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NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive

BB-2 USS MASSACHUSETTS

Radio Call Sign: November - Juliet - Tango


Indiana Class Battleship: Displacement 10,288 Tons, Dimensions, 351' 2" (oa) x 69' 3" x 27' 2" (Max), Armament 4 x 13"/35 8 x 8"/35, 4 x 6"/30, 4 x 18"tt,Armor, 18" Belt, 15" Turrets, 3" Decks, 10" Conning Tower. Machinery, 9,000 IHP; 2 vertical, inverted, triple expansion engines, 2 screws; Speed, 15 Knots, Crew 473.

Operational and Building Data: Laid down by Cramp, Philadelphia on 25 June 1891, Launched 10 June 1893, Commissioned 10 June 1896, Decommissioned 8 January 1906, Recommissioned 2 May 1910, Decommissioned 23 May 1914, Recommissioned 9 June 1917, Reclassified Coastal Battleship # 2, 29 March 1919, Decommissioned 31 March 1919, & stricken 22 November 1920.
Fate: Sunk as target (By US Army) off Pensacola, Florida, January 1921. Hulk still can be seen at low tide.

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Construction / Pre Spanish American War
BB-1
010101i
2.08k Drawing of Coast Line Battleships Indiana (BB-1), Massachusetts (BB-2) & Oregon (BB-3), circa 1890. National Archives Identifier: 179036452 & 179036450
Local Identifier: 19-NN-1-12-19 & 19-NN-1-12-20
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov, via Daniel Hacker.
BB-2 Massachusetts 1.53k Our New Navy, 1892
From left to right & top to bottom: Concord (PG-3); monitor Miantonomah (BM-5); cruiser Philadelphia (C-4); armored cruiser New York (CA-2); cruiser Pirate; cruiser Atlanta: cruiser Boston; cruiser Newark (C-1); dynamite cruiser Vesuvius; dispatch boat Dolphin (PG-24); flagship Chicago; cruiser Baltimore (C-3); flagship San Francisco (C-5); coastline battleship Massachusetts (BB-2), Indiana (BB-1) & Oregon (BB-3); gunboat Petrel (PG-2); torpedo boat Cushing (TB-1); & cruiser Charleston (C-2).
Note: Regarding the cruiser Pirate. The ship depicted is a version of the cruisers Minneapolis and Columbia (but with three stacks vs. Minneapolis' two and Columbia's four) The name "pirate" given for it reflects its intended mission as a commerce raider (basically, these two cruisers were modern versions of the Civil War era Wampanoag type cruisers). Perhaps, at the time this photo montage was put together, the ships' names had not yet been assigned, nor their appearance finalized. If so, that would explain using a mission title instead of an actual ship name, as well as the three stacks. Note that the New York and the three "Coastline Battle Ships" are also represented by artworks, with the latter shown with the conical turrets that were replaced by cylindrical ones in the ships' final design.
Text i.d. courtesy of Charles Haberlein Jr.
Photo by Edward H.Hart, Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14834 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts989kMASSACHUSETTS (BB-2) LAUNCHED
Uncle Sam's Second Big Battle-Ship Takes the Water. Christened by Miss Herbert, Daughter of the Secretary.
Image and text provided by The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation.
Photo from The Evening World. (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 10 June 1893, LAST EDITION, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-1 Indiana 195k The sinking of the British battleship Victoria, a model of which was exhibited in the Transportation Building, gave a melancholy but not less eager interest to the United States marine exhibit at the northern pier, where a ship of war modeled on the latest patterns adopted by the Navy Department, was exposed to the closest public scrutiny and study.
The engraving shows the structure of brick, built on the bottom of the lake, and simulating a man-of-war, which was conceived by Commodore R. W. Meade, and furnished with all the implements of human slaughter.
Thus built, it was a full-sized model, above water-line, of the ten thousand three hundred ton coast-line battleships Indiana (BB-1), Massachusetts (BB-2), and Oregon (BB-3) of our navy, and if no mistake be made, the creation of such a ship in Lake Michigan in reality would violate a treaty with Great Britain.
The principal guns seen on this vessel were of wood, but there were enough machines on board which were genuine to destroy almost anything of ordinary resisting power that might be within a distance of three miles. A nearer view of the upper deck and search light is shown on another page.
Among the real guns on board were four six-inch rifled breech-loaders; twenty six-pounders; six one-pounders, two Gatling's and six torpedo guns.
The interior was a museum of war, in which a student might be kept busy for months. The length was over three hundred and forty-eight feet; greatest width, sixty-nine feet; conning tower, seventy-six feet high. Designer, Frank W. Grogan. Cost, $100,000.
Courtesy of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Chicago, contributed by Pavel Khozhainov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 363k Massachusetts (BB-2) in 1893. Photo courtesy of Arnold A. Putnam.
BB-1 Indiana 750k What appears to be either the Indiana (BB-1) or Massachusetts (BB-2) at Cramps Shipyard, circa 1893. Photo courtesy of A History and Guide to Collections of the William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company (1830-1927) and the Cramp Shipbuilding Company (1941-46) of Philadelphia, by Gail E. Farr and Brett F. Bostwick with the assistance of Merville Willis, Philadelphia Maritime Museum.
A Fortress in Repose1.13kA Fortress in Repose
This is an original 1894 halftone print showing the Indiana class Battle Ship of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, also known as the World Columbian Exposition.
Photo courtesy of periodpaper.com
BB-1
010196
2.80k Architectural and Engineering Drawings for Indiana (BB-1) & Massachusetts (BB-2), 1896. National Archives Identifier: 55302718
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov, via Daniel Hacker.
Review
010249
1.92k Forward Deck Massachusetts (BB-2) 1896, by William H. Rau, Photo by getty.edu.
BB-4 Iowa359kIowa (BB-4) sliding down the launching ways at Cramp Shipbuilding in Philadelphia, 28 March 1896.
I believe the Massachusetts (BB-2) is immediately off the bow of the Iowa. She would be commissioned on 10 June.
Photograph PR-3-Box 83-4 by William H. Rau, courtesy of the Library of Congress & National Museum of the U.S. Navy via flickr.com.
BB-2 Massachusetts719kBATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2)
Which Today is Having Her Preliminary Trial Trip.
Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from The Morning Times. (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 18 March 1896, Image 4 via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts1.45kMassachusetts (BB-2) flies the flag of Cramp during her trials. Photo from The American Navy with Introduction and Descriptive Text - Reproductions of Photographs - Belford, Middlebrook & Co. - Chicago, 1898, submitted by Thomas Becher.
BB-2 Massachusetts468kMASSACHUSETTS' GIFT.
Bronze victory on the forward turret of Massachusetts (BB-2).
Presentation of "Victory," Will Take Place When the Battleship Visits Boston.
When the battleship Massachusetts visits Boston in August the presentation of the work of art, "Victory," the gift of the State of Massachusetts, will take place. The work has been produced by Artist Bela L. Pratt, in accordance with a bill passed by the Massachusetts Legislature. The full-size figure of "Victory," as it now stands is all ready for the transfer of the outlines to the sand mold, and finally to the enduring bronze. The picture here presented gives the work of art in its perfection.
The model of the artist is a Boston lady. The figure is about five feet eight inches in height, and when placed against the turret of the battleship, the top will stand about 10 feet high. The artist was under the restrictions of constructing a figure to fit a flat surface. This is why the wings are somewhat more forward than would seem aproposing of the drapery, especially in the lower portion, to avoid flatness or stiffness.
