NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive
BB-40 USS NEW MEXICO
1940 - 1941
To Additional Pages
1915 - 1919
1920 - 1930
1931 - 1939
1942 - 1945
1946 - 1947
Please Report Any Broken Links Or Trouble You Might Come Across To The Webmaster.
Please Take A Moment To Let Us Know So That We Can Correct Any Problems And Make Your Visit As Enjoyable And As Informative As Possible.
1915 - 1919
1920 - 1930
1931 - 1939
1942 - 1945
1946 - 1947
| Click On Image For Full Size Image |
Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 139k | Battleship New Mexico(BB-40) during maneuvers in Hawaii, 1940. | Photographer: Carl Mydans, courtesy of time.com. via / images.google.com &life.com | |
 |
280k | Pacific Aerial Surveys photo of the New Mexico (BB-40), probably during the Spring of 1940 when she was undergoing modernization. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 |
184k | Post card photo of the New Mexico (BB-40), possibly during the Spring of 1940 when she was undergoing modernization. | USN photo courtesy of Mike Wade via Gary Priolo. Photo added 01/19/11. | |
 |
52k | New Mexico(BB-40) at the Puget Sound Navy Yard undergoing modernization, 24 April 1940. Note the barrage ballon overhead. | USN photo, courtesy of Seattle NARA RG-181, submitted by Tracy White. | |
 | 242k | Between 9 & 13 Sep 1940 the Arizona (BB-39) was under way with other ships of the US Fleet for simulated fleet engagement. Pictured here is a New Mexico (BB-40 / 42) class battleship in the van with other battleships of the Pacific Fleet and a carrier air group, led by the Air Group Commander in a Curtiss SBC Helldiver. The aircraft following are: A torpedo squadron of eighteen Douglas TBD-1s; A bombing squadron of eighteen Northrop BT-1s; A scouting squadron eighteen Curtiss SBCs; A fighting squadron of eighteen Grumman F2F-1s or F3F-3s from either the Yorktown (CV-5) or F3F-2s from the Enterprise (CV-6), plus possibly nine additional aircraft. The Yorktown and Enterprise were the only two carriers whose bombing squadrons were equipped with the Northrop BT-1. The text for the photo reads: "The Navy uses enormous amounts of rubber. At least seventy-five tons of rubber, enough to makes 17,000 tires, are used in the construction of each of these battleships. Tons more are needed for the naval planes that are making history over the world. Medical and communication requirements--and countless other needs of the Navy--are met." |
Photograph # LC-USE64 - DC-000944 & partial text courtesy of memory.loc.gov. Aircraft i.d. & text & timeline courtesy of Alan Moore via the following sources: Airplane i.d.: Yorktown Class Carriers (Warship Pictorial No. 9) by Steve Wiper, Tucson, AZ: Classic Warships Publishing, 2000. & That Gallant Ship: U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-5) by Robert Cressman, Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Pub Co, 1985. Timeline from Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History by Paul Stillwell, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1991. |
|
 | 242k | Formations of torpedo and scout bombers, and biplane fighters, pass over battleships of Pacific fleet in 1940 maneuvers. War emergency plans of 1941 dangerously split our carrier force; of three assigned to Pacific fleet, one would protect heavy ships, another would support cruisers for scouting purposes, and third was to be part of a force hitting enemy bases. The early Japanese successes, however, created new taskforce concept.
The aircraft following are: A torpedo squadron of eighteen Douglas TBD-1s; A bombing squadron of eighteen Northrop BT-1s; A scouting squadron eighteen Curtiss SBCs; A fighting squadron of eighteen Grumman F2F-1s or F3F-3s from either the Yorktown (CV-5) or F3F-2s from the Enterprise (CV-6), plus possibly nine additional aircraft. The Yorktown and Enterprise were the only two carriers whose bombing squadrons were equipped with the Northrop BT-1. |
Photograph & text courtesy of Martin Caidin, from his book Golden Wings: A Pictorial History of the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Air. New York: Random House, 1960. p99. & submitted by Alan Moore.
