This video is sponsored by Ground News.
During the early hours of December 7, 1941, the crew of USS Nevada, one of the two colossal
Nevada-class battleships from the US Navy, was playing Morning Colors.
Soon, dozens of Japanese aircraft poured down from the sky and began bombing Pearl Harbor
with devastating effects.
Nevada, the only ship that was not moored, immediately began to maneuver to get out of
harm's way and counterattack.
As the crew began to fend off the enemy fighters with accurate anti-aircraft fire, several
bombs and one torpedo hit her.
Despite the critical flooding and the subsequent fires, Nevada and her crew kept fighting back
until the ship was beached and began to sink.
It appeared as though USS Nevada was lost forever, but she became the only ship damaged
at Pearl Harbor to rise again and be able to seek revenge on her enemies…
Navigating the vast sea of information available online can be tricky, especially when, depending
on the political leanings of the news source, the same facts can be presented in many different
ways, thwarting objectivity.
That’s why we at Dark Seas love our sponsor, Ground News, a company led by a NASA engineer
on a mission to inform the world and help individuals think freely, and without bias.
Ground News is a news comparison website and app that allows for a data-driven analysis
of the latest breaking news stories around the globe.
Reading about China and United States interactions is often confusing, but Ground News makes
it easier to separate fact from fiction.
Take this story about a stray United States Navy destroyer sailing near disputed islands
for example.
By looking it up on Ground News, you can see that apart from leaning to the right, most
sources covering the event are foreign and not American-based.
Spot media bias on your media consumption and be informed of all sides of the story
by visiting ground.news/darkseas or clicking a link in the description below.
That’s ground.news/darkseas.
USS Nevada Deeply concerned about Japan's expansion in
the Pacific, the Navy knew that an eventual clash between both powers was inevitable,
which led to the creation of the Nevada-class battleships.
USS Nevada was the first of a class of two 27,500-ton battleships, alongside her sister
ship USS Oklahoma.
Both battleships would be the first to adopt the “all or nothing” naval warship armor
principle, which involved armoring the most essential parts of a ship while leaving other
areas with little to no armor at all.
Optimizing armor this way would prove essential for long-range engagements during sea battles
in World War 1.
The ship’s construction was authorized by the US Congress in 1911, and the contract
was awarded to Fore River Shipbuilding Company for an estimated 5.8 million dollars without
armament or armor.
Nevada’s keel was laid down on November 4, 1912, and the ship was launched on July
11, 1914.
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D.
Roosevelt attended the launch.
At the time of her commission in March of 1916, USS Nevada rendered most American battleships
obsolete, and she impressed the population with her sheer size and weight.
Nevada’s 27,500 tons dwarfed the weight of the pre-dreadnought Oregon by three times
and was twice as heavy as Delaware, the first American dreadnought completed in 1910.
In addition, she was 583 feet long and had a beam of 95 feet and a draft of over 28 feet.
Nevada was also the first US Navy ship to have a single funnel, an oil-fired steam power
plant instead of a coal-fired plant, geared turbines, and most importantly, massive triple
gun turrets.
What’s more, during trials, the battleship was able to achieve a top speed of over 24.6
miles per hour and could carry up to 2,000 tons of fuel.
When the US finally joined the conflict in April of 1917, USS Nevada and her crew of
almost 1,000 men were more than ready for combat.
World War 1 After the first American coal-fired battleships
departed the US to join the British Grand Fleet in November of 1917, Nevada had to wait
for almost a year to join the rest of the fleet.
In fact, she was the last American ship to join the war in Europe.
Under the command of Captain Andrew T. Long, the colossal battleship and her sister ship
Oklahoma arrived at Berehaven, Ireland, to join Battleship Division Six.
From then on, both Nevada-class battleships escorted convoys bound for the British Isles
to make sure that no German vessel or U-boat could harm them.
Unfortunately for Nevada’s eager crew, the ship saw no action during the war.
Instead, she was one of the ships that escorted President Wilson’s liner George Washington
to Brest, France, for the Paris Conference.
Following the end of the war, Nevada served in the Atlantic and the Pacific, where she
surveyed American possessions in the Philippines and witnessed the rapid expansion of the Empire
of the Rising Sun.
Then, in 1930, the battleship underwent several modifications.
Her basket masts were changed for tripod masts, and her steam turbines were exchanged for
geared turbines for an increased range.
Her main guns were also elevated, and eight anti-aircraft guns were added alongside two
catapults for aircraft.
Pearl Harbor During the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
on December 7, 1941, Nevada was the only vessel that was not moored on Ford Island.
The battleship quickly maneuvered while the crew assumed battle stations, and as chaos
consumed the ambiance and the skies were filled with the cacophony of war, the sailors took
to their anti-aircraft guns to fend off the waves of upcoming Japanese fighters and Kate
torpedo bombers.
The gunners fired with desperation, focusing their fire on any moving object approaching.
But as Nevada slowly left the hot zone, a torpedo hit her above the keel.
Officer of the Deck Ensign Joe Taussig and the damage control crew were able to control
the flooding caused by the impact, but the fight was not over yet.
