USS Washington BB-56
History of the USS Washington Battleship
The USS Washington (BB-56) was ordered for the U.S. Navy on August 1, 1937. Her keel was laid down at Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania on June 14, 1938. She was launched on June 1, 1940 and commissioned on May 15, 1941 under the command of Captain Howard H.J. Benson.
USS Washington was involved in training exercises until the United States entered World War II. She was the flagship for Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Jr., Commander Battleship Division 6 and Commander Battleships Atlantic Fleet. She then became the flagship for Task Force 39 for Admiral Wilcox on March 26, 1942, and she helped to reinforce the British Home Fleet in Scotland.
The day after she left for Scotland, the crew sounded the alarm for “man overboard.” For reasons that have never been fully explained, Admiral Wilcox had been gone overboard and could not be rescued or recovered. The North Atlantic waters were very cold, and snow impaired visibility for the rescue.
USS Washington joined the British Home Fleet on April 4, 1942. She was involved in reconnaissance missions to protect supply convoys to Murmansk in the Soviet Union. One month later, two of the other ships in her task force collided. The destroyer HMS Punjabi was cut in half and sank as USS Washington approached. As the battleship moved between the halves of the sinking destroyer, HMS Punjabi’s depth charges exploded. There was no major damage to the Washington’s hull, but she did sustain damage to her fire control systems, radars and a diesel oil tank. She remained at sea and hosted foreign dignitaries to inspect the ship before heading for home in July.
The USS Washington was overhauled at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York before heading to the South Pacific as flagship of Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr., Commander Battleship Division 6 and Commander Task Group 12.2. She began in the Solomon Islands to serve as an escort for reinforcement convoys, operating out of Nouméa and Espiritu Santo.
On November 15, 1942, USS Washington became involved in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. During this fight, she engaged the Japanese battleship Kirishima in the first head-to-head battleship confrontation in the Pacific Theater. She succeeded in setting the Japanese battleship on fire, and the Japanese were forced to abandon it. Although the USS Washington was able to draw fire away from embattled ships in her battle group, two of the U.S. destroyers in her group sank, and the USS South Dakota was forced to retire due to the damage she had received. USS Washington came out of the battle relatively unscathed.
USS Washington remained in the Solomon Islands until April 1943, when she headed to Pearl Harbor for battle practice and overhaul. She joined Task Group 56.14 headed for Efate in July and detached from the group to remain there for battle practice and tactics.
The USS Washington joined in the combined force that attacked positions in the Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands during November, including Mili, Jaluit and Makin. She then headed to Nauru to support the bombardment efforts there.
In early 1944, the USS Washington became a part of TG 58.1, screening the carriers that launched air strikes on Kwajalein and Taroa. On February 1, the battleship rammed the USS Indiana as she dropped out of formation. The USS Washington sustained damage to her bow, and several sailors were killed or seriously injured. The battleship received temporary repairs at Majuro before heading off to Pearl Harbor and then Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington for permanent repairs.
USS Washington rejoined action in the Pacific with TF 58 on June 7, 1944. She supported operations in the Mariana Islands, including Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Rota and Pagan. The battleship became involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19 without sustaining any major damage.
From the Marianas, the USS Washington headed to the Palau Islands. She supported operations at Peleliu, Angaur, Luzon, Formosa, Visayas, Okinawa, Saigon, Hong Kong, Canton, Hainan Island, Nansei Shoto and Tokyo.
At the end of February 1945, USS Washington participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of Iwo Jima and supported the troop landings there. In March, she moved onto Kyushu and before bombarding Okinawa.
When the USS Washington headed to Washington’s Puget Sound Navy Yard for refitting in June, she would not return to active combat. She arrived at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania in time for Navy Day ceremonies on October 27, 1945. The battleship then took part in Operation Magic Carpet, carrying American troops home from war. She was decommissioned on June 27, 1947 and removed from the Naval Vessel Register on June 1, 1960. She was sold for scrap on May 24, 1961. The battleship received 13 battle stars for her service in World War II.
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 Washington
