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Maryland
Country | United States |
Ship Class | Colorado-class Battleship |
Hull Number | BB-46 |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Ordered | 5 Dec 1916 |
Laid Down | 24 Apr 1917 |
Launched | 20 Mar 1920 |
Commissioned | 21 Jul 1921 |
Decommissioned | 3 Apr 1947 |
Displacement | 33,100 tons standard |
Length | 624 feet |
Beam | 98 feet |
Draft | 31 feet |
Machinery | 8 oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 4 General Electric turbo-electric drives |
Power Output | 28,900 shaft horsepower |
Speed | 21 knots |
Range | 21,100nm at 10 knots |
Crew | 1,080 |
Armament | 8x16in/45cal guns, 12x5in/51cal guns, 4x3in/23cal guns, 2x21in torpedo tubes |
Armor | 8-13.5in belt, 13in barbettes, 18in turret face, 9-10in turret sides, 5in turret top, 9in turret rear, 11.5in conning tower, 3.5in decks |
Aircraft | 4 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseUSS Maryland, a 32,600-ton Colorado class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia, and commissioned in July 1921. During the 1920s and 1930s, she participated in regular fleet training and combat exercises. Maryland also made some notable long-distance cruises, including one to Rio De Janeiro in the Summer of 1922 to participate in Brazil's Centennial Exposition, the U.S. Fleet's trans-Pacific voyage in 1925, and President-Elect Herbert Hoover's 1928 good-will tour of Latin America.
ww2dbaseMaryland's base was changed from Long Beach, California, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1940. She was moored at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese struck on 7 December 1941, but received relatively minor damage. Following repairs and overhaul, Maryland operated with Task Force One off the U.S. West Coast in 1942, deploying to the South Pacific later in the year. She took part in operations to capture the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in late 1943 and early 1944, employing her sixteen-inch guns in the pre-invasion bombardments of Tarawa and Kwajalein.
ww2dbaseIn June 1944, Maryland again participated in pre-invasion gunnery, this time against Saipan. During this operation, she was torpedoed by a Japanese aircraft, necessitating a trip to Pearl Harbor for repairs. The battleship returned to action for the Palaus operation in September 1944. During the Leyte invasion in October, she bombarded enemy positions ashore and fired on Japanese warships during the Battle of Surigao Strait. While operating off Leyte in late November, Maryland was damaged by a "Kamikaze" suicide plane.
ww2dbaseMaryland was repaired in time to participate in the Okinawa operation during March and April 1945, was again hit by enemy air attack on 7 April, but remained in action for another week. She then went to the West Coast for overhaul. This work was completed in early August, but the Pacific War ended before she could return to the combat zone. After spending the last months of 1945 transporting servicemen home from the mid-Pacific, Maryland went to Bremerton, Washington, for inactivation. She was decommissioned in April 1947 and remained in "mothballs" until July 1959, when she was sold for scrapping.
ww2dbaseSource: Naval Historical Center
Last Major Revision: Jan 2005
Battleship Maryland (BB-46) Interactive Map
Photographs
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Maryland Operational Timeline
21 Jul 1921 | USS Maryland was commissioned into service. |
29 Dec 1941 | Battleships USS Tennessee and USS Maryland, both damaged in the Pearl Harbor attack, arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs. |
25 Feb 1942 | Battleships USS Tennessee and USS Maryland depart Puget Sound Naval Shipyard after repairs. |
31 May 1942 | USS Maryland patrolled 650 miles west of San Francisco, California, United States. |
2 Nov 1943 | Battleships USS Washington, USS Massachusetts, and USS South Dakota escorted by destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Fletcher, USS LaVallette, USS Jenkins, and USS Taylor rendezvoused and joined with carriers USS Essex, USS Bunker Hill, and USS Independence with battleships USS Alabama, USS Indiana, USS Tennessee, USS Maryland, and USS Colorado and cruisers USS Portland, USS Mobile, USS Santa Fe, and USS Birmingham with destroyers USS Taylor and USS Radford. Together, this task group steamed toward Nandi Bay, Fiji. |
7 Nov 1943 | Carriers USS Essex, USS Bunker Hill, and USS Independence with battleships USS Washington, USS Massachusetts, USS South Dakota, USS Alabama, USS Indiana, USS Tennessee, USS Maryland, and USS Colorado with cruisers USS Portland, USS Mobile, USS Santa Fe, and USS Birmingham escorted by destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Fletcher, USS LaVallette, USS Jenkins, USS Taylor, and USS Radford arrived at Nandi Bay, Fiji. |
7 Dec 1943 | USS Maryland, USS Pensacola, USS Salt Lake City, and USS Portland, with USS Bailey as one their escorts, departed the Gilbert Islands bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
14 Dec 1943 | USS Maryland, USS Pensacola, USS Salt Lake City, and USS Portland, with USS Bailey as one their escorts, arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
30 Apr 1944 | USS Washington departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in company with USS Colorado and USS Maryland. |
5 May 1944 | Battleships USS Maryland, Colorado, Washington, and California escorted by destroyers USS Mugford, Bagley, Sterett, Wilson, Shaw, Helm, Ross, and Selfridge departed San Francisco, California bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
10 May 1944 | Battleships USS Maryland, Colorado, Washington, and California escorted by destroyers USS Mugford, Bagley, Sterett, Wilson, Shaw, Helm, Ross, and Selfridge arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from San Francisco. |