The design is a bold and striking one, the countenance and general port suggesting the dignity and resolution which should be in keeping with an idealization of "Victory,". The helmet, breast-plate and hip-plate, as well as the sword, which she carries horizontally, indicate the stern purposes of the war, while the wings idealize speed. The sword, which is much like a Cuban machete, bears on its side the word "Victory,". It originally bore the following words, which the artist's second thought transferred to the base: "By duty done is honor won." There is also the name of the donor the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its position, on the turret between portholes, from which two powerful guns will project, is suggestive, and, in a sense, may be regarded as bearing analogy to the old-fashioned figure head. In this respect it will be unique among the objects of adornment and utility on our battleships.
Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from The National Tribune. (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 23 July 1896, Image 8 & New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 17 April 1898, Image 27 via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Insert photo Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14405 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 494kMassachusetts (BB-2) boat drill, circa 1896-1901.Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14433 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 528k Massachusetts (BB-2) kit inspection. Photo by Edward H. Hart, Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14432 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 808k"Massachusetts (BB-2) crew at mess.", Circa 1896.Photo is a 8x10 inch glass negative by Edward Hart, Detroit Publishing Company # 4a14419a, courtesy of Library of Congress via shorpy.com.
BB-2 Massachusetts 413k Massachusetts (BB-2) buglers and drummer. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14426 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
PURITAN
puritan113
604k Bow view of the Puritan (BM-1) at Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York City, undated.
Either of the the battleships Indiana (BB-1) or Massachusetts (BB-2) appear in the background, circa 1896-98.
Photo courtesy of New York Historical Society via Daniel Hacker.
BB-2 Massachusetts3.12kUnderway for shakedown 4 August 1896, Massachusetts (BB-2) conducted trials and maneuvers off the middle Atlantic coast until 30 November, when she entered New York Navy Yard for overhaul.
She is pictured here bow view on & here stern view on.
Pictured here is a beautiful view from her stern.
Note the 3 funneled ship to her left & behind. This is probably the New York (ACR-2). Much of the bridge structure is masked by the awnings, but the masts match up, and the ship was operating in and out of New York during the late 1890's into 1900.
Photo i.d. courtesy of Richard M. Jensen.
Photo by Edward H.Hart, Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14396 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Insert photo courtesy of New York Historical Society via Daniel Hacker.
Massachusetts
010216b
825k Open for buisiness on the Massachusetts (BB-2), civilians wander the deck at Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York City,. Photo courtesy of New York Historical Society via Daniel Hacker.
Massachusetts
010216s
885k Starboard bow view of Massachusetts (BB-2) at Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York City. Photo courtesy of New York Historical Society via Daniel Hacker.
BB-2 Massachusetts 3.36k The Massachusetts (BB-2) in drydock, between 1896 and 1901. Photo by Edward H.Hart, Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14400 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts753kMassachusetts (BB-2) fire room - Tending the battleship's coal-fired boilers, 1897. Photo is a 8x10 inch glass negative by Edward Hart, Detroit Publishing Company # 4a14410a, courtesy of Library of Congress via shorpy.com
BB-2 Massachusetts 870k"Boxing aboard the Massachusetts (BB-2). "Circa 1897.Photo is a 8x10 inch glass negative by Edward Hart, Detroit Publishing Company # 4a14431a, courtesy of Library of Congress via shorpy.com
BB-2 Massachusetts 656k Massachusetts (BB-2) ready to turn in. Photo by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company 4a14428v, from lcweb2.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 469k Beer Line aboard the Massachusetts (BB-2), 1890's. Photo by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company 4a14430 from lcweb2.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 465k Petty officers' mess aboard the Massachusetts (BB-2). Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14417 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2310kINTERIOR OF TURRET
These are the thirteen inch guns in a turret of the first class battleship Massachusetts (BB-2). The neatness and cleanliness that are compulsory aboard a battleship are in no part of the vessel better exemplified than in the turrets where the monster instruments of destruction are situated. Not only does the machinery work with clock like accuracy, but it is kept as clean as a watch.
Photo by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company # 4a14406v from lcweb2.loc.gov.
Maine1.80kFLEET MANEUVERS-1897
IN BATTLE ARRAY
The September Evolutions of the North Atlantic Squadron.
Indiana (BB-1), Texas, Iowa (BB-4), Massachusetts (BB-2) & Maine.
Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo courtesy of Evening Star. (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 28 August 1897, Image 18, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
TexasNRWHAT WOULD HAPPEN SHOULD WE FIGHT WITH SPAIN
Here Are the Secret Plans of the United States Government in case of War With the Spaniards, the First Time Told.
Just Where Our Ships of War and Troops Would Be Located if We Took a Hand in the Cuban Trouble.
Pictured among the vessels are the New York (CA-2), Indiana (BB-1), Texas, Massachusetts (BB-2), Columbia (C-12), Iowa (BB-4) & Maine.
Image and text provided by Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT.
Photo from The Anaconda Standard. (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 16 January 1898, Morning, Image 15, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 1.07k Massachusetts (BB-2) in New York Navy Yard drydock. Photo 4a14398a by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company.
Photo courtesy of shorpy.com
BB-4 Iowa 115k Painting entitled "Before the War" by Carlton T. Chapman, depicting the U.S. North Atlantic Squadron anchored in Hampton Roads, Virginia, circa late March or early April 1898. Iowa (BB-4) is seen very distantly, and partially, on the right side of the image. Ships present are (left to right: New York (CA-2), Indiana (BB-1), Texas, Massachusetts (BB-2), Columbia (C-12) and Iowa. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 78627-KN, courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, DC. Donation of Capt. R.G. Colbert, USN.
BB-2 Massachusetts3.42kCOMMODORE SCHLEY'S FLYING SQUADRON
Composed of the Battle-ship Massachusetts (BB-2) and the Cruisers Brooklyn (C-3), Columbia (C-16) and Minneapolis (C-17), in Hampton Roads, Awaiting Orders for a Destination as Yet Unknown, but presumed to be Porto Rico. Old Point Comfort, With the Hotels and Fortress Monroe, Is Seen on the Right.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside;
Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 02 April 1898, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts408k Massachusetts (BB-2) starboard quarter view at speed.Photo # 19N-11136 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
BB-2 Massachusetts419kBig guns of the Massachusetts (BB-2).Photo # 19N-11500 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
