USS South Dakota Class Battleship 1/1200 superior

Description

USS South Dakota class Battleship WW2 Condition is "Used". Shipped with USPS Priority small box USSSouth Dakota(BB-57)was thelead vesselof the fourSouth Dakota-classfast battleshipsbuilt for theUnited States Navyin the 1930s. The first American battleships designed after theWashington treaty systembegan to break down in the mid-1930s, theSouth Dakotas were able to take advantage of a treaty clause that allowed them to increase the main battery to 16-inch (406mm) guns. However, congressional refusal to authorize larger battleships kept theirdisplacementclose to the Washington limit of 35,000 long tons (36,000t). A requirement to be armored against the same caliber of guns as they carried, combined with the displacement restriction, resulted in cramped ships. Overcrowding was exacerbated by wartime modifications that considerably strengthened their anti-aircraft batteries and significantly increased their crews. USSSouth Dakota(BB-57) USSSouth Dakotaanchored inIceland, 1943. HistoryUnited StatesNamesake:South DakotaOrdered:15 December 1938Builder:New York Shipbuilding CorporationLaid down:5 July 1939Launched:7 June 1941Commissioned:20 March 1942Decommissioned:31 January 1947Stricken:1 June 1962Fate:Broken up, 1962, Parts of the ship preserved at Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The
keel
for South Dakota was
laid down
on 5 July 1939, at the
New York Shipbuilding Corporation
in
Camden, New Jersey
. She was
launched
on 7 June 1941 and was
commissioned
into the fleet on 20 March 1942.
[2]
She was then towed across the river to the
Philadelphia Navy Yard
and began
fitting out
; Captain
Thomas Leigh Gatch
was her first commanding officer. This work was completed by 14 May, and over the next two days she did machinery tests in the
Delaware river
, followed by more fitting out work that lasted until 3 June. Two days later, she began her
shakedown cruise
, escorted by four
destroyers
owing to the threat of German
U-boats
operating off the east coast of the United States
. Over the following two days, she tested her engines at various speeds and test fired her guns to check for structural problems. Training in the area continued until 17 July and the next day, departed for
Hampton Roads, Virginia
with four destroyers as escort. From there, she cruised back north to meet the battleship
Washington
off the coast of Maine before anchoring at
Casco Bay
on 21 July. There, she engaged in further firing practice before steaming to Philadelphia, finally being declared ready for active duty on 26 July.
[7]
First Pacific deployment
Edit
As the fighting between American and Japanese forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign intensified, particularly after the Allied defeat at the
Battle of Savo Island
,
Admiral
Ernest King
, the
Chief of Naval Operations
, ordered South Dakota, Washington, the
light cruiser
Juneau
, and six destroyers to deploy to the south Pacific to reinforce the American fleet there.
Rear Admiral
(RADM)
Willis Lee
took command of the ships, designated Battleship Division (BatDiv) 6 on 14 August, hoisting his flag aboard South Dakota. The next day, she got underway escorted by three destroyers, but her progress was delayed by an engine breakdown that necessitated repairs that were completed the following morning. After steaming south through the Caribbean, Lee detached the escorting destroyers, passed through the
Panama Canal
, and picked up three other destroyers on the Pacific side of the canal.
[7]
[8]
Later in August, while still en route to the Guadalcanal area, South Dakota rendezvoused with Juneau, the ships proceeding together to
Nukuʻalofa
,
Tongatapu
which they reached on 4 September. After refueling there, they left the port on 6 September, but South Dakota was badly damaged when she struck an uncharted reef in the
Lahai Passage
. Divers from the
repair ship
Vestal
inspected the hull and discovered a 150-foot (46 m) length of plating had been damaged. Workers from Vestal patched the hull, allowing her to depart for
Pearl Harbor
on 12 September, where permanent repairs were effected. She joined the
aircraft carrier
Saratoga
, which had been torpedoed by a Japanese
submarine
south of
Guadalcanal
, and her escorts for the voyage. Repairs lasted from 23 to 28 September, and the work also included removing the 1.1-inch guns, adding four 40 mm quad mounts and twenty-two 20 mm guns.
[7]
After loading ammunition and supplies, South Dakota was pronounced ready for sea on 12 October. She conducted anti-aircraft training through the following day before returning to Pearl Harbor on 14 October. She departed for the south Pacific later that day in company with
Task Force 16
(TF), which included the aircraft carrier
Enterprise
, with nine escorting destroyers.
Vice Admiral
William F. Halsey
, the South Pacific Area commander, ordered TF 16 to sweep for Japanese naval forces north of the
Santa Cruz Islands
before turning south-west toward the
Solomon Islands
to block the Japanese path to Guadalcanal. For the operation, TF 16 was reinforced by
TF 17
—centered on the carrier
Hornet
—which were combined to form
TF 61
under the command of RADM
Thomas C. Kinkaid
. The force was supported by Lee with TF 64, which comprised Washington, two
heavy cruisers
, two light cruisers, and six destroyers.
