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| USS Idaho (BB-42). |
USS Idaho (BB-42), a New Mexico-class battleship, was the
fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the 43rd state. She was
the third of three ships of her class. Built by the New York Shipbuilding
Corporation of Camden, New Jersey, she was launched in June 1917 and
commissioned in March 1919. She was armed with a battery of twelve 14-inch (356
mm) guns in four three-gun turrets, and was protected by heavy armor plate,
with her main belt armor being 13.5 inches (343 mm) thick.
Idaho spent most of the 1920s and 1930s in the Pacific
Fleet, where she conducted routine training exercises. Like her sister ships,
she was modernized in the early 1930s. In mid-1941, before the United States
entered World War II, Idaho and her sisters were sent to join the Neutrality
Patrols that protected American shipping during the Battle of the Atlantic.
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Idaho and her sisters
were sent to the Pacific, where she supported amphibious operations in the
Pacific. She shelled Japanese forces during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands
and the Philippines campaigns and the invasions of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and
Okinawa.
Idaho was among the ships present in Tokyo Bay when Japan
formally surrendered on 2 September 1945. With the war over, the ship was
decommissioned in July 1946. She was sold to ship breakers in November 1947 and
subsequently dismantled.
Design
Idaho was 624 feet (190 m) long overall and had a beam of 97
ft 5 in (29.69 m) and a draft of 30 ft (9.1 m). She displaced 32,000 long tons
(32,514 t) as designed and up to 33,000 long tons (33,530 t) at full combat
load. The ship was powered by four-shaft Curtis turbines and nine oil-fired
Babcock & Wilcox boilers rated at 32,000 shaft horsepower (24,000 kW),
generating a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). The ship had a cruising
range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at a speed of 10 kn (19
km/h; 12 mph). Her crew numbered 1,081 officers and enlisted men. As built, she
was fitted with two lattice masts with spotting tops for the main gun battery.
The main armored belt was 8–13.5 in (203–343 mm) thick, while the main armored
deck was up to 3.5 in (89 mm) thick. The main battery gun turrets had 18 in
(457 mm) thick faces on 13 in (330 mm) barbettes. The conning tower had 16 in
(406 mm) thick sides.
The ship was armed with a main battery of twelve 14-inch
(356 mm)/50 caliber guns
in four, three-gun turrets on the centerline, placed in two superfiring pairs
forward and aft of the superstructure. Unlike earlier American battleships with
triple turrets, these mounts allowed each barrel to elevate independently. The
secondary battery consisted of fourteen 5-inch (127 mm)/51 caliber guns mounted
in individual casemates clustered in the superstructure amidships. Initially,
the ship was to have been fitted with twenty-two of the guns, but experiences
in the North Sea during World War I demonstrated that the additional guns,
which would have been placed in the hull, would have been unusable in anything
but calm seas. As a result, the casemates were plated over to prevent flooding.
The secondary battery was augmented with four 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns.
In addition to her gun armament, Idaho was also fitted with two 21-inch (530
mm) torpedo tubes, mounted submerged in the hull, one on each broadside.
Modifications
Starting in 1921, the Navy began installing aircraft
catapults on its battleships, and Idaho was among the vessels to receive a Mark
II catapult. Idaho was heavily modernized in the early 1930s. Her original
turbines were replaced with new geared models manufactured by Westinghouse, and
she received six express boilers designed by the Bureau of Engineering. This
improved her performance to a top speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) from
40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW). Her armament was also revised, with the
main battery turrets being modified to allow elevation to 30 degrees, greatly
extending the range of the guns. Two of the 5-inch guns were removed, and eight
5-inch/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns were installed. She received an additional
2-inch (51 mm) armored deck, and her underwater protection was improved. Both
lattice masts were removed; a heavy tower bridge was built in place of the foremast,
and a light pole mast was erected in place of the main mast. During the
installation of the new bridge, she was fitted out as a flagship, which
included the addition of a flag bridge for the admiral and his staff. These
alterations greatly increased her displacement, to 33,420 long tons (33,960 t)
standard and 36,157 long tons (36,737 t) full load. Her crew increased
significantly, to 1,443.
During a refit from 14 October to 28 December 1942, Idaho
received a new anti-aircraft battery of ten quadruple Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in)
guns and forty-three 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon guns, though the Oerlikons were
added in stages. By the time the refit ended, she carried only sixteen of them,
with eleven more added in January 1943, the remaining sixteen being added in
February. From 22 October 1944 to 1 January 1945, Idaho received another major
refit, which included the installation of ten 5-inch/38 caliber guns in
individual, dual-purpose mounts in place of the old 25-caliber guns. She also
received new Mark 8 radars for her main battery fire control system.
