USS Mississippi (BB-41) - From Dreadnought to Missile Test Ship
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2024
- The careers of Standard-type battleships typically follow the same pattern. Quiet interwar training, followed by Pearl Harbor. Defined by either being there, or not being there. At which point it comes back together, into 'hating islands out of existence' across the Pacific.
Before being retired at the end of the Pacific War.
USS Mississippi bucks this trend. While her wartime service followed the pattern, this ship would remain in secondary service until the late 1950s. And in the process, she would become the first 'missile battleship', if only in a test role.
Her story is an interesting one, I think.
Further Reading:
www.history.navy.mil/research...
web.archive.org/web/201612021...
www.amazon.com/Battle-Surigao...
www.amazon.com/Battle-Leyte-G...
www.amazon.com/U-S-Battleship...
www.amazon.com/Battleships-Un...
The main reason Mississippi and the other "Standard" type BBs remained behind on the West Coast even after post-Pearl Harbor repairs is because the Pacific Fleet did not have sufficient oil supplies initially to keep "gas hogs" like the old battlewagons deployed away from the coast. Initially a choice had to be taken, utilize the carrier forces OR deploy the Standards, there was insufficient tanker capacity to do both. As the North Carolina and South Dakota classes arrived in the Pacific it was found that besides being 6 knots faster at Flank Bell, the new ships only burned about 66% as much fuel per mile as the older ships.
Once sufficient tankers became available to keep the Standards deployed they were put to very good use in both Nimitz's and MacArthur's island hopping campaigns, covering the landings and escorting the transports. They also got the chance for a little payback at Surigao Strait.
This is grist for the mill. Thanks
There is also the fact that a Battleship was not much use against Aircraft Carriers. A main gun with a range of even 20 miles is far out ranged by an airplane with a combat radius of 200 miles.
They had plenty of fuel. What they didn't have was enough oilers for the Fleet. These ships couldn't operate with the carriers with a top speed of 21 knots. That is the primary reason why they were left on the West Coast. Escorts needed to be capable of doing at least 27-28 knots to operate with the carriers.
Very interesting regarding fuel consumption. I suppose many factors played parts in the later and greater efficiency, but such a large fraction of difference must have one or two major causes.
What would it be?
In Mississippi, we wanted to make her a museum ship, but she had so much classified gear, her turrets removed, and she was so old that the costs were prohibitive.
She was struck from the list of commissioned USN vessels in 1956. What classified gear could she possibly have had aboard which could not be degraded or removed? Ridiculous.
Would have been a bad museum ship as she was so modified. The best ww2 museum ship I've been on is North Carolina. Got to get to Texas soon.
Modified postwar ships are not good museum ships simply because they have no AA weapons.
When i first heard of Mississippi's story, i was struck by the irony. In her twilight, an old dreadnought battleship tested the sort of weaponry that would bring her last sisters back for a last hurrah.
People forget that the Iowa class battleships were the first battleships to have use missiles in combat but they were not the first to have it outfitted. Also, they were the last time missiles were fitted on a battleship.
The Iowas were not the first to use missiles in combat. We had missile guided cruisers all through out the Cold War who were very busy, especially in Viet Nam. And when the missiles got smaller, they started putting them on destroyers.
@@kenkahre9262 cruisers and battleships are two different things. The comment is correct.
The missiles tested on Mississippi were surface to air, the missiles installed on the Iowas were Tomahawk surface to surface land attack. Completely different mission.
to be fair other than shooting at another battleship, the Iowas were the last battleships to do just about anything as a battleship
My grandfather served as a gunner on the USS Mississippi from age 17 he served for 2 years until the end of WWII. He was so very proud of that ship. He died in 2002. He was from TN.
It would have been a very unique battleship museum if they kept their around for a few more years...
The pilot taking off on that rickety platform must have had some funny goodbyes, "Well, see ya in a few months!"
Mississippi lived a long career in the Navy. She was a proven workhorse and set the standards in her day.
Since were on the subject of large ships, it would be great to hear your lesson on the Alaska Class Cruisers.
