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1939 - June 1942 / Keel Laying - Commissioning
July 1942 - Feb. 1943 / War in the Atlantic
1946 - 1965
1966 - Present
| Click On Image For Full Size Image | Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 45k | Anchored in Efate Harbor. Note the Atlanta class light cruiser in the background. August, 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 638k | Detailed photo showing secondary armament and stern view, 1943. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 262k | Cimarron (AO-22) connects fuel lines to the Massachusetts (BB-59) as Gasoline Officer directs the operation from above on 28 January 1944. | U.S. Navy Photograph submitted by Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 54k | 11th July 1944, with heightened mainmast off PSNS after final wartime refit anchored in Sinclair Inlet, trials complete and ready for sea. | USN photo. Text & photo i.d. courtesy of Robert Hurst. | |
 | 76k | On post-refit trails in Puget Sound, 11th July 1944. | USN photo. | |
 | 61k | On post-refit trails in Puget Sound, port side view, 11th July 1944. | USN photo. | |
 | 40k | At Puget Sound Navy Yard follwing overhaul, 11th July 1944. | USN photo. | |
 | 232k | At Puget Sound Navy Yard following overhaul, 11th July 1944. | USN photo # 2169-44 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 54k | Mk.37 director aboard Massachusetts (BB-59) in October 1944. Please note the Mk.3 slewing sight on the director shield. In this earlier modification three telescopes had been fitted for the trainer, pointer and control officer. The function of the slewing sight was to bring the director telescopes on the rangefinder to bear on a new target in train and elevation in a minimum of time. The equipment was supported at the top of the director shield just forward of the control officer's hatch. The sighting unit mounted on the motor unit projected through an opening in the shield. The motor unit itself was secured within the director shield. After opening the hatch, the operator grasped the handles and slewed the sight bar relative to the director until the bar lined up with target and he closed the “SLEW” switch on the handle. As the introduced train and elevation relative to the director, two potentiometer’s movable arms were offset in the motor and caused the train and elevation follow-up motors in the motor unit to be energized. For more information see Directors / General Description and Operation | Photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 674k | Massachusetts (BB-59) refueling from the T3-S2-A1 class Kaskaskia (AO-27) during a storm at sea, 17 October 1944. Note radar equipment Mk.8 atop Spot 2. | USN photograph courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 350k | Massachusetts (BB-59) refueling from the T3-S2-A1 class Kaskaskia (AO-27) during a storm at sea, 17 October 1944. | USN photograph courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 68k | Photo taken from the Massachusetts (BB-59) showing the destroyers escorting her in Oct. 1944. The destroyer on the lower right is the Thatcher (DD-514). The destroyer leading the pack is the Houston | Terry Sanders | |
 | 85k | Coming into Ulithi Anchorage on 24 November 1944, during a break in operations off the Philippines. Photographed from Wasp (CV-18). Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz has autographed the original print. | USNHC # NH 58573 from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 587k | C.G. Evers' painting of the Massachusetts (BB-59) and an accompanying destroyer, circa 1942-45. | USN / USNI photo. | |
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380k | Massachusetts (BB-59) refueling from the Saugatuck (AO-75) on 20 April 1945, taken by a photoagrapher onboard the Hornet (CV-12). Note the 4 airplanes overhead. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
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468k | Massachusetts (BB-59) refueling from the Saugatuck (AO-75) on 20 April 1945, taken by the Hornet (CV-12). The importance of fleet oilers to the success of U.S. naval operations in WWII is unquestionable. They were the most valuable auxilliaries in the Navy, especially in the Pacific, where their presence facilitated the wide-ranging carriers operations and amphibious assaults conducted thousands of miles from the nearest naval base. Pobably no other surface ship contributed so much to the succesful conclusion of the war with Japan. During one three-week period in April 1945, Task Force 58, then engaged in operations preceding the invasion of Okinawa, required the services of no less than thirty fleet oilers to provide refueling at sea. The fuel required for the Okinawa operation far exceeded that consumed during any previous campaign with total deliveries to the carrier task force averaging 385,000 gallons of gasoline daily. | USN photo & text courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
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269k | The United States battleships Indiana (BB-58), Massachusetts (BB-59) and Alabama (BB-60) form a line ahead during target practice as seen from the South Dakota (BB-57), 1945. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
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419k | The battleships Indiana (BB-58) and Massachusetts (BB-59) operating off Honshu. The Massachusetts is firing. The South Dakota (BB-57) can be seen behind her. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
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837k | The Indiana (BB-58) and Massachusetts (BB-59) and two Baltimore Class heavy cruisers close in for a bombardment. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 04/29/08. | |
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74k | Bombardment of Kamaishi, Japan, 14 July 1945. Battleships and heavy cruisers steam in column off Kamaishi, at the time they bombarded the iron works there, as seen from South Dakota (BB-57). Indiana (BB-58) is the nearest ship, followed by Massachusetts (BB-59). Cruisers Chicago (CA-136) and Quincy (CA-71) bring up the rear. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 80-G-490143, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 87k | Bombardment of Kaimaishi, Japan, August 1945. Massachusetts (BB-59) opens fire on Kaimaishi, in the last battleship bombardment of World War II, 9 August 1945. Photographed from Indiana (BB-58). | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-339333, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 256k | Painting of Massachusetts (BB-59) by Robert D.Watts. | Photograph courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
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1.3m | Watercolor of Missouri (BB-63) & Massachusetts (BB-59) & other units of the Pacific Fleet at war's end by Tom Freeman. | Photograph 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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