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1933 - 1941
Pearl Harbor Attack
Pearl Harbor Repair & Rebuild / 1942 - April 1943
Reactivation / May 1943 - 1945
1946 - 1959
| Click On Image For Full Size Image | Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 140k | Keel of the West Virginia (BB-48) under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA., on 7 August 1920. | USN photo from the Mariners Museum, courtesy of Myron J. Smith Jr, from his book "Mountainer State Battlewagon", from Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana. | |
 | 188k | Construction of the West Virginia (BB-48) on 2 May 1921. She is about 30% built at this stage. | USN photo from the Mariners Museum, courtesy of Myron J. Smith Jr, from his book "Mountainer State Battlewagon", from Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana. | |
 | 173k | The West Virginia (BB-48) about to be launched Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA,, on 19 Nov. 1921. | USN photo from the Mariners Museum, courtesy of Myron J. Smith Jr, from his book "Mountainer State Battlewagon", from Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana. | |
 | 88k | The West Virginia (BB-48) on 2 Nov. 1923. She would be the last battleship built until the North Carolina (BB-55) was started in 1940, due to restriction imposed by the 1922 Washington Conference on Limitation of Naval Armament. | USN photo from the Mariners Museum, courtesy of Myron J. Smith Jr, from his book "Mountainer State Battlewagon", from Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana. | |
 | 179k | The bow of West Virginia (BB-48) in dry dock at Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1924. | Courtesy of Darryl Baker. | |
 | 58k | Bow view of West Virginia (BB-48) anchored, possibly at Hampton Roads after the morning of 16 June 1924 when she experienced a loss of power and lost headway due to an engine casualty, and grounded on the soft mud bottom. After repairs had been effected, West Virginia became flagship for the Commander, Battleship Divisions, Battle Fleet, on 30 October 1924, thus beginning her service as an integral part of the "backbone of the fleet" - as the battleships were regarded. | USN photo by Abrahams from Jane's Fighting Ships, 1924 submitted by Robert Hurst. Partial text courtesy of DANFS. | |
 | 58k | Stern view of West Virginia (BB-48), 1924. | USN photo by Abrahams from Jane's Fighting Ships, 1924 submitted by Robert Hurst. | |
 | 80k | The silhouette of the West Virginia (BB-48) by moonlight. Taken about 1924. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 03/20/08. | |
 | 184k | Post card photo of the West Virginia (BB-48) going through the Panama Canal in October 1924. | Courtesy of Darryl Baker. | |
 | 23k | The forward guns of the West Virginia (BB-48) in high seas between 1924 and 1925. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 03/20/08. | |
 | 37k | Deck of the West Virginia (BB-48) awash in high seas between 1924 and 1925. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 03/20/08. | |
 | 89k | In the summer of 1925, the California (BB-44) led the Battle Fleet and a division of cruisers from the Scouting Fleet on a very successful good-will cruise to Australia and New Zealand. The following vessels might be the Colorado (BB-45), Maryland (BB-46) and West Virginia (BB-48) followed by Tennessee (BB-43) and three older battleships, the New Mexico (BB-40), Mississippi (BB-41) & Idaho (BB-42). Photograph probably taken from the California. | U.S. Navy photograph courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. Partial text courtesy of DANFS. | |
 | 90k | View from the deck of a one of the battleships looking aft of the Battle Fleet and a division of cruisers from the Scouting Fleet cruise to Australia and New Zealand. | U.S. Navy photograph courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. Partial text courtesy of DANFS. | |
 | 155k | Sailors "man the rails" in honor of the President of Haiti and the U.S. Sec. of the Navy who were reviewing the fleet off the coast of Haiti, circa 1925. | USN photo from the Mariners Museum, courtesy of Myron J. Smith Jr, from his book "Mountainer State Battlewagon", from Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana. | |
 | 106k | The United States Battle Fleet steaming in column off the California coast during the middle or later 1920s. The three leading ships are (in no particular order) Colorado (BB-45), Maryland (BB-46) and West Virginia (BB-48) followed by Tennessee (BB-43) and three older battleships. Photograph taken from California (BB-44). | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, # 80-G-695093, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 54k | The photo here might be on the same occassion as the above, but from a different angle. Then again maybe not. It was taken off a 16mm film. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of periscopefilm.com. | |
 | 44k | The U.S. battlefleet framed through a porthole. It was taken off a 16mm film. Photo might be from the same sequence as above. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of periscopefilm.com. | |
 | 272k | The West Virginia (BB-48) as flagship for the Commander, Battleship Divisions, Battle Fleet, followed by other battleships steaming in line ahead during the middle through later 1920's. Note SOC floatplanes on the catapults. The four leading ships behind her are (in no particular order) Colorado (BB-45), Maryland (BB-46), California (BB-44) & Tennessee (BB-43). | Photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 55k | Circa 1926 photograph of the West Virginia (BB-48) transiting the Panama Canal. | From the collection of Gerald M. Charpentier of New Orleans and L.A. Donated by his niece, Elaine C. Witty. Charpentier was in the Navy in the 1920s. | |
 | 55k | Circa 1926 photograph of the West Virginia (BB-48) transiting the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 141k | Photographed in March 1926, while anchored with other ships of the U.S. Fleet. An Omaha class light cruiser is in the right distance, with destroyers beyond. | Photograph # NH 46415, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 122 | Watercolor of a Presidential review during President Hoover's term of office, 1928-32. Crews line the rails of a Colorado class (BB-45-48) battleship as the ships pass in line astern of the reviewing stand with the airship Los Angeles (ZR-3) piercing the clouds accompanied by 9 biplanes. | Courtesy of Michael Schwarz. | |
 | 56k | View of the U.S. Battlefleet from above, possibly from the airship Los Angeles (ZR-3). | Photo courtesy of periscopefilm.com. | |
 | 221k | Circa later 1920's plus photo of the West Virginia (BB-48). In order to keep pace with technological developments in ordnance, gunnery, and fire control-as well as engineering and aviation-the ship underwent modifications designed to increase the ship's capacity to perform her designed function. Some of the alterations effected included the replacement of her initial 3-inch antiaircraft battery with 5-inch/25-caliber dual-purpose guns; the addition of platforms for .50-caliber machine guns at the foremast and maintop; and the addition of catapults on her quarterdeck, aft, and on her number III, or "high" turret. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. Text courtesy of DANFS. | |
 | 411k | The West Virginia (BB-48) with an O3U-1, designated 5-2, mounted on a Mark IV catapult atop #3 Turret in 1930. | Photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 16k | Commemorative postal cover marking the West Virginia's (BB-48) "Iron Man Award", 4 July 1932. | Courtesy of Jack Treutle. |
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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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