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NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive

BB-43 USS TENNESSEE
1930 - 1941

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Delta - November
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1917 - 1921
1922 - 1929
Pearl Harbor Attack
Puget Sound Rebuild / 1942 - May 1943
June 1943 - 1945
1946 - 1959

Tennessee Class Battleship: Displacement 32,300 Tons, Dimensions, 624' (oa) x 97' 4" x 31' (Max). Armament 12 x 14"/50 14 x 5"/51, 4 x 3"/50AA 2 x 21" tt. Armor, 13 1/2" Belt, 18" Turrets, 3 1/2" +1 1/2" Decks, 16" Conning Tower. Machinery, 26,800 SHP; Turbines with electric drive, 4 screws. Speed, 21 Knots, Crew 1083.

Operational and Building Data: Laid down by New York Naval Ship Yard, May 14, 1917. Launched April 30, 1919. Commissioned June 3, 1920. Decommissioned February 14, 1947. Stricken March 1, 1959.
Fate: Sold July 16, 1959 and broken up for scrap.
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BB-43 Tennessee 703k Tennessee (BB-43), in March 1930. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # 80-G-466154, now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives.
BB-43 Tennessee 60k The Tennessee (BB-43) in 1930, line drawing by A. L. Raven. Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.
BB-43 Tennessee 193k Memorial services aboard the battleship Tennessee (BB-43), 13 June 1931.
As if to symbolize that those who lived would carry on, these guns and airplanes aboard the ship offered a picturesque setting for memorial services recently aboard the battleship as she lay in L.A. harbor San Pedro, CA., The ceremonies were held under the auspices of the American Legion of San Pedro with Captain C.E. Courtney, Commander of Tennessee oficiating. 		Associated Press text & photo courtesy of San Francisco Examiner via David S. Smith.
BB-39 Arizona703kArizona (BB-39) in 1930's, maneuvering at sea astern of Tennessee (BB-43) and Texas (BB-35) (in lead). USN photo courtesy Pieter Bakels.
BB-44 California105k Tennessee (BB-43) or California (BB-44) class battleship in San Diego Harbor circa 1936.Fairchild Air Survey photo courtesy of Cliff Boan.
(BB-43/44) 141k One of Tennessee's (BB-43) crewmen ascending or descending the anchor chain, 1937. Associated Press photo courtesy of San Francisco Examiner via David S. Smith.
(BB-43/44) 152k Tugs help to push the Tennessee (BB-43) from being stuck in mud flats, 1937. Associated Press photo courtesy of San Francisco Examiner via David S. Smith.
BB-43 Tennessee 173k The tug boat Sea King rounds the stern of the grounded Tennessee (BB-43) in an attempt to push her off the mud flats, 1937. Associated Press photo courtesy of San Francisco Examiner via David S. Smith.
BB-43 Tennessee 38k Curtiss SOC-3 scout-observation floatplanes (Bureau #s 1077, at center, and probably 1076, to the right). Parked on the after catapult of Tennessee (BB-43), circa 1938. These aircraft belong to Observation Squadron Two (VO-2B), whose insignia is painted on the fuselage below the upper wing. USNHC # NH 68890, now in the collections of the National Archives.
BB-43 Tennessee 61k Tennessee (BB-43) in harbor, circa 1938. Two SOC-3 floatplanes, of Observation Squadron Two (VO-2B), are parked on the battleship's after catapult. A third is atop gun turret # 3. USNHC # NH 68891, now in the collections of the National Archives.
BB-43 Tennessee 117k At sea during the later 1930s. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 97316, now in the collections of the National Archives.
(BB-43/44) 183k Tennessee's (BB-43) band poses for a group shot in her mid life era. USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
(BB-43/44) 531k N.Y., 13 April 1939. "Guardian of liberty passes its symbol."
Majestic in dawn's early light, the battleship Tennessee (BB-43), Rear Admiral A.E. Watson's flagship is shown as she steamed into N.Y. harbor past the Statue of Liberty today. Tennessee is the first ship of the line to arrive for review in connection of the opening of the N.Y. World's Fair. She will rejoin the Fleet for maneuvers off Virginia capes, then join the parade up the Atlantic coast to N.Y. 		A.P. Wirephoto from the collection of Michael Strout, courtesy of Jonathan Eno.
BB-35 Texas177kN.Y. 29 April 1939. "Fleet steams up Hudson".
Thirty seven vessels of the Atlantic Squadron steamed through N.Y. harbor and up the Hudson River today as part of the ceremonies connected with tomorrow's opening of the World Fair. This striking picture made from the deck of the New York (BB-34) flagship, shows the Texas (BB-35) followed by the Tennessee (BB-43). 		A.P. Wirephoto from the collection of Michael Strout, courtesy of Jonathan Eno. Photo added 09/06/09.
BB-43 Tennessee 157k Curtiss SOC-3 scout-observation floatplanes parked on the after catapult of Tennessee (BB-43), 1940 on the Hudson river. USN photo courtesy of Myron J. Smith Jr, from his book "Volunteer State Battlewagon", from Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana.
BB-39 Arizona43k Arizona (BB-39) leading Nevada (BB-36) and the Tennessee (BB-43) and a New Mexico class battleship underway. USN photo from the Atlas Editions. Submitted by Eric W. Dahlstrom.
BB-40 New Mexico & family242kBetween 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.
BB-39 Arizona534kBetween 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.
BB-38 Pennsylvania70kCaptain Jonas H. Ingram commanded the battleship Tennessee (BB-43) from July 1940 to Dec. 1940. Photo from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & submitted by Bill Gonyo.
USS TENNESSEE BB-43 History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry
(Located On The Hazegray & Underway Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Contact Name: Bud Galow
Address: 521 Inman Terrace, Willow Grove, PA 19090-3613
Phone: (215) 784-9885
E-mail:budgalow@comcast.net
Mail to USS Tennessee Reunion Association can be sent to: P.O. Box 1174, Willow Grove, PA 19090-0704

Note About Contacts.

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.
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.
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