BB-2 Massachusetts 42k Members of the Massachusetts (BB-2) Marine guard detachment, man one of the Battleship's 6-inch guns in this photo from the late 1890s. USNI/USN photo.
War With Spain
BB-1 Indiana NR READY TO FREE CUBA AT THE WORD FROM CONGRESS
New York (CA-2), Columbia (C-12), Indiana (BB-1), Ericsson (TB-02), Texas, Montgomery (C-09), Iowa (BB-4), Cushing (TB-01), & Massachusetts (BB-2).
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA.
Photo from The Herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 27 March 1898, Image 19, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts774kTHE FLYING SQUADRON.Image and text provided by Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA.
Photo from The Times.(Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 27 March 1898, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts NR UNITED STATES WARSHIPS COMPOSING THE SQUADRON AT HAMPTON ROADS
BROOKLYN (ACR-3), TEXAS, COLUMBIA (C-12), MINNEAPOLIS (C-13) & MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2).
Image and text provided by University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
Photo from Daily Public Ledger. (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 22 March 1898, Image 3, & The National Tribune. (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 21 April 1898, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Photo from Colliers History of the Spanish American War, pub. 1898.,courtesy of Dan Wilmes.
BB-2 Massachusetts 217k Massachusetts (BB-2) by Mueller, 1898. Photo from Colliers History of the Spanish American War, pub. 1898.,courtesy of Dan Wilmes.
BB-2 Massachusetts354kOfficers & Chief Petty officers of the Massachusetts (BB-2). Photographer: C.E. Waterman.
National Archives Identifier: 45534323
Local Identifier: 165-WW-436B-0039.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2373kStarboard, amidship view of the Massachusetts (BB-2) circa 1898.Photo by Charles E. Bolles, # LC-USZ62-71217 from lcweb2.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts148kMassachusetts (BB-2) and Brooklyn (ACR-03) in distance.Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
BB-3 Oregon718kBombardment of Morro Castle by the U.S. Fleet. Artwork by unknown artist.Photograph PR-03-Box-71-13 courtesy of the Library of Congress & National Museum of the U.S. Navy via flickr.com.
Monitors677kOUR NAVY AS IT IS TODAY
1. Monadnock (BM-3) . 2. Petrel. 3. Puritan (BM-1) . 4. Concord. 5. Wilmington. 6. Amphitrite (BM-2) . 7. Ajax. 8. Machias. 9. Cincinnati. 10. Marblehead. 1 1. Montgomery. 12. Minneapolis. 13. Kearsarge (BB-5). 14. Kentucky (BB-6). 15. Bancroft. 16. Dolphin. 17. Vesuvius. 18. Raleigh. 19. Indiana (BB-1). 20. Iowa (BB-4). 21. Olympia. 22. Terror (M-4). 23. Catskill . 24. Miantonomah (BM-5). 25. Gustine. 26. Yorktown. 27. Texas. 28. Helena. 29. Massachusetts (BB-2). 30. Columbia. 31. New Orleans, 32. San Francisco. 33. Canonicus . 34. Camanche . 35. Monterey (BM-6). 36. Brooklyn. 37. Detroit 38. Atlanta. 39. Alabama (BB-8). 40. Albany. 41. Baltimore. 42. Chicago. 43. Newark, 44. Boston. 45. Charleston. 46. Oregon (BB-3). 47. New York. 48. Manhattan. 49. Philadelphia. 50. Lehigh. And Torpedo Boats. Drawn by "W. A. Verhas.
Image and text provided by University of Tennessee.
Photo by The Maryville Times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 28 May 1898, Image 3, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts
010233
1.12k "FIGHTING UNCLE SAM'S BATTLE-SHIPS--IN ACTION--LOAD", published in "Harper's Weekly", May 1898.
Massachusetts (BB-2) departed Norfolk 13 May for Cienfuegos, Cuba, where she took up blockade duties on the 22d. On the afternoon of 31 May in company with battleship Iowa (BB-4) and cruiser New Orleans, she bombarded the forts at the entrance to Santiago de Cuba, and exchanged fire with Spanish cruiser Cristobal Colon, forcing the enemy ship to retire into the inner harbor of Santiago.
Text courtesy of DANFS.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
BB-3 Oregon NR BOMBARDMENT OF SANTIAGO FROM PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN DURING THE ENGAGEMENT
MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2), MARBLEHEAD (C-11). IOWA (BB-4), ENTRANCE TO HARBOR OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA
OREGON (BB-3) COOLING HER GUNS. NEW YORK (ACR-02), DOLPHIN
TEXAS, BROOKLYN (ACR-03), YANKEE & NEW ORLEANS.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from The Herald.(Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 24 June 1898, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
SANTIAGO SQUADRON 1.01k Wood engraving of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. Photo courtesy of periodpaper.com
Santiago 5.06k Destruction of Admiral Pascual Cervera's Spanish Fleet. Created by Kurz & Allison, 22 July 1898. USN photo # Photo LC-DIG-PGA-03912 courtesy of the Library of Congress, from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, courtesy of flickr.com.
Santiago de Cuba 791k Grave of Cervera's fleet, Santiago de Cuba. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a05442 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Reina Mercedes457kWreck of the Reina Mercedes at Santiago harbor, 1898. Photo LC-D4-21534 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Santiago de Cuba 599k The Oquendo and Maria Teresa, aground and burning, Battle of Santiago, 1898. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a15176 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Santiago de Cuba 564k Wreck of the Maria Teresa, Battle of Santiago, 1898. Photo LC-D4-21524 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Santiago de Cuba 321k Explosion of the Vizcaya, Battle of Santiago, 1898. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a15179 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Santiago de Cuba 250k Wreck of the Vizcaya, Battle of Santiago, 1898. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a15182 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
VIZCAYA NR WRECK OF SPAIN'S CRACK BATTLESHIP, THE VIZCAYA
Battleships as Told by Special Photographs
.
No Words Could So Eloquently Convey the Effects of a Heavy storm of Modern Naval Projectiles as These Photographs of the Splendid Ship That Was Once Spain's and Now Is Ours by Right of Conquest. All the Pictures on This Page Are Different
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 21 August 1898, Image 23, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts1.01k"COMMODORE W.S. SCHLEY, U.S.N."
1899 Print from the 1899 Publication Leslie's Official History of the Spanish American War, by General Marcus Wright, War Records Office, Washington.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
SANTIAGO SQUADRON 3.44k GLORIOUS HOME-COMING OF THE SANTIAGO SQUADRON
THE GREAT NAVAL PARADE ON THE HUDSON. JUST BEFORE IT REACHED CASTLE WILLIAM, FROM WHICH THE FIRST SALUTE WAS FIRED
GUNS OF SAMPSON'S SHIPS THUNDER IN PEACEFUL WATERS
PDF Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 21 August 1898, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Photo courtesy of periodpaper.com
Review
010294
1.89k Sampson's Fleet. U.S. Battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) Passing. 1899, by William H. Rau, Photo by getty.edu.
BB-2 Massachusetts 762k Photographed by E.H. Hart off New York City, during the victory review, circa August 1898. Photo # 19N-770 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
BB-2 Massachusetts 466k Massachusetts (BB-2) as she appeared in 1898, before or after the Spanish American War, her hull is painted peacetime white. Photo # 19N-2-7-8 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
BB-2 Massachusetts 311k Massachusetts (BB-2) anchored in midstream. Photo # 19N-13237 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
BB-3 Oregon NR ADMIRAL SAMPSON'S VICTORIOUS FLEET FIRING A SALUTE AT GRANT'S TOMB.