Aircraft i.d. & text & timeline courtesy of Alan Moore via the following sources: Airplane i.d.: Yorktown Class Carriers (Warship Pictorial No. 9) by Steve Wiper, Tucson, AZ: Classic Warships Publishing, 2000. & That Gallant Ship: U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-5) by Robert Cressman, Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Pub Co, 1985. Timeline from Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History by Paul Stillwell, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1991. |
|
 | 534k | Between 9 & 13 Sep 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. | Scanned from: "The Fleet Today" by Kendall Banning. Funk & Wagnalls Company, N.Y. and London, 1942. Submitted by Pieter Bakels. Text & photo i.d. courtesy of Alan Moore via Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History by Paul Stillwell, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1991. | |
 | 367k | Column Right! Arizona (BB-39), New Mexico (BB-40) & West Virginia (BB-48) and other ships of the Pacific Fleet taken during Fleet Ops in October 1940. This photo and the following five are more than likely from the LIFE issue of 28 Oct 1940: "The Navy: LIFE Goes into Action with the U.S. Fleet". One of the introductory paragraphs reads as follows: "To show itself to the American people, the U.S. Navy has co-operated with LIFE in this issue. LIFE photographers and reporters examined naval schools, ammunition depots, bases, destroyers, battleships, the War College, etc. Finally a LIFE crew sailed on the U.S. Fleet maneuvers last month off Pearl Harbor in mid-Pacific." | Scanned from: "The Fleet Today" by Kendall Banning. Funk & Wagnalls Company, N.Y. and London, 1942. Submitted by Pieter Bakels. Text & photo i.d. courtesy of Alan Moore via Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History by Paul Stillwell, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1991 & "The Navy: LIFE Goes into Action with the U.S. Fleet". Life. New York: Time, Inc., Vol 9 No 18 (28 Oct 1940). p23. | |
 | 54k | First (not pictured here)of three photos with the caption "The enemy is sighted off right. Swiftly the battleships New Mexico (BB-40) and Arizona (BB-39) change direction." The second photo (here) has the caption: "Wheeling into new position of line abreast, battleships move slowly while other ships speed into position." Appended is the text that appeared on the photo credits page of that issue. Carl Mydans, LIFE’s photo-reporter who roamed battlefields in Finland and France from September 1939 to June 1940, now turns his lens on the U. S. Navy (see pp. 23—97). During one month with the Fleet in the Pacific, Mydans took pictures aboard a battleship, a cruiser, a destroyer, a submarine, a hospital ship and a repair ship. Mydans also spent some time in the brig of the Indianapolis (CA-35). Early one morning he had climbed onto a platform over the Admiral’s bridge, when a gust of wind blew sunshade and filter from his Zeiss Super-Ikonta camera. They fell near Vice Admiral Adolphus Andrews, commander of the Scouting Force. After lunch Mydans was served with a paper charging him with “willfully, maliciously and without justifiable cause” assaulting and attempting to strike with a dangerous weapon of German manufacture one Adolphus Andrews, Vice Admiral. With mock solemnity he was taken to the brig and locked up. Few moments later the entire wardroom, from executive officer down, descended and peered through the grille at Prisoner Mydans. When each had enjoyed a good laugh, Mydans was set free. | Photo by Carl Mydans, Time, Inc, submitted courtesy Pieter Bakels. Text & photo i.d. courtesy of Alan Moore. "The Navy: LIFE Goes into Action with the U.S. Fleet". Life. New York: Time, Inc., Vol 9 No 18 (28 Oct 1940). p.28 & 29. | |
 | 496k | The third photo (here) is captioned: "Battleships head directly toward the enemy over the horizon, ready to from line of battle either way." | Photo by Carl Mydans, Time, Inc, submitted courtesy Pieter Bakels. Text & photo i.d. courtesy of Alan Moore. "The Navy: LIFE Goes into Action with the U.S. Fleet". Life. New York: Time, Inc., Vol 9 No 18 (28 Oct 1940). p.28 & 29. | |
 |
280k | Photo by George Winstead of the New Mexico (BB-40) probably when she sailed to join the Atlantic fleet at Norfolk 16 June 1941 for duty on neutrality patrol. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 |
373k | New Mexico (BB-40), view looking forward from the stern, at Norfolk, 31 December 1941. | USN Photograph # 2610 (42) courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 |
448k | Port bow closeup of the New Mexico (BB-40), at Norfolk, 31 December 1941. | USN Photograph # 2610 (42) courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 |
347k | View from bow looking aft of the New Mexico (BB-40), at Norfolk, 31 December 1941. | USN Photograph # 2610 (42) courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 |
429k | Port quarter view of the New Mexico (BB-40), at Norfolk, 31 December 1941. | USN Photograph # 2610 (42) courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 |
783k | Following two photos show the New Mexico (BB-40) at Norfolk, 31 December 1941.
