USS California ( BB - 44 ) USS " California " ( BB - 44 ) , one of two s completed shortly after World War I , was the fifth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 31st state . She was the last American Battleship built on the West Coast , and the only one to be a dreadnought type . She served in the Pacific her entire career , and for twenty years was the flagship of the Pacific Fleet . She was sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor at her moorings in Battleship Row , but was salvaged and reconstructed . She served again for the remainder of World War II before being decommissioned in 1947 . She was sold for scrap in 1959 . Construction and early service years . Her keel was laid down on 25 October 1916 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo , California . She was launched 20 November 1919 sponsored by Mrs . R . T . ( Barbara Stephens ) Zane , daughter of California governor William D . Stephens ; and commissioned on 10 August 1921 , Captain Henry Joseph Ziegemeier in command . She immediately reported to the Pacific Fleet as flagship . For 20 years , from 1921 to 1941 , " California " served first as flagship of the Pacific Fleet , then as flagship of the Battle Fleet ( Battle Force ) , US Fleet . Her annual activities included joint Army - Navy exercises , tactical and organizational development problems , and fleet concentrations for various purposes . Intensive training and superior performance won her the Battle Efficiency Pennant for 1921 and 1922 , and the Gunnery " E " for 1925 and 1926 . In the summer of 1925 , " California " led the Battle Fleet and a division of cruisers from the Scouting Fleet on a good - will cruise to Australia and New Zealand . She took part in the Presidential reviews of 1927 , 1930 , and 1934 . She was modernized in late 1929 and early 1930 and equipped with an improved anti - aircraft battery of eight / 25 cal gun s replacing the earlier guns . Also , the elevation of the ships 14 inch guns was increased for improved range . In the mid - to - late - 1930s , " California " and the 14 Battleships of the United States Fleet were stationed in San Pedro , California . During that time , they participated in numerous fleet exercises taking them up and down the west coast , to Hawaii , and in 1939 through the Panama Canal , to Cuba , to New York City for the 1939 World ' s Fair . " California " was also active in sports competitions . Along with other Pacific Fleet battleships , her crew competed for the Navy Department General Excellency Trophy for Capital Ships of the Pacific Fleet – which because of its design quickly became known as the " Iron Man Trophy " . Since 1919 , the capital ships competed for this coveted award , which was awarded by COMSERVPAC on a system of points figured on the basis of participation and standings of athletic teams of ships of the Fleet . " California " was first awarded the " Iron Man " in 1924 and held it for three years . In 1939 , " California " won the " Iron Man " for the last time with a total score of . 733 to beat out " New Mexico " . During those years the competition for the " Iron Man " was fierce among the capital ships of the Pacific Fleet until most of them were re - assigned to Hawaii in May 1940 after Fleet Problem XXI due to the growing concerns with relations with Japan . Competition for the trophy was suspended during the war , and was not revived until 1948 , after California was out of commission . " California " was one of six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM RADAR in 1940 . World War II . On 7 December 1941 , " California " was moored at the southernmost berth of Battleship Row and was with other dreadnoughts of the Battle Force when the Japanese launched their aerial attack . Watertight integrity had been impaired by preparations for a material inspection ; and the ship suffered extensive flooding damage when hit . One torpedo detonated below the armor belt between Frames 46 and 60 , and a second detonated below the armor belt between Frames 95 and 100 . At 0845 , a 551 lb ( 250 kg ) bomb entered the starboard upper deck level at Frame 60 , passed through the main deck , and exploded on the armored second deck , setting off an anti - aircraft ammunition magazine and killing about 50 men . A second near miss bomb ruptured her bow plates . Smoke from fires started by the bomb hit caused evacuation of the forward engine - room at 1000 and ended pumping efforts to keep " California " afloat . After three days of progressive flooding , " California " settled into the mud with only her superstructure remaining above the surface . When the action ended , 100 of her crew were lost and 62 wounded . Machinist ' s Mate 1st Class Robert R . Scott was one of the sailors who lost his life on 7 December , refusing to leave his battle station , even as it flooded , " as long as the guns keep firing " . Also killed was Chief Radioman Thomas Reeves who organized hand delivery of anti - aircraft ammunition when the equipment to lift it to the guns was knocked out . He was overcome by smoke and fire below decks while leading this effort . Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for their heroism and Destroyer Escorts and were named in their honor . On 25 March 1942 , " California " was refloated and dry - docked at Pearl Harbor for repairs . On 7 June , she departed under her own power for Puget Sound Navy Yard where a major reconstruction job was accomplished , including improved protection , watertight compartmenting , stability , antiaircraft battery , and fire control system . Her original twin funnels were combined into a single funnel faired into the superstructure tower as with the newer " South Dakota " class . The original / 51 cal gun s of the secondary battery and the / 25 cal guns of the anti - aircraft battery were replaced by 16 / 38 cal gun s in new twin mountings . Her appearance was nearly identical to that of and , which were rebuilt after the Pearl Harbor attack to resemble battleships . Like her sisters , she was a virtually new ship built on the bones of the old . As part of the two ocean navy policy , U . S . battleships had been designed within a beam constraint of in order to transit the Panama Canal ; after their similar rebuilds , , " California " and were widened to feet , in effect limiting deployment to the Pacific theater . " California " departed Bremerton , Washington on 31 January 1944 for shakedown at San Pedro , California , and sailed from San Francisco , California , on 5 May for the invasion of the Marianas . Off Saipan in June , she conducted effective shore bombardment and call fire missions . On 14 June , she was hit by a shell from an enemy shore battery which killed one man and wounded nine . Following Saipan , her heavy guns helped blast the way for the assault force in the Guam and Tinian operations from 18 July to 9 August . On 24 August she arrived at Espiritu Santo for repairs to her port bow damaged in a collision with her sister ship that was also present at Pearl Harbor with " California " , " Tennessee " . On 17 September , " California " sailed to Manus to ready for the invasion of the Philippines . From 17 October to 20 November , she played a key role in the Leyte operation , including the destruction of the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Surigao Strait on 25 October . On 1 January 1945 , she departed the Palaus for the Luzon landings . Her powerful batteries were an important factor in the success of these dangerous operations driven home into the heart of enemy - held territory under heavy air attack . On 6 January , while providing shore bombardment at Lingayen Gulf , she was hit by a " kamikaze " ; 44 of her crew were killed and 155 were wounded . Undeterred she made temporary repairs on the spot and remained carrying out her critical mission of shore bombardment until the job was done . She departed on 23 January for Puget Sound Navy Yard , arriving on 15 February for permanent repairs . " California " returned to action at Okinawa on 15 June , and remained in that embattled area until 21 July . Two days later , she joined Task Force 95 ( TF 95 ) to cover the East China Sea minesweeping operations . After a short voyage to San Pedro Bay ( Philippines ) in August , the ship departed Okinawa on 20 September to cover the landing of the Sixth Army occupation force at Wakanoura Wan , Honshū . She remained supporting the occupation until 15 October , then sailed via Singapore , Colombo , Ceylon , and Cape Town , South Africa , to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , arriving on 7 December . She was placed in commission in reserve there on 7 August 1946 , out of commission in reserve on 14 February 1947 , stricken on 1 March 1959 , and sold for scrapping on 10 July 1959 to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation , Sparrows Point , Maryland . In fiction . " California " plays a role in Herman Wouk ' s 1971 novel " The Winds of War " ( 1971 ) and its 1978 sequel " War and Remembrance " . In them a fictional naval officer , Victor Henry , is designated as her commanding officer , but he arrives at Pearl Harbor only a few hours after the ship was sunk in Japan ' s attack and is reassigned . In the video game " " the ship is seen in the first level as the main character tries to escape the ship and fight off enemy aircraft in Pearl Harbor .