US BATTLESHIP USS COLORADO BB-45 - 1944

Description

USS Colorado (BB-45), was the lead ship of the Colorado class of battleships, the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 38th state. Her keel was laid down on 29 May 1919 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey. She was launched on 22 March 1921 sponsored by Mrs. Max Melville, Denverite, daughter of United States Senator from Colorado Samuel D. Nicholson; and commissioned on 30 August 1923, Captain Reginald R. Belknap in command. Colorado sailed from New York City on 29 December 1923 on a maiden voyage that took her to Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France, and Villefranche, France; Naples, Italy; and Gibraltar before returning to New York on 15 February 1924. After repairs and final tests she sailed for the west coast 11 July and arrived at San Francisco on 15 September. on 10–11 March 1933 and during an NROTC cruise from 11 June to 22 July 1937, she assisted in the search for the missing Amelia Earhart. Based in Pearl Harbor from 27 January 1941, Colorado operated in the Hawaiian training area in intensive exercises and war games until 25 June, when she departed for the west coast and overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard which lasted until 31 March 1942. She sortied from Pearl Harbor on 21 October 1943 to provide preinvasion bombardment and fire support for the invasion of Tarawa, returning to port on 7 December 1943. After west coast overhaul, Colorado returned to Lahaina Roads, Hawaiian Islands, on 21 January 1944 and sortied the next day for the Marshall Islands operation, providing preinvasion bombardment and fire support for the invasions of Kwajalein and Eniwetok until 23 February 1944, when she headed for Puget Sound Navy Yard and overhaul. She fought in all major battle and invasion operations until end of the war. She was placed out of commission in reserve there on 7 January 1947, and sold for scrapping on 23 July 1959. (Scale : 1/700e)