She is equipped with the then "state of the art" quadruple 1.1"/75 machine
guns [later replaced by the Bofors 40mm gun(s)]. She has also just been
fitted with 20mm Oerkilons, but still was equipped with 0.5 caliber machine
guns which the 20mm ultimately replaced. She also carries two radar units;
a surface search set (Mark 3) on top of her forward main battery director
atop her tower bridge and an air search SC unit on her pole main mast. The tug YT-213 is pulling alongside Menemsha (AG-39). Across the pier from her is the new destroyer O'Brien (DD-415). She would be torpedoed by the Japanese Submarine I-15 15 September 1942 and sank 19 October 1942 while en route to Pearl Harbor for repairs. |
USN Photograph # 2611 (42) courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo i.d. courtesy of Gary Priolo. | |
 |
368k | The New Mexico (BB-40) at Norfolk, 31 December 1941.
She is equipped with the then "state of the art" quadruple 1.1"/75 machine
guns [later replaced by the Bofors 40mm gun(s)]. She has also just been
fitted with 20mm Oerkilons, but still was equipped with 0.5 caliber machine
guns which the 20mm ultimately replaced.
The camouflaged ship alongside the near side of the next pier is George F. Elliott (AP-13). Note: number "40" painted atop New Mexico's second 14"/50 triple gun turret; Mark 33 and other gun directors atop her superstructure; FC radar antenna on one of the directors and SC radar antenna mounted at the top of her mainmast. New Mexico is in the process of being painted up in splotches. This picture is just one of an extensive close-up series showing all three New Mexico class battleships being repainted at the same time. The sun is very low, coming strong off the port bow. This is causing the angled surfaces on the bridge (and all other shapes in the same plane ) to appear to be "washed out" of color. Note the sailors on top of turret #1 (left side of photo, extreme bottom). They are applying 5-H. Earlier they had spilled some on the roof, leaving a circle from the paint can. Mississippi (BB-41) in the background is still in Measure 1. Close-ups show her caulk marked to be painted in slotches of S.B. (5-S) and O.G. (5-0) only. Idaho (BB-42) (not shown), New Mexico and the vessel behind her all carried standard three color splotch patterns of 5-S, 5-0 and 5-H." |
Partial text courtesy of USNHC photo # 19-N-27362. Camouflage text courtesy of "United States Navy CAMOUFLAGE of the WW2 ERA" by Larry Sowinsky, the "Floating Drydock", Phil.PA.,1976.) & submitted by Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 180k | President Hayes (AP-39) view from overhead, looking forward from just off the starboard side amidships, while the ship was at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, 2 January 1942. Note her large smokestack, with a rather small exhaust at its after end, ship's bell mounted on the smokestack base, and the landing craft davits on the midships' superstructure. The lighter YF-244 is alongside the battleship New Mexico (BB-40) at left. | Photograph USNHC # NH 93910, from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. | |
The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
| Back To The Main Photo Index | Back To The Battleship Photo Index Page |