Service History
Interwar Period
Idaho was laid down on 20 January 1915 at the New York
Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. She was launched on 30 June
1917, and after fitting-out work ended, the new battleship was commissioned
into the fleet on 24 March 1919. Shortly afterward, the ship began her
shakedown cruise, departing on 13 April for Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, before
returning to New York. There, the President of Brazil, Epitácio Pessoa, boarded
the ship to return to Brazil. The trip began on 6 July; Idaho reached Rio de
Janeiro on 17 July, where Pessoa left the ship, and continued on to the Panama
Canal. She steamed to Monterey, California, where she joined the Pacific Fleet
in September. The fleet then conducted a series of training exercises and held
a naval review on 13 September for President Woodrow Wilson. Idaho hosted the
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and the Secretary of the Interior John
B. Payne for a tour of Alaska, which concluded on 22 July.
Idaho returned to the peacetime routine of fleet exercises
over the next five years; these were held off the coast of North and South
America, as far south as Chile. The ship was also present for a variety of
ceremonies during this period, including a Naval Review for President Warren
Harding in Seattle in 1923. The Pacific Fleet was reorganized as the Battle
Fleet in 1922. She took part in major exercises off Hawaii in 1925, departing
California on 15 April. The exercises lasted until 1 July, after which Idaho
embarked on a cruise to the southern Pacific. Stops included Samoa, Australia,
and New Zealand. While returning from Hawaii to California, she carried
Commander John Rodgers, who had failed in his attempt to fly a seaplane from
California to Hawaii. The ship reached San Francisco on 24 September. For the
next six years, Idaho was based in San Pedro, where she continued to conduct
readiness training, alternating between the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea.
On 7 September 1931, she departed San Pedro for the Norfolk
Navy Yard, where she received a major reconstruction that began after her
arrival on 30 September. The lengthy reconstruction finished on 9 October 1934,
and after completing another shakedown cruise in the Caribbean, Idaho returned
to San Pedro, arriving on 17 April 1935. Fleet maneuvers increased in
frequency, particularly after tensions began to rise with Japan over its
expansionist policies in Asia. In mid-1940, the Battle Fleet was transferred
from California to Hawaii; Idaho joined the other ships on 1 July. By this
time, World War II had broken out in Europe, spawning the Battle of the
Atlantic. In response, President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the Neutrality
Patrols to protect American shipping. On 7 May 1941, Admiral Harold Stark, the
Chief of Naval Operations, transferred Idaho, her sisters Mississippi and New
Mexico, the aircraft carrier Yorktown, four light cruisers, and two destroyer
squadrons to the Atlantic to reinforce the Neutrality Patrols. Idaho left
Hawaii on 6 June, bound for Hampton Roads to join the neutrality patrols. In
September, she was stationed in Hvalfjörður, Iceland, and was there when Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December.
World War II
With the United States now an active participant in World
War II, Idaho and Mississippi left Iceland on 9 December to rejoin the Pacific
Fleet. They stopped in Norfolk before steaming through the Panama Canal and
continuing on to San Francisco, where they arrived on 31 January 1942. For much
of the year, Idaho was occupied with combat training off the coast of
California. In October, she went to the Puget Sound Navy Yard to receive
replacements for her worn out main battery guns. The original secondary battery
of 5-inch/51 cal. guns was removed as these guns were badly needed to arm
merchant ships. Further training followed until April 1943, when on the 7th she
departed for the Aleutian Islands, where Japanese troops had occupied the
islands of Attu and Kiska. Idaho served as the flagship of the bombardment and
patrol force. On 11 May, US Army forces went ashore on Attu, and Idaho provided
gunfire support for the assault. The following month, a second attack followed
on Kiska, but the Japanese had already abandoned the island in July. On 7
September, Idaho returned to San Francisco to begin preparations for the next
major amphibious assault, which shifted focus to the central Pacific.
Idaho moved to Pearl Harbor and then joined the invasion
fleet on 10 November, which then steamed to the Gilbert Islands. They arrived
off Makin Atoll on 20 November; Idaho continued her role as gunfire support for
the next two weeks, shelling Japanese positions in the Gilberts as well as
contributing her antiaircraft battery to defend against Japanese aerial
attacks. On 5 December, she left the area for Pearl Harbor, where she prepared
for the next attack, against the Marshall Islands. On 31 January 1944, Idaho
and the rest of the fleet arrived off Kwajalein to begin the preparatory
bombardment. She continued to batter Japanese forces until 5 February, by which
time the Marines had wrested control of the small island from its Japanese
garrison. Idaho replenished fuel and ammunition at Majuro before returning to
shell Japanese positions on other islands in the Marshalls before steaming to
Kavieng, New Ireland to conduct a diversionary bombardment on 20 March.
On 25 March, Idaho arrived in the New Hebrides, before
continuing on to Australia for a brief stay. She returned to Kwajalein on 8
June, where she joined a group of escort carriers for the invasion of the
Mariana Islands. Idaho began the preparatory bombardment of Saipan on 14 June,
with the assault taking place the following day. Idaho then shifted to Guam,
where she shelled Japanese positions. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea on
19–20 June, Idaho remained with the invasion fleet and protected the troop
transports and supply ships. She steamed to Eniwetok in the Marshalls to
replenish her stocks of ammunition from 28 June to 9 July, before returning to
Guam on 12 July. She bombarded the island for eight days before ground troops
went ashore on 21 July. The ship continued to support American forces ashore
until 2 August, when she returned to Eniwetok for further supplies. From there,
she steamed to Espiritu Santo, where on 15 August she entered a floating dry
dock for repairs.
