By Stephen Smoot
Throughout all of the annals of naval history, no ships sparked as much fear as the dreadnought style battleships of the early and mid 20th century. Their sleek design, powerful guns, and sheer size comforted friends and terrified enemies.
The USS West Virginia, designated BB-48, made for herself a noble reputation during World War II
Now an important piece of that fabled ship has a permanent home at the Shinnston American Legion Post 31.
According to Naval History and Heritage
Command, the West Virginia, sometimes styled the “WeeVee,” entered service with its commission in December 1923. It was the last battleship built by the United States for 20 years, due to restrictions imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty. Her main mission until World War II lay in projecting power into the Pacific.
The official plaque from that ship, containing its record of commanding officers, now has a permanent home at the Shinnston American Legion Post 31.
According to retired post commander Bruce Grimes, “an elderly gentleman passed away and his siblings found it in his home.” They decided to make an anonymous donation of the plaque to the Legion post.
“The American Legion is the perfect place to display it,” said Grimes.
By 1941, the ship was reassigned to Pearl Harbor where it fell under attack by the Japanese on December 7. Along with most of the rest of “battleship row” the ship took two bomb and more than seven torpedo hits.
Her officers saved her from capsizing, which saved lives and made the ship easier to raise. Captain Mervyn Sharp Bennion and Petty Officer Doris Miller received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.
The plaque will serve as a remembrance of the sacrifices made on that fateful day, as well as the heroics performed by the ship and its crew once restored to service. Grimes explained that “Legionnaires who come to the post from around West Virginia will be able to see it as a remembrance of World War II.”
Naval repair workers, some of the most unsung heroes for the United States in the Pacific Theater, made her seaworthy by April of 1943. She then traveled to Puget Sound Navy Yard for a final refitting and modernization. Grimes said he didn’t know how they were able to do it, stating “it’s quite a long way for a crippled ship to go.”
In July 1944, the West Virginia returned to action in the Pacific as US, Chinese, and British forces rolled back Japanese conquests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Grimes shared that “the Japanese could not believe that BB-48 was back in action,” adding that “they called it the White Ghost.” Her first battle came in Oct 1944 at the Surigao Strait. There, she took part in the last battle that saw battleships train their guns on each other.
From there, West Virginia’s 16 inch guns provided cover for troops landing on beaches to wrest strategic islands away from the Japanese. Off Okinawa in April 1945, a kamikaze attack damaged, but did not disable, the ship.
The USS West Virginia’s remaining service included her presence at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay and Operation Magic Carpet, which brought home the men and women who had triumphed in the Pacific.
Decommissioned and scrapped in 1959, not many tangible artifacts remain of the proud ship. The American Legion Post 31, however, can be a final home for this piece of United States Naval History.