In addition to being the lead ship of the North Carolina class of fast battleships, the USS North Carolina (BB-55) also happens to be the first vessel of the type to be built for the United States Navy.
Although the North Carolina was built under the Washington Treaty system, the ship’s displacement and armament were restricted, though the United States took advantage of a clause in the Second London Naval Treaty to increase the main battery’s armament from the original armament of twelve 14-inch guns to nine 16-inch guns. The ship was laid down in 1937 and finished in April 1941, at a period in which the United States was still considered neutral during World War II.
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, North Carolina mobilized for war and was initially dispatched to the Pacific to counter a possible sortie by the German battleship Tirpitz. However, this did not materialize, and North Carolina was quickly transferred to the Pacific to assist Allied forces during the Guadalcanal campaign in December.
While stationed there, she screened aircraft carriers participating in the campaign and took part in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, which took place on August 24–25, 1942, during which she shot down numerous Japanese planes. An attacking Japanese submarine torpedoed her the following month, but she was only moderately damaged. When she returned to the campaign after repairs, she continued to screen carriers during the campaigns across the central Pacific in 1943 and 1944, including the campaigns in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the Mariana and Palau Islands, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where she was involved in action.
Despite the fact that the ship was receiving maintenance during the invasion of the Philippines, it participated in the final phases of the operation and was present when the fleet was battered by Typhoon Cobra in the Philippines. The battleship participated in offensive operations in support of the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during World War II, including a number of raids against the Japanese home islands.
Following Japan’s capitulation in August, she was tasked with transporting American servicemen back to the United States as part of Operation Magic Carpet. North Carolina served off the east coast of the United States for a short period of time in 1946 before being decommissioned the following year and placed in storage. The North Carolina Museum, located in Wilmington, NC, first opened its doors in 1962.
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