In early September, Idaho steamed to Guadalcanal, where she
took part in amphibious assault training. On 12 September, she steamed to
Peleliu and joined the preparatory bombardment of the island. In the ensuing
Battle of Peleliu, dug in Japanese defenders inflicted heavy casualties on the
assaulting Marines, with Idaho providing artillery support until 24 September,
when she withdrew for an overhaul. She steamed to Manus and then to Bremerton,
Washington, arriving on 22 October. During the refit, the 5-inch /25 cal. guns
were replaced by ten 5-inch /38 cal. guns in single enclosed mounts; she was
the only ship of her class to receive this modification. The installation of
these guns required the removal of the last of the old 5-inch /51 guns, as the
new weapons required continuous ammunition hoists. After completion of the
work, she conducted training off California. On 28 January 1945, Idaho departed
San Diego, bound for Pearl Harbor. There, she joined the bombardment group,
which proceeded to the Marianas and then on 14 February steamed north to Iwo
Jima, the target of the next major amphibious assault. The ship bombarded the
Japanese defenders on 19 February as the Marines went ashore; Idaho remained
there for nearly a month before withdrawing on 7 March to replenish at Ulithi.
On 21 March, Idaho joined Task Force 54 (TF 54), the Gunfire
and Covering Group under the command of Rear Admiral Morton Deyo, as the
flagship of Bombardment Unit 4 for the invasion of Okinawa. She began shelling
Okinawa on 25 March, and the landings started on 1 April. The battle marked the
height of the kamikaze attacks by the increasingly desperate Japanese
defenders. Idaho shot down five kamikazes in a massed attack on 12 April, and
in return, a near miss inflicted damage to her port side anti-torpedo bulge.
Temporary repairs were effected off Okinawa, and on 20 April she left for Guam,
arriving on the 25th. Permanent repairs were completed quickly, allowing the
ship to return to Okinawa on 22 May, where she resumed her fire support
mission. She operated off Okinawa until 20 June, before departing for the
Philippines. There, she conducted training operations in Leyte Gulf until Japan
agreed to surrender on 15 August. Idaho was among the ships to enter Tokyo Bay
on 27 August, carrying a detachment of occupation troops. She was present
during the signing of the surrender documents on 2 September. The ship left
Japanese waters on 6 September, bound for the east coast of the United States.
She arrived in Norfolk on 16 October, and was decommissioned there on 3 July
1946. She remained in reserve for a year and a half before being sold for scrap
on 24 November 1947 to Lipsett, Inc., of New York City.
In 1976, the silver service from the USS Idaho was stolen
from the Idaho State Historical Society museum in Boise. Except for a tray the
burglars dropped on their way out, the service was never recovered and may have
been melted down and sold for scrap. Just, Rick (22 September 2025).
"Silver Set Lost to History". Speaking of Idaho. Boise, Idaho: Rick
Just. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
History
Name: Idaho
Namesake: Idaho
Builder: New York Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down: 20 January 1915
Launched: 30 June 1917
Commissioned: 24 March 1919
Decommissioned: 3 July 1946
Honors and awards: seven battle stars
Fate: Sold for scrap, 24 November 1947
General Characteristics
Class and type: New Mexico-class battleship
Displacement:
Normal: 32,000 long tons (32,514 t)
Full load: 33,000 long tons (33,530
t)
Length: 624 ft (190 m)
Beam: 97 ft 5 in (29.69 m)
Draft: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Installed power:
9 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers
32,000 shp (24,000 kW)
Propulsion:
4 × steam turbines
4 × screw propellers
Speed: 21 kn (24 mph; 39 km/h)
Complement: 1,081 officers and men
Armament:
12 × 14 in (356 mm)/50 cal guns
14 × 5 in (127 mm)/51 cal guns
8 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal guns
2 × Mark 15 21 in (533 mm) torpedo
tubes
Armor:
Belt: 8–13.5 in (203–343 mm)
Turret face: 18 in (457 mm)
Conning tower: 11.5 in (292 mm)
Decks: 3.5 in (89 mm)
References
Breyer, Siegfried (1973). Battleships and Battle Cruisers
1905–1970. Doubleday and Company.
Friedman, Norman (1980). "United States of
America". In Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All
the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp.
86–166.
Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated
Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
Friedman, Norman (1986). "United States of
America". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the
World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 105–133.
"Idaho IV (BB-42)". Dictionary of American Naval
Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 21 July
2015.
Morison, Samuel E. (1947). History of United States Naval
Operations in World War II: The Battle of the Atlantic, September 1939 – May
1943. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Further Reading
Schumann,
William. The Big Spud: USS Idaho in World War II; A War Diary by a Member of
its VO Squadron. Bennington VT (1999/2008) / Hoosick Falls NY (2020): Merriam
Press.
