Maryland Battleship (BB-46), commissioned July 21, 1921, decommissioned April 3, 1947
  • USS Massachusetts Battleship (BB-2), commissioned June 10, 1896, last decommissioned March 31, 1919
  • USS Massachusetts Battleship (BB-54), not completed (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS Massachusetts Battleship (BB-59), commissioned May 12, 1942, decommissioned March 27, 1947
  • USS Michigan Battleship (BB-27), commissioned January 4, 1910, decommissioned February 11, 1922
  • USS Minnesota Battleship (BB-22), commissioned March 9, 1907, decommissioned December 1, 1921
  • USS Mississippi Battleship (BB-23), commissioned February 1, 1908, decommissioned July 21, 1914
  • USS Mississippi Battleship (BB-41), commissioned December 17, 1918, decommissioned September 17, 1956
  • USS Missouri Battleship (BB-11), commissioned January 12, 1903, decommissioned September 8, 1919
  • USS Missouri Battleship (BB-63), commissioned June 11, 1944, last decommissioned March 31, 1992
  • USS Montana Battleship (BB-51), not completed (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS Nebraska Battleship (BB-14), commissioned July 1, 1907, decommissioned July 2, 1920
  • USS Nevada Battleship (BB-36), commissioned March 11, 1913, decommissioned April 21, 1948
  • USS New Hampshire Battleship (BB-25), March 19, 1908, decommissioned May 21, 1921
  • USS New Jersey Battleship (BB-16), May 12, 1908, decommissioned August 6, 1920
  • USS New Jersey Battleship (BB-62), commissioned May 23, 1943, last decommissioned February 8, 1991
  • USS New Mexico Battleship (BB-40), commissioned May 20, 1918, decommissioned July 19, 1946
  • USS New York Battleship (BB-34), commissioned April 15, 1914, decommissioned August 29, 1946
  • USS North Carolina Battleship (BB-52), not completed (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS North Carolina Battleship (BB-55), commissioned April 9, 1941, decommissioned June 27, 1947
  • USS North Dakota Battleship (BB-29), commissioned April 11, 1910, decommissioned November 2, 1923
  • USS Ohio Battleship (BB-12), commissioned October 4, 1904, decommissioned May 31, 1922
  • USS Oklahoma Battleship (BB-37), commissioned May 2, 1916, decommissioned September 1, 1944
  • USS Oregon Battleship (BB-3), commissioned July 15, 1896, last decommissioned October 4, 1919
  • USS Pennsylvania Battleship (BB-38), commissioned June 12, 1916, decommissioned August 29, 1946
  • USS Rhode Island Battleship (BB-17), commissioned February 19, 1906, decommissioned June 30, 1920
  • USS South Carolina Battleship (BB-26), commissioned March 1, 1910, decommissioned December 15, 1921
  • USS South Dakota Battleship (BB-49), not commissioned (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS South Dakota Battleship (BB-57), March 20, 1942, decommissioned January 31, 1947
  • USS Tennessee Battleship (BB-43), commissioned June 3, 1920, decommissioned February 14, 1947
  • USS Texas Battleship, commissioned August 15, 1895, decommissioned February 1, 1911
  • USS Texas Battleship (BB-35), commissioned March 12, 1914, decommissioned April 21, 1948
  • USS Utah Battleship (BB-31), commissioned August 31, 1911, last decommissioned September 5, 1944
  • USS Vermont Battleship (BB-20), commission March 4, 1907, decommissioned June 30, 1920
  • USS Virginia Battleship (BB-13), commissioned May 7, 1906, decommissioned August 13, 1920
  • USS Washington Battleship (BB-47), not commissioned (Washington Treaty for the Limitations of Naval Armaments)
  • USS Washington Battleship (BB-56), commissioned May 15, 1941, decommissioned June 27, 1947
  • USS West Virginia Battleship (BB-48), commissioned December 1, 1923, decommissioned January 9, 1947
  • USS Wisconsin Battleship (BB-9), commissioned February 1, 1901, last decommissioned May 15, 1920
  • USS Wisconsin Battleship (BB-64), commissioned April 16, 1944, last decommissioned September 30, 1991
  • USS Wyoming Battleship (BB-32), commissioned September 25, 1912, last decommissioned August 1, 1947

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