U.S.S. PENNSYLVANIA

BB-38 USS PENNSYLVANIA

USS Pennsylvania entered service with the US Navy after her commission in June 1916. For the next five years, the ship patrolled and served in the Atlantic waters. She cruised along the Eastern Seaboard and Caribbean mainly, with a single voyage to France in 1918. In early 1921, the ship reported for duty as the flagship for the newly organized Battle Fleet in the Pacific. Over the next decade, USS Pennsylvania led maneuvers in several parts of the world. The ship received a major modernization from 1929 to 1931. The next decade saw her continue her work as flagship, leading maneuvers.

USS Pennsylvania sustained minor damage during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. After a few months of repair, she took up patrol along the West Coast and around Hawaii. She underwent a minor overhaul of her guns before reporting to Alaskan waters for the recapture of Attu and Kiska in the summer of 1943. USS Pennsylvania participated in several invasions in the Pacific Theater including the Gilbert Islands, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Palaus, and Leyte. She participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait and the Lingayen Gulf invasion. She sustained heavy damage off of Okinawa on August 12, 1945 and scuttled in February 1948.