New York gave a royal welcome to the victorious squadron of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson. When the armored cruiser New York (ACR-02), the flagship of Rear Admiral Sampson; the armored cruiser Brooklyn (ACR-3), the flagship of Rear Admiral Schley; the formidable battleships Massachusetts (BB-2), Oregon (BB-3), Iowa (BB-4), Indiana (BB-1) and Texas began their parade through New York bay and up the North river, they were surrounded by a monster fleet of excursion boats and tugs profusely decorated with Old Glory. The battle scarred ships were also decked with bunting, and as they steamed slowly along they were greeted by the booming of cannons from the pleasure yachts and the shrill shrieks of the whistles of the excursion fleet.
Proceeding up the North river, the New York floating Rear Admiral Sampson's flag, was in the lead. Then came the mammoth cruiser Brooklyn, with Rear Admiral Schley's new flag floating proudly at her fore truck, and, following the Brooklyn in the order named, were the Massachusetts, the Oregon, the Iowa, the Indiana and the Texas.
When the fleet of cruisers and battleships reached Grant's tomb, the guns that spoke at Santiago were again heard in a grand national salute of 21 guns.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from The Record-Union. (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 26 August 1898, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 161k Massachusetts (BB-2) at the head of the fleet. Boston Harbor naval parade,2 September 1898. Photo # 08_02_001447 from the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones collection, courtesy of Kate Monea, Archivist, USS Constitution Museum.
BB-2 MassachusettsNRSERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE BIG BATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2)
Man of War Strikes an Obstruction Near Governors Island and Three of Her Compartments Are Torn Open.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from The San Francisco Call.(San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 11 December 1898, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Almost Unknown1.43kThe Merrimac of New York Harbor
$150,000 HAS BEEN APPROPRIATED TO CLEAR THE OBSTRUCTIONS WHICH WOULD HAVE KEPT SPAIN'S WARSHIPS OUT OF THE FAMOUS WATERS OF NEW YORK BAY
On the tenth of last December the necessity of immediate action in clearing away the Merrimac was pointed out very clearly by the battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) striking it on the after noon of that day and doing a great deal of damage to her hull and bilge keels!
Image and text provided by Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT.
Photo & text by Daily Inter Mountain. (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 14 January 1899, Image 11, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Return of the Conquerors, September 29, 1899 60k Oil on canvas painting entitled "Return of the Conquerors, September 29, 1899", by the artist Edward Moran (1829-1901), which appears in the collections of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, Maryland, features the Texas, Indiana (BB-1), Massachusetts (BB-2), Oregon (BB-3), Iowa (BB-4) and other ships of the victorious U.S. fleet. Partial text and drawing courtesy of USNI.
IndianaNRADMIRAL DEWEY HEADS A MOST MAGNIFICENT MARINE PAGEANT
More Than Three Million Spectators Witness the Passing of the Nation's Hero on the Bridge of the Olympia (C-6), Followed by a Great Fleet of Warships and a Thousand Vessels of Peace
Ships in Water Pageant Passing in Review Before Dewey on the Olympia, Off Grant's Tomb
On the port beam of the Olympia was the escorting ship Sandy Hook, with the Mayor and other dignitaries aboard, and in her wake at intervals of 400 yards, stretched out a mile long, were the great towering warships, the armored cruiser New York (ACR-2), the battleships Indiana (BB-1) and Massachusetts (BB-2), the cruiser Brooklyn, second-class battleship Texas, the old wooden frigate Lancaster, the gunboat Marietta (Gunboat-15) and the Chicago (CA-14), the flagship of the South Atlantic squadron.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo & text by The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 30 September 1899, Image 1, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 327k Massachusetts (BB-2) at Dewey Naval Parade passing Grant's tomb, 1899. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a14393 courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
1900's
BB-2 Massachusetts 86k The steam hoisting gear of Massachusetts (BB-2) in 1900. USNI / USN photo.
BB-2 Massachusetts482k Massachusetts (BB-2) Crews Mess, 1900. USN photo.
BB-2 Massachusetts 171k Starboard bow at wharf. June 1901. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph #1 81-NYS-15-46.
BB-2 MassachusettsNR THE BATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2) PASSING THROUGH HELL'S GATE.
SECRETARY LONG ORDERS THAT HAZARDOUS TRIP OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BE NOT REPEATED.
Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from New-York Tribune.(New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 21 June 1901, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts1.72kINVENTION FOR COALING WAR-SHIPS AT SEA
The battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) then took in tow the Marcellus and headed for the open sea.
Image and text provided by University of Utah, Marriott Library.
Photo & text by Deseret Evening News. (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 31 August 1901, Image 23, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
SANTIAGO SQUADRON 1.84k SCHLEY DID NOT EXERT EVERY EFFORT TO DESTROY THE CRUISER COLON, DECLARES HIGGINSON, WHO COMMANDED THE BATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2) Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 21 September 1901, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 1.57k MIMIC NAVAL WARFARE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA
THE ILLINOIS (BB-7), THE MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2), THE MAYFLOWER, THE KEARSARGE (BB-5).
Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from The Washington Times.(Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 14 December 1902, Editorials, The Drama, and Society, Image 17, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts900kSIX MEN ARE DEAD AND THREE WOUNDED IN TURRET ACCIDENT ON THE MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2).
Explosion of Powder in the Breech of Eight-Inch Gun During Target Practice on the Big Battleship, Off Culebra Island, Slays and Maims Nine Out of the Ten Men in the Turret Crew. Victims Meet Their Deaths Heroically and the Wounded Walk With out Assistance to the Hospital. Gallant and Daring Work of Rescuing Officers. Washington Not Yet Advised as to the Cause of the Disaster, the First of the Kind in the History of the American Navy.
Text provided by State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO & University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA.
Photo from The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 18 January 1903, PART I, Image 1 & The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 18 January 1903, Image 17 via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Texas 2.63k Texas at Brooklyn Navy Yard, probably in mid May 1903, beyond her is Kearsarge (BB-5) and a Indiana class, either Indiana (BB-1) or Massachusetts (BB-2).
The Auxiliary Cruiser Buffalo appears on the right, in the center is an Illinois class (Illinois (BB-7) or Alabama (BB-8).
Photo i.d. courtesy of Richard M. Jensen.
Detroit Publishing Company Photo by Edward H. Hart. Photo LC-DIG-det-4a15442 courtesy of loc.gov.
BB-2 MassachusettsNRBATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2) IS BADLY DAMAGED AT BAR HARBOR Image and text provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa; Honolulu, HI.
