Mississippi (CGN 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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- lr I I , displaced 32,000 tons, had a top speed of 21 knots and The third MISSISSIPPI iBB 4tIlh: floii4 ofeilei- C23-ee,r. She was laid down 5 April 1915 by Newport News Ship- carried 1,081 officers and men o New on News, Virginia, and was launched 25 January 1917, sponsored by Miss building and Dry Dock Comiasasnibhed 1gDecember 1917, CUPWIII -l' l-' Layne ln command' V Cdmelle McBeaihi mid comlfllV' ' io MISSISSIPPI steamed 22 March 1918 for training in the Gulf of Guacanoyabof Following exercises of urgin , olHcmPfo,., Roads and cruised between Boston and New York until departin l V I . g Cuba. One month later sl: rglrpbebdecrn 31 Januafy 1919. On 19 July she left the Atlantic seaboard and sailed for . e for winter maneuvers ln I h new base San Pedro, she operated along the West Coast for the next four years, ' ' Q ef I , l fha West Coast.lb,trrivi3gJrin the wime, months for training exercises. . entering the Cari ean - 9 12 June 1924 off Sqn Pedro, forty eight of her men were asphyxiated as a result of During 9unneLY Prsctige :Zip bcnery Turret' Un 15 April 1925 she sailed from San Francisco for war games off l ' 'n er O an exp eslon l ' - 'II Sh returned to the West Coast 26 September and resumed H I ood wi tour. e I I 1 Hawaii, ond then steamed to Austra IC on a . . d h f e H sailed into Caribbean and Anemia operations . - - th . . ' for exerclses durmg lhedwtiinhfblllcorliiatfy Yord 30 March 1931 for a modernization overhaul. dePartir19 once ogq-in on PPI ntere OI' MISSISSI e 1933 T anslfln fhe Panama Canal 24 October 1934, she steamed back to her base . . - ' b . I' 9 . . . training egerclgesin Slziegevegn years She operated off the West Coast, except for winter Caribbean cruises. or 9 of San Pe 'O' I I ' in the North Atlantic. Steaming from Newport . 19411 she prepared for patro service , Returning to NOYIOII4 I5 -ll-me ' - I d h . 7 d G convoy to Hvqlflordur Iceland. She made another trip to Iceland 28 September 1941, Rhd I an seescore ' O 8 5 I . - - h th otectmg shipping. N D . and 'lepenldillle mjffelrwflhgoflfbascheibiisprattack on Pearl- HGFIDOYI MISSISSIPPI lefl Iceland fo' lllle Pecllle' A V'I'I9 a s J wo 1942 t San Francisco she spent the next seven months training and escorting convoys along the coast. 22 anuary 0 ' . -- ' he Fi'i Islands - - ' ' s off Hawaii, she steamed with troop transports to t l , On 6 D ber after POFYICIPCITIUQ In exerclse . . . seem ' I ' ' I Harbor to participate in a move to restore I h 1943. On 10 May she sailed from PBOI' rzlurgllnglio Pez'llrsirrbiigitllbclriaossessors. Kiska Island was shelled 22 July, and 0 Iew CIUYS IGIGI' The Jdponese f e eu :ans . - ' Af o erhaul at San Francisco, MISSISSIPPI sailed from San Pedro 19 October to take part inthe llvllhdiew' f JS Gmben Islands While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the Invasion 0 ' ' 'll d 43 - . earlglrm tgilgjjzgclil T944 2:3 took part in the Marshall Islands campaign, shelling Kwaialeln. She bombarded Taroo 20 February and struck Wotle the next day. On 15 March she POUVN'-led Kavlengf New Ireland' Due fu' an overhaul' h for the next six Years. During Ilils Perle 5 e lequ n Y wafers t ere h t th I mmer months at Puget Sound. Q s egpinmine ig the war zone' Mlsslsslppl Supported landings on Peleliu, in the Palau Islands, on 12 September. After a weelgof continuous operations she steamed to Manus, where she remained until 12 October. Departing Manus, she assisted in the liberation of the Philippines, shelling the east coast of Leyte on 19 Oelelief- On 'lie n'9l'll' el the 24th, as part of Admiral Oldendorf's batt.Ie line, she helped to destroy o powerful .l0P0I1e5el05kI:9I'ee91l'l'le Battle of Suriago Strait. As a result of the engagements at Leyte Gulf, the Japanese navy was no longer able to mount any serious offensive threat. MISSISSIPPI continued to support the operations at Leyte Gulf until 16 November, when she steamed to the Admiralty Islands. She then entered San Pedro Bay, Leyte, 28 December, to prepare for the landings on Luzon. On 6 January 1945 she began bombarding in Lingayan Gulf. Despite damages near her waterline received from the crash ofa suicide plane, she sup- ported the invasion forces until 10 February. Fol- lowing repairs at Pearl Harbor, she sailed to Nakagusuku Wan, Okinawa, arriving 6 May to support the landing forces there. Her powerful guns leveled the defenses at Shuri Castle, which had stalled the entire offensive. On 5 June, a kamikaze crashed into her starboard side, but the fighting ship continued to support the troops at Okinawa until 16 June. After the announced surrender of Japan, MISSIS- SIPPI steamed to Sagami Wan, Honshu, arriving 27 August as part of the support occupation force. She anchored in Tokyo Bay, witnessed the signing of the surrender documents, and steamed for home on 6 5ePIemlDer. She arrived 27 November at Norfolk, where she underwent conversion to AG-128, effective 15 Fel9I'Ue'Y 1946. As part of the operational development force, she spent the last ten carrying out investigations of gunnery problems and ' fesilng new We0Pons. while based at Norfolk. She years of her career helped launch the Novy into the age of the guided I I' I ii sg I missile warship when she successfully test fired the I X Al' L Terrier missile on 28 January 1953 off Cape Cod, Sli, Clio assisted in the final evaluation of the Petrel, a ra ar-homing missile, in February 1956. MISSISSIPPI decommissioned at Norfolk 17 Sei-'tember 1956, ond was sold for scrapping to the Bethlehem Steel Co. on 28 November, the some year. MISSISSIPPI received eight battle stars for World WUI' ll service.

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IILLL LHIIIIU an uni.. ..-'------ Newport News ShlPl9U'Id'n9 I r , X255 44 YP' is ill! Senator 5-'om Mississippi, John C. Stennis, Chairman, Armed Services Committee, delivers the principal address at the launching ceremony for the nuclear powered Guided Missile Cruiser, USS MISSISSIPPI, CGN-40, at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. of Naval Reactors, - Admiral Hyman C. Rickover, DITBCIOT, Division cks durihg The , - ' gpe Energy Research Gnd Development Administration' launching ceremony.