USS Nebraska (BB-14)
Encyclopedia
USS Nebraska (BB-14) was a Virginia-class
pre-dreadnought
battleship
of the United States Navy
. She was the first ship to carry her name.
on 4 July 1902; launched on 7 October 1904; sponsored by Miss Mary Nain Mickey, daughter of Governor John H. Mickey
of Nebraska; and commissioned on 1 July 1907, Captain
Reginald F. Nicholson in command.
" at San Francisco on 6 May 1908, replacing .
Departing San Francisco on 7 July 1908, the Fleet visited Honolulu, Hawaii
; Auckland
, New Zealand
; Sydney
and Melbourne
, Australia; Manila
, Philippine Islands; Yokohama
, Japan; and Colombo
, Ceylon, arriving Suez
, Egypt
on 3 January 1909. Departing Messina, Italy on the 9th, the Fleet visited Naples
, Italy and Gibraltar
, arriving Hampton Roads
on 22 February, where President
Theodore Roosevelt
reviewed the fleet as it passed into the roadstead.
Nebraska continued duty with the Atlantic Fleet
. She attended the Hudson-Fulton Celebration
in 1910 and the Louisiana Centennial in 1912. She earned the Mexican Service Medal
for operations at Veracruz
, Mexico
from 1 May–21 June 1914 and 1 June–13 October 1916. After a period of reduced commissioned service, she was again placed in full commission on 3 April 1917.
, attached to the 3rd Division, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet. On 13 April, she departed Boston
to engage in maneuvers and battle practice with the fleet in the Chesapeake Bay
area. She operated along the east coast, primarily training armed guard crews for American merchantmen, until entering the Norfolk Navy Yard on 15 April 1918 for repairs.
At Hampton Roads on 16 May, she received on board the body of the late Carlos M. DePena, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from Uruguay
, with full honors, departing Hampton Roads the same day and arriving Montevideo
on 10 June in company with , flagship of the Pacific Fleet
. The Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet came aboard for the ceremonies, and the body of the late Uruguyan Minister to the United States was transferred with full honors. Nebraska departed Montevideo on 15 June for home, arriving Hampton Roads on 26 July.
The battleship departed New York on 17 September as principal escort for a fast merchant convoy
of 18 ships to an eastern Atlantic rendezvous, returning to Hampton Roads on 3 October. Nebraska made two more convoy voyages in the Atlantic, returning from the latter on 2 December to prepare for service in returning American troops from France.
, transporting 4,540 troops to and from the United States. On the first trip, she departed Hampton Roads on 30 December, arrived Brest on 11 January 1919, and returned Newport News on 28 January. The final voyage to return veterans from France ended when she arrived Newport News on 21 June with 1,279 troops.
On 22 June, Nebraska was detached from the transport service and shortly thereafter sailed to join Division 2, Squadron 1, Pacific Fleet for operations along the west coast—under command of Captain P. N. Olmstead—until she decommissioned on 2 July 1920.
In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty
limiting naval armament, Nebraska was declared "incapable of further warlike service" on 9 November 1923 and sold for scrap a few weeks later.
Virginia class battleship
The Virginia class battleship was designed to be the first truly seagoing U.S. battleships. Five ships were commissioned between 1906 and 1907. The ships participated in the round-the-world cruise of the Great White Fleet. For the second and last time, the U.S...
pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was the first ship to carry her name.
History
Nebraska was laid down by Moran Brothers, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
on 4 July 1902; launched on 7 October 1904; sponsored by Miss Mary Nain Mickey, daughter of Governor John H. Mickey
John H. Mickey
John Hopwood Mickey was a Nebraska republican politician who served as the 13th Governor of Nebraska from 1903 to 1907.-Early life and ancestors:...
of Nebraska; and commissioned on 1 July 1907, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Reginald F. Nicholson in command.
Pre-World War I
After shakedown and alterations, the new battleship joined the "Great White FleetGreat White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
" at San Francisco on 6 May 1908, replacing .
Departing San Francisco on 7 July 1908, the Fleet visited Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
; Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia; Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippine Islands; Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan; and Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Ceylon, arriving Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on 3 January 1909. Departing Messina, Italy on the 9th, the Fleet visited Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, arriving Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 22 February, where President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
reviewed the fleet as it passed into the roadstead.
Nebraska continued duty with the Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
. She attended the Hudson-Fulton Celebration
Hudson-Fulton Celebration
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration from September 25 to October 9, 1909 in New York and New Jerseywas an elaborate commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River and the 100th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s first successful commercial application of the paddle...
in 1910 and the Louisiana Centennial in 1912. She earned the Mexican Service Medal
Mexican Service Medal
The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917...
for operations at Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
from 1 May–21 June 1914 and 1 June–13 October 1916. After a period of reduced commissioned service, she was again placed in full commission on 3 April 1917.
World War I
When war was declared on 6 April 1917, Nebraska was undergoing repairs at the Boston Navy YardBoston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
, attached to the 3rd Division, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet. On 13 April, she departed Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to engage in maneuvers and battle practice with the fleet in the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
area. She operated along the east coast, primarily training armed guard crews for American merchantmen, until entering the Norfolk Navy Yard on 15 April 1918 for repairs.
At Hampton Roads on 16 May, she received on board the body of the late Carlos M. DePena, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, with full honors, departing Hampton Roads the same day and arriving Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
on 10 June in company with , flagship of the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
. The Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet came aboard for the ceremonies, and the body of the late Uruguyan Minister to the United States was transferred with full honors. Nebraska departed Montevideo on 15 June for home, arriving Hampton Roads on 26 July.
The battleship departed New York on 17 September as principal escort for a fast merchant convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
of 18 ships to an eastern Atlantic rendezvous, returning to Hampton Roads on 3 October. Nebraska made two more convoy voyages in the Atlantic, returning from the latter on 2 December to prepare for service in returning American troops from France.
Inter-war period
Nebraska made four voyages from the United States to Brest, FranceBrest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, transporting 4,540 troops to and from the United States. On the first trip, she departed Hampton Roads on 30 December, arrived Brest on 11 January 1919, and returned Newport News on 28 January. The final voyage to return veterans from France ended when she arrived Newport News on 21 June with 1,279 troops.
On 22 June, Nebraska was detached from the transport service and shortly thereafter sailed to join Division 2, Squadron 1, Pacific Fleet for operations along the west coast—under command of Captain P. N. Olmstead—until she decommissioned on 2 July 1920.
In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
limiting naval armament, Nebraska was declared "incapable of further warlike service" on 9 November 1923 and sold for scrap a few weeks later.