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The first of her class of 35,000 ton battleships,
which also included: Indiana
(BB-58), Massachusetts
(BB-59),
and Alabama (BB-60), all
completed early in World War Two; they were 680 feet long, with a main
armament of nine 16-inch guns in three turrets, and also sixteen 5-inch
guns amidships.
The second South Dakota (BB-57) was laid down
on 5 July 1939 at Camden, N.J., by the New York Shipbuilding Corp.;
launched on 7 June 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Harlan J. Bushfield; and
commissioned on 20 March 1942, Capt. Thomas L. Gatch in command. After
fitting out at Philadelphia, South Dakota held shakedown
training from 3 June to 26 July. She stood out of Philadelphia Navy
Yard on 16 August and headed for Panama.
The battleship transited the Panama
Canal on 21 August and set course for the Tonga Islands, arriving at
Nukualofa, Tongatabu, on 4 September. Two days later, she struck an
uncharted coral pinnacle in Lahai Passage and suffered extensive damage
to her hull. On 12 September, the ship sailed for the Pearl Harbor Navy
Yard and repairs.
South Dakota was ready for sea again on 12
October and began training with Task Force (TF) 16 which was built
around aircraft carrier Enterprise
(CV-6). The task force sortied from
Pearl Harbor on 16 October to join TF 17, which was centered on carrier
Hornet (CV-8), northeast of Espiritu Santo. The rendezvous was made on
the 24th; and the combined force, now operating as TF 61 under Rear
Admiral T. C. Kinkaid, was ordered to make a sweep of the Santa Cruz
Islands and then move southwest to block any Japanese forces
approaching Guadalcanal.
"Catalina" patrol bombers sighted a Japanese carrier
force at noon on the 25th, and TF 61 steamed northwest to intercept it.
Early the next morning, when all carrier forces were within striking
range, a Japanese snooper spotted the American force, triggering the
Battle of Santa Cruz. South Dakota and the Enterprise group
were approximately 10 miles from the Hornet
group when the air battle
began.
The first enemy attack was concentrated against
Hornet. At 1045, South
Dakota was operating near Enterprise
to
provide protective fire from her numerous antiaircraft guns when their
group was attacked by dive bombers. Approximately an hour later, about
40 torpedo planes struck at the two ships. A third aerial assault, made
by dive bombers and torpedo planes, came in at 1230. South Dakota
sustained a 500-pound bomb hit on top of her number one turret. When
the action was broken off that evening, the American forces retired
toward Noumea, New Caledonia, with the battleship credited with downing
26 enemy planes.
At 0414 on 30 October, while avoiding a submarine
contact, South Dakota and Mahan
(DD-364) collided, causing
damage to both ships. Mahan's bow was turned to port and crumpled to
frame 14, and a fire, soon brought under control, started in her
forward hold. Both ships continued to Noumea where Vestal (AR-4)
repaired South Dakota's collision and battle damage.
On 11 November, South Dakota, as part of TF
16, sortied from Noumea for Guadalcanal. On 13 November, she joined
battleship Washington (BB-56) and destroyers Preston (DD-379), Walke
(DD-418), Benham (DD-397), and Gwin (DD-433) to form TF 64 under
command of Rear Admiral W. A. Lee. The next evening at 2330, the force
was operating 50 miles southwest of Guadalcanal when Lee learned that
an enemy convoy was coming through the passage off Savo sometime
between 0030 and 0230. This was Admiral Kondo's bombardment group
consisting of battleship Kirishima; heavy cruisers Takao and Atago; and
a destroyer screen.
Admiral Kondo's forces were divided into three
sections: the bombardment group; a close screen of cruiser Nagara and
six destroyers; and a distant screen of cruiser Sendai and three
destroyers in the van of the other forces. A quarter moon assured good
visibility. Three ships were visually sighted from the bridge of South
Dakota, range 18,100 yards. Washington fired on the leading ship,
thought to be a battleship or heavy cruiser; and, a minute later, South
Dakota's main battery opened on the ship nearest to her. Both
initial salvos started fires on the targets. South Dakota then
fired on another target and continued firing until it disappeared from
her radar screen. Turret No. 3-firing over her stern and demolishing
her own planes in the process-opened on another target and continued
firing until the target was thought to sink. Her secondary batteries
were firing at eight destroyers close to the shore of Savo Island.