12 Oct 1944 | Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Tennessee, USS California, USS Pennsylvania, USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, and USS Mississippi with cruisers USS Honolulu, USS Portland, USS Minneapolis, USS Denver, and USS Columbia departed Seeadler Harbor, Manus bound Leyte Gulf, Philippines. |
14 Nov 1944 | Battleship USS Maryland with cruisers USS St. Louis and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Taylor, USS Lang, USS McCord, USS Trathen, USS Hazelwood, and USS MacDonough departed Kossol Roads, Palau bound for Leyte Gulf, Philippines. |
16 Nov 1944 | Battleship USS Maryland with cruisers USS St. Louis and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Taylor, USS Lang, USS McCord, USS Trathen, USS Hazelwood, and USS MacDonough arrived at Leyte Gulf, Philippines and joined a task group patrolling the gulf’s entrance. |
27 Nov 1944 | US Navy Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, USS Colorado, and USS New Mexico, cruisers USS Denver, USS St. Louis, USS Columbia, USS Minneapolis, and USS Montpelier, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Waller, USS Eaton, USS Cony, USS Mustin, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Lang, USS Sigourney, USS Saufley, USS Aulick, USS Renshaw, USS Taylor, USS Edwards, and USS Mugford, tanker USS Caribou, and other patrol craft were patrolling in Leyte Gulf, Philippines when the group came under a concentrated Japanese special air attack from 20 to 30 aircraft. All but two of the Japanese planes dived on the formation in the sustained attack. Submarine chaser SC-744 was sunk and battleship Colorado and cruisers St. Louis and Montpelier were damaged. |
29 Nov 1944 | US Navy Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, and USS New Mexico, cruisers USS Denver, USS Columbia, USS Minneapolis, USS Montpelier, and USS Portland, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Waller, USS Cony, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Lang, USS Saufley, USS Aulick, USS Renshaw, USS Edwards, USS Mugford, and USS Connor, and other patrol craft were patrolling in Leyte Gulf, Philippines when the group came under a Japanese air attack where special attack aircraft that damaged Maryland, Saufley, and Aulick. |
9 Dec 1944 | With one propeller removed, USS St. Louis was floated out of floating drydock USS ABSD-4 in Papitalai Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands and departed Manus with USS Maryland bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
19 Dec 1944 | USS Maryland and USS St. Louis arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
7 Apr 1945 | USS Hancock, USS Maryland, and 4 destroyers were damaged by Japanese special attack aircraft. |
8 May 1945 | USS Maryland arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for repairs of extensive damage following being hit by a special attack aircraft off Okinawa. |
15 Apr 1946 | USS Maryland arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and was placed in an inactive status. |
3 Apr 1947 | USS Maryland was decommissioned at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
25 Sep 2017 02:48:01 PM
the article does not specify "month 1942" until timeline May in summary although another website claimed maryland operated february like the tenessee i believe "operated May" like timeline here so please add the month "May" to the article like timeline and verify that "february" is error. much thanks
14 Jul 2019 08:41:47 PM
How can I find a list of sailors who were on the USS Maryland on December 7, 1941?
I believe my dad could have been on it.
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16 Jul 2019 07:50:32 PM
To: Eileen Holleran (above):
Navy Muster Rolls can be viewed at www.Fold3.com, but remember that Muster Rolls only contain names of enlisted Navy personnel; officers and Marines were listed in other documents that I have not found online. You did not include your father’s name but I did learn there were no Hollerans on Maryland’s Muster Rolls.
14 Dec 2019 03:37:48 PM
Can you tell me the dates my father Marion(jack) Whitley served aboard the Maryland...thank you
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14 Dec 2019 11:38:51 PM
Betty Meyer (above):
According to Navy Muster Rolls, Marion Eugene Whitley, service number 262 64 05 who enlisted 8 Aug 1940 at Raleigh NC, reported aboard Maryland 30 Oct 1940 at Norfolk VA as an Apprentice Seaman. On 6 Jan 1940, he was transferred off the ship at Puget Sound for temporary duty. It doesn’t say what that duty was or when he returned to the ship but he was listed on the next regular quarterly Muster List on 30 Mar 1940. He continued to be listed in the quarterly Muster Lists, rising from Apprentice Seaman to Seaman 2nd-class to Seaman 1st-class to Coxwain, until he was transferred off the ship 1 Oct 1943 to the Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital for treatment. It doesn’t say what the nature of the treatment was but it appears it was not combat related since Maryland had been in Pearl Harbor for 2 weeks before his hospitalization. He does not appear in a Muster Roll for any ship after this. His dates aboard make it clear he was aboard for the Pearl Harbor air raid that Maryland was right in the middle of.
For more detailed information about his service, I cannot recommend strongly enough the value of requesting a copy of his service record. See https://ww2db.com/faq/#3.
19 Jan 2021 12:26:14 PM
My grandfather, Berdette J. (Doc) Welday was aboard the USS Maryland on 12-7-1941. How would I locate information about his service?
3 Apr 2021 04:00:46 AM
she was launched in 1920. please add here and on list page, launch column.
length 624 feet so please add here and commisioned 1921.
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George Patton, 31 May 1944
21 Mar 2017 05:40:26 AM
My grandfather Leslie Gerald Langford was a crewman during ww2 I'm looking for more information about him.