| USS West Virginia (BB-48) Underway off Pearl Harbor, en route to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, for reconstruction. The Pearl Harbor Navy Yard had just finished temporary repair of the damage she had received in the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. Emerging from the extensive modernization, the battleship that had risen, Phoenix-like, from the destruction at Pearl Harbor looked totally different from the way she had appeared prior to December 7, 1941. Gone were the “cage” masts that supported the 3-tier fire-control tops, as well as the 2 funnels, the open-mount 5-inch/20-fives and the casemates with the single-purpose 5-inch/50-ones. A streamlined superstructure now gave the ship a totally new silhouette; dual-purpose 5-inch/38 caliber guns, in gunhouses, gave the ship a potent antiaircraft battery. In addition, 40 millimeter Bofors and 20 millimeter Oerlikon batteries studded the decks, giving the ship a heavy “punch” for dealing with close-in enemy planes. West Virginia remained at Puget Sound until early July 1944. Loading ammunition on July 2, the battleship got underway soon thereafter to conduct her sea trials out of Port Townsend, Wash. She ran a full power trial on July 6, continuing her working-up until July 12. Subsequently returning to Puget Sound for last- minute repairs, the battleship headed for San Pedro and her post-modernization shakedown. Finally ready to rejoin the Fleet from which she had been away for 2 years, West Virginia sailed for the Hawaiian Islands on September 14. Escorted by 2 destroyers, she made landfall on Oahu on September 23. Ultimately pushing on for Manus, in the Admiralties, in company with the fleet carrier Hancock (CV-19), West Virginia, as a unit of Battleship Division (BatDiv) 4, reached Seeadler Harbor on October 5. The next day, she again became a flagship when Rear Admiral Ruddock shifted his flag from Maryland (BB-46) to the “Wee Vee” as Commander, BatDiv 4. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1879.jpg |
| Image Size | 2.90 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 5733 x 4523 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 30, 1943 |
| Location | Pearl Harbor |
| City | Oahu |
| State or Province | Hawaii |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | 80-G-K-565 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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