|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

USS Washington BB-56

The USS Washington BB-56 was the eighth ship serving Americas to use the name. It was launched June 1, 1940 and commissioned in May of 1941. It was built by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which was the first U.S. Navy Yard. That ended in 1995, when it became known as the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard. The Navy still maintains a presence there as the naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility. There are a few ships there that are in storage for the U.S. Military.

She was built as the second of only two North Carolina class battleships. The battleship weighs 35,000 tons, measures 729 feet in length and is 108 feet at its widest point. She carried a complement of 108 officers and 1,772 enlisted men. She could attack of fend off enemies with nine, sixteen inch guns, twenty, five inch guns and sixteen, 1.1 inch machine guns.

Her training and shakedown took place along the eastern American coast and into the Gulf of Mexico until the U.S. entered World War II in December of 1941. She became the flagship for Task Force 39 in March of 1942 and she joined several other ships on their way to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Her mission, and the mission of the ships traveling with her, was to reinforce the British Home Fleet. She lost her first man on the way there. A ‘man overboard' alert was sounded and it was found that Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox, Jr., the Admiral using the Washington as a flagship, had gone missing. After some searching Wilcox's body was seen floating face down in the water, but, with the weather being bad, none of the ships was able to recover him. Once the search was abandoned, the ships continued on to Scapa Flow. The flagship designation was switched to the heavy cruiser Wilcox after the next officer in line became Admiral.

In April, after a bit of reorganization, the Washington once again became a flagship, this time for Task Force 99. The mission was to support and protect supply lines for war supplies heading to the northern part of the Soviet Union. There was an accident on the way, which resulted in the loss of one destroyer and minor damage to the Washington. The battleship eventually wound up back at Scapa Flow and continued operating with the Home Fleet, protecting shipping lanes to the Soviet Union. In July of 1942, the Washington returned to New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York for an overhaul.

Once the work was completed, she steamed for the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal, arriving in the South Pacific in September. Once there, she began to provide escort services for reinforcements headed to and from the Guadalcanal area. She continued with this until November, when a report came in of a large Japanese Naval force headed into the area. As the ships sent to meet the enemy force sailed, radar on the Washington picked up a contact. About fifteen minutes later, the battleship opened fire and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal commenced. Her guns pounded the enemy ships. Soon, an enemy battleship, the Kirishima, entered into the first head-to-head battle between battleships in the Pacific War. The Washington severely damaged the other ship and silenced her guns in about seven minutes. She then began to fire at other targets. The enemy managed, however, to damage several of the Allied ships and the Washington, who had sustained no damage, turned away to draw the enemy forces away from her foundering allies. The Japanese followed, but soon turned away from the pursuit as the Washington continued to fire.

There were two close calls as she pulled away. Several torpedoes detonated in the wake of the ship and a five inch shell passed through one of her radar antennas, but didn't explode. She continued with various support action in the South Pacific until returning to Pearl Harbor in May of 1943 for another overhaul. After the work was completed, she returned to war activities. From November of 1943 until June of 1945, the Washington continued her crucial role in war efforts. She carried the flagship role in several task forces and completed most of her missions successfully. The part she took in both the Gilbert Islands campaign and the campaign in the Mariana Islands helped lead to a victory form American forces.

The Washington served during the entire Pacific War without losing any of her sailors to the enemy. She had a few close calls, though, and lost a few of the men serving on board to minor accidents. The only damage she received was when the five inch shell mentioned above hit her and when she accidentally collided with another ship in 1943. The battleship earned thirteen Battle Stars for her service in World War II. She was decommissioned in June of 1947 and then sold for scrap in 1961.

All through her incredibly successful service, though, there was a silent killer loose in the holds of the ship. As with many of the ships built at the time, asbestos had been used extensively in her construction. The dust that shakes loose from asbestos containing materials is very dangerous to people, especially when they come into contact with it in poorly ventilated areas. Many of the sailors who served aboard these ships were exposed to asbestos. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are two of the diseases that can result from asbestos exposure, and the only two that come directly from inhaling or swallowing the dust. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Washington BB-56, 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

Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Phone Number:

Email:

Diagnosis:

Select... Mesothelioma Lung Cancer Asbestosis Severe Asbestosis Unknown

Comments:

Show Your Support

Free Wristbands
Get an Asbestos Awareness Wristband. Read More

VA Claim Help

Support Book

Cancer Support Book
Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me - Cancer Through a Carer's Eyes. Read More

In Your Area

Asbestos Exposure
Learn about asbestos exposure and legal options in your area. Read More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify Here.