As USS Nevada left the harbor and left behind a trail of smoke and fire, the second wave
of Japanese Val dive bombers went straight for her.
With the support of several fighters, the Japanese intended to sink the ship and block
the channel.
Meanwhile, Nevada steamed past the Ten-Ten Dock, pouring anti-aircraft rounds in all
directions.
However, five bombs suddenly struck the ship, leading to several fires and holes in her
upper and main decks.
As the gasoline fires expanded, they prevented the damage control teams from stopping the
flooding.
Taussig and the remaining survivors then led Nevada to Ford Island and beached her near
Hospital Point to avoid being sunk in deep waters.
Operations Neptune and Dragoon After heroic salvage work, Nevada was miraculously
refloated and overhauled to get back into action.
The upgrades were completed in October of 1942.
The battleship was fitted with sixteen Mark 12 guns in twin mounts, several torpedo tubes,
more than 60 Bofors and Oerlikon guns, and no less than 30 guns of different calibers
for use against ground and air targets.
Nevada then went on to support the capture of Attu in Alaska in May of 1943 and participated
in Atlantic convoys before heading to the United Kingdom to prepare for Operation Neptune,
the invasion of Normandy.
During D-day on June 6, 1944, USS Nevada provided naval artillery support to Army Rangers assaulting
German shore defenses.
The ship and her crew were praised for their accurate fire, which was critical in destroying
German bunkers, trenches, and battery positions.
Following several operations in Northern France, Nevada was also chosen to participate in Operation
Dragoon, the amphibious landings at Toulon in Southern France.
From August 15 to September 25, USS Nevada made use of all her artillery to destroy German
garrisons across the coastline and help the advance of Allied troops.
Eventually, Nevada had a rough encounter with Big Willie, a reinforced enemy fortress with
dangerous 13-4-inch turrets that had a range of over 19 nautical miles.
After weeks of intense shelling, Nevada dealt the final blow on September 23.
War in the Pacific After her service on the Western Front, Nevada
went back to the US to be upgraded with Mark 8 guns.
Shortly afterward, the crew was sent to the Pacific to support the landings at the volcanic
island of Iwo Jima.
Between February 16 and March 7 of 1945, she became one of many Navy vessels that heavily
pummeled the island to soften up the Japanese defenses before the Marines landed.
When hell broke loose between both forces, Nevada moved as close as 600 yards off the
shore to provide fire support for the Marines fighting the entrenched Japanese opposition.
After conquering the impenetrable Mount Suribachi and the entire island, there was still no
rest for Nevada’s crew, as they were immediately called to serve at Okinawa on Japanese home
soil.
Nevada then joined the Task Force on March 24 to begin the preliminary bombardment of
Okinawa and bombed enemy airfields, supply depots, shore defenses, and every possible
target.
Then, on the morning of March 25, seven kamikazes appeared out of nowhere and headed straight
for the battleship.
They were all shot down except for one that crashed into the main deck, causing several
damage and casualties.
Nevada would operate off the coasts of Okinawa until the island was completely secured in
August of 1945.
Sunk at Last Nevada was considered obsolete after the war
and was subsequently decommissioned.
The vessel was then assigned as a target ship and was used during the Bikini Atoll atomic
experiments of July of 1946.
One atomic bomb detonated near Nevada, but she remained afloat, although extremely radioactive.
She was then towed to Pearl Harbor and later used as a practice gunnery target about 65
miles southwest of Pearl Harbor.
After multiple tests, the vessel was finally sunk by an air torpedo on July 31, 1948.
However, USS Nevada rose to the occasion once again after she was found in May of 2020 about
65 miles southwest of Hawaii by a team of maritime archeologists.
Doctor James Delgado, the mission’s lead archeologist and senior vice president of
SEARCH, the largest underwater and terrestrial archaeology firm in the US, said in a statement:
(QUOTE) “Nevada is an iconic ship that speaks to American resilience and stubbornness.
The physical reality of the ship, resting in the darkness of the great museum of the
sea, reminds us not only of past events but of those who took up the challenge of defending
the United States in two global wars.
This is why we do ocean exploration, to seek out these powerful connections to the past.”
SEARCH had partnered with marine robotics company Ocean Infinity with the specific objective
of locating the remains of Nevada.
The joint team used an AUV or Autonomous Underwater Vehicle that surveyed an area of over 100
square miles in the Pacific.
USS Nevada’s legacy remains untarnished, as retired Rear Admiral Samuel Cox, Director
of the Naval History and Heritage Command, put it: (QUOTE) “USS Nevada has a proud
place in the Navy’s history.
It serves as a reminder that our sailors have a long, terrific tradition; her fighting spirit
proved the US Navy remains tough in difficult times.
When the circumstances appear to be at their worst, our Navy remains at their best.”
Thank you for watching our video!
Please like and subscribe to our Dark Documentaries channels to find more exciting historical
content.
And don't forget to hit the bell icon to be notified of our newest videos!
Also, let us know what you think of the USS Nevada’s impressive war service and its
recovery 72 years later.
Stay tuned!