USN · BB
North Carolina
Photos and infoNorth Carolina-class battleship, BB-55. First of the fast battleships. She screened the carriers from Guadalcanal onward. On 15 September 1942 the submarine I-19 torpedoed her below the armor belt, and she was not sunk. She survived the war and is moored at Wilmington.
| Class | North Carolina class |
|---|---|
| Type | Battleship (BB) |
| Hull | BB-55 |
| Builder | New York Navy Yard |
| Launched | 1940-06-13 |
| Commissioned | 1941-04-09 |
| Fate | Afloat. Survived the war. Decommissioned at New York on 27 June 1947. Dedicated at Wilmington on 29 April 1962 as the state's memorial. Still moored there. |
| Armament (class) | Three triple 16-inch turrets and two funnels. |
| Command |
|
Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.
The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.
Edward Steichen, U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-K-101. USS North Carolina (BB-55) underway during the Gilberts operation, circa November 1943. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The pictures on this page are the originals.
No color version yet. Colored pictures and film will be added here.
Command
Hustvedt, Olaf M.Captain, 9 April 1941 – 23 October 1941
Badger, Oscar C. (Medal of Honor)Captain, 23 October 1941 – 1 June 1942
Fort, George H.Captain, 1 June 1942 – 5 December 1942
Baker, Wilder D.Captain, 5 December 1942 – 27 May 1943
Thomas, Frank P.Captain, 27 May 1943 – 6 October 1944
Fahrion, Frank GeorgeCaptain, 6 October 1944 – 26 January 1945
Colclough, Oswald S.Captain, 26 January 1945 – 15 June 1945
Hanlon, Byron H.Captain, 15 June 1945 – 1 February 1946TOO'Brien, Timothy J.Captain, 1 February 1946 – 27 June 1947Landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi
1942-08-07 · screened Enterprise
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
1942-08-24 · screened Enterprise
I-19's attack, 15 September 1942
1942-09-15 · torpedoed below the armor belt; not sunk
Gilbert Islands, November 1943
1943-11-20 · with the fast carriers
Marshall Islands
1944-01-31 · shelled Roi and Namur
Battle of the Philippine Sea
1944-06-19 · with the fast carriers
Iwo Jima
1945-02-19 · at Iwo Jima
Okinawa
1945-04-01 · in the campaign
