Tag Archives: 5″/25-caliber

Nothing says ‘good morning’ like 5″ batteries, 75 years ago today

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This beautiful originial Kodachrome shows the 5″/25cal (127 mm) Mark 10 battery aboard the U.S. Navy battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) preparing to fire during the bombardment of Saipan, 15 June 1944.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # 80-G-K-14162

Note the time-fuze setters on the left side of each gun mount, each holding three fixed shells; the barrels of 20 mm cannon at the extreme right; and triple the 14″/50 (34.5 cm) Mark 4 main guns in the background. On the two nearest weapons, note the “Hot Case Man” standing behind the breech and equipped with asbestos catcher’s mitts. Their job was to catch the ejected casing and then toss it out of the way of the gun crew as best they could.

The lead ship of a class of three battleships, and the first ship to be named for the state of New Mexico, Battleship No. 40 was a Great War baby, commissioning 20 May 1918, and famously escorted the ship that carried President Wilson to Brest to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Missing Pearl Harbor as she was at the time on neutrality patrols in the Atlantic, she came through the Panama Canal on 17 January 1942 and earned six battlestars in the Pacific War.

She was in Tokyo Harbor for the end of the war.

The U.S. Navy battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) anchored in the Tokyo Bay area, circa late August 1945, at the end of World War II. Mount Fuji is in the background. NH 50232

The U.S. Navy battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) anchored in the Tokyo Bay area, circa late August 1945, at the end of World War II. Mount Fuji is in the background. NH 50232

Decommissioned in 1946 after 28 years of faithful service, she was paid off the next year and sold for $381,600, her value as scrap metal.

 

Blowing smoke, 75 years ago today

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USS Minneapolis (CA-36) bombarding Butaritari Island, Makin Atoll, on 20 November 1943, shortly before U.S. Army forces landed there. Guns firing are from the cruiser’s starboard side 5″/25-caliber secondary battery. Note smoke rings. Simultaneous discharge of these guns indicates that they are firing under remote control.

(NHHC: 80-G-202518)

A New Orleans-class cruiser, Minneapolis was designed as a light cruiser but was redesignated as a heavy before she was commissoned in 1934. “Minnie” earned an impressive 16 battle stars in WWII, but it didn’t save her from the breakers. She was sold for scrap, 14 August 1959, after spending 12 years in mothballs.