USS California

The USS California BB-44 was a Tennessee -class battleship. She was commissioned on August 10, 1921. On December 7, 1941, the USS California was moored past the area where most of the other battleships were moored. Her mooring quay is past where the USS Missouri Battleship is today. She was closer to Naval Air Station Ford Island, where the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is currently located. On the day of the attack, the USS California was being prepared for an inspection. Because of this, all of her watertight doors and potholes were opened. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor began, the USS California took two torpedo hits, causing extensive damage and major flooding. While her crew was frantically trying to pump water out of the ship, others were rapidly trying to close as many watertight doors and portholes as possible in order to contain the flooding. On the deck, anti-aircraft crews had opened fire on the attacking Japanese planes. While some of the USS California’s guns were ready to open fire, they had limited ammunition. Once the ready ammunition had been expended, sailors had to get more ammunition from the locked ammunition storage lockers. Nevertheless, gun crews claimed at least two Japanese planes were shot down, but these claims had never been verified owing to the chaos of the attack. The USS California also suffered several bomb hits causing extensive internal damage. Between the fires on deck and the extensive flooding below, damage control crews were fighting a losing battle. The fires caused a loss of power which hindered and then stopped the pumping. Even with the power on, her pumps were not fast enough to stem the flooding. After the attack, numerous smaller vessels came alongside to assist with the flooding and fires. It took about three days for the USS California to settle on the bottom of the harbor. The Japanese attack caused significant casualties, with 98 men killed and 61 wounded. By March 25, 1942, the USS California was refloated, and repairs began. By October 10, she was ready to depart for Puget Sound for permanent repairs and a major refit. Repairs lasted until January 31, 1944, when she rejoined the fleet and sailed to war. She would serve in the Pacific Theater until the end of the war. The USS California was one of the battleships that took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship to battleship fight in history. The USS California was decommissioned on February 14, 1947. Below is a list of the personnel killed on December 7, 1941. Please view the list to learn the names of those who lost their lives on that day.