North Carolina-class battleship (2f/2m).
L/B/D:
728.8 × 108.3 × 35.5 (222.1m × 33m × 10.8m). Tons:
46,770 disp. Hull:
steel. Comp.:
1,890. Arm.:
9 × 16 (3 × 3), 20 × 5, 16 × 1.1; 12 ×.50 cal; 2 aircraft. Armor:
18 belt, 6.3 deck. Mach.:
geared turbines, 121,000 shp, 4 screws; 27.6 kts. Built:
New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y.; 1941.
The first U.S. battleship commissioned since 1923, USS North Carolina received so much attention during her trials that she earned the nickname "Showboat." Closely involved in the invasion of Guadalcanal, she took an active part in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 23-25. Torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-19 near Espiritu Santo on September 15, she underwent repairs at Pearl Harbor before resuming operations in the South Pacific. From November 1943 through May 1944, North Carolina supported carrier forces in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and the Allied landings at Hollandia, New Guinea. Following the Battle of the Philippine Sea, she returned stateside for repairs, rejoining the fleet shortly after the invasion of the Philippines. During 1945 she took part in raids on Luzon, Taiwan, and occupied China before heading for Japan. There she alternated between shore support for landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, where she was hit by friendly fire on April 6, and shelling the home islands of Kyushu and Honshu.
Decommissioned in 1947, "Showboat" remained in reserve until 1961, when she was transferred to the State of North Carolina for use as a naval memorial and museum in Wilmington.
Silverstone, Directory of the World's Capital Ships. U.S. Navy, DANFS.
