warship Archives - Page 2 of 16 - Destination's Journey

US Battleship USS Kearsarge BB-5

USS Kearsarge (BB-5) accompanied by small boats while underway between 1903 - 1909

US Battleship USS Kearsarge BB-5

The lead ship of her class of two pre-dreadnought battleships, USS Kearsarge BB-5 was laid down on 30 June 1896. Launched on 24 March 1898, she was commissioned into the US Navy on 20 February 1900.

Her early career saw Kearsarge act as the flagship for the the North Atlantic Squadron. In June 1903, she sailed for Europe, visiting Germany and the United Kingdom, returning in July.

The Great White Fleet

On 16 December 1907 she sailed with the Great White Fleet on a world tour, returning to the US on 22 February. The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships that completed a journey around the globe from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909, by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with various small escorts, and earned its moniker for the stark white paint on its hulls.

The fleet’s primary mission was to make friendly courtesy visits to numerous countries while displaying new U.S. naval power to the world; Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military prowess and blue-water naval capabilities.

World War One

On her return from the Great White Fleet, Kearsarge was modernized from 4 September 1909 to 23 June 1915. The ship received cage masts, new water-tube boilers, and another four 5-inch guns. The 1-pounder guns were removed, as were sixteen of the 6-pounders.

During World War One, she acted primarily as a training ship on the Atlantic Coast.

Decommissioned in May 1920, Kearsarge was converted into a crane ship, and was given hull classification symbol IX-16 on 17 July 1920, but it was changed to AB-1 on 5 August. Her turrets, superstructure, and armor were removed, and were replaced by a large revolving crane with a lifting capacity of 250 tons (230 tonnes), as well as 10-foot (3.0 m) blisters, which improved her stability.

World War Two

On 6 November 1941, Kearsarge was renamed Crane Ship No. 1, allowing her name to be reused (originally for CV-12, which was later changed to Hornet and then for Kearsarge CV-33). She was sold for scrap on 9 August 1955.

Displacement	11,540 short tons (10,470 t)
Length	375 ft 4 in (114.40 m)
Beam	72 ft 3 in (22.02 m)
Draft	23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Installed power	5 boilers, 11,674 ihp (8,705 kW)
Propulsion	2 VTE engines, 2 propeller shafts
Speed	17 kn (20 mph; 31 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	6 cutters, 2 launches, 1 barge, 2 whaleboats, 1 gig, 2 dinghies, 2 catamarans
Complement	40 officers and 514 enlisted men
Armament	4 × 13 in (330 mm)/35 caliber guns 4 × 8 in (203 mm)/35 caliber guns 14 × 5 in (127 mm)/40 caliber guns 20 × 6-pounders (57 mm or 2.2 in) 8 × 1-pounders (37 mm or 1.5 in) 4 × .30 in (7.6 mm) machine guns 4 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor	Belt: 5–16.5 in (127–419 mm) Barbettes: 12.5–15 in (318–381 mm) Turrets (primary): 15–17 in (381–432 mm) Turrets (secondary): 6–11 in (152–279 mm) Conning tower: 10 in (254 mm)

Under Construction

USS Kearsarge (BB-5) and Kentucky (BB-6) ready for launching at Newport News, Virginia, 24 March 1898

In Service

USS Kearsarge (BB-5) in 1899, while making 16.82 knots on trials off the U.S. East Coast

USS Kearsarge (BB-5) in drydock during her trials period, 18 September 1899 — USS Kearsarge (BB-5) in 1899, while making 16.82 knots on trials off the U.S. East Coast

As U.S. Crane Ship No. 1 Kearsarge

Kearsarge (BB-5) at Philadelphia Navy Yard during her conversion to U.S. Crane Ship No. 1, 13 January 1921

US Crane Ship No. 1 testing the 250 ton crane 27 October 1922 — Kearsarge (BB-5) at Philadelphia Navy Yard during her conversion to U.S. Crane Ship No. 1, 13 January 1921

German Battleship Bismarck

Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by Germany, and two of the largest built by any European power.

In the course of the warship’s eight-month career under its sole commanding officer, Captain Ernst Lindemann, Bismarck conducted only one offensive operation, lasting 8 days in May 1941, codenamed Rheinübung. The ship, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was to break into the Atlantic Ocean and raid Allied shipping from North America to Great Britain. The two ships were detected several times off Scandinavia, and British naval units were deployed to block their route. At the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the battlecruiser HMS Hood initially engaged Prinz Eugen, probably by mistake, while HMS Prince of Wales engaged Bismarck. In the ensuing battle Hood was destroyed by the combined fire of Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, which then damaged Prince of Wales and forced her retreat. Bismarck suffered sufficient damage from three hits to force an end to the raiding mission.

The destruction of Hood spurred a relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy involving dozens of warships. Two days later, heading for occupied France to effect repairs, Bismarck was attacked by 16 obsolescent Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal; one scored a hit that rendered the battleship’s steering gear inoperable. In her final battle the following morning, the already-crippled Bismarck was severely damaged during a sustained engagement with two British battleships and two heavy cruisers and sank with heavy loss of life.

Construction

Bismarck Fitting Out — Bismarck under construction at Blohm & Voss Hamburg, Germany

At Sea

Detailed Photos

Bismarck Starboard Bow — Bismarck Port Bow Bismarck

In Battle

Bismarck During the BAttle of the Denmark Strait

Bismarck Firing — Bismarck During the BAttle of the Denmark Strait

Japanese Battleship Nagato

Japanese Battleship Nagato

Commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 25 November 1920, Nagato was the lead ship of her class of battleships. Her sister Mutsu was commissioned a year later.

Nagato was modernised from 1934-36, with increased armour, updated machinery and the rebuilding of her superstructure into a pagoda mast.

During World War Two, she did not see combat until the Battle of the Philippine Sea in mid-1944, where she escorted the aircraft carriers Jun’yō, Hiyō and the light carrier Ryūhō. During the battle, she provided anti-aircraft fire, claiming to have shot down two Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers.

During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Nagata formed part of the Center Force which planned to attack the American invasion force. During the initial the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October, she was hit by two bombs one of which damaged the air intake to No. 1 boiler room, immobilizing one propeller shaft for 24 minutes until the boiler was put back online. On the morning of 25 October, Center Force sighted Taffy 3 and opened fire on the escort carriers, although Nagato did not achieve any hits.

At 06:54 the destroyer USS Heermann fired a spread of torpedoes at the fast battleship Haruna; the torpedoes missed Haruna and headed for Yamato and Nagato which were on a parallel course. The two battleships were forced 10 miles (16 km) away from the engagement before the torpedoes ran out of fuel. On turning back, Nagato fired forty-five 410 mm and ninety-two 14 cm shells but due to poor visibility claimed only two hits on a cruiser. At 09:10, the Japanese turned away and broke engagement.

On her return to Japan, Nagato was converted to an anti-aircraft platform, as the lack of fuel did not permit her to sortie again. Despite US Navy air attacks, she survived the war and was then expended as a target in US atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll.