USS New York ( BB - 34 ) USS " New York " ( BB - 34 ) was a United States Navy battleship , the lead ship of her class . Named for New York State , she was designed as the first ship to carry the 14 inch / 45 caliber ( 356 mm ) gun . Entering service in 1914 , she was part of the U . S . Navy force which was sent to reinforce the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea near the end of World War I . During that time , she was involved in at least two incidents with German U - Boat s , and is believed to have been the only U . S . ship to have sunk one , during an accidental collision in October 1918 . Following the war , she was sent on a litany of training exercises and cruises in both the Atlantic and the Pacific , and saw several overhauls to increase her armament . She entered the Neutrality Patrol at the beginning of World War II , and served as a convoy escort for ships to Iceland and Great Britain in the early phase of the war . She saw her first combat against coastal artillery during Operation Torch around Casablanca in North Africa , and later became a training ship . Late in the war , she moved to the Pacific , and provided artillery support for the invasion of Iwo Jima and later the invasion of Okinawa . Returning to Pearl Harbor for repairs until the end of the war , she was determined to be obsolete and was chosen to take part in the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon test s at Bikini Atoll in 1946 . She survived both explosions and the effects of radiation on the ship were studied for several years . She was eventually sunk as a target in 1948 . She received three battle star s for her service . Design and construction . " New York " was the first of two planned " New York " - class battleships , though construction on her began after her sister , . She was ordered in fiscal year 1911 as the first class of battleship in the United States Navy to carry the 14 inch / 45 caliber ( 356 mm ) gun . She had a standard displacement of and a full - load displacement of . She was in length overall , at the waterline , and had a beam of and a draft of . She was powered by 14 Babcock and Wilcox boilers driving two dual - acting triple expansion reciprocating steam engines , with 28 , 100 indicated horsepower , with a maximum speed of . She had a range of at . Armor on " New York " consisted of belt armor from to thick . Her lower casemate had between and of armor , and her upper casemate had of armor . Deck armor was thick , and turret armor was on the face , on the top , on the sides , and on the rear . Armor on her barbettes was between and . Her conning tower was protected by of armor , with of armor on its top . Her armament consisted of ten 14 " / 45 caliber gun s , arrayed in five double mounts designated A , B , Q , X , and Y . As constructed , these turrets had an elevation of 15 degrees , but this was increased to 30 degrees during an overhaul in 1940 – 1941 . The class was the last to feature a Q turret mounted amidships . As built , she also carried 21 5 inch 51 cal ( 127 mm ) guns , primarily for defense against destroyer s and torpedo boat s . The 5 inch guns were poor in accuracy in rough seas due to the open casemates mounted in the hull , so the 5 inch armament was reduced to 16 guns in 1918 by removal of the least useful positions near the ends of the ship . The ship was not designed with antiaircraft ( AA ) defense in mind , but two 3 " / 50 cal ( 76 mm ) AA gun s were added in 1918 . She also had four 21 inch ( 533 mm ) torpedo tube s for the Bliss - Leavitt Mark 3 torpedo . Her crew consisted of 1 , 042 officers and enlisted men . " New York " was laid down on 11 September 1911 in New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn . The " New York " class was constructed under new labor laws that limited the working hours of her construction crews . It was also stipulated that each ship cost less than $ 6 , 000 , 000 , excluding cost of armor and armament . She was launched on 30 October 1912 and commissioned on 15 May 1914 . The fifth ship to be named for New York State , she was sponsored by Elsie Calder , the daughter of New York politician William M . Calder . The fourth , an armored cruiser , was later renamed USS " Rochester " , and was scuttled in Subic Bay in 1941 . However , the wreck site for that ship , which has become a popular recreational dive site , is still commonly referred to as USS " New York " . Service history . Under the command of Captain Thomas S . Rodgers , " New York " headed straight for Veracruz following its commissioning . She was designated flagship for Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher in July 1914 , commanding the fleet occupying and blockading Veracruz to prevent arms shipments from arriving there to support the government of Victoriano Huerta . The United States occupation of Veracruz ultimately ended and " New York " resumed her shakedown cruise along the East Coast of the United States . She also undertook several goodwill duties , and in December 1915 she held a high - profile Christmas party and dinner for several hundred orphans from New York City , as the suggestion of her crew . It later became a tradition on the ship to help underprivileged when possible , earning it the nickname " Christmas Ship . " Following this duty , she undertook a number of training exercises off the Atlantic coast . World War I . Following the United States entry into World War I , " New York " , under the command of Captain Edward L . Beach , Sr . , became flagship of Battleship Division 9 ( BatDiv 9 ) , commanded by Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman . She was sent to reinforce the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea , arriving at Scapa Flow on 7 December 1917 . The ships of the U . S . fleet were assigned to the 6th Battle Squadron in the Grand Fleet , the American ships joined in blockade and escort . In December 1917 , " New York " and the other U . S . battleships took part in several gunnery exercises . " New York " scored the highest score of the ships for her main battery , with an accuracy of 93 . 3 percent . Ultimately the " New York " was the best performer in these exercises , the only ship rated as " excellent " while many of her sisters received mediocre performance reviews . She did not fire any shots during the war , but during at least two occasions , the convoy she was escorting came under attack by German U - Boat s . On the evening of 14 October 1918 , as " New York " led a group of battleships into the Pentland Firth , she was rocked by a violent underwater collision on her starboard side , followed shortly after by another to the stern that broke off two of her propeller blades , reducing the ship to one engine and a speed of . It was immediately clear to the men on board that she had struck an underwater object , but the depth of the channel meant it could not have been a shipwreck . Commanders concluded that " New York " must have accidentally collided with a submerged German U - boat . They agreed that the submarine had rammed its bow into the ship ' s side , then been struck moments later by the ship ' s propeller . In their opinion , the damage would have been fatal to the German craft . Postwar examination of German records revealed that the submarine lost may have been or . This strange — and accidental — encounter marked the only time in all of Battleship Division Nine ' s service with the Grand Fleet that one of its ships sank a German vessel . Badly damaged by the loss of a propeller , the ship sailed to Rosyth under heavy escort for repairs on 15 October . At 01 : 00 the next morning , a U - boat launched three torpedoes at the damaged vessel , all of which passed ahead of her . Unlike in previous cases , sufficient evidence existed to suppose that this torpedo attack was not a false alarm — a number of officers and men aboard " New York " clearly saw the wakes of the torpedoes in the full moonlight , and a submarine was spotted in the immediate vicinity by a patrol shortly after the attack . Ironically , the battleship ' s wounded condition is possibly what saved her : although standard procedure was to steam at , " New York " could make only on her one operable propeller . Due to this , historian Jerry Jones believes that the German U - boat captain misjudged the ship ' s speed . With no further damage , however , the battleship was able to safely arrive at a drydock in Rosyth . As she was lifted clear of the water , a large dent commensurate with a submarine bow was found in her hull . " New York " was also frequently host to foreign dignitaries , including King George V and Edward VIII of the United Kingdom , as well as prince Hirohito of the Empire of Japan . The ship was of great interest to other European powers , as it was in many cases a first chance to see an American ship comparable to a dreadnought up close . She was on hand for the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918 in the Firth of Forth , several days after the signing of the Armistice , after which she returned to the United States briefly . After arriving in the United States , the shop was overhauled . The secondary battery was reduced to sixteen 5 " / 51 caliber guns . She then served as an escort for the SS " George Washington " , carrying President Woodrow Wilson , on his trip from the United States to Brest , France " en route " to the Versailles Peace Conference . Interwar period . Arriving back in the United States in 1919 , she began to undertake training and patrol duties , including at one point to the Caribbean with a number of other U . S . ships . During this year , she also saw a refit in Norfolk Navy Yard where five 5 inch ( 127 mm ) guns were removed ( with 16 remaining ) and three additional ( total 5 ) 3 inch ( 76 mm ) AA guns were added . In late 1919 , she sailed to the Pacific Ocean and joined the newly - formed United States Pacific Fleet . She continued to conduct training and patrol duties in the Pacific until the mid - 1930s when she was transferred again to the Atlantic , and began operating out of the North Atlantic , with the exception of several occasional trips to the West Coast of the United States . In 1926 " New York " was considered obsolete compared with other battleships in service , so she steamed to Norfolk Navy Yard for a complete refit . While several other battleships in service , including and were converted to training ships or scrapped , " New York " and " Texas " were chosen to be overhauled to increase their speed , armor , armament , and propulsion systems as allowed by the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 . An additional were added to her for defense against aerial targets and submarines . The number of 3 inch ( 76 mm ) AA guns was increased to 8 , and six of the 5 inch guns were relocated to new casemates on the main deck . The torpedo tubes were removed at this time . Her 14 Babcock and Wilcox coal - fired boilers were replaced with six Bureau Express oil - fired boilers and the twin funnels were trunked into one , aft of the forward superstructure . Tripods were fitted in place of lattice masts , and atop the forward tripod a control tower was installed . A tower was built amidships that contained additional fire control to backup to the system on the foremast . A new aircraft catapult was installed atop " Q " turret and cranes were installed on either side of the funnel for boat and aircraft handling . Additional deck protection was added , and her beam was widened to . She was fitted with anti - torpedo bulge s , though these made maneuvering harder at low speeds and she rolled badly , and her gunfire accuracy was reduced in rough seas . On 4 September 1928 , she left for short - range battle drills with , and from 7 to 10 November the ships traveled to San Francisco together with . On 3 April 1929 she undertook anti - aircraft practice with " Arizona " , and then the two ships and " Pennsylvania " steamed for Cuba , where they stayed until steaming for Hampton Roads on 1 May . She remained with the Pacific Fleet conducting training and fleet problems until 1937 . That year she was selected to carry Admiral Hugh Rodman , the President ' s personal representative for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth , " New York " sailed to take part in the Grand Naval Review of 20 May 1937 as sole U . S . Navy representative . In 1937 , eight 1 . 1 inch ( 28 mm ) AA guns in two quadruple mounts were added to improve the light AA armament . " New York " was fitted with XAF RADAR in February 1938 , including the first United States duplexer so a single antenna could both send and receive . This made her the second ship to be outfitted with radar after . The tests conducted on " New York " led to similar radars being installed on the " Brooklyn " and " St . Louis " class cruisers as well as newer battleship . For several years , she served primarily as a training ship for midshipmen and newly enlisted sailors . In September 1939 , " New York " joined the Neutrality Patrol , safeguarding sea lanes in the North Atlantic , and served with the Atlantic Squadron , later redesignated the United States Atlantic Fleet , for the next 27 months . In July 1941 , she protected a convoy of U . S . troops moving to garrison Iceland . She saw another modernization in 1940 – 41 where her main battery elevation was increased from 15 to 30 degrees . She was in the midst of this refit on 7 December 1941 , when the Japan attacked Pearl Harbor , sinking many of the battleships in the U . S . Pacific Fleet and bringing the United States into World War II . World War II . With the outbreak of war , " New York " s overhaul was sped up and completed four weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor . She returned to duty escorting cargo and troop ships to Iceland and Scotland . She continued on patrol duty for the next year . In her first series of escorts , she left Norfolk 15 February , arrived in New York 16 February , Nova Scotia 21 February , and Iceland 2 March , returning to Norfolk on 27 March . She left there on her second patrol 24 April and arrived at New York the next day , Nova Scotia 2 May , Newfoundland 5 May , and Iceland 10 May , returning to New York on 20 May . The next day she left for a third escort , arriving again at Nova Scotia on 2 June and Scotland on 10 June , returning to Norfolk on 30 June . Following these three escort missions , she put in for overhaul in Norfolk . the secondary battery was reduced to six 5 inch ( 127 mm ) guns and the anti - aircraft armament was increased to 10 3 inch ( 76 mm ) guns , 24 Bofors 40 mm guns in quadruple mounts , and 42 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon s . She departed Norfolk on 12 August and arrived the next day at New York . From there , she escorted a convoy to Nova Scotia where she remained until 22 August , then departed for Scotland where she was from 31 August to 5 September . She returned to Norfolk on 15 September . The first major action " New York " saw was in Operation Torch , the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942 . She left Norfolk on 23 October in order to join the Allied fleet . Attached to the Southern Attack Group tasked with attacking Safi , Morocco on 8 November , " New York " and cruiser , screened by six destroyers , attacked Safi harbor , supporting landings by the U . S . 47th Infantry Division in the harbor , and defended transports and which came under attack by shore batteries at Point De La Tour . " New York " fired several salvoes with her guns , with one of them striking the base of the battery and ricocheting into a bunker , destroying the range finder and killing the battery commander and neutralizing the battery . Further attempts at attacking the landing force with shore batteries were destroyed by " Philadelphia " s guns and aircraft from escort carrier . New York remained on station until the port was secure , then steamed north to support the Center Group off Fedhala and Casablanca , specifically to deal with the threat of the Vichy French battleship " Jean Bart " , but by the time she arrived , that battleship had been disabled by and other Vichy French ships had been driven off by and . " New York " remained on off the coast of North Africa until the beaches were secure , then retired on 14 November . She had expended a total of 60 rounds . She returned to Norfolk on 23 November . " New York " next returned to convoy patrol . She escorted two convoys to Casablanca from the United States during late 1942 , leaving Norfolk on 24 November and in New York from 25 November to 12 December , Casablanca from 24 to 29 December , and back in Norfolk on 12 January 1943 . She left Norfolk on the second escort on 26 February , in New York from 27 February to 5 March , in Casablanca from 18 to 25 March , and back to New York from 5 April to 1 May . In 1943 she was selected for a refit to become a main battery and escort training center . She arrived in Portland , Maine on 2 May , where she remained until 27 July . During her fourth and final refit in early 1943 her anti - aircraft battery was increased to 10 3 - inch / 50 caliber guns , 40 40mm and 36 20mm guns . Improved fire control was added as well , and this ultimately increased her displacement to standard and full - load . She returned to Norfolk on 2 August 1943 . She was used to train crews from the U . S . Navy , U . S . Coast Guard , and Allied navies on the 14 - inch / 45 caliber gun , the 3 - inch / 50 caliber gun , and the 20mm and 40mm guns , primarily because many newer ships used these weapons . Between July 1943 and June 1944 about 11 , 000 enlisted men and 750 officers trained on her in this capacity . However , the duty lowered morale among the crew and a large number of requests for transfer were put in . Following this duty , she was sent to the U . S . Naval Academy and undertook three consecutive midshipmen cruises ferrying a total of 1 , 800 cadets from Annapolis to Trinidad between June and August 1944 . Pacific theater . Selected to return to action in the Pacific Theater in late 1944 , she transited the Panama Canal on 27 November , and arrived in Long Beach , California on 9 December , breaking down at least once along the way and losing an observation plane in bad weather along the way . She conducted refresher training off Southern California in December 1944 and January 1945 . " New York " departed 12 January and rendezvoused with , , , " Texas " , and , forming a support force for the invasion of Iwo Jima . " New York " lost a blade off her port screw just before the invasion began and briefly put in for temporary repairs at Eniwetok from 5 to 7 February , and she returned to the group , which was near Saipan on 11 February . Together , they arrived at Iwo Juma 16 February and began pre - invasion bombardment . During the three days of shore bombardment that followed , " New York " expended 6 , 417 rounds , including 1 , 037 rounds . One of her salvoes struck the primary ammunition dump on the island , causing " the most spectacular secondary explosion in the campaign . " She retired from the area on 19 February and arrived at Ulithi on 21 February . After a permanent repair to her port propeller at Manus from 28 February to 19 March , she rejoined Task Force 54 at Ulithi on 22 March in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa . Joined by , , and " West Virginia " , the fleet of battleships began its bombardment of Okinawa beginning 27 March . Providing shore bombardment , and later naval artillery support for ground forces , " New York " was on station for 76 consecutive days , during which she expended 4 , 159 rounds of ammunition and 7 , 001 rounds of ammunition . She was subjected to a " kamikaze " attack on 14 April which destroyed one spotting plane on its catapult , but the Japanese aircraft crashed from the ship and " New York " received only superficial damage , suffering two men injured . She was detached on 11 June , her gun barrels having been worn out by fire , and proceeded to Pearl Harbor to have her guns relined in preparation for the invasion of mainland Japan . She stopped by Leyte 14 June and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 1 July . She was in the harbor on 15 August , the end of the war . During World War II , " New York " spent 1 , 088 days with the Atlantic Fleet from December 1941 to November 1944 , and 276 days with the Pacific Fleet . She expended a total of 53 , 094 rounds of all types totaling , traveled , spent 414 days underway , and consumed of fuel oil . Post - War . Following the end of the war , " New York " entered the Operation Magic Carpet fleet , leaving Pearl Harbor on 2 September and arriving at San Pedro on 9 September with a load of veterans embarked . She then proceeded to New York City to take part in Navy Day celebrations . Selected as a test ship for Operation Crossroads , she was used in bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946 with about 70 other ships , surviving both Able and Baker nuclear tests . Following these tests , she was towed to Pearl Harbor to study the effects of the bomb blasts on her . On 6 July 1948 , she was towed out to sea and used as target practice , and was sunk by several naval aircraft and ships . She had received three battle star s for her wartime service .