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Silver State Dreadnought: The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada
USS Nevada (BB-36) was America's first modern battleship. When her keel was laid in 1912, kings and emperors still ruled much of the world. When she finally slipped beneath the waves in 1948, America was the undisputed global superpower. Nevada was revolutionary for her the first "superdreadnought"; the first U.S. warship to be oil fired; the first to have a triple-gun main turret; and, the first to have all-or-nothing armor. In World War I, she was based in Queenstown, Ireland, to provide protection for American convoys bringing troops to Europe. She survived the naval reduction treaties of the 1920s and was rebuilt in 1928 with the latest technology. The only battleship to get underway at Pearl Harbor, suffered damage from Japanese bombs and torpedoes and sank in shallow water. Raised and repaired, she did convoy duty in the North Atlantic before joining the invasion fleet for D-Day and the landings in Southern France. Shifting to