USN
New Mexico-class
Battleship
1930s
Ship History
Keel was laid down 5 April 1915 by Newport News Shipbuilding Company at Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 25 January 1917 and commissioned on 18 December 1917.
Wartime History
Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi left Iceland for the Pacific. Arriving 22 January 1942 at San Francisco, she spent the next seven months training and escorting convoys along the coast. On 6 December, after participating in exercises off Hawaii, she steamed with troop transports to the Fiji Islands, returning to Pearl Harbor on 2 March 1943. On 10 May she sailed from Pearl Harbor to participate in a move to restore the Aleutian Islands to their rightful possessors. Kiska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. After overhaul at San Francisco, Mississippi sailed from San Pedro on 19 October to take part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men.
On 31 January 1944 she took part in the Marshall Islands campaign, shelling Kwajalein. She bombarded Taroa on 20 February, and struck Wotje the next day. On 15 March she pounded Kavieng, New Ireland. Due for an overhaul, she spent the summer months at Puget Sound.
Returning to the war zone, Mississippi supported landings on Peleliu, in the Palau Islands, on 12 September. After a week of continuous operations she steamed to Manus, where she remained until 12 October.
Leyte Gulf
Departing Manus, she assisted in the liberation of the Philippines, shelling the east coast of Leyte on 19 October. On the night of 24 October, as part of Admiral Jesse Oldendorf's battleline, she helped to destroy a powerful Japanese task force at the Battle of Surigao Strait. As a result of the engagements at Leyte Gulf, the Japanese navy was no longer able to mount any serious offensive threat. Mississippi continued to support the operations at Leyte Gulf until 16 November, when she steamed to the Admiralty Islands. She then entered San Pedro Bay, Leyte, on 28 December, to prepare for the landings on Luzon.
Lingayen Gulf
On 6 January 1945 she began bombardment at Lingayen Gulf. Hit by a kamikaze near her waterline, she supported the invasion forces until February 10th, then returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs.
Okinawa
Sailed to Nakagusuku Wan, Okinawa, arriving 6 May to support the American landings. Her guns leveled the defenses at Shuri Castle, which had stalled the entire offensive. On 5 June, another kamikaze crashed into her starboard side, but the fighting ship continued to support the troops at Okinawa until 16 June.
Surrender
After the announced surrender of Japan, Mississippi steamed to Sagami Wan, Honshu, arriving 27 August as part of the support occupation force. She anchored in Tokyo Bay, witnessed the signing of the surrender documents, and steamed for home on 6 September.
Post War
She arrived 27 November at Norfolk, where she underwent conversion to AG-128, on 15 February 1946. She helped launch the Navy into the age of the guided-missile warship when she successfully test fired the Terrier missile on 28 January 1953 off Cape Cod. She also assisted in the final evaluation of the Petrel missile, a radar-homing weapon, in February 1956. Mississippi was decommissioned at Norfolk 17 September 1956, and was sold for scrapping to the Bethlehem Steel Company on 28 November.
