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1920 - 1932
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 |
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 | 112k | Under refit at Puget Sound Naval Yard, 21 August 1933. The small circular platforms on her foremast had been erected for her Mark 19 anti-aircraft directors, which were connected in the unusual anti-aircraft range-finder shown. This range finder could be turned both horizontally and vertically. About 1940, Mark 19's in the fleet were enclosed in small armored boxes and provided with steroscopic range finders. It is these enclosed directors that appear in photos of the battleships at Pearl Harbor. Note also the wire connecting the roof of the 20 foot range-finder atop the pilot house to the foremast itself, with the range "clock" (concentration dial) for communicating the range to other ships. A similar clock was mounted on the mainmast. Both could be rotated so they could be viewed by other ships not exactly in line ahead. | Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. | |
 | 212k | Under refit at Puget Sound Naval Yard, 21 August 1933.The structure atop each mast contained, from top to bottom, the main battery director, the main battery spotters and fire controls, and a pair of sceondary battery directors, which obtained their ranges from small armored range-finders below the Mark 19 platform. Visible on the bridge wing are a perlous, a small signalling light, and a 24-inch signalling searchlight with flaf lockers at the rear. Note also the roof of the conning tower, with its array of periscopes. Initally, the front of the conning tower was allocated for ship control. The rear half was an armored fire control tower, served by special spotting glasses. At the time of this photo, U.S. battleships were just being fitted with eight 0.50 calibre water cooled machine guns, each as a antistrafing measure. Note the large "Es" for engineering & presumably tactical excellence, on the ship's after funnel and on the signal birdge side abeam the machine guns, and the ship's number (48) atop her # 2 turret, in white. | Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. | |
 | 134k | Identifiable ships in this photo possibly at Puget Sound circa 1933 are, from left to right:
U.S. Crane Ship No. 1 ex-Kearsarge (BB-5), & Seaplane Tender Jason (AV-2), one of the Colorado class battleships, [possibly the West Virginia (BB-48)] in the dry dock and a Pennsylvania class along the pier. The aircraft carrier in the photo is the Saratoga (CV-3) (note the "SARA" on the flight deck aft). | USN Photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo & partial text I.d. courtesy of Chris Hoehn & David C. Nilsen. | |
 | 50k | The West Virginia (BB-48) about to make a statement with all her main turrets trained to starboard during exercises. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 03/20/08. | |
 | 44k | Photo believed to be of a Damage Control party and the tools of their trade aboard the West Virginia (BB-48) during the 1930s. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 03/20/08. | |
 | 83k | Starboard view, location unknown, circa 1934. | Courtesy of Darryl Baker. | |
 | 141k | Port side view, in New York City Harbor, circa 1934. | Courtesy of Darryl Baker. | |
 | 143k | Oil on canvas painting by the artist James Flood entitled "West Virginia (BB-48) - 1930's" depicts the battleship sailing under the Brooklyn Bridge. | Photo and partial text courtesy of oldgloryprints.com |
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 | 336k | The West Virginia (BB-48) sailing under the Brooklyn Bridge. The above painting by the artist James Flood was inspired by this photo. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 232k | Starboard side view, in San Francisco Harbor with the San Franciso - Oakland Bay Bridge being built, circa 1934. | Courtesy of Darryl Baker. | |
 | 107k | The West Virginia (BB-48) underway in San Francisco sails past Acatraz Island, circa. 1934. | Courtesy of Darryl Baker. | |