Thanks again for your hard work.!
My dad was chief engineer on the Missippi in the 50's. I visited her then when I was about 6 or 7. Dad mentioned years later she was testing early missles.
In fact, as a money saving measure, the New Mexico class was a repeat of the Pennsylvania class. The difference being the bow, turrets, and superstructure being the same design as the Tennessee class, just as the Colorados were Tennessee class hulls with eight 16" guns instead twelve 14" guns. Since the US was building/planning four classes of battleships as part of the WW1 fleet expansion they wanted to standardize as a cost saving and to speed up construction.
One other interesting fact about Mississippi - one particular officer, that served as her Chief Engineering Officer for a period of time, went on to have a very interesting and controversial career, finally being officially retired - and not by choice - from the Navy in the early 1980's - one Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the original head of the Naval Nuclear Power Program.
Long life well lived
I had a friend that served on her in ww2.
I remember when the USS Iowa had her turret explosion in 1989 political leaders were in the news saying "How did this happen?" "Is there a design flaw???" "Is the Navy covering something up???". Typical of ignorant politicians they never bothered to look back into history and see that turret explosions were not at all uncommon in big-gun warships, and not just the US Navy's. The Mississippi's turret explosions mirrored the Iowa's right down to the turret number and approximate number of crewmen killed.
Great work Skynea! The New Mexico class are my favorite battleships. Such a rich history and great design.
I was unaware that missiles were fitted to Mississippi in a training role after the war. She certainly was another ship that did not deserved to be scrapped.
Not training, testing ship.
I remember seeing the dented target drone proudly displayed on the port side, reportedly hit with the very first missile shot. This missile was developed into first the Terrier, and then the Standard system which we still use in 2024.
She was one tough old gal.
I keep thinking that you should have the music from a certain song from the musical Oklahoma whenever you talk about all-or-nothing armor😅
Thank You very much !!! Those of us from Mississippi will be interested in your video !!
One of my brother-in-law's what's on the Mississippi in the Pacific when she was first struck by a Japanese kamikaze. She was sent back to the West Coast of the US. for repairs. It took my sister almost 3 weeks, traveling by train, to get to her husban. She kept getting kicked off the train to make room for troop movements.
Awesome interesting video well done once again thank you
Great video thank you
She was a very good looking ship, especially in her mid-life. The stacks of long barrelled 14" guns must be a nightmare to fight.
Her original secondary 5" guns would have been the 51 cal?
And the original 14", were they shorter barrelled?
At the seaplane launch, in the right background you see one of the notorious Proteus class colliers that either vanished mysteriously or became the first aircraft carrier. It isn't Cyclops as that one had already been swallowed by a hole in Spacetime or something by then ;) As Jupiter was already earmarked for conversion to the USS Langley I guess that means it is either Nereus or Proteus
Thank you! I’d be interested in hearing your perspective on how effective the 1930s rebuild was for this class. How do you think the ships were in comparison to other rebuilt ships? Were the New Mexicos the most capable US battleships in the late 1930s?
Mississippi: they gonna modify me as missile ship
Me: huh?!
Naval officer: that is correct
Them old converted side turret ships do look fantastic! I know everyone fawns over the Iowas but these look better especially with their ww2 camo paint!
Oh Wow Missi was layed down in April 5th Nice day
Excellent Video but you omitted the participation of Missisippi in the (in)famous "Battle of the Pips" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Pips
That maybe didn't fit the agenda!
Where can I see the illustration at 16:08?
Does anyone know if there has been tests done about the effectiveness of battleship armor vs ASCM?
must have been hard to find men to man that turret after the second time it exploded,
Having torpedoes with a range of 16,000 yards does not seem wise when the range of the main guns was 25,000 range. That means you had to get withing gun range to use the torpedoes.
Guns were notoriously inaccurate at 25k yards. These ships didn't have radar of any type before World War II.
They should of done with many of our heavies after WW2
Ise is pretty strange.
Sounds like she had more distinguished service in the production of razor blades than as a warship.
1st finally lol