USS New Mexico (BB-40)

History of USS New Mexico (BB-40)

The first United States Navy (USN) ship to carry the New Mexico ship of the same name was the aircraft carrier USS New Mexico (BB-40). The battleship led three powerful New Mexico-class ships and joined her sister ships USS Mississippi (BB-41) and USS Idaho (BB-42). Her keel was laid on 14 October 1915 and launched on 13 April 1917.

The ship was commissioned on May 20, 1918, but came too late to serve in World War I, and her ocean-going career was written in the sky for decades to come. She proudly served in many major Pacific campaigns during World War II, earning a total of six battle stars.

She is known by the nickname "Queen".

The silhouette of New Mexico is dominated by a towering bridge superstructure and a pair of pylons. The bulk of the main superstructure is located in front of a single smoke funnel amidships. The second mast is installed behind the chimney. Their design includes four main towers, two at the front and two behind the superstructure. Among all other qualities, the New Mexico inherited many of the characteristics already exhibited by earlier warships.

With a crew of 1,084, her dimensions include a length of 624 feet, a beam of 97 feet and a draft of 30 feet, with a displacement of 32,000 tons.

However, USS New Mexico differed from her sister ship in one key feature - she originally had a General Electric turbo-electric propulsion transmission, making it "electric" rather than the usual direct propulsion used at the time system. This arrangement provides more power while requiring significantly less space for the machine.

However, the propulsion system also uses more fuel than normal, and a control room manages all the necessary connections - a flaw in any warship that needs range and survivability. New Mexico can go 21 knots.

Her armament consisted of 12 x 14 in (360 mm)/50 caliber main guns with three main guns mounted on four main turrets. Two towers are in front of the bridge structure and two are behind. Then, 14 x 5" (127 mm)/51 caliber turrets mounted on the ship's deck and sides aided in broadside combat. Like the battleships of the day, New Mexico adopted a 2 x 21" (530 mm) Torpedo tube insertion.

Armor protection is projected to 343mm thick at the conveyor belt, 330mm at the turret, and 457mm on the turret surface. The conning tower is protected by 292mm of armor, and the deck armor protects 89mm from heavy fire.

Too late to see combat service in World War I, New Mexico completed sea trials and brought US President Woodrow Wilson and his entourage to Brest, France for January 1919 Support transportation was provided by the naval contingent participating in the Versailles Peace Conference. In July of the same year, she became the official flagship of the U.S.

Pacific Fleet, and during the 1920s the ship became popular on various voyages.

In March 1931, the New Mexico entered a shipyard in Philadelphia for a modernization that lasted until January 1933. It lost its unique but flawed turbine-electric setup in favor of a more traditional geared steam turbine configuration.

Her defenses have been upgraded with additional 5" guns, the original cage pylons have been replaced with more modern units, and her bridge layout has been completely redesigned. Her vulnerability to torpedo attacks was improved when her hull was bent amidships. The work added about 1,100 tons to her weight, but the displacement made her more modern as another world war loomed.

In 1934, the aircraft carrier USS New Mexico returned to Pacific waters.

New Mexico was called to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1940 as tensions between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Pacific increased. She worked from here until May 1941, then joined Norfolk's Atlantic Fleet on patrol operations in June of that year, as the situation in Europe under the enlargement of the Axis powers deteriorated rapidly. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which left the port in rubble, but failed to deliver a decisive blow to U.S. Navy operations in the Pacific.

The aircraft carrier USS New Mexico left the East Coast on December 10 and set a course for the Pacific.

In May 1942, her 5-inch cannon was removed, and she employed additional anti-aircraft protection against the large number of Japanese fighters in service. In March 1943, she supported a convoy of troops to Fiji, followed by a patrol mission in the Pacific before returning to Pearl Island. From there she supported operations in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, an area under attack by the Japanese.

She was in partial blockade July, firing at Kiska's position at Attu before returning to Washington's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for an overhaul.

The USS New Mexico then returned to Pearl Harbor in October 1943 to prepare for the Gilbert Islands Offensive that began the following month. Their artillery fell on enemy positions on Makin Atoll, while supporting troop carriers and aircraft carrier groups and providing air defenses against air strikes.

In 1944, New Mexico took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 19-20, marking another turning point in the American campaign in the Pacific. The escort mission continued until July 12, when her artillery illuminated Guam in preparation for an amphibious assault. It attacked enemy positions there until 30 July and provided further air defenses during the actual ground attack.

From August to October, New Mexico entered another major overhaul, this time in Bremerton, Washington.

In 1945, she participated in the Luzon invasion of the Philippines, providing the usual inshore bombing service and air defense. By this time, however, Japanese tactics had grown increasingly desperate, and kamikaze suicide attacks proved to be a more common weapon.

New Mexico was directly attacked by kamikazes on January 6, killing 31 people (including the commander) and injuring 87. This action did not drive her back from the war, although she was soon withdrawn to Pearl for repairs.

After the work was completed, New Mexico returned to action in support of the Okinawa invasion that began on March 26, 1945. During this deployment, she continued to conduct offshore bombardment and air defense.

On May 12, she was hit by two more kamikaze attacks while anchored at Hagushi, killing 54 and injuring 119. This then forced Leyte for repairs, but on 15 August in Saipan (Philippine Sea), news of the Japanese surrender sounded. She then joined the occupation forces in Okinawa before arriving at Sagami Bay in Honshu, Japan, on 27 August.

On September 2, she attended a surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.

September 6, New Mexico to Boston via Okinawa, Pearl and the Panama Canal. She retired on July 19, 1946, and her services are no longer required in worldwide military demolitions.

Her name was dropped from the register the following February, her design was ultimately stripped of all useful parts, and her hull was sold to a scrap dealer on November 9, 1947.

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