USS New Mexico (BB-40) - Inter-War Period

Inter-War Period

After initial training, New Mexico departed New York on 15 January 1919 for Brest, France, to escort the transport George Washington carrying President Woodrow Wilson from the Versailles Peace Conference to the US, returning to Hampton Roads on 27 February.

There on 16 July, she became flagship of the newly organized Pacific Fleet, and three days later sailed for the Panama Canal and San Pedro, California, arriving on 9 August. Two of the original 14 5 in (130 mm)/51 cal guns were removed in 1922. The next 12 years were marked by frequent combined maneuvers with the Atlantic Fleet both in the Pacific and Caribbean which included visits to South American ports and a 1925 cruise to Australia and New Zealand. In 1924 the New Mexico was used in the early development of PID controllers for automated ship steering by Russian American naval engineer Nicolas Minorsky; PID controllers have subsequently become ubiquitous in control engineering.

New Mexico was modernized and overhauled at Philadelphia from March 1931 – January 1933, including replacement of the turbo-electric drive with conventional geared turbines, and an anti-aircraft battery of eight 5 in (130 mm)/25 cal guns, New Mexico returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume training exercises and tactical development operations.