[7]
[9]
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
Edit
South Dakota at the Battle of Santa Cruz
Main article:
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
Japanese and American reconnaissance aircraft discovered each others' fleets on 25 October, and South Dakota's crew prepared for a night surface action that night, though the anticipated Japanese attack did not materialize. Japanese reconnaissance aircraft that had spotted Lee's force east of
Rennell Island
had drawn the Japanese fleet in his direction, away from TF 61. The next morning, aircraft from Enterprise located the Japanese aircraft carriers minutes before a Japanese seaplane located TF 61; both sides immediately launched air strikes, leading to the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
. The first Japanese wave struck Hornet's group, inflicting serious damage on the carrier and forcing her to withdraw, though South Dakota and Enterprise were left unmolested. Hornet's withdrawal allowed the Japanese carriers to concentrate their attacks on Enterprise's group.
[7]
A second strike later that morning, shortly after 10:00 targeted the Enterprise group, and South Dakota provided heavy anti-aircraft fire to drive off the attackers; the ships shot down seven Japanese aircraft and fighters claimed another three. A third wave hit the task force an hour later, and at 11:48, a group of
Nakajima B5N
torpedo bombers
attacked South Dakota. She evaded the torpedoes and shot down one of the attackers. A fourth strike arrived over the fleet half an hour later, and several
Aichi D3A
dive bombers
attacked South Dakota. Most of the bombs fell harmlessly in the sea, but one scored a hit on her forward main battery turret roof, though it exploded without penetrating. Gatch, who was out on the
bridge wing
to spot the bombers so he could try to maneuver the vessel away, was wounded by a bomb splinter and the concussion from the blast threw him into the wall and knocked him unconscious. Two men were killed and over fifty were wounded by fragments from the bomb.
[7]
[10]
Splinters from the bomb damaged the center and left gun of the number two turret. The gun crew was eventually informed by the
Bureau of Ordnance
that the gouges were deep enough that the barrels should not be fired.
[11]
South Dakota fires at a Japanese torpedo bomber (right) during the Battle of Santa Cruz. The smoke around the battleship is from the ship's anti-aircraft guns.
A miscommunication while transferring steering control to the executive officer's (XO) station caused South Dakota to haul out of formation, briefly headed toward Enterprise before the XO corrected the mistake.
[12]
The two fleets then disengaged as night approached. South Dakota's gunners claimed to have shot down 26 Japanese aircraft, but only 13 had actually been shot down by all of the ships of TF 16 combined. The ship suffered two fatalities and around sixty wounded between the bomb hit and strafing runs from
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
fighters.
[7]
The effectiveness of South Dakota's anti-aircraft fire was exaggerated in the press after the battle; the 5-inch, 1.1-inch, and 40 mm guns had difficulty tracking targets through the low clouds. The 20 mm guns, with their shorter effective range, were not hampered by the reduced visibility and accounted for two thirds of the aircraft South Dakota shot down, according to the ship's
after action report
.
[13]
Though the Japanese carriers survived the battle and Hornet eventually had to be
scuttled
, the Japanese had lost 99 aircraft, nearly half of the carriers' complement, devastating Japanese naval aviation, which relied on a small number of highly trained veterans that could not be easily replaced. While attempting to avoid a submarine contact on the return trip to Nouméa, South Dakota collided with the destroyer
Mahan
on 30 October. Both South Dakota and Mahan suffered significant damage, with Mahan's bow deflected to port and crumpled back to Frame 14. Both warships continued to
Nouméa
, where Vestal repaired South Dakota's collision and battle damage.
[7]
The repair team flooded some of South Dakota's internal compartments to induce a
list
to expose the damaged hull plating; the work lasted from 1 to 6 November, and Gatch had returned to duty the previous day. By this time, Enterprise was the only active carrier in the Pacific, and so Halsey ordered Washington to join South Dakota as part of the escort force to protect the valuable carrier. TF 16 now consisted of South Dakota, Enterprise, Washington, the heavy cruiser
Northampton
, and nine destroyers. The ships sortied on 11 November to return to the fighting off Guadalcanal. The cruiser
Pensacola
and two more destroyers joined them the following day. On 13 November, after learning that a major Japanese attack was approaching, Halsey detached South Dakota, Washington, and four of the destroyers as Task Group 16.3, again under Lee's command. Enterprise, her forward elevator damaged from the action at Santa Cruz, was kept to the south as a
reserve
. The ships of TG 16.3 were to block an anticipated Japanese bombardment group in the waters off Guadalcanal.
[7]
[14]
Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Edit
Top: First phase of the battle; American forces are in black and Japanese are in red. Bottom: Second phase of the battle; South Dakota's movements are denoted by the dot and dashed line.
Main article:
Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
As Lee's task group approached Guadalcanal, his Japanese counterpart Admiral
Nobutake Kondō
steamed to meet him with his main bombardment force, consisting of the fast battleship
Kirishima
, the heavy cruisers
Takao
and
Atago
, and a destroyer screen. While en route, TG 16.3 was re-designated as TF 64 on 14 November; the ships passed to the south of Guadalcanal and then rounded the western end of the island to block Kondō's expected route. Japanese aircraft reported sighting Lee's formation, but identification of the ships ranged from a group of cruisers and destroyers to aircraft carriers, causing confusion among the Japanese commanders. That evening, American reconnaissance aircraft spotted Japanese warships off
Savo Island
, prompting Lee to order his ships to
general quarters
. The four destroyers were arrayed ahead of the two battleships.
