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1916 - 1919 Construction - Launching
1920 - Fitting Out
July 1921 - Launching Program - Mare Island History
August - December 1921 Commissioning / Shakedown
1922 - Scenes from the Ship's Welfare Fund
1923 - 1925
1926 - 1940
Pearl Harbor - 1942
1946 - 1959
| Click On Image For Full Size Image | Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 116k | Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for Camouflage Measure 32, Design 16D intended for battleships of the BB-43 class. This plan, dated 20 December 1943, shows the ship's starboard side, superstructure ends and exposed decks. It was approved by Captain Henry A. Ingram, USN. California (BB-44) is known to have worn this camouflage design. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph # 80-G-162038, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 77k | Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for Camouflage Measure 32, Design 16D intended for battleships of the BB-43 class. This plan, dated 20 December 1943, shows the ship's port side. It was approved by Captain Henry A. Ingram, USN. California (BB-44) is known to have worn this camouflage design. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph # 80-G-162039, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 332k | View of California's (BB-44) radar antennas from elevated view of port bow while in Puget Sound Navy Yard, 10 January 1944. | U.S. Navy Photograph & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 367k | View of California's (BB-44) radar antennas in Puget Sound Navy Yard, 10 January 1944. | U.S. Navy Photograph & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 136k | Underway, probably in the Puget Sound area, circa January 1944. The ship is painted in camouflage Measure 32, Design 16-D. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, # 80-G-166187, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 35k | Underway at eight knots in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Washington, on 25 January 1944. The ship is painted in camouflage Measure 32, Design 16-D. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-211831, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
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68k | Indiana (BB-58) at Pearl Harbor on 13 February 1944, showing damage to her starboard side received in collision with Washington (BB-56) on 1 February 1944. Tug YT-471 is assisting. Note the "cage" mast mounted ashore in the left distance. It was removed from California (BB-44) while she was being salvaged following the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 92883, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 64k | Underway in the Pacific wearing measure 32/16D camouflage in 1944. | USN photo. | |
 | 58k | California (BB-44) bombarding Guam during the invasion operation, July 1944, as seen from New Mexico (BB-40). This image has been cropped from to emphasize the ship and her camouflage pattern. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph # 80-G-K-1896, now in the collections of the National Archives. Photographed by S.C. Rotman. | |
 | 90k | Close up of the damage from her collision with her sister Tennessee (BB-43). On 24 August 1944, she arrived at Espiritu Santo for repairs to her port bow damaged in a collision with Tennessee . | USN photo. | |
 | 274k | August 1944-Damage. | U.S. Navy Photograph & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 180k | Photo taken 8 September 1944 as repairs to the ship near completion. Scaffolding along the port side of the ship shows the damaged area. The ship is docked in Floating Dry-dock ABSD-1 at Espiritu Santo. | U.S. Navy Photograph submitted by Pieter Bakels. Photo added 01/28/08. | |
 | 245k | California (BB-44) in Sept.1944 with a relatively simple electronic suit. | U.S. Navy Photograph & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 20k | Late war image of her final configuration. | USN photo. | |
 | 298k | 1945 photo of the California (BB-44) in her final configuration. | USN photo courtesy of David Buell. | |
 | 114k | A line drawing by A.L. Raven of the California (BB-44) in 1945. | USN photo. | |
 | 43k | The California (BB-44) undergoing a kamakaize attack on 6 January 1945. | Drawing courtesy of artbywayne.com | |
 | 30k | Damage from a kamakaize attack on the California (BB-44), 6 January 1945. | Photo from WWII Damage Reports, courtesy of NavSea / dcfp.navy.mil. | |
 | 118k | Puget Sound Navy Yard, (Photo taken by Ship, January 1945) Damaged in action of 6 January 1945. Looking up & forward, from port after side of Mainmast Structure showing: 1, After Surface Lookout. 2, After Main Battery Director and Radar Antenna. 3, 5"/38 Battery Director & Radar Antenna. | Seattle NARA photo # 1494-45. Record Group 181, 13th Naval District, Records of the Naval District & Shore Establishments, courtesy of Tracy White. | |
 | 234k | Puget Sound Navy Yard, (Photo taken by Ship, January 1945) Damaged in action of 6 January 1945. Looking up & aft at forward side of Mainmast Structure. | Seattle NARA photo # 1499-45. Record Group 181, 13th Naval District, Records of the Naval District & Shore Establishments, courtesy of Tracy White & Pieter Bakels. Photo added 01/28/08. | |
 | 85k | Port side view of the California (BB-44) probably after she returned to action at Okinawa 15 June 1945 and remained in that embattled area until 21 July. Two days later she joined TF 95 to cover the East China Sea minesweeping operations. At this stage of the war both the California & Tennessee (BB-43) had the MS21 paint scheme, but they had different seaplanes. California was assigned 2 SC-1 planes at that time. The Tennessee used OS2U Seaplanes. | Photo by Robert C. Lozmack, BM2/c, LSM-116 & LSM-467, & submitted by Hugh Hudson. Photo i.d. courtesy of Chuck Haberlein. | |
 | 82k | Pearl Harbor Veterans, the California (BB-44) Tennessee (BB-43) and Nevada (BB-36) steam out of Buckner Bay, Okinawa on 17 July 1945. All had been sunk or damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor. | USN photo. | |
 | 83k | Dated 29 July 1945. Close up of two quad 40mm Bofors mounts with their Mk.51 director visible in the foreground. | USN photo. | |
 | 361k | August 1945. Note AS-56 on both yardarms and IR beacons, skipole IFF antennas on both sides of the foretop and fighting lights left and right of the Mk.8 radar. | U.S. Navy Photograph & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 367k | August 1945. Note SC-1 Seahawk, the SP fighter control set atop her mainmast, the TBS on the yardarms and the Nancy infrared beacons. Also note the Mk.34 antenna for GFCS. Mk.57 in front of her #4 Mk.37 director. | U.S. Navy Photograph & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
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.
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