Reporting For Duty

When my tour of duty in New Orleans was up I received orders to report to The USS Wisconsin, The largest Battleship ever built with a proud history spanning three wars. The reason it is the largest is an interesting story. Once while cruising in the Atlantic ocean in a dense fog the Wisconsin ran into another ship, This is a big NO-No in the Navy. We had struck a Destroyer The USS Eaton DDE (Destroyer Escort) 510 which left a gaping hole in the bow of the The USS Eaton likewise received considerable damage. The Eaton had to be towed back to Norfolk Va. While the Wisconsin went to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for repairs. It just so happened when the Wisconsin was built back in 1943 during World War II she had three sister ships, A sister ship is one made from the same plan that are identical to each other. They three ships were the USS Missouri , This is the ship that the surrender of Japan to the United Stated was held on with General Douglas Macarthur. The second was the USS New Jersey and the third was the USS Iowa, The Iowa was the ship that Turret Two blew up and the Navy claimed a sailor committed suicide by setting off a powder bag in the turret which killed some other sailors as well, When these three ships were built there was a forth ship that they had laid the keel and was well under construction when they decided to halt production. It was to be the USS Kentucky, Parts of it were used over the years on other ships, its engines were used to power two other

ships.

They were able to remove the bow of the Kentucky and tow it by barge to Norfolk Va. Where the Wisconsin was docked and waiting for it. It just so happened that when the bow was removed they cut off the Kentucky 18” more than they should have and when this bow was welded to the USS Wisconsin the ship became 18” longer than it previously was and could now boast it was the largest Battleship un the US Navy. It was now 905’ 3". Three football fields long