Photo from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 14 August 1903, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
WARSHIP ACCIDENTS NR BRAVE AMERICAN JACKIE IN WARSHIP ACCIDENTS PROVES AS MUCH A HERO IN PEACE AS IN WAR Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo by Evening Star. (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 19 October 1907, Image 29, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 101k The submarine Plunger (SS-02) at the New York Navy Yard, circa 1903. Massachusetts (BB-2) is under refit in the background. Published on a stereographic card by the Keystone View Company, circa 1918. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 85293. Courtesy of Commander Donald J. Robinson, USN(MSC), 1977
BB-2 Massachusetts 592k Drydock time for the Massachusetts (BB-2) at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. National Archives Identifier: 6282003
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 MassachusettsNRTHE BATTLESHIP MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2) IN DRYDOCK.
Her crew seems to fill every space.
Image and text provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa; Honolulu, HI.
Photo from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 16 November 1903, Image 5, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 1.59k Captain Joseph G. Eaton, U.S. Navy, commanding, and other officers and crew of Massachusetts (BB-2), 1904. Photo by C.E. Waterman, 1904 via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
Photo fix by Roei Yehud.
BB-2 Massachusetts 431k The Massachusetts (BB-2) is seen at the Coaling Facility (Building 109) on Pier 1 of the Boston Navy Yard in 1904. Astern of the battleship is the Constitution. Photo by E. Chickering, National Park Service, Boston National Historical Park, cat. no. BOSTS-10053, courtesy of Stephen P. Carlson, Preservation Specialist, Boston NHP, Charlestown Navy Yard.
BB-2 Massachusetts 98k Taken from the deck of Massachusetts (BB-2) titled "Bringing the men ashore", 1904. USNI/USN photo.
BB-2 Massachusetts 705k Black & white pre cruise fitting out of the Massachusetts (BB-2), at the New York Navy Yard, 1904, Indiana (BB-1) is in the background.
Colored version appears here
Insert photo by Robert Enrique Muller, from Lost Warships: An Archaeological Tour of War at Sea by James P. Delgado via Robert Hurst.
Photo courtesy of National Museum of the U.S. Navy via flickr.com.
BB-2 Massachusetts1.46kCAUGHT IN A TRAP, THREE LOSE LIVES
Lieutenant and Others Badly Injured in Accldent on MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2)
GASKET GAVE WAY; STEAM RUSHED IN
Image and text provided by Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA.
Photo from The Times Dispatch. (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 16 December 1904, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 MassachusettsNRCOALING BATTLE-SHIPS AT SEA
The battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) then took in tow the Marcellus and headed for the open sea.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.
Photo from Los Angeles Herald.(Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 26 February 1905, Image 39 via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-18 Connecticut472k"Hercules" Placing Turret on Connecticut (BB-18), 23 May 1905.
The bow of the Massachusetts (BB-2) appears to the left.
Photo i.d. courtesy of Richard M. Jensen.
National Archives Identifier: 6880447
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 1.58k Massachusetts (BB-2) coaling at Lamoine Naval Coaling Station, Lamoine, Maine, during the time of the Atlantic Fleet's visit to Bar Harbor, Maine, 3-10 August 1905. Please note that this picture was taken from the same approximate position that the Constitution and Grebe were in, in the pic from Henry Brown's collection. Photo from the collection of Robert Alvarez submitted by Jonathan Eno.
Bar Harbor 200k The First Squadron of the North Atlantic Fleet during a visit, 3-10 August 1905, to Bar Harbor, Maine. The visit consisted of eight BB's commanded by RA R.D. Evans. Maine (BB-10), Missouri (BB-11), Kearsarge (BB-5), Kentucky (BB-6), Alabama (BB-8), Illinois (BB-7), Iowa (BB-4), and Massachusetts (BB-2).
The Massachusetts appears here with the Iowa in the background.
Photo from the collection of Raymond Strout via Jonathan Eno.
BB-1 Indiana 713k Laundry day on the Massachusetts (BB-2) as she sails past a light-house, circa 1905. Detroit Publishing Company Photo LC-DIG-det 4a15769 courtesy of loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 80k Captain Edward D. Taussig, USN. With guests, probably on board Massachusetts (BB-2), circa 1905-1906, while he was the ship's Commanding Officer. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 99046.
BB-1
010243
722k Massachusetts (BB-2) in decommission. Putting into New York 12 November 1905, Massachusetts underwent inactivation overhaul and then decommissioned 8 January 1906.
She is seen here in Dry Dock Number 4, Looking Northeast from Building 131, 1 February 1906.
Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
National Archives Identifier: 6881324
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov, via Daniel Hacker.
BB-2 Massachusetts1.26kA GIGANTIC SKELETON MAST FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS (BB-2).
The first skeleton suit to be built in the New York Navy Yard now practically completed for the Massachusetts. It is 103 feet high, and constructed of tubular steel. The new mast is to be applied to many of the battleships.
Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside; CA.
Photo from Los Angeles Herald. (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 18 April 1909, Image 47 via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
New York Navy Yard 141k Plunger on her way out of the New York Navy Yard, sometime before October 1909.
At that time she was assigned to the First Submarine Flotilla, based at the New York Navy Yard, joining sister-ships Porpoise (SS-07), and Shark (SS-08).
Among the ships in the background is the then decommissioned battleship Massachusetts (BB-2). The Massachusetts had her cage mast installed sometime in 1909.
USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Partial text courtesy of DANFS. Photo i.d. and partial text i.d. courtesy of Mike Green from "U.S. Warships of WW1", by Paul Silverstone on the Indiana class listing on page #31.
1910's
BB-1
010232a
1.96k Use of Steel Ties, Track Near Terminal Bridge, Brooklyn Navy Yard with Massachusetts (BB-2) in the background, 2 February 1910. National Archives Identifier: 6881449
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov, via Daniel Hacker.
BB-12
011210
2.41kMonthly Progress Photo - Cob Removal Causeway Looking South at Brooklyn Navy Yard, 30 April 1910.
The ship on the far left is one of the first three BB-18 class, Connecticut (BB-18), Louisiana (BB-19) & Vermont (BB-20) but it is hard to confirm which. I lean toward Vermont, but that is far from certain. The next ship, moving to the right, is the Ohio (BB-12). Toward the right side of the photo, the ship in the background is Massachusetts (BB-2), based on the stack config. The ship between Massachusetts and the camera is the Hancock (Transport / AP-3), which was receiving ship at New York 1910-1913.
Photo & text i.d. courtesy of Chuck Haberlein, Richard M. Jensen & David Wright.
National Archives Identifier: 6282120.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 73k Massachusetts (BB-2) as she appeared in 1910, after being recommissioned on 2 May following her refitting; among other modifications she now sports a cage mast. USNI/USN photo.
BB-2 Massachusetts 563k Massachusetts (BB-2) circa 1910. Library of Congress photo # LC-B2-2333-2 from the Bain News Service, courtesy of flickr.com.
BB-2 Massachusetts
010220b
NR WELL KNOWN NAVAL OFFICER ENDS LIFE BY SHOOTING
REAR-ADMIRAL CARLO B. BRITTON

