Trumpeter 05306 USS MASSACHUSETTS BB-59

USS Massachusetts (BB-59) was an American battleship laid down in 1939, launched in September 1941, and commissioned in the US Navy in May 1942. The ship was 207.5 m long, 33 m wide, and her full displacement - at the time of launching - 44,500 tons. The top speed of the USS Massachusetts battleship was up to 27 knots. The main armament was 9 406 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 20 127 mm guns.

USS Massachusetts was the third of four South Dakota-class battleships. This type of ships was one of the first modern US Navy ships of the World War II period. During their construction, emphasis was placed on better armor compared to the North Carolina-class battleships, but with the same main armament and maximum speed. The power of the engine room has also been significantly increased and the anti-torpedo protection of the hull has been improved. USS Massachusetts (BB-59) received its baptism of fire during the Allied landing in North Africa (Operation Torch) in 1942. There he fought a victorious artillery duel with the incomplete French battleship Jean Bart. From March 1943, the USS Massachusetts was already in service in the Pacific, covering operations in the Solomon Islands area. In November of the same year, he supported the US Marines landing in Tarawa, to cover the Kwajalein landing in February 1944. The USS Massachusetts also took a limited part in the Battle of Leyte Bay in late 1944. It operated almost all of January 1945 in the South China Sea. USS Massachusetts (BB-59) was decommissioned in 1947 and has been serving as a museum ship since 1965.