A short lull followed after which radar plot showed
four enemy ships, just clear of the left tangent of Savo, approaching
from the starboard bow; range 5,800 yards. Searchlights from the second
ship in the enemy column illuminated South Dakota. Washington
opened with her main battery on the leading, and largest, Japanese
ship. South Dakota's secondary batteries put out the lights;
and she shifted all batteries to bear on the third ship, believed to be
a cruiser, which soon gushed smoke. South Dakota, which had
been under fire from at least three of the ships, had taken 42 hits
which caused considerable damage. Her radio communications failed;
radar plot was demolished; three fire control radars were damaged;
there was a fire in her foremast; and she had lost track of Washington.
As she was no longer receiving enemy fire and there were no remaining
targets, she withdrew; met Washington at a prearranged rendezvous; and
proceeded to Noumea. Of the American destroyers, only Gwin returned to
port. The other three had been severely damaged early in the
engagement. Walke and Preston were sunk. Benham had part of her bow
blown off by a torpedo and, while en route to Noumea with the damaged
Gwin as her escort, had to be abandoned. Gwin then sank her by gunfire.
On the enemy side, hits had been scored on Takao and Atago; Kirishima
and destroyer Ayanami, severely damaged by gunfire, were abandoned and
scuttled.
Prometheus (AR-3) repaired some of the damage
inflicted on South Dakota at Noumea, enabling the battleship to
sail on the 25th for Tongatabu and thence for home. South Dakota
arrived at New York on 18 December 1942 for an overhaul and the
completion of repairs to her battle damage. She was back at sea on 25
February 1943 and, following sea trials, operated with Ranger (CV-4) in
the North Atlantic until mid-April.
The battleship next operated with the British Home
Fleet, based at Scapa Flow, until 1 August when she returned to-
Norfolk. On 21 August, South Dakota stood out of Norfolk en
route to Efate Island, arriving at Havannah Harbor on 14 September. She
moved to Fiji on 7 November and sortied from there four days later with
Battleship Divisions (BatDiv) 8 and 9 in support of Task Group (TG)
50.1, the Carrier Interceptor Group for Operation "Galvanic," the
Gilbert Islands assault. The carriers launched attacks against Jaluit
and Mili atolls, Marshall Islands, on 19 November, to neutralize enemy
airfields there. The force then provided air support for the amphibious
landings on Makin and Tarawa, Gilbert Islands.
South Dakota, with five other battleships,
formed another task group on 6 December to bombard Nauru Island. A
joint aerial attack and shore bombardment severely damaged enemy shore
installations and airfields there. South Dakota retired to
Efate on 12 December 1943 for upkeep and rearming. Her next action
occurred on 29 January 1944 when the carriers launched attacks against
Roi and Namur, Marshall Islands. The next day, the battleship moved in
to shell enemy positions on Roi and Namur and then rejoined the
carriers as they provided air support for the amphibious landings on
Kwajalein, Majuro, Roi, and Namur.
South Dakota departed the Marshall Islands on
12 February with the Truk striking force which launched attacks against
that Japanese stronghold on 17 and 18 February. Six days later, she was
in the screen for the carriers which launched the first air attacks
against the Marianas. The force was under constant enemy air attack,
and South Dakota splashed four Japanese planes. She returned to
Majuro from 26 February until 22 March when she sailed with the fast
carrier forces of the of the 5th Fleet. Air strikes were delivered from
30 March until 1 April against Palau, Yap, Woleai, and Ulithi in the
Western Caroline Islands.
South Dakota returned to Majuro on 6 April and
sailed the following week, again accompanying the fast carriers. On 21
April, strikes were launched against Hollandia, New Guinea, and the
following day against Aitape, Tanahmerah, and Humboldt Bays to support
the Army landings. On 29 and 30 April, the carriers, with South
Dakota, still in the screen, returned to Truk and bombed that base.
The next day, the battleship was part of a surface bombardment group
that shelled Ponape Island in the Carolines. She returned to Majuro for
upkeep from 4 May to 5 June when she got underway with TF 58 to
participate in Operation "Forager," the landings on Saipan and Tinian.
The carriers began launching attacks on the llth against enemy
installations throughout the islands. On the 13th, South Dakota
and six other battleships were detached from the fast carrier groups to
bombard Saipan and Tinian. South Dakota shelled the northwest
coast of Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, for over six hours with both her
primary and secondary batteries.
On the evening of the 15th, 8 to 12 enemy fighters and
bombers broke through the combat air patrol and attacked the task
group. South Dakota fired at four and splashed one; and the
remaining 11 were shot down by fire from other ships. On 19 June, the
battleship was again operating with the fast carriers. It was known
that a major Japanese force was approaching from the west, and the
American capital ships were placed so that they could continue to
support the ground forces on Saipan and also intercept this enemy
force.