Photo taken on the deck of the battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) when that vessel was commanded by the dead officer and belonged to the midshipmen's summer cruising squadron.
Image and text provided by University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
Photo from Evening Capital and Maryland Gňazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 23 April 1920, Image 6, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-1 Indiana 148k All dressed in flags with other ships of the Atlantic Fleet, the Indiana (BB-1) is pictured here, probably at Queenstown, Ireland, she fired a 21-gun salute 22 June 1911 in honor of the coronation of King George V. The Massachusetts (BB-2) is probably behind her. USN / USNI photo.
Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
BB-4 Iowa 3.02k Iowa (BB-4) -- front left center -- Indiana (BB-1) and Massachusetts (BB-2) at Kiel, Germany, during the Academy practice cruise, Summer 1911. Ships of the German fleet are in the background. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 85736.
BB-2 Massachusetts 1.66k The Massachusetts (BB-2) at the New York Navy Yard, 3 October 1911. National Archives Identifier: 45512764
Local Identifier: 165-WW-335A-030.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Various Views of the 1912 Naval Review on the Hudson
Review
012173m
4.51k Mobilization of Atlantic Fleet at New York, 12 - 15 October 1912. Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Review
012173
1.36k U.S. Battleship Fleet during the 1912 Naval Review on the Hudson.
The nearest ship half visible on the right is the New Hampshire (BB-25) based on the distinctive half-cased stacks. The two sister ships behind her are not clear enough to specifically ID. The fourth ship is one of the Mississippi class, but again, not clear enough to ID.
Photo i.d. via Richard M. Jensen.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Review
012173d
1.38k Small boats join during the 1912 Naval Review on the Hudson. Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
BB-2 Massachusetts NR Growth of Uncle Sam’s Navy as Shown by a Comparison Between the Old Battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) and the New Super Dreadnought Arkansas (BB-33) — Glimpses of the Atlantic Fleet at New York. Image and text provided by Rutgers University Libraries.
Photo from Bridgeton Pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 17 October 1912, Image 7 via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Almost UnknownNRSCENE OF UNUSUAL BEAUTY WHEN FLEET AND SHORE WERE ILLUMINATED BY MANY THOUSANDS OF FLAMING ELECTRIC BULBS
NEW YORK, Oct. 16—Pen cannot describe and even photography is inadequate in depicting the splendor of the scene at night during the visit of the fleet to this city. Thousands and thousands of electric lights were hung along Riverside drive, which parallels the Hudson river for miles, and all of the vessels in the fleet were outlined by lines of gleaming lamps. In the accompanying picture the soldiers’ and sailors’ monument appears in the foreground with the curved line of Riverside drive at the left. Several battleships are shown in the river, with the lights on the New Jersey shore in the distance.
Image and text provided by Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH.
Photo by The Democratic Banner.(Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 18 October 1912, Image 1, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
League Island 351k Photo shows American Marines mobilizing at League Island, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, PA, in February 1913, before going to Guantanamo, Cuba, in response to the Mexican Revolution. The ship to the left is the U.S. Army transport ship Meade.
The ship in the background appears to be a Indiana class (BB-1 /03) battleship. DANFS indicates that either the Indiana (BB-1) or Massachusetts (BB-2) were both on the East coast at this period of time before being decommissioned in Philadelphia the following year.
Digital ID ggbain # 11333. LC-B2-2499-15 Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection.
BB-1 Indiana NR ARGENTINE SAILORS DRILLING AT NAVY YARD ON THE NOSE ENDS OF FIVE OF UNCLE SAM'S NAVAL BULLDOGS
An unusual photograph, taken at League Island, showing five battleships and steamer lying in a row while the seamen of the South American Republic make themselves as much at home as if on their own drill grounds, by special arrangement with the U.S. government.
Either the Indiana (BB-1) or the Massachusetts (BB-2) is the first battleship on the left side. The distinctive twin funnels of the Illinois (BB-7) or Alabama (BB-8) appear two ships down.
Image and text provided by Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA.
Photo from Evening Public Ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 05 March 1915, Night Extra, Image 16, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-29 North Dakota300kCAMERA'S-EYE VIEW OP GREAT MASS OF FLOATING FORTRESSES BELONGING TO THE UNITED STATES NAVY AS SEEN FROM THE TOP OF A MAST ON THE BATTLESHIP NORTH DAKOTA(BB-29) AT LEAGUE ISLAND.
Among the forest of masts closest to the camera lies the Indiana (BB-1) or Massachusetts (BB-2).
Image provided by: Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA.
Photo from The Evening Public Ledger, (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 04 October 1916, Night Extra, Image 18, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-4 Iowa 929k VETERAN BATTLESHIPS ARE RETIRED.
Second Time Vessels Have Passed Through Ceremony of Being Retired

