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USS Mississippi BB-41

The USS Mississippi was a New Mexico-class battleship launched on January 25, 1917, and commissioned on December 18 of the same year. Following her launch, she participated in exercises and maneuvers in several locations, then spent several years operating on the West Coast while based at San Pedro, California. She was modernized and overhauled during 1931, and was fitted with updated anti-aircraft guns.

On June 16, 1941 she arrived in Norfolk, Virginia in preparation for patrols in the North Atlantic, and from there escorted a convoy to Hvalfjordur, Iceland. After making another trip to Iceland in September, she spent several months there. However, the USS Mississippi was not to remain in Iceland: Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, and after relocating to San Francisco she spent seven months in training and refitting before arriving at Pearl Harbor.

The USS Mississippi during World War II

In December 1942 the Mississippi was accompanying troop transport vessels to the Fiji Islands; she returned to Pearl Harbor on March 2, 1943. On May 10 she left Pearl Harbor to participate in operations in the Aleutian Islands, subsequently forcing the Japanese to withdraw from the area after Kiska Island was shelled on July 22.

After an overhaul at San Francisco, the Mississippi sailed from San Pedro to the Gilbert Islands, to take part in the October invasion. In November, while bombarding Makin, a turret explosion onboard the ship killed 43 men.

At the end of January 1944, the Mississippi participated in the Marshall Islands campaign. She struck Taroa on February 20, and Wotie on February 21, and then Kavieng in March. She then spent several months undergoing another overhaul at Puget Sound, during which she was fitted with a further six anti-aircraft guns.

After the overhaul was complete, the Mississippi returned to the war zone, providing support for landings on Peleliu in the Palau Islands on September 12. After a week she traveled to Manus Island, and remained there until October 12. Upon departing Manus, she arrived at Leyte in the Philippines, and took part in shelling on the Leyte east coast on October 19. Five days later she participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, helping destroy a powerful Japanese force. The Leyte battle proved to be a decisive one, in which the Japanese naval forces were all but entirely destroyed.

The Mississippi continued to provide support in the Leyte Gulf until November 16, when she departed for the Admiralty Islands and San Pedro Bay to prepare for landings at Luzon. She arrived on December 28 and began bombarding Lingyen Gulf on January 6, 1945. Despite taking damage near her waterline after being hit by a kamikaze, she continued to provide support for invasion forces until February 10.

She later underwent repairs at Pearl Harbor, after which she left for Nakagusuku Wan, Okinawa, arriving on May 6. In support of landing forces at the site she was able to destroy the Shuri Castle defenses that had so far prevented the offensive from advancing. On June 5 she was hit by another kamikaze but continued to provide support at Okinawa for another eleven days.

After the surrender of Japan was announced, the USS Mississippi traveled to Sagami Wan, Honshu to provide support for the occupation force, arriving there on August 27. She anchored in Tokyo Bay, where she witnessed the signing of surrender documents, before returning home.

The USS Mississippi was awarded eight battle stars for her service during World War II.

After the War

After the close of WWII, the USS Mississippi was redesignated as AG-128 as of February 15, 1946, and spent the final ten years of her career based at Norfolk, carrying out gunnery investigations and testing new weapons. She successfully fired the Terrier missile on January 28, 1953, and assisted in evaluating the Petrel missile in February 1956. The Mississippi was decommissioned on September 17, 1956, and scrapped on November 28 of that same year.

One important thing to note about Navy ships such as the USS Mississippi is that these ships often contained a large amount of asbestos, particularly in insulation and fire-proofing materials. Exposure to asbestos while in service aboard Navy ships is unfortunately all-too-common. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Mississippi BB-41, 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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