 | 112k | In San Francisco Bay, California, circa 1934. | Photo # 80-G-1027204, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 237k | West Virginia (BB-48) officers and CinCus staff pose in the officers' wardroom, circa 1934-36. Among those posing for the photo is future RADM Frederick J. Bell. At the time Bell was a LT serving as Flag Secretary and Operations Officer to VADM Thomas T. Craven, (first row, 3rd on the left, who looks remarkably like Admiral Husband E. Kimmel). When Craven returned to shore duty in 1935, Bell remained on the WV as Main Battery Assistant and Tactical Officer until 1936. Bell later went on to command the destroyer Grayson during the WW II, earning the Navy Cross during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in Aug 42. Bell is in the back row, extreme right. | From the estate of RADM Frederick J. Bell. Submitted by Tom Lane. | |
 | 223k | West Virginia (BB-48) officers and CinCus staff pose under one of the ship's 16"/45 gun turrets, circa 1934-36. Among those posing for the photo is future RADM Frederick J. Bell, in the back row, 3rd from right. | From the estate of RADM Frederick J. Bell. Submitted by Tom Lane. | |
 | 248k | The West Virginia (BB-48) in a 1935 photo of the ship's 4th division. The author's father is in the first row, 6th photo. | From the collection of Capt. TC Edrington III PhD, USN - Courtesy daughter Kyra Larn and son Thomas C. IV. | |
 | 91k | 23 August 1935 photo in her final pre-war configuration. | USN photo. | |
 | 351k | Oct. 1935, starboard view, with the Hawaiian mountains in the background. | U.S. Navy Photograph submitted by Ron Titus, courtesy of Ingersoll-Rand. Corp. Photo i.d. courtesy of Jesse P. Mannix. | |
 | 164k | Signal flags flutter from the fore mast of the West Virginia (BB-48) in this circa 1930's photo. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 1.8 | Very large (1.8m.b) 1936 photo of Battleship Row, Pearl Harbor. Among the ships in the harbor are:
On the far left are two New Orleans (CA-32) class heavy cruisers. Neither ship can be positively identified, but I believe the outer one (the one furthest from the camera) to be either New Orleans (CA-32), Quincy (CA-39), or Vincennes (CA-44). The battleships from left to right: Colorado (BB-45), or West Virginia (BB-48), outboard of Idaho (BB-42), Nevada (BB-36), outboard of Mississippi (BB-41), New Mexico (BB-40), outboard of Maryland (BB-46) or California (BB-44). On the far right is the Hospital ship Relief (AH-1) with two unidentified ships ahead and to her port side. | Text courtesy of David Johnston, (USNR) & Aryeh Wetherhorn (USNR). Photo courtesy of Edward Cwalinski, submitted by Barry Litchfield. | |
 | 242k | A New Mexico (BB-40 / 42) class battleship in the van with other battleships of the Pacific Fleet with its air arm over head. This photo dates from no earlier than 25 June 1937, when Douglas began delivery of 114 TBD-1s (the only mono-planes in this picture) and between 20 May 1941 when the New Mexico's were transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. "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. | |
 | 68| West Virginia (BB-48), Maryland (BB-46) and
the Colorado (BB-45) (in the rear) at Pearl Harbor, circa 1939-40. | USN photo by Albert Weigandt & submitted by James D. Card, QMCS (SW/AW). | | |
 | 119k | Pennsylvania (BB-38) & or Colorado (BB-45), Maryland (BB-46) & or West Virginia (BB-48) at 1010 dock sometime after returning to Pearl Harbor, circa 1939-40. | USN photo by Albert Weigandt & submitted by James D. Card, QMCS (SW/AW). Partial text courtesy of DANFS. Photo i.d. courtesy of Tom Bateman. | |
 | 107k | Aerial view underway, February 9 1939. | National Archives Photograph # 80-G-466161. | |
 | 65k | West Virginia (BB-48) inboard profile, 1939. | Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. | |
 | 43k | Undated, pre-war color portrait of West Virginia (BB-48) entering what might be San Francisco. | Copyright & courtesy of Harold Monk. | |
 | 200k | Black & white copy of the above photo. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 281k | Late 1930's - early 1940 photo of the West Virginia (BB-48) by George Winstead. | USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 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. | Scanned from: "The Fleet Today" by Kendall Banning. Funk & Wagnalls Company, N.Y. and London, 1942. Submitted by Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 534k | The Army Air Corp flies above the Arizona (BB-39), New Mexico (BB-40) & West Virginia (BB-48) and the rest of the Pacific Fleet during Fleet Ops in October 1940. | Scanned from: "The Fleet Today" by Kendall Banning. Funk & Wagnalls Company, N.Y. and London, 1942. Submitted by 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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