Five North Carolinas I assume the comment in the recent issue’s “Deck Log” regarding USS North Carolina (ships built in the Philadelphia Navy Yard) referred to the 74-gun ship of the line, built in 1820. Including it in the same sentence as mention of USS New Jersey confused me somewhat, and suggested that the named vessels were of various types (there were six USS Princetons). To add a historical note: There were five vessels put into naval service
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From the Battleship North Carolina Museum: Ships named for the state of North Carolina enjoy a long and proud history. The first USS North Carolina, a 74-gun ship of the line, was launched in Philadelphia, September 1820, and fitted out in Norfolk, Virginia, with Master Commandant Charles W. Morgan in command. A threemasted square-rigger with an overall length of 196 feet 3 inches and beam of 54 feet, she displaced 2,633 tons and carried a complement of 820. As Commodore John Rodgers’s flagship in the Mediterranean from 1825–27, North Carolina symbolized naval might and provided the young republic much-needed prestige and respectability. Her second voyage was in the Pacific Squadron from 1836–39. After that she became a receiving [training] ship and was sold for scrap in 1867. The Confederate States Navy’s 174foot ironclad CSS North Carolina was constructed in Wilmington, North Carolina. Displacing 600 tons, her main battery consisted of four 8-inch guns. She was anchored near the mouth of the Cape Fear River to help keep the port of Wilmington open for blockade runners. She developed leaks and sank in September 1864 near Southport, North Carolina. The second US Navy ship named North Carolina was Armored Cruiser 12, commissioned in 1908 at Norfolk, Virginia. With a length of 504 feet, she displaced 14,500 tons and her designed speed was 22 knots. Her main battery consisted of four 10-inch guns and her secondary of sixteen 6-inch and twenty-two 3-inch rapid-fire guns. Her complement was 38 officers and 821 enlisted men. Her service highlights include bringing home the bodies from USS Maine for burial, convoying troops to and from France during the first
us navy image, nhhc
named North Carolina: four for the US Navy and one Confederate. The other vessels named North Carolina were: the Confederate ironclad, built in Wilmington, NC; the 1908 armored Cruiser 12, built in Norfolk, VA; the 1937 battleship BB-55 built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard; (BB-52 of the same name was canceled); and lastly a nuclear submarine in 2007. Charles Deroko Brooklyn, New York
The first USS North Carolina (1820) was built in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. World War, and catapult launching an AB-2 Curtiss flying boat from her stern on 5 November 1915. Renamed Charlotte in June 1920 so that her name might be used for a new battleship, she was decommissioned in February 1921. Battleship 52, designated North Carolina, was never completed. Laid down in 1920, work halted three years later under terms of the 1922 Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armament. Battleship North Carolina (BB-55) was built at the New York Navy Yard and launched on 13 June 1940. During WWII, North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific area of operations and earned 15 battle stars. courtesy battleship north carolina
there for a tall ships festival. Chibley also endeared herself to the crew. One crewmember was assigned to feed her—including treats—lest everyone try to sneak her scraps of their dinner. If Chibley visited your bunk for a nap, it was a sign she had accepted you as a member of the ship’s crew. After a lifetime of international adventures, Chibley died in November 2011, in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. She left big paw prints to fill and Picton Castle has had a number of cats aboard since, but none with the same length of service as hers. Maggie Ostler Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Battleship North Carolina (BB-55) is now a museum & memorial in Wilmington, NC. Finally, the attack submarine North Carolina (SSN 777) was commissioned on 3 May 2008 in Wilmington, NC. At 377 feet in length, she displaces 7,800 tons submerged and carries a complement of 134. Her maximum designed submerged speed is 25+ knots. Her armament includes 12 vertical launch system tubes, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, tomahawk missiles, and Mk-48 advanced capability torpedoes, advanced mobile mines, and unmanned undersea vehicles. SEA HISTORY 177, WINTER 2021–22