Wisconsin (BB 64) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS WISCONSIN I-IISTCDRY The present WISCONSIN underwent a period oi training and trial runs in Dela- ware and Chesapeake Bays alter com- missioning and let! Norfolk, virginia July 7. 1944 for her Shakedown cruise to Trini- dad. British West Indies. After returning to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for DOS! shakedown repairs. WISCONSIN set course on September 24171 lor me Pacific war zone. Passing through the Panama Canal, she reported to the Commander- in-Chiei, Pacilic Fleet Oclooef 2 and dropped anchor al Umm, Caroline ls- lands. where she loaned Admiral F. Hal- sey's THIRD Fleet December 9 The day before Our amphibious lorces hi! Mlndoro, the 'BSI camel lash force of U16 Third FIGGI, wllh WISCDNSW ilCllr1Q 88 fi Suppcfl uni! 10 U16 Carriers, Del- iormod its mission ol rendering Japanew lncillllfts at Manila useless lo oostrucl our Mlndoro operations Securing complete lnclical surprise and complete rnaslefy ol tha all on rho 1-Uh, 15m and 16th pl December. carrier aircraft sank Gf de' slroyed 27 Japanese V955-015, damaged 60 more. destroyed 269 planes and bombed miscellaneous ground lnslalia- lions. Supporting again the Third Fleet Cainer force, WISCONSIN participated in the air strikes against Formosa. Luzon and Nan- sei Sholo. to neutralize Japanese ecrces there and lo cover our operations at Lin- Qayen Gulf. These S?fik9Sl3S19G from .lan- uary 3 lo January 22. 1945 and included a thrust into the South China sea in the hope that major units ot the Japanese Fleet could be encountered there. On February 16, 1945, the task force. with WISCONSIN as a suDD0fTif'i9 Unif- approached the Japanese coast under the COver ot adverse weather conditions and again achieved complete tactical sur- prise. Enemy planes shot out of the air totaled 322 with 177 more destroyed on the ground. For two days the attacks were pressed home, an escort carrier was Dornoed until rl capsized in flames, nine coastal vessels, a destroyer, two destroy- er escorts and a cargo ship also went down ln addition, hangers and other air- cralt installations were destroyed. an air- craft factory damaged, and two engine plants bombed heavily. Our ships sus- tained no damage, but 49 planes were IOS! On February 17, the task force retired tu Iwo Jana to give direct support to the landing operations Tokyo was revisited February 25, and on the next day the 113151116 ol Hachino, oft the coast 01 Hon- sriu was mt Five small vessels were sunk and 158 Dl8fll?S destroyed, with the usual heavy Carnage lnillcied OD QrOUr1d equip- FWQVNT The occupation ot Okinawa was next. On March 1. the carrier task force ob- tained photographs ol the terrain to be used fn Diannlng the seizure campaign, Next day. cruisers of the force bombard- ed the island of Okino Dailo. more in do' training for the forthcoming operation than for damage inflicted. On March 24, WlSCONSlN's 16-inch main battery went into action when bat- tleships of the task force pounded the southeastern coast of Okinawa. The U.S. ground and supporting forces were fiercely attacked on April 6, but car- rier planes were instrumental in knocking down 248 planes against two losses for us. While the task force planes were on their mission, surface units were again heavily attacked by enemy aircraft. Com- bat air patrols knocked down 15 over the force and ship's gunfire splashed three more, but one Kamikaze got through and crashed the flight deck of the carrier USS HANCOCK, killing 28 men and causing severe damage. On April 11 the sulclde planes resumed their attacks, more fanat- ical than ever. Only drastic maneuvering and accurate gunfire saved the ships of the iorce from damage. Planes account- ed for 17 Kamikazes while guns of the ships blasted 12 more. The assault was repeated the next day with the ships arl- chored otf Okinawa and 151 Japanese pilots committed Hari-Kari . In these. as in other actions, WlSCONSIN's splendid anti-aircraft batteries performed out- standing service. After three weeks of replenishment in Leyte Gulf, Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet last carrier forces, now the greatest mass of sea power ever assembled, steamed northward on July 1 to wage a tremen- dous pre-invasion campaign of destruc- tion against every Japanese facility which could be used for prolonging the war. On July 15, WISCONSIN participated in the bombardment of Muroran, Hokkaido. her great 16 shells wrecking steel mills and oil facilities in the city. On the 17th. she blasted the Hitschi Miro area of the Jonshu coast, northeast of Tokyo. Admiral Halsey's final blow was deliv- ered against Tokyo on August 13 with U.S. planes shooting down 31 enemy planes and destroying 46 on the ground. The cease fire order of August 15 came too late to stop the first flight: this cost the Japanese 40 more planes. The battleship embarked home wefe Gl's at Okinawa on September 22 and departed the next day on the long cr0SS' Pacific voyage. The ship arrived at Sqn Francisco on October 15, 1945. The shlP then sailed through the Panama Canal, and arrived in Hampton Roads, Virginia January 18, 1946. In January 1948, she reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk tor inac- tivation and was placed out of commiS sion in reserve on July 1, 1948.

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