USS Massachusetts

Museum ship

Type	Battleship
Class	South Dakota
War	Second World War
Main guns	9 × 16″ guns

South Dakota-class fast battleship. Fired the first American 16-inch shells of the war at Casablanca on 8 November 1942, silencing Jean Bart. Fought in the Pacific from 1943 to the end, bombarding Japan in 1945. A museum ship at Fall River, Massachusetts.

The U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) underway, most probably after her refit at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington (USA), circa in July 1944. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 22. Photo: USN, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Armament and specifications

Armament

9 × 16 in (406 mm) guns
20 × 5 in (127 mm) DP guns
7 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) AA guns
35 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) AA guns

Armour

Belt: 12.2 in (310 mm)
Deck: 6 in (152 mm)
Turrets: 18 in (457.2 mm)
Barbettes: 17.3 in (440 mm)
Conning tower: 16 in

Builder	Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Fore River Shipyard)
Laid down	20 July 1939
Launched	23 September 1941
Commissioned	12 May 1942
Displacement	Standard: 37,970 long tons (38,579 t) Full load: 44,519 long tons (45,233 t)
Length	680 ft (210 m) o/a
Speed	27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph)

As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.

Career

Launched

23 September 1941

Naval Battle of Casablanca

Survived

8–12 November 1942

Giffen's flagship; silenced Jean Bart

Battle off Cape Engaño

Survived

25–26 October 1944

Turned south before reaching Ozawa

Decommissioned

Museum ship

27 March 1947