The U.S.S. West Virginia at the attack on Pearl Harbor

Photo sourced from nationalww2museum.org

     Everybody knows about the attack on pearl harbor on December 7th, 1941. If you don't, you need to read up on that. Did you know one of the ships on "battleship row" was named for West Virginia? She was actually the second battleship to be named for the state.
     Built in Newport News, Virginia, the West Virginia was commissioned in December 1923. She spent much of her life in the pacific. 
     West Virginia's base was moved to pearl harbor, Hawaii in 1940. She was still there in 1941 when the Japanese attacked. The West Virginia was hit by at least seven torpedoes, maybe nine, which blew huge holes in one side and she quickly sank. Over one hundred of the West Virginia's crew were lost.
     Things were looking up for the USS West Virginia when she was raised from the shallow harbor and was repaired temporarily at the Pearl Harbor Navy yard. In 1943, she went to the Puget Navy yard for final repairs and modernization. She came out of the shipyard and participated in several battles in the last year or so of World War II. She fought in such battles as Midoro, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The West Virginia was struck by a Kamikaze plane in Okinawa, but was able to stay in action.
What's interesting is the USS West Virginia was in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd,1945 when Japan surrendered. One of two ships present at both the attack of Pearl Harbor and Japan's surrender, but West Virginia was the only one to be damaged at Pearl Harbor . The USS West Virginia was decommissioned on January 9th, 1947 and was eventually sold for scrap.

Sources-
End of the line- The U.S.S. West Virginia, Archive.wvculture.org

USS West Virginia (BB 48), history.navy.mil

USS Weat Virginia, wvenyclopedia.org

A survivor at the surrender- the uss west virginia,Nationalww2museum.org

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