At 1012, a large group of bogies was reported coming
in from the west. At 1049, a “Judy” dropped a 500-pound bomb on South
Dakota's main deck where it blew a large hole, cut wiring and
piping, but inflicted no other serious material damage. However,
personnel losses were heavy: 24 killed and 27 wounded. The ship
continued to fight throughout the day as air attacks were continuous.
This was the first day of the Battle of the Philippine Sea and was
called the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" as the Japanese lost over 300
aircraft. The air battle continued throughout the 20th. When it ended,
the badly mauled Japanese fleet no longer posed a threat to the
American conquest of the Marianas. The task group returned to Ulithi on
27 June, and South Dakota sailed via Pearl Harbor to the west
coast, arriving at Puget Sound on 10 July.
The battleship was overhauled at the navy yard there;
and, after sea trials, sailed on 26 August for Pearl Harbor. South
Dakota was routed to Ulithi and, upon her arrival, was attached to
TG 38.3; one of four task groups of formed Task Force 38, the Fast
Carrier Task Force. The task force sortied on 6 October and, four days
later, launched air attacks against Okinawa. On the 12th and 13th,
attacks were flown against shipping and installations in Formosa. Three
of the groups, including South Dakota's, retired and operated
east of the Phillippine Islands until 24 December. During the
operation, carriers of the group flew strikes against targets on Manila
and Luzon to support the landings on Mindoro.
From 30 December 1944
through 26 January 1945, the fast carriers alternated strikes between
Formosa on 3, 4, 9, 15, and 21 January; Luzon on the 6th and 7th; Cape
San Jacques and Camranh Bay on the 12th; Hong Kong and Hainan on the
16th; and against Okinawa on 22 January.
South Dakota operated with the fast carriers in
their strikes against the Tokyo area on 17 February and against Iwo
Jima on the 19th and 20th in support of amphibious landings there.
Tokyo again was the target on the 25th, and Okinawa's turn came on 1
March. After rearming at Ulithi, the task groups sailed toward Japan
again and pounded targets in the Kobe, Kure, and Kyushu areas on 18 and
19 March. They launched strikes against Okinawa on the 23d; and, on the
24th, the battleship joined a bombardment group which shelled
southeastern Okinawa. She rejoined her task group which, after bombing
Okinawa, struck enemy airfields in southern Kyushu on the 29th and
then, from 31 March through 3 April, again pounded targets on Okinawa.
On 7 April, all fast carriers launched attacks against an enemy fleet
off southwest Kyushu, sinking Japan's fast super battleship Yamato, two
cruisers, and four destroyers.
South Dakota once more participated in shore
bombardment on southeastern Okinawa on 19 April in support of an
all-out offensive by the XXIV Army Corps against enemy lines.
While rearming from Wrangell (AE-12) on 6 May, a tank
of 16-inch high capacity powder exploded, causing a fire and exploding
four more tanks. Turret No. 2 magazines were flooded and the fires put
out. The ship lost three men killed instantly; eight more died of
injuries; and 24 others suffered non-fatal wounds. The ship retired to
Guam from 11 to 29 May when she sailed for Leyte, arriving on 1 June.
South Dakota departed Leyte on 1 July,
supporting the carriers of TG 38.1 which attacked the Tokyo area on the
10th. On 14 July, as part of a bombardment group, she participated in
the shelling of the Kamaishi Steel Works, Kamaishi, Honshu, Japan. This
was the first gunfire attack on the Japanese home islands by heavy
warships. From 15 through 28 March, South Dakota again
supported the carriers as they launched strikes against Honshu and
Hokkaido. On the night of 29 and 30 July, she participated in the shore
bombardment of Hamamatsu, Honshu, and, on the 9th, again shelled
Kamaishi. The battleship supported the carriers in strikes against
northern Honshu on 10 August, and in the Tokyo area on the 13th and
15th. The latter was the last strike of the war for, later that day,
Japan capitulated.
She anchored in Sagami Wan, Honshu, on 27 August and
entered Tokyo Bay on the 29th. South Dakota steamed out of
Tokyo Bay on 20 September and proceeded, via Okinawa and Pearl Harbor,
to the west coast of the United States. On 29 October, she moved down
the coast from San Francisco to San Pedro. She sailed from the west
coast on 3 January 1946 for Philadelphia and a yard overhaul. In Jun%
she was attached to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 31 January 1947, she
was placed in reserve, out of commission. The battleship remained in
that status until she was struck from the Navy list on 1 June 1962. On
25 October 1962, she was sold to Lipsett Division, Luria Bros, and Co.,
Inc., for scrap.
South Dakota received 13 battle stars for World
War II service.
Sources: Public domain Dictionary of
American Naval Fighting Ships
and scans from my father's 1943 Naval
Recognition Manual
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