Key Points – The USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), lead ship of its class of super-dreadnought battleships, was commissioned in 1916.
-Though missing combat in World War I, it served as a fleet flagship during the interwar period. Famously, the Pennsylvania was in drydock during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, suffering relatively minor damage.
-She went on to serve extensively in the Pacific theater throughout World War II, providing crucial naval gunfire support for amphibious landings at Attu, Makin, Kwajalein, Saipan, Leyte Gulf, and Okinawa. After the war, she survived two atomic bomb tests during Operation Crossroads before being scuttled in 1948.
The USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) World War I & II Dreadnought Battleship
The USS Pennsylvania was the lead ship of the Pennsylvania class of super-dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy in the 1910s. The Pennsylvania class dreadnoughts were part of the standard-type battleship series.
She was commissioned during World War I but didn’t participate in any combat operations; instead, she was kept in home waters for training. However, the USS Pennsylvania was in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and survived the Japanese attack to serve for the remainder of the war in the Pacific.
Background Information On The USS Pennsylvania (BB-38)
The Pennsylvania-class dreadnought battleships were significantly larger than their predecessors, the Nevada class. Pennsylvania had an overall length of 608 feet, a beam of 97 feet at the waterline, and a draft of 29 feet 3 inches at deep load, 25 feet longer than the older ships.
She displaced 29,158 long tons (29,626 t) at standard and 31,917 long tons (32,429 t) at deep load, over 4,000 long tons (4,060 t) more than the older ships. At deep load, the ship’s metacentric height was 7.82 feet.
Named for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, she was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in October 1913, was launched in March 1915, and was commissioned in June 1916.
Equipped with an oil-burning propulsion system, Pennsylvania was not sent to European waters during World War I since the necessary fuel oil was not as readily available as coal.
The ship had four direct-drive Curtis steam turbine sets, each driving a propeller 12 feet 1.5 inches in diameter.
Twelve Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers powered them. The turbines were designed to produce 34,000 shaft horsepower (25,000 kW) for a designed speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).
She was designed to usually carry 1,548 long tons (1,573 t) of fuel oil but had a maximum capacity of 2,305 long tons (2,342 t). At full capacity, the ship could steam at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) with a clean bottom for an estimated 7,552 nautical miles (13,990 km; 8,690 mi). She had four 300-kilowatt (402 hp) turbo generators.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) Armament
The USS Pennsylvania carried twelve 45-caliber 14-inch (356 mm) guns in triple gun turrets, numbered from I to IV from front to rear. The guns could not elevate independently and were limited to a maximum elevation of +15°, which gave them a maximum range of 21,000 yards.
This marked an incremental improvement over the preceding Nevada class, carrying an extra pair of 14-inch (356 mm) guns.
The ship carried 100 shells for each gun. Twenty-two 51-caliber 5 in (127 mm) guns mounted in individual casemates in the sides of the ship’s hull provided defense against torpedo boats. Due to their positioning, these guns proved vulnerable to sea spray and could not be worked in heavy seas.
At an elevation of 15°, they had a maximum range of 14,050 yards. Each gun was provided with 230 rounds of ammunition. The ship mounted four 50-caliber three-inch guns for antiaircraft defense, although only two were fitted when completed.
The other pair were added shortly afterward on top of Turret III. Pennsylvania also mounted two 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes submerged, one on each broadside, and carried 24 torpedoes for them.
History of the USS Pennsylvania Battleship
She remained in American waters and participated in training exercises; in 1918, she escorted President Woodrow Wilson to France to participate in peace negotiations.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Pennsylvania served as the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet and, after it was merged with the Pacific Fleet in 1921, the Battle Fleet.
For the majority of this period, the ship was stationed in California, based in San Pedro. Pennsylvania was occupied with a peacetime routine of training exercises (including the annual Fleet problems), port visits, and foreign cruises, including a visit to Australia in 1925. The ship was modernized in 1929–1931.
Pearl Harbor Attack by the Japanese
The ship was present in Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. Unlike the other seven US Navy battleships present at Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) wasn’t lined up on Battleship Row along the southeast coast of Ford Island.
She was in drydock with a pair of destroyers when the Japanese launched their surprise attack on the port. The drydock protected her from torpedoes, and she suffered relatively minor damage in the attack. While repairs were being made, the ship received a modernized antiaircraft battery to prepare her for operations in the Pacific War. Because of her positioning, she received relatively light damage.
Although she was in drydock, her antiaircraft gunners fired on the Japanese planes, and she was safe from torpedoes due to the drydock. However, a 500-pound bomb destroyed a five-inch gun position. She suffered 14 dead, 15 missing, and wounded more than 29 sailors.
She returned to the sea in April 1942 but missed the battle of Midway. Shortly after that battle, however, she sailed for San Pedro, CA, for a refit until August 1, 1942.
Battles Service Across the Pacific
The USS Pennsylvania sailed for Alaska in April 1943. There, she provided shore bombardment to support landing troops during the amphibious operation of Attu and later at Kiska Island.
In late November 1943, Pennsylvania participated in the Gilbert Islands campaign, with the assault of Makin Atoll near the equator. Pennsylvania shelled Butaritari Island with her main battery, with an initial range of 14,200 yards (8.1 miles).
After returning to Pearl Harbor in January 1944, the USS Pennsylvania participated in bombarding Kwajalein Island and continued to Eniwetok. Pennsylvania was present for operations in the Marianas, Saipan, Orote Point, and Leyte Gulf.
In 1945, she bombarded Santiago Island, patrolled the South China Sea, and bombarded Wake Island just before Japan’s surrender.
On August 12, 1945, Pennsylvania was struck by a torpedo while at anchor at Buckner Bay in Okinawa and suffered damage that killed 20 crewmen. After controlling flooding, she was towed to shallower waters to allow for salvage operations. Three days later, Japan surrendered.
Post-War Nuclear Testing and Scuttling
On January 16, 1946, the USS Pennsylvania was designated to be expended as a target ship for the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll to be carried out later that year. She survived two nuclear blasts.
She was scuttled off Kwajalein on February 10, 1948.
During the war, she steamed over 150,000 miles and had arguably fired more ammunition than any ship in history.
Her ship’s bell is on display at The Pennsylvania State University near the main entrance of the Wagner Building, home of the university’s ROTC programs. It has been on permanent loan to the university from the Department of the Navy since 1955.
Two of the ship’s 14-inch guns, which were replaced during a 1945 overhaul, are on outdoor display at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.
Iowa-Class: The Ultimate Battleships
USS New Jersey Iowa-Class Battleship. Image Credit: US Navy.
An overhead view of the battleship USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) firing a full broadside to starboard during a main battery firing exercise.
Iowa-class. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Iowa-class battleship. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Iowa-Class Battleship.
About the Author
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