United States naval officers on the deck of the battleship Iowa (BB-4) as the commission pennant was hauled down from the main mast. The flag was lowered for the last time today at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on the Iowa, Indiana (BB-1) & Massachusetts (BB-2), veterans of the Spanish & American wars.
Image provided by: Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA.
Photo from The Evening Public Ledger, (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 31 March 1919, Night Extra Closing Stock Prices, Image 2, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-04
010448
1.25kTorpedo boats and old battleships laid up in the reserve basin, in the late spring of 1919. Battleships are (left-right): Iowa (BB-4), Massachusetts (BB-2), and Indiana (BB-1). Torpedo boat nearest the Indiana is Somers (TB-22). Photo courtesy of history.navy.mil
BB-1 Indiana 209k "Flotilla A, Destroyer Force".
Tied up with sterns to the wharf in the Philadelphia Navy Yard's Reserve Basin, while awaiting decommissioning, circa May 1919. Other ships in the background include a Monitor, three old battleships and several torpedo boats. Panoramic photograph by Frawley and Collins, Mount Holly, New Jersey.
Ships in the foreground are (from left to right):
Dale (DD-4); Lawrence (DD-8); Perry (DD-11); Whipple (DD-15); Truxtun (DD-14);
A barge; Worden (DD-16); Barry (DD-2); Hull (DD-7); Hopkins (DD-6); Bainbridge (DD-1); Stewart (DD-13); Paul Jones (DD-10); Decatur (DD-5); Preble (DD-12); Preston (DD-19); Flusser (DD-20); Lamson (DD-18); Reid (DD-21); and Isabel (SP-521).
Ships in the background are (from left to right):
Amphitrite (BM-2);ex-Iowa (BB-4) outboard; ex-Massachusetts (BB-2) inboard; and ex-Indiana (BB-1).
Several torpedo boats are moored alongside the old battleships.
Photograph # NH 105512, from the collections of the United States Naval Historical Center.
Reserve Basin137kPhiladelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania. Older warships in the Reserve Basin, photo is probably post WW I (1918 to 1920).
From right to left:
First ship: Kearsarge class (BB-5 / 6) probably Kearsarge (BB-5).
The photo shows a platform above the Navigation Bridge which is straight across the front. Photos of the Kentucky (BB-6) at this time show a similar platform but one which extends out over the conning tower roof at the center. I've not seen a photo of the Kearsarge at this time so I'm not positive.

