USS Georgia ( BB - 15 ) USS " Georgia " ( BB - 15 ) was a United States Navy . " Georgia " was launched by the Bath Iron Works of Bath , Maine on 11 October 1904 , sponsored by Miss Stella Tate , sister of Georgia Congressman Farish Carter Tate and commissioned at Boston Navy Yard on 24 September 1906 , Captain R . G . Davenport in command . Pre - World War I . After " Georgia " was fitted out and completed a short shakedown cruise , she joined the Atlantic Fleet as flagship of 2nd Division , Squadron 1 . " Georgia " departed Hampton Roads on 26 March 1907 for Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , where she participated in gunnery practice with the fleet . After returning briefly to Boston Navy Yard for repairs , " Georgia " joined with other ships of the Atlantic Fleet in ceremonies opening the Jamestown Exposition . President Theodore Roosevelt and dignitaries present reviewed the fleet on 10 June 1907 , and 11 June was proclaimed " Georgia Day " at the exposition in special ceremonies aboard " Georgia " . " Georgia " next sailed with the fleet for target practice in Cape Cod Bay , arriving on 15 June . On 15 July , a powder charge ignited prematurely in her aft turret , killing 10 officers and men and injuring 11 . Condolences for the loss from this tragic accident were received from all over the world . The powerful battleship then participated in the tercentenary of the landing of the first English Colonists from 16 – 21 August , after which she rejoined the fleet for battle maneuvers before mooring at League Island , Philadelphia on 24 September for overhaul . Arriving in Hampton Roads on 7 December , " Georgia " gathered with 15 other battleships , a torpedo boat squadron , and transports for the great naval review preceding the cruise of the Atlantic Fleet to the West Coast . On 16 December , President Roosevelt reviewed the assembled " Great White Fleet " from the yacht and sent it on the first leg of an around - the - world voyage of training , and building of American prestige and good will . Visiting many South American countries and their highly successful cruise , the fleet met with ships of the Pacific Fleet in another review in San Francisco Bay for the Secretary of the Navy on 8 May 1908 . In 1908 , Templin Potts took command . Then " Georgia " , in company with other battleships and supply vessels , departed San Francisco on 7 July for the second leg of the cruise , showing the flag and bringing the message of American sea power to many parts of the world , including the Philippines , Australia , Japan , and Mediterranean ports . The fleet then returned to Hampton Roads on 22 February 1909 . At this point , she was overhauled , and received cage mast s that were the hallmark of so many US battleships of this era . " Georgia " continued to serve with the Atlantic Fleet in exercises and battle maneuvers — with periods of overhaul interspersed — until 2 November 1910 , when President William Howard Taft reviewed the fleet prior to its departure for France . In an elaborate battle and scouting problem , " Georgia " and the other battleships continued their training , visiting Weymouth , England , and returning to Guantanamo Bay on 13 March 1911 . From 1911 – 1913 , " Georgia " continued to train and serve as a ceremonial ship , and on 5 June 1913 participated in a two - month practice cruise for United States Naval Academy midshipmen . After a long overhaul period in Boston Navy Yard , " Georgia " arrived off the coast of Mexico on 14 January 1914 with other fleet units to protect American interests in the troubled Veracruz - Tampico area . The battleship returned briefly to Norfolk , Virginia in March , but was soon back cruising Mexican waters , and from August – October cruised off Haiti for the protection of American civilians in that country . After another period of overhaul , " Georgia " joined the fleet off Cuba on 25 February 1915 for winter maneuvers , and spent the rest of the year in training and ceremonial duties with the Atlantic Fleet Battleship Force . She arrived at Boston Navy Yard for overhaul on 20 December and decommissioned on 27 January 1916 . World War I . Assigned as a receiving ship at Boston , " Georgia " was called to duty at the entry of the United States into World War I , and commissioned again on 6 April 1917 . For the next 18 months , she operated with 3rd Division , Battleship Force , in fleet tactical exercises and merchant crew gunnery training , based in the York River , Virginia . She joined with Cruiser Force Atlantic briefly in September 1918 to escort convoys to meet their eastern escorts , and beginning on 10 December was fitted out as a transport and attached to the Cruiser and Transport Force for the purpose of returning troops of the American Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) to the United States . " Georgia " made five voyages to France from December 1918 – June 1919 and brought home nearly 6 , 000 soldiers . Inter - war period . " Georgia " was next transferred to the Pacific Fleet as flagship of Division 2 , Squadron 1 . She left Boston for San Diego on 16 July 1919 , and after participating in ceremonial operations for two months , entered Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs on 20 September . Here , " Georgia " staged until decommissioning on 15 July 1920 . She was eventually sold for scrap on 1 November 1923 in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty for the limitation of naval armaments , and her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 10 November .