USN · BB
South Dakota
Photos and infoSouth Dakota-class battleship. Behind Washington on 15 November 1942. A power failure left her nearly blind, and Kirishima and the Japanese cruisers hit her more than two dozen times. She was not sunk, and she was not the ship that sank Kirishima.
| Class | South Dakota class |
|---|---|
| Type | Battleship (BB) |
| Hull | BB-57 |
| Fate | Afloat. Badly damaged on the battleship night off Guadalcanal, 15 November 1942. Not sunk. She did not sink Kirishima. Survived the war. |
| Armament (class) | Three triple 16-inch turrets on a shorter hull than North Carolina. |
| 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.
U.S. Navy photo 80-G-466248. USS South Dakota (BB-57) underway in the Atlantic during her shakedown, July 1942. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The pictures on this page are the originals.
Command
Gatch, Thomas L.Captain from 20 March 1942Relieved on 1 February 1943
McCormick, Lynde D.Captain from 1 February 1943Relieved on 20 September 1943
Smith, Allan E.Captain from 20 September 1943Relieved on 17 March 1944
Riggs, Ralph S.Captain from 17 March 1944Relieved on 30 November 1944
Stillman, Carl R.In temporary command from 30 November 1944Relieved on 9 December 1944
Momsen, Charles B.Captain from 9 December 1944Relieved on 30 July 1945Stillman, Carl R.In temporary command from 30 July 1945Relieved on 17 August 1945
Forrestel, Emmet P.Captain from 17 August 1945Relieved on 1 December 1945
Todd, Carlton R.Captain from 1 December 1945Relieved on 20 June 1946WPParsons, William K.Captain from 20 June 1946Relieved on 21 December 1946
Schmidling, Matthew S.Captain from 21 December 1946In command when she was decommissioned, 31 January 1947Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
1942-10-26 · a bomb hit turret No. 1 about 1230 and injured Captain Gatch. Her antiaircraft fire helped save Enterprise. Not sunk
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, battleship night
1942-11-15 · more than two dozen hits; not sunk
Gilbert Islands, November 1943
1943-11-20 · with the carrier group
Marshall Islands
1944-01-31 · shelled Roi and Namur
Battle of the Philippine Sea
1944-06-19 · in the battle, 19 and 20 June
Iwo Jima
1945-02-19 · with the fast carriers, 19 and 20 February
Okinawa
1945-04-01 · shelled the southeast on 24 March