[15]
The American task force, having been thrown together a day before, had not operated together as a unit, and both of the battleships had very limited experience shooting their main battery, particularly at night.
[11]
At around 23:00 on 14 November, the leading Japanese destroyers in a screening force commanded by RADM
Shintarō Hashimoto
sent ahead of Kondō's main force spotted Lee's ships and turned about to warn Kondō. At about the same time, Washington's search radar picked up one of Hashimoto's cruisers and a destroyer. The ships' fire control radars then began tracking the Japanese vessels and Lee ordered both of his battleships to open fire when ready. Washington fired first at 23:17 at a range of 18,000 yd (16,000 m), followed quickly by South Dakota, though she was limited to four of her six forward guns owing to the damage to two of the barrels sustained at Santa Cruz. The ships used their radars to determine the range but their optical directors to aim the guns. South Dakota initially targeted the destroyer
Shikinami
; South Dakota missed, but Shikinami immediately turned to open the range. South Dakota then shifted fire to the destroyers
Ayanami
and
Uranami
; her spotters claimed South Dakota had hit both and set them on fire, but she scored no hits during this period. The former approached Washington too closely, however, and was quickly reduced to a flaming wreck, which was scuttled later.
[16]
[17]
Shortly thereafter, at about 23:30, an error in the electrical switchboard room knocked out power aboard South Dakota, disabling her radar systems and leaving the ship all but blind to the Japanese vessels approaching the force. By this time, Hashimoto's ships had inflicted serious damage on the American destroyer screen; two of the destroyers were torpedoed (one of which,
Benham
, survived until the following morning) and a third was destroyed by gunfire. This compounded South Dakota's problems, as she had to keep clear of the burning wrecks. By being forced to turn in front of the burning destroyers, the fires backlit South Dakota and highlighted her presence to the Japanese ships. At 23:40, she engaged Hashimoto's ships with her rear turret, which accidentally set her Kingfishers on fire, but a second salvo knocked two of the three burning aircraft overboard and blew out the fire on the third. Power was restored and she fired five salvos from her main battery at a range of 5,800 yd (5,300 m), but the shock of firing the guns caused further electrical failures, disabling her gunnery and search radars for five minutes shortly before midnight. Upon reactivating her search radar, South Dakota picked up numerous Japanese vessels directly ahead. These were Kondō's ships, and they immediately launched a volley of torpedoes at South Dakota, though they all missed.
[18]
[19]
Having inadvertently closed to within 5,000 yd (4,600 m) of Kondō's force,
[20]
South Dakota bore the brunt of Japanese attacks during this phase of the battle. Japanese destroyers illuminated the ship and the rest of Kondō's vessels concentrated their fire on South Dakota. She received 27 hits during this phase, including a 14-inch shell from Kirishima that hit the rear turret and failed to penetrate the armor, though it damaged the training gear. Most of the hits came from the medium-caliber guns of the cruisers and destroyers, though they were largely confined to the superstructure, where they did not threaten the ship's survival. They nevertheless inflicted significant damage, destroying radar sets, disabling radio systems, and knocking out other systems, leaving the ship in Lee's words "deaf, dumb, blind, and impotent."
[21]
Focused on South Dakota, the Japanese left Washington unengaged, allowing her to attack Kirishima without any disruption. South Dakota fired two or three salvos at the next Japanese ship in the line before shifting fire to target Kirishima as well, firing five salvos in total before checking her fire as her gun directing equipment had been disabled; her secondary battery nevertheless kept up a heavy fire. Washington quickly inflicted fatal damage on Kirishima, destroying two of her four main battery turrets, holing her below the waterline, and starting numerous fires. Shortly after midnight, Kondō turned his ships to bring them back into torpedo range, leaving the stricken Kirishima to steam out of control. At 00:05, the Japanese ceased firing at South Dakota and she increased speed to 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) and checked her fire at 00:08. Since her radios had been disabled by gunfire, Gatch could not communicate with Lee, so he turned south and disengaged.
[7]
[22]
[23]
A hit below the waterline caused minor flooding and a list of 0.75 degrees, though that was quickly corrected. Fires that shell hits had started were suppressed by 01:55. At around 02:00, South Dakota restored radio contact with Washington and Gatch informed Lee of his ship's condition. Lee ordered Gatch to withdraw at high speed. South Dakota's crew had suffered heavy casualties, with 40 killed and 180 wounded. Among the injured was 12-year old
Calvin Graham
, who had lied about his age to enlist; he was the youngest American to fight in the war. South Dakota received the
Navy Unit Commendation
for her role in the battle.
[7]
By 09:00, South Dakota had formed back up with Washington, Benham, and the destroyer