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| The Idaho (BB-42) in her slip before launching on 25 January 1917. |
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| "The U.S. Superdreadnought Idaho (BB-42) launched at yards of the New York Shipbuilding,Camden, N.J. The Idaho is here shown fast slipping down the ways on her baptismal plunge." |
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| "U.S. Navy Yard, Washington. Sight shop, big gun section. 1917: Possible future armament for the New Mexico (BB-40 /42) class. |
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| The Idaho (BB-42) in commission; 24 March 1919. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) recently launched at Camden, N.J. She is largest battleship afloat, construction on her was started during the war [World War I]. |
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| On 9 January 1919, Capt. Carl Theodore Vogelgesang took charge of the fitting out of Idaho (BB-42) at Camden, N.J., and assumed command of her when that battleship was placed in commission on 24 March 1919. He commanded Idaho until June 1920 when he became the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet. (Library of Congress photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) fitting out at the New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey, 10 March 1919. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 59957) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) fitting out at New York Shipbuilding Corp. in March 1919. It has been theorized that the destroyer in the photo is the Leary (DD-158), which was launched on 12 December 1918. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 63306) |
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| Idaho (BB-42), 5 April 1919. (National Archives Identifier: 45512507; Local Identifier: 165-WW-334A-019) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) fitting out at New York Ship Building Corporation on 23 June 1919 as is shown here, the Idaho was the first battleship not to befitted with hull mounted secondary guns. The ports were plated over before she was commissioned; the ports remained as the hull design was identical to her sisters, New Mexico (BB-40) and Mississippi (BB-41). She is equipped with a small bridge which is topped with a "tent" where a main battery range finder will be mounted. The destroyer across the ways looks to have the number 20 painted on her bow. She is still under construction, and probably hasn't reached the stage where they paint an identification number on the hull. I would guess that the destroyer is either Leary (DD-158) or one of her sisters. (National Archives photo 19-N-11413) |
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| Original captions states, "Fleet at Sea, July 24, 1919." Probably New Mexico class battleships: New Mexico (BB-40), Mississippi (BB-41), and Idaho (BB-42). (US Navy photo PR-06-CN-454-C6-F6-32 from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) starboard view, on sea trials at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey. (US Navy photo Lot-6926-1 from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy) |
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| Newly completed and commissioned in 1920, the Idaho (BB-42) is shown at speed. Short flying off platforms are mounted on #2 and #3 turrets and two 3" A.A. guns are mounted even with her derricks. Six more 3" A.A. guns were later mounted on the 01 level. Note semaphore signalman atop her second turret. (U.S. Navy photo from Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 73983) |
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| Foreground is definitely Tennessee (BB-43). In the middle is Idaho (BB-42) (darker camouflage, note also the fantail catapult) and upper right is Arizona (BB-39), less certain but based on main mast platforms versus the New Mexico (BB-40). Middle background is New York (BB-34) (navigation bridge not over hanging conning tower). The far left background is the Texas (BB-35) (blunt bow, two funnels). The aircraft is a Naval Aircraft Factory / Curtiss / Canadian Aeroplane Ltd F-5L. The date of this photo has to be 1920-1921. By 1922 all 14" and 16" gunned BB's (except New York and Texas as the 5th turret did not leave enough deck space) had been fitted with a compressed air catapult on the stern. The presence of a stern aircraft catapult on only one of the three 1916 program BB's suggest this early in the introduction of this equipment but late enough for the turret top fly-off platforms to have been removed from all ships present. In 1919 the Battle Fleet shifted its base to San Pedro in California where it remained based until shifted to Pearl Harbor. The Texas and New York were assigned to that fleet until they returned east for modernization in 1925. This would suggest that the photo was taken somewhere in the Pacific. The rich flora onshore suggest a tropical climate and the enclosed by would lead one to guess Panama or Gitmo. If the 1920 or 1921 Fleet problem was conducted in Atlantic waters, that could explain an Atlantic-based aircraft with a Pacific-based Fleet. |
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| Inspection on the battleship's forecastle, circa 1920. Note her forward triple 14"/50 gun turrets and "cage" foremast. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 53203) |
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| Crewmen running on deck during physical training, circa 1920. Note wooden planking and working gear on her deck. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 53204) |
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| Captain Charles Lincoln Hussey was the Commanding Officer of the battleship Idaho (BB-42) in 1920-1921. (Library of Congress photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) seen in the Panama Canal, circa 1920's. (US Navy photo) |
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| Traversing the Pedro Miguel Locks in the Panama Canal, circa 1920's. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) fires her 14/50" guns at a target which the battleship Texas (BB-35) is towing 10 miles away, 16 April 1921. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) shares anchorage with what might be two US Navy Torpedo Boats sometime in the early 1920's. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) starboard view, underway, early 1920's. (National Archives photo 80-G-1035087) |
