California (BB 44) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS CALIFORNIA CBB-449 I1vTR0DUCT101v Califomia is that state in the far-western United States which is called the Golden State, which was admitted to the Union as the 31st State on September 9, 1850. It is widely know for its great natural beauty, its highly produc- tive farms and factories, and its innovative so- cial and political ideas. California is depicted as a fabulous land of opportunity. The state has lured millions of migrants since the mid- 19th century, when gold was discovered there, and by the late 1970s jit was the nation's most populous state. The state is named after a fic- tional island of great wealth described in a novel which was published about 1500 by the Spanish writer Ordonez de Montalvo. The name was probably first applied to the south- em tip of Baja California by the Spanish ex- plorer Heman Cortes. Califomia has approximately 1,348 kilo- meters or 838 miles of coastline along its west- ern edge bordered by the majestic Pacific Ocean. Major California ports of Los Ange- les, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego give access to this vast waterway. These ports give the state an opening to the Pacific islands including Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam, Solomon Islands, Japan, Okinawa, and of course, Asia itself. Many of these names would become well known from their key roles which they would play in World War II. California is the nationis most populous state. It had a resident population of 29,760,021 at the time of the 1990 census, with a population growth rate of more than 25fZn during the 1980s as compared to the national growth rate of 9876. California has had a high rate of population growth ever since it became a state in 1850. In the post-World War II era, the highest growth rates of about 50'Zi occurred in the decades of 1940 to 1950 and 1950 to 1960. The people of Califomia are diverse with the majority of the inhabitants being white, but there are significant comrrrunities of minority groups. These include Asian Americans, His- panic Americans Cknown as Chicanosj, African Americans, and 242,164 American Indians tnearly lfk of the state's populationj. A reflec- tion of its people is Califomia's excellent edu- cational institutions and its rich cultural life. All of Califomia's larger cities support institutions devoted to learning and the arts. California has the most productive economy of any U.S. state. Its modem eco- nomic growth began in the second half of the 19th century, and the greatest spurt came after 1940. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacturing, communication which includes computer technology as well as motion pic- ture entertainment, and transportation have all flourished in California. Many new innova- tions have come from Califomia where cities such as Berkeley on the San Francisco Bay have boasted their motto as being The City Where Things Happen First. Indeed many things have started in California and eventu- ally made there way across the nation and into the cities, communities, and homes ofAmeri- cans everywhere. Not only has Califomia been a pace setter for the United States but for the world because of its vast influence economi- cally and especially through the entertainment media. Califomia's economy improved greatly during World War II, as the state became a major center for building aircraft and ships. The battleship Calyfbrnia CBB-443 was the fifth, largest and most famous ship to carry that name, although not the last. The USS Calyfor- nia was christened in honor of Califomia who became the 31st state joining the Union on September 9, 1850, less than two years after the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill which brought the former Mexican territory the great ugold rushn and the forty-ninersf' These were the original 'fforty-niners not to be confused with the San Francisco Forty-niners of National Football League glory and fame. The USS Calqfornia CBB-445 was affec- tionately nicknamed The Prune Barge, and she was sometimes called the Golden State Battlewagon. She was the pride of America and fleet flagship in the years before World War II. Despite a near fatal setback at Pearl Har- bor on December 7, 1941, she was put back into service in time to help finish the Pacific con- flict, remaining at all times a worthy- symbol of the people whose spirit is exemplified in their state motto: Eureka, or 'SI Have Found It. It is only fitting that such a influential and strong state would have such a powerful battle- ship to carry her name on the high seas. This is her history. However, it is not just a story of heavy armored conning towers, anti-aircraft guns, catapults, and fantails. It is a story of her crew. The brave men and women who built, served, and serviced her as they braved storm tossed seas and terrifying battles. All in all the USS Calyfornia is a large piece of floating steel lifeless on her own. But, the people, the crew gave her life and gave her a significant place in history. NAVAL VESSELS AND BATTLESHIPS The word naval which comes from the Latin nave, ship,', originally had no intrinsic military connotation. A naval architect, for example, is still simply a designer of ships without reference to their types or uses. Nev- ertheless, in modern English, a naval vessel operated by uniformed personnel. This dis- tinction, which excludes privately owned war- ships while encompassing unarmed vessels operating under governmentally sanctioned military authority, is a relatively recent one. In the period before the rise of the modern Navy, the term naval vessel was roughly syn- onymous with warship. A navy consists of the ships, crew members, and related person- nel and equipment maintained by a country for purposes of war. EARLY NAVAL DEVELQPMENT In the Western world navies originated with Athens, whose fleet blocked an invasion by the Persian king Xerxes I at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. Rome employed its navy to help destroy Carthage during the Punic Wars C264-146 BCD. More than a century later, at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, a Roman fleet defeated that of Mark Antony, ensuring the dominance of Octavian and laterAugustus. For a thousand years after the fall of Rome, Euro- pean nations displayed little interest in main- taining navies. The threat of Turkish expan- sion into the western Mediterranean finally forced Spain and the Italian state to forge a fleet that checked the Turks at the Battle of Lepano in 1571. In the following century, Portugal, Spain, Holland, and Britain acquired or consolidated overseas empires, the protection of which re- quired navies. The Spanish Armada challenged England for dominance of the Atlantic in 15 88. and Spain's defeat contributed to the emerg- ing importance of Britain's Royal Navy. The British victory over the Dutch in the Anglo- Dutch Wars in 1652 through 1674 established Britain as the leading sea power of the world. The only serious contender to Britain was France, a rival repeatedly beaten during the Seven Years' War in 1756 through 1763. the French Revolutionary Wars in 1792 through 1802, and the Napoleonic Wars in 1803 through 1815. -.1-. .- tn-, .-Q. -v 1 '. U Ap au. -.. 1. 'Ihr -., .ns-' A ' ..,,.... ,U ' i .. -4 1 , -s. up . -- ., ' ,, F- 7- , .. , a .-...i.l P M V, N-F t. 4.--as ,, - ' ii 'T A look at the California in its early days. f Co1tr'tes.x' QfC.J. Lcctl