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USS California BB-44

Construction of the USS California, a battleship, began in 1916 and was completed in 1921. She was assigned as the flagship for the Pacific Fleet. From 1921 to 1941, the USS California was a flagship and divided her time between training exercises and maintenance. She made many tours during her time at sea, including a visit to the World's Fair in 1939. She was a large ship, over 624 feet long, and could travel at 21 knots. The USS California was a grand battleship, and in the early years of her commission she made frequent trips to New Zealand and Australia, a tremendous journey.

The USS California was considered a "capital ship". The navy used the term capital ship to refer to the most important ships in the war. There was no strict method used for classifying the ships, but they were generally considered to be the ones with the most firepower and the sturdiest. While capital ships can include aircraft carriers and other vessels, they are often battleships and were often chosen to lead their envoy into battle.

Being a capital ship carried with it a certain amount of prestige. The capital ships of the Pacific participated in an "Iron Man" competition. The other capital ships in the fleet were the Lexington and Saratoga. The official title of the trophy was the Navy Department General Excellency Trophy for Capital Ships of the Pacific, and the competition was established in 1919. The ships crew competed in boxing, wrestling, baseball, football and rowing, as well as many other sports in order to determine who would be named the "Iron Man". The USS California won the battle in 1939, but military problems would interrupt the rivalry soon. It became apparent that the US would need to fortify its command of the Pacific during World War II.

Growing tensions with Japan caused the USS California to be directed to Pearl Harbor. She was one of the line of ships moored in what was known as Battleship Row on the morning of December 7, 1941. The damage to the ship was extensive, and one hundred men died aboard the ship. Water poured in through holes created by the Japanese bombs. The men aboard fought heroically to keep the ship afloat, but they were no match for the water, and the USS California was sunk.

The damage caused to the USS California, while extensive, was not the worst of what was brought to Battleship Row. Also moored there was the USS Maryland and USS Oklahoma, along with the USS Tennessee, USS Nevada and the USS West Virginia. The Arizona was there as well, moored alongside of the Vestal, a repair ship. Only two ships that made up the Pacific Fleet were not docked in Pearl Harbor that morning. The USS Pennsylvania was in dry dock for repairs and the USS Colorado was being overhauled on the west coast.

Because of the damage to the ships docked at Pearl Harbor that morning, it was important to repair as many of them as possible. While some, like the Arizona, were too extensively damaged to consider repairing, the Maryland and Tennessee were back in the water within months. The military, however, was not ready to give up on the California. She was raised from the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor, and dry docked for repairs. Three months later she steamed to Puget Sound, where more extensive repair and modernization work was completed. A little over two years after she was sunk, the USS California moved to the waters off of Japan and prepared for battle. She also participated in an invasion of the Philippines, the Battle of Surigao Strait and a battle at Lingayen Gulf, where she was hit by a kamikaze, killing 44 crew members and injuring 155. She completed the battle with damage to the ship. At the end of this battle she headed back to Puget Sound for extensive repairs.

Once repairs were completed, she headed back to the Pacific Theater to provide cover for troops and perform mine sweeps of the East China Sea. She participated in the landing of the sixth army as an occupation force in Honshu and then sailed home, to Philadelphia by way of Cape Town. Initially she was placed on the reserve list, but the decision was made to end her commission in 1947. After she was decommissioned she was sold for scrap in 1959.

The navy has a long standing tradition of repairing and upgrading their ships. Many of the great battleships participated in more than one war. Anyone that spent time on these ships is at risk of asbestos exposure. The repairmen that worked in navy yards and dry docks repairing and modernizing the ships are at risk as well. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS California BB-44, or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Battleships Index

USS Alabama USS Arizona BB 39 USS Arkansas BB 33 USS California BB 44 USS Colorado BB 45 USS Idaho BB 42 USS Indiana USS Iowa BB 61 USS Maryland BB 46

USS Massachusetts BB 59 USS Mississippi BB 41 USS Missouri BB 63 USS Nevada BB 36 USS New Jersey BB 62 USS New Mexico BB 40 USS New York BB 34 USS North Carolina BB 55 USS Oklahoma BB 37

USS Pennsylvania BB 38 USS South Dakota BB 57 USS Tennessee BB 43 USS Texas-BB 35 USS Utah BB 31 USS Washington BB 56 USS West Virginia BB 48 USS Wisconsin BB 64

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