USS Washington BB 56

The USS Washington BB 56 was a North Carolina-class battleship that was launched on June 1^st, 1940 and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on May 15^th, 1941 under the command of Howard H. J. Benson. Her shakedown and underway training ranged along the eastern seaboard and into the Gulf of Mexico and lasted through American entry into Gulf of Mexico in December of 1941. While operating in company with her sister ship the North Carolina and the new aircraft carrier Hornet, the USS Washington became the flagship for Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox Jr. who was the commander of the Battleship Division 6 a part of the Atlantic Fleet. Then assigned to Task Force 39 on March 26^th, 1942 she steamed to British Isles to support the British Home Fleet in European waters.

She led the Solomon Islands operations in the Pacific as well as combating the Imperial Japanese Navy during the infamous Tokyo Express missions. On November 9^th, 1942 naval intelligence officers learned that three groups of Japanese ships, one consisting of about 24 transports with escorts was steaming toward Guadalcanal. The Washington headed out to meet them head on in what became the fierce Battle of Savo Island. When the fire fight ceased, the Washington headed to Pearl Harbor for extensive repairs.

During the Gilbert and Marshall Island campaigns, the USS Washington screened carriers such as the USS Bunker Hill and bombarded the shorelines while assisting ground forces with pre-invasion shelling as well as fire support during the landings. She also supported air strikes pummeling enemy defenses during the Mariana Islands invasion as well as bombarding Japanese installations at the enemy stronghold that was Iwo Jima.

During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the ship came under serious attack from carrier-based and land-based planes. Out of the 373 Japanese fighter planes the enemy launched, only 130 returned making it a massive loss for the Imperial Navy. The Washington fought hard and long and struck back at the assault with great success that later earned her honors unmatched by most ships at that time. The USS Washington BB 56 earned 13 battle stars during her World War II service and was officially decommissioned on June 27^th, 1947.

The USS Washington BB 56 and her crew were under constant threat of attack from enemy ships as well as the facing the endless perils of violent weather, but those were not the only problems that lay with the crew on a daily basis. Asbestos was widely used in submarines and ships during that time period and the crewmembers were constantly in danger of inhaling these airborne asbestos fibers. Specifically within the insulation that deals with piping. Any members of the crew of the USS Washington BB 56 that are concerned they may have been exposed to these deadly asbestos fibers should watch after their respiratory health very closely. The development of mesothelioma cancer has been directly linked to asbestos exposure, and any veterans who may have been diagnosed with this disease should seek mesothelioma treatment immediately.

Last modified: December 09 2009.