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| Aerial view looking over sea wall into San Pedro, California harbor. The New Mexico class units are Idaho (BB-42) on the left and Mississippi (BB-41) on the right. Neither of the two Wyomings are clear enough for a positive ID. (National Archives identifier 23935247; Local Identifier 18-AA-22-12) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) arriving at Panama for combined maneuvers, probably 1923. (Library of Congress / U.S> Navy photo Lot-11952-VI-34 from National Museum of the U.S. Navy) |
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| The time on the Idaho's (BB-42) gunnery clock is circa 1924, viewed from the main deck looking aft near the 2nd main turret. |
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| Looking out from the bridge over the Idaho's (BB-42) helm, 1924 in a Pacific port. |
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| Idaho(BB-42) departs Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, as a Douglas DT-2 torpedo plane from NAS Pearl Harbor bids "aloha" to passengers Cmdr. John Rogers and his crew, 17 September 1925. Cmdr. Rogers and his crew attempted to fly from San Francisco to Honolulu but ran out of fuel and landed at sea. Lost at sea for 10 days, they rigged a sail on their PN-9 seaplane and covered 450 miles before their rescue. (Naval History & Heritage Command NH 53201) |
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| Wardroom of the Idaho (BB-42), 1925-26. |
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| Laundry room of the Idaho (BB-42), 1925-26. |
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| Sickbay of the Idaho (BB-42), 1925-26. |
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| CPO (Chief Petty Officers) Quarters of the Idaho (BB-42), 1925-26. |
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| Galley, 1925-26. |
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| Carpenter shop, 1925-26. |
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| The operating room, 1925-26. |
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| Bake shop, Idaho (BB-42), 1925-26. |
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| Printing Office, Idaho (BB-42), 1925-26. |
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| The Idaho (BB-42) possibly entering the dry dock at Puget Sound Navy Yard, March 1926. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Sporting a target between her aft cage mast and top rear turret plus maybe a pair of Vought O2U-1 biplanes on the catapults. (National Archives photo 80-G-1035061) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) in dry dock, at Puget Sound Navy Yard, March 1926. |
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| Starboard side underway, Two aircraft on catapults. 4 June 1927. Note the anchor on the ship's stern. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 43459) |
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| Crane ship Kearsarge working alongside, as the battleship is re-gunned at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, circa the later 1920s. Barge YC-279 is in the left background. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 43459) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) being re-gunned at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, circa the later 1920s. This view shows the crane ship Kearsarge lowering a 14"/50 gun into Idaho's second turret. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 43457) |
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| 14"/50 gun is lowered in to her second turret, during re-gunning at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, circa the later 1920s. The work is being performed by the crane ship Kearsarge. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 43458) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) possibly in Seattle, circa 1929. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) (foreground) and Texas (BB-35). Steaming at the rear of the battle line, during Battle Fleet practice off the California coast, circa 1930. Idaho's four triple 14"/50 gun turrets are trained on the starboard beam. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 73834) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) during the modernization at Norfolk Navy Yard circa 1931-1934. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) during the modernization at Norfolk Navy Yard circa 1931-1934. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) during the modernization at Norfolk Navy Yard circa 1931-1934. |
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| A Navy O2U-1 seaplane is catapulted off the deck of the Idaho (BB-42) during a military training exercise while a second plane waits for its turn. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) (rear) and Mississippi (BB-41) (front) at Norfolk 30 May, 1933 during their modernizations. |
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| 25 October 1933 photograph of the Idaho (BB-42) at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia. |
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| 8 October 1934 photograph of the Idaho (BB-42) leaving on a trial run after three years at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) in drydock at Boston. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) in drydock, 1935. |
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| Bow of the Idaho (BB-42), in drydock (left side of panorama), 1935. |
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| Midsection of the Idaho (BB-42), in drydock (middle of panorama), 1935. |
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| Stern of the Idaho (BB-42), in drydock (right side of panorama), 1935. |
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| New Mexico (BB-40) and her sisters lie in anchor, probably at San Pedro, California sometime between October 1934 & 6 December 1940 before she was transferred to Pearl Harbor. The Idaho (BB-42) is the top left vessel. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Ships of the United States Fleet pictured at anchor inside the breakwater at Colon, Canal Zone, 1935. The carriers are, front to back, Langley (CV-1), Saratoga (CV-3) and Lexington (CV-2). The two battleships beyond Lexington are the New York (BB-34) with Texas (BB-35) behind. The nearest battleship, straight up from the Langley is Pennsylvania (BB-38). The BB immediately beyond and to the left of Pennsylvania (BB-38) is California (BB-44). The remaining battleships include two New Mexico's: Mississippi (BB-41) and Idaho (BB-42), but even this higher resolution shot is not clear enough to tell which is which. Also are the rest of the "Big Five" and what is probably one of the Nevada's, but that is not certain. The photo is not clear enough for positive identifications. The cruisers to the left are three Northampton's (CA-26 / 31) and the two Pensacola's (CA-24 and -25) (the pair furthest from the camera) and six Omaha's. Based on the lack of the funnel machine gun gallery on Lexington, and the retention of the torpedo tubes (and openings) on the Northampton's, the date can't be later than mid 1935. (National Naval Aviation Museum photo 1996.488.001.006) |
