Nevada Class Battleship - Deployment

Deployment

The Nevadas were active in the Atlantic Ocean before and during World War I, deploying to the European war zone in 1918 to help protect Allied supply lines. Their service continued after the "Great War", though by the early 1920s they were the oldest of the main Battle Fleet units. Both were extensively modernized between 1927 and 1929, receiving greater elevation for their new Mark 10/45 heavy guns, modern gunfire controls in new tripod masts, and two catapults for scouting and observation airplanes. Their 5-inch (127 mm) 51-caliber anti-destroyer guns were moved to drier locations in the superstructure and a battery of 5-inch 25-caliber anti-aircraft guns was added. Protection against shellfire, bombs, and torpedoes was improved, increasing their beam to nearly 108 feet (33 m) and battle displacement to about 34,000 long tons (35,000 t). Nevada's steam turbines, prematurely aging, were replaced with far better geared turbines from the decommissioned USS North Dakota at this time; Oklahoma was not re-engined, but both ships were equipped with modern medium-pressure boilers.

At Pearl Harbor, Oklahoma was sunk and Nevada beached herself with light damage (which climbed to moderate damage, after a large fire in number 2 {"B"} turret a day later) to prevent blocking the harbor entrance. Nevada’s experience proved the torpedo defence system was very good, but watertight integrity on the upper decks of older warships was unlikely to be satisfactory. Oklahoma, hit by 9 torpedoes within a matter of a few minutes, capsized and was a total loss, but Nevada was salvaged and modernized again during 1942, exchanging her old secondary battery for new 5-inch 38-caliber dual-purpose twin mounts, plus numerous 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft autocannons. Her superstructure was completely reconstructed in modern form, with a much-reduced conning tower. She served in both the European and Pacific theaters, providing gunfire support for amphibious operations. Nevada, along with USS Texas and USS Arkansas, shelled German shore batteries on D-Day. Nevada’s final mission was as a target for nuclear and conventional weapons from 1946 to 1948.