USS Washington (BB-56) - Construction and Commissioning

Construction and Commissioning

For further information, see North Carolina class battleship

Washington and sister ship North Carolina were both authorized in January 1937. Five shipyards, including three private corporations (Bethlehem Shipbuilding, New York Shipbuilding, and Newport News Shipbuilding), and two naval shipyards (Philadelphia and Brooklyn, New York) tendered bids to build the ships. As the government-owned yards had significantly lower bids, the Navy assigned North Carolina to Brooklyn and Washington to Philadelphia.

Washington's keel was laid on 14 June 1938 in Philadelphia's Slipway No. 3, and the hull was launched on 1 June 1940, the first battleship launched in the United States since 1921. After a near debacle during the launch of the destroyer Buck, when a merchant ship did not heed the warnings of the Coast Guard, the Delaware River was closed for 2 miles (3.2 km) around the site of Washington's launch. This had the added—or primary—benefit of clearing the river to deprive potential spies of photographic and other information on the ships. Other efforts to prevent any photos included air patrols above the slipway, state police across the river, and the exclusion of any person who could not produce proper credentials. Still, 25,000 attended the ceremony and heard a speech by Senator David I. Walsh, the chairman of the Senate's Committee on Naval Affairs. Washington was sponsored and christened by 15-year-old Virginia Marshall (a direct descendant of former Chief Justice John Marshall), who broke a bottle of champagne over the bow as the ship slid into the water. Immediately after, tugboats pushed the incomplete ship into a nearby drydock for fitting-out. The main guns were installed during this time after being transported from the Washington Navy Yard on two barges towed by Navajo. Soon after being completed, Washington was commissioned into the United States Navy on 15 May 1941.

Washington was 728 feet 11.625 inches (222.2 m) long, 108 feet 3.875 inches (33.01683 m) wide, and had a 34-foot-9-inch (10.6 m) maximum draft. The ship was powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox three-drum express-type boilers driving four sets of General Electric geared turbines. These were nominally rated at 121,000 shaft horsepower (shp) to four propellers, giving the ship a top speed of roughly 28 knots (32 mph; 52 km/h). At the more economical 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h), Washington could steam for 17,450 nautical miles (20,080 mi; 32,320 km).

Washington's main battery was composed of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 guns arranged in three turrets; two superfiring turrets were located near the bow, while the third was at the stern. Secondary armament included dual purpose 5"/38 caliber Mark 12 guns, arranged all around the superstructure, and greatly varying numbers of 1.1"/75 caliber guns, Browning .50 caliber machine guns, and Bofors 40 mm and Oerkilon 20 mm autocannons.