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| The eye's of Idaho (BB-42) were borne by O2U-1's, circa 1935. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) in 1935. (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-466530) |
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| Awnings indicate hot weather for a unknown four stack destroyer moored alongside the Idaho (BB-42) in this circa mid 1930's photo. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Underway at sea, circa the mid-1930s. (U.S. Navy photo USN 1021406) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) & New Mexico (BB-40) at anchor in Seattle, circa during her participation in Fleet Week, July - August 1935. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| 1936 photo of Battleship Row, Pearl Harbor. Among the ships in the harbor are: Front and center a Northampton class CA, most likely the Chester (CA-27). The two New Orleans (CA-32) class cruisers on the far left are the Minneapolis (CA-36) nearer the camera with New Orleans (CA-32) behind. Both have the curved-faced turrets, limiting them to the CA-32/34/36 group. Within that group, only New Orleans lacked the glassed-in navigation bridge (below the pilothouse), and minor superstructure variations point to the other being Minneapolis rather than Astoria (CA-34). The battleships from left to right: Colorado (BB-45), or West Virginia (BB-48), outboard of Idaho (BB-42), Nevada (BB-36), outboard of Mississippi (BB-41), New Mexico (BB-40), outboard of Maryland (BB-46) or California (BB-44). On the far right is the Hospital ship Relief (AH-1) with two unidentified ships ahead and to her port side. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) takes in a boat from the Pennsylvania (BB-38) during Fleet maneuvers on 3 July 1937. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Ship's company posed on the after deck and after 14" gun turrets, circa 1938. Note Curtiss SOC-3 "Seagull" floatplanes, of Observation Squadron Three, atop the Turret # 3 catapult and on deck to port of the turrets. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 83900) |
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| Close up view of the Idaho (BB-42) after modernization, late 1930's. The three New Mexico's (BB-40-42) were the last to be rebuilt. They could be distinguished by their searchlight platforms. The Mississippi and Idaho (BB-42) had theirs far above their controls, with long struts, but the New Mexico (BB-40) had her control cabins directly under the lights. Quite unlike their predecessors, they had tower masts supporting Mark-28 5-inch directors, the first to combine range finder and calculator into a single unit. The small cylinders were mark 31 directors, with an armored range finder at the forward end of the bridge structure. Below it, were secondary battery controls and battle lookout stations (note the eye slits), with the navigating bridge below that, then the chart house platform, the radio direction-finder platform, and the conning tower platform. Note the four 0.50-caliber machine guns visible on the latter. The radio direction finder itself was housed between the funnel and the bridge structure. The Idaho, fitted as a flagship, had a flag bridge below her navigating bridge. Her chart house was on the radio direction-finder platform. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) underway in a pre-war photo. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| 15 April 1939 photograph of the Idaho (BB-42) in Hampton Roads, Virginia. |
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| 15 April 1939 photograph of the Idaho (BB-42) anchored off Norfolk, Virginia. |
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| Looking down the barrel of 14" guns of the Idaho (BB-42) this scene shows officers and sailors serried on deck after orders came from the Navy Department to prepare immediate return to the Pacific coast, the vessel's home port. It happened as ship lay at anchor near here yesterday, awaiting the Fleet Review. Note planes on catapult. Norfolk, Virginia, 16 April 1939. |
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| Crew of the battleship Idaho (BB-42) preparing to fire her 14 inch guns during Pacific Fleet maneuvers. (LIFE photo) |
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| The Idaho (BB-42) during US Navy maneuvers off Hawaii. (LIFE photo) |
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| Capt. Stephen McKinney & Admiral inspecting ship during US Navy maneuvers off the Hawaiian Islands. Note the boats marked with ID for Idaho (BB-42). (LIFE photo) |
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| View of the catapult and rear turrets of the battleship Idaho (BB-42) during Pacific Fleet maneuvers. (LIFE photo) |
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| Inspection aboard unidentified battleship [prob. Idaho (BB-42) ] during the US Navy's Pacific fleet maneuvers. (LIFE photo) |
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| Inspection aboard unidentified battleship [prob. Idaho (BB-42) ] during the US Navy's Pacific fleet maneuvers. (LIFE photo) |
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| Enter Idaho (BB-42) during the US Navy's Pacific fleet maneuvers. (LIFE photo) |
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| Catapult launched SOC-3 scout plane aboard the battleship Idaho (BB-42) during the US Navy's Pacific Fleet maneuvers around Hawaii. (LIFE photo) |
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| Catapult launched SOC-3 scout plane aboard the battleship Idaho (BB-42) during the US Navy's Pacific Fleet maneuvers around Hawaii. (LIFE photo) |
