USS Kearsarge (BB-5) - World War I

World War I

Kearsarge was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 4 September 1909 for modernization. She recommissioned on 23 June 1915 for operations along the Atlantic coast until 17 September, when she departed Philadelphia to land a detachment of US marines at Veracruz, Mexico. She remained off Vera Cruz from 28 September 1915– 5 January 1916, then carried the Marines to New Orleans, Louisiana, before joining the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on 4 February at Philadelphia. She trained Massachusetts and Maine State Naval Militia until America entered World War I, then trained thousands of armed guard crews as well as naval engineers in waters along the East Coast ranging from Boston, Massachusetts, to Pensacola, Florida. On the evening of 18 August 1918, Kearsarge rescued 26 survivors of Norwegian barque Nordhav which had been sunk by U-117. The survivors were landed in Boston.