Second ship:Wisconsin (BB-9).
Sister ship Illinois (BB-7) had a bridge structure atop the conning tower while sister Alabama (BB-8) had a second platform on the mast between the bridge and the lowest searchlight.

Third Ship: Indiana (BB-1).
This ship is "hull down" behind the Wisconsin with only her upper works visible, the 2 short funnels and the old "military" mast to the left of the Wisconsin's forward cage mast. The mast is sitting atop a round faced bridge structure. Sister Oregon (BB-3) is on the West coast and sister Massachusetts’ bridge has a square face.

Fourth Ship: Iowa (BB-4).
This ship is also "hull down"and is actually beyond the fifth ship in the photo. Visible are cage main mast (second from the left in the photo), the 2 tall funnels and the military mast partially hidden the shorter funnel of the nearer ship. The funnels identify the ship.

Fifth Ship: Massachusetts (BB-2).
The aft main and secondary batteries and the cage mast are clearly visible as are the shorter funnels and the military mast (in front of Iowa’s forward funnel). This is a case of everyone else is eliminated. Oregon (BB-3) is on the west coast and the Indiana is across the slip, ergo…
The last ship appears to have 4 short funnels and no cage mast which means it is probably a cruiser but I have not identified it.
Digital ID: # ggbain 09957, LC-B2-2333-3. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection, courtesy of Tom Kermen. Photo I.d. & text courtesy of Chris Hoehn.
BB-11 Missouri1.03kPhiladelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania. Older warships in the Reserve Basin, 18 November 1919, as seen by a Philadelphia Evening Ledger photographer. Ships are (front row, left to right): Missouri (BB-11); one Connecticut class battleship; Michigan (BB-27); and Saint Louis (C-20). Those in the back row are (left to right): Maine (BB-10); Kentucky (BB-6);Kearsarge (BB-5); Indiana (BB-1); Massachusetts (BB-2); Iowa (BB-4); Wisconsin (BB-9); and Illinois (BB-7).U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 42525.
BB-6
010778
864k Battleships photographed in December 1919 by the Evening Public Ledger Co. From left to right: Illinois (BB-7),Wisconsin (BB-9), Iowa (BB-4), Massachusetts (BB-2), Indiana (BB-1), Kearsarge (BB-5), Kentucky (BB-6) and Maine (BB-10). Photo NH-42523 from history.navy.mil
BB-2 Massachusetts NR WELL KNOWN NAVAL OFFICER ENDS LIFE BY SHOOTING
REAR-ADMIRAL CARLO B. BRITTON

Photo taken on the deck of the battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) when that vessel was commanded by the dead officer and belonged to the midshipmen's summer cruising squadron.
Image and text provided by University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
Photo from Evening Capital and Maryland Gazette.(Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 23 April 1920, Image 6, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 699k Massachusetts (BB-2) gets that sinking feeling as she is subjected as a target by the US Army off Pensacola, Florida, 6 January 1921. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No.1989.119.001.007, courtesy of Mike Green.
BB-2 Massachusetts 645k Wreck of the Battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) on 3 March 1922. Camera station northeasterly. National Archives Identifier: 45699126.
Local Identifier: 26-LG-33-47E
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 562k Wreck of the Battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) on 3 March 1922. Camera station westerly. National Archives Identifier: 45699120.
Local Identifier: 26-LG-33-47B
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 835k Old photograph not taken by the Lighthouse Service.
Wreck of the Battleship Massachusetts (BB-2) on 3 March 1922. Camera station 100 ft. southwesterly.
National Archives Identifier: (Insert)45699124 & 45699118.
Local Identifier: (Insert 26-LG-33-47D) & 26-LG-33-47A
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
BB-2 Massachusetts 49k The wreck of the Massachusetts (BB-2) is located 1.5 nautical miles south-southwest of Pensacola Pass. It lies in 26-30 ft. of water within the Fort Pickens State Aquatic Preserve, administered by the Florida Department of Natural Resources. Photo & text courtesy of Underwater Archaeological Preserves, Florida Division of Historical Resources, cr.nps.gov.
BB-2 Massachusetts 65k Remnants of the Massachusetts (BB-2). Photo courtesy of Florida's Underwater Archaeological Preserves, courtesy of Pre-Dreadnought Preservation Mark Howells.
BB-2 Massachusetts 57k Remnants of the Massachusetts (BB-2) above water. Photo courtesy Pre-Dreadnought Preservation by Mark Howells.
(NISMF)926kA guest studies a painting depicting the history of battleships. The artwork was painted by George Skybeck and presented to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association during their annual banquet at Honolulu, Hawaii, on 8 December 1991. USN photo # DN-SC-92-05391, by PHC Carolyn Harris, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.

Commanding Officers
01CAPT. Rodgers, Frederick, USN (USNA 1861) :RADM10.06.1896 - 1897 
02CAPT. Higginson, Francis John, USN (USNA 1862) :ADM~1897 - ? 
03CAPT. Ludlow, Nicholl, USN (USNA 1864)08.07.1898 - ? 
04CAPT. Manney, Henry Newman, USN02.05.1901 - ? 
05CAPT. Eaton, Joseph G., USN02.05.190 - ? 
06CAPT. Taussig, Edward David, USN (USNA 1867) :RADM00.00.1905 - 00.00.1906 
07LCDR. Scott, William Pitt, USN (USNA 1894)03.08.1908 - ? 
08CDR. Brittain, Carlo Bonaparte, USN (USNA 1888) :RADM10.10.1911 - ? 
09CDR. Stickney, Herman Osman, USN (USNA 1888) :RADM00.00.1912 - ? 
10LCDR. Scott, William Pitt, USN (USNA 1894)~1913 - ?also BB-1, BB-4, BB-9
11CDR. Enochs, John Matt, USN (USNA 1901)~1914 - ?also BB-1, BB-4, BB-9
12CDR. Wainwright, John Drayton, USN (USNA 1900) :RADM11.04.1917 - 09.06.1917 
13CDR. Kelly, Clyde W., USN09.06.1917 - ? 
14CDR. Andrews, Adolphus, USN (USNA 1901) :VADM~1919 - ? 
Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler

Additional Massachusetts Images
17 General Views Of Massachusetts From The Library Of Congress Server.
11 Dock Views Of Massachusetts From The Library Of Congress Server.
14 Crew Images From The Library Of Congress Server.
20 Interior Images From The Library Of Congress Server.
11 Raised (With Hightened Stacks) Images From The Library Of Congress Server.

USS MASSACHUSETTS BB-2 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
Not Applicable To This Ship
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.
Links To Various Related Massachusetts Web Resources.

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