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| Between 9 & 13 September 1940 the Arizona (BB-39) was under way with other ships of the US Fleet for simulated fleet engagement. She is pictured here in company with other ships of the Pacific Fleet taken during Fleet Ops. and at least one carrier air group. (US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum photo 2008.104.001.235) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) at Hvalfjord, Iceland on 2 October 1941 on White Patrol. (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-464615) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) and Wasp (CV-7) anchored at Hvalfjord, Iceland in October, 1941. (Imperial War Museum photo A 5941) |
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| Port broadside view of the Idaho (BB-42) anchored at Hvalfjord, Iceland in October, 1941. (Imperial War Museum photo A 5951) |
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| Looking aft of the Idaho (BB-42), in January 1942. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Amidships view of the gun directors and stack of the Idaho (BB-42) at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. January 1942. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Looking forward from the stern. Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. 3 January 1942. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Looking aft from above. Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA. January 1942. The ship in the left background is definitely a Brooklyn class (CL-40 / 49), probably Savannah (CL-42). (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Port bow close up of Idaho (BB-42) in Norfolk Navy Yard before she went out to the Pacific War, 3 January 1942. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) firing main battery, May 1942. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| The Idaho (BB-42) at Pearl Harbor, August 1942. She conducted additional battle exercises in California waters and out of Pearl Harbor until October 1942, when she entered Puget Sound Navy Yard to be re-gunned. |
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| Marines on the Idaho (BB-42) in 1942 on station at their 20 millimeter guns. |
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| Stern view of the Idaho (BB-42) on trials in Puget Sound in December 1942. (BuShips photo 39760) |
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| Pennsylvania (BB-38) in the foreground with the battleships Idaho (BB-42) and Nevada (BB-36) in the background. The Nassau (CVE-16) is pictured astern of the Pennsylvania and provided air cover for the occupation of Attu Island from 11 through 20 May. |
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| Adak, Alaska on 11 August 1943 during the Kiska campaign. Crew is mustered on the quarterdeck as Rear Admiral H. F. Kingman awards the Distinguished Flying Cross to Idaho's (BB-42) pilot Lt. Harris O. Torgerson for heroic deeds while flying at Attu. Cleveland class light cruiser in the background is Sante Fe (CL-60). (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| The Idaho (BB-42), New Mexico (BB-40) Mississippi (BB-41) at Pearl Harbor sometime after 5 December 1943. All three battleships then proceeded with the Marshall Islands assault force 12 January 1944. |
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| New Mexico (BB-40) and Idaho (BB-42) 7 December 1943, at Pearl Harbor. Note the anti-torpedo net in the foreground. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Next on the Pacific timetable was the invasion of the Marshalls, and the veteran battleship arrived off Kwajalein early 31 January 1944 to soften up shore positions. Again she hurled tons of shells into Japanese positions until 5 February, when the outcome was one of certain victory. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) in Espiritu Santo floating dry dock ABSD-1 on 15 August 1944. Idaho was the first battleship to ever enter a floating drydock. |
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| Portside stern view of the Idaho (BB-42) in Espiritu Santo floating dry dock ABSD-1 on 15 August 1944. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) entering Espiritu Santo floating dry dock ABSD-1 on 15 August 1944 for repairs to her "blisters". |
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| Stern view of the Idaho (BB-42) in Espiritu Santo floating dry dock ABSD-1 on 15 August 1944. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Close up views of port side showing the 5"/38 caliber single enclosed mounts added to the Idaho (BB-42) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in late 1944. |
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| The Idaho (BB-42) is shown in it's final configuration. |
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| Port side view of the Idaho (BB-42) as refitted and on post-refit trials on 2 January 1945. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Broadside view, port side of the Idaho (BB-42) at Puget Sound, 2 January 1945. |
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| The Idaho (BB-42) after her final refit at Puget Sound Navy Yard that took place from 22 October 1944 - 1 January 1945. At this time her open mounted 5"/25 guns were replaced with ten enclosed 5"/38 weapons". |
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| January 1945 in Puget Sound after her last major overhaul at Bremerton Navy Yard that began 22 October 1944. In addition to the ten 5/38 single enclosed secondary battery Idaho (BB-42) also had upgrades to fire control equipment. This included Mk 8 Mod 2 main battery fire control radar mounted in front of her forward Mk 31 main battery director. She still retained her aft Mk 3 main battery fire control radar mounted on the aft Mk 31 director. A Mk 27 main battery director was mounted on the Conning Tower. For secondary battery control Idaho had MK 28 radars installed on her two Mk 33 directors. She also had fourteen MK 51 directors for her 40mm guns. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) 7 January 1945 Puget Sound, WA, Speed 12 Knots. |
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| Photo taken from Vicksburg (CL-86) of the battleships Idaho (BB-42), Tennessee (BB-43), and New York (BB-34) (on right), during the bombardment of Iwo Jima, February 1945. |
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| At dawn on the second day of the Iwo Jima operation depicts the Idaho (BB-42) bombarding Mt. Suribachi. The aircraft are SB2C's from VB 17 Yorktown (CV-10). In the background is the Nevada (BB-36). A painting by the artist Wayne Scarpaci entitled "By Dawn's Early Light". |
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| All of Idaho's (BB-42) guns are trained on Iwo Jima, circa late February 1945. |
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| Bombarding Iwo Jima, circa late February 1945. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 92509) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) at sea with two other battleships and an amphibious force command ship (AGC), probably at the time of the Iwo Jima or Okinawa operations, circa February-April 1945. Battleship in the center background is Idaho. The one further to the left is Tennessee (BB-43). (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 80-G-K-3706) |
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| Gun loaders practice in the 40mm mount to port of Idaho's (BB-42) armored conning tower on 3 March 1945. Note that this is a late-war layout, with a forward pipe railing and coaming to allow efficient removal of spent casings and prevent jamming the mount from turning and trip hazards to loaders, particularly at night. (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-316676) |
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| Aerial of part of the invasion fleet off Okinawa, 1 April 1945. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 80-G-311654) |
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| LST's cross the bow of the Idaho (BB-42) on to Okinawa. |
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| Sitting among circling landing craft, the Idaho (BB-42) takes up her assigned bombardment station, off Okinawa as the invasion begins. The Idaho was flagship of Bombardment Unit 4 and had been hitting Japanese shore batteries and installations for almost a month before this 1 April 1945 photo. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Firing the 14"/50 guns of Turret Three at nearly point-blank range, during the bombardment of Okinawa, 1 April 1945. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 80-G-K-3844) |
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| Bombarding Okinawa with her 14"/50 main battery guns, 1 April 1945. (Naval History & Heritage Command photo 80-G-K-3829) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) & West Virginia (BB-48) provide fire support during the invasion of Okinawa. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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During suicide attack by five Japanese planes on US fleet off Okinawa, the Tennessee (BB-43) is hit on port side, 12 April 1945. As seen from the Nevada (BB-36).
The Idaho (BB-42) is at right, in the distance a destroyer is burning. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Where there is smoke, there must be fire: Starboard broadside view of the New Mexico (BB-40) or Idaho (BB-42) underway with company and lots of anti-aircraft fire in the offering. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Idaho (BB-42) as seen from the Texas (BB-35) about to be hit by a kamikaze on 12 April 1945 off Okinawa. |
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| Damage from a kamikaze attack on the Idaho (BB-42) on 12 April 1945 off Okinawa. |
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| Repairs made to Idaho (BB-42) in June 1945 by the repair ship Jason (AR-8) after her kamikaze damage at Okinawa in April 1945. |
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| View of her main 14"/50 and 40 mm taken onboard in 1945 either during Iwo Jima or Okinawa campaigns. |
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| View of one of her port side 5"inch mounts & 40 mm taken onboard in 1945 either during Iwo Jima or Okinawa campaigns. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) just before entering a floating drydock. This was either in April 1945 at Guam or July 1945 at Leyte. Those were the only two times the Idaho entered a floating drydock in 1945. |
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| Stanley Dexter Jupp relieves Herbert John Grassie on 14 August 1945 as CO aboard the Idaho (BB-42). |
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| Idaho (BB-42) in the floating drydock ABSD-3, August 1945. |
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| Idaho's (BB-42) crew in Tokyo bay celebrating the signing of the surrender. (U.S. Navy photo) |
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| Transiting the Panama Canal heading to Norfolk Navy Yard for Navy Day celebrations, 12 October 1945. |
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| Overhead side view of the Idaho (BB-42) docked during October, 1945 transit of the Panama Canal. |
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| Idaho (BB-42) at Norfolk Navy Yard around October 1945. Right below the 5 inch guns, the name Idaho is painted in large white letters. I have seen this in photos of other ships, and it was for the Navy Day celebrations of 1945. That would place the Idaho at Norfolk during or after October 1945. Also, notice how high the ship is riding in the water. |
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| 16 October 1945 photograph of the Idaho (BB-42) returning to port in Norfolk, Virginia. |
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| "Battleship Graveyard": Three decommissioned battleships, the Idaho (BB-42) (left foreground), the Wyoming (AG-17), (right foreground), and the New Mexico (BB-40), lie alongside a pier at Port Newark, N.J. were they are being scrapped. Workmen have progressed with the New Mexico which was the subject of considerable controversy between Newark city officials and the scrapping concern. The Wyoming, most recent arrival, has its gun turrets protected by round white coverings. |
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Three battleships, at Newark, N.J. January 1948: New Mexico (BB-40) in the foreground, Idaho (BB-42) behind her, and the Wyoming (AG-17) to the left, being scrapped by Lipsett Inc.
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| Okinawa Operation, April 1945. USS IDAHO (BB-42) bombarding Okinawa from close in shore, seen from USS Virginia |
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| Okinawa Operation, March-April 1945. USS Idaho (BB-42) bombarding, circa 1 April 1945. Destroyer at left is probably USS Franks (DD-554). |
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| Okinawa Invasion, March - May 1945. USS Idaho (BB-42) fires on Japanese positions. Okinawa Invasion, March - May 1945. USS Idaho (BB-42) fires on Japanese positions, during the Okinawa Operation. Among the others bombarding ships is USS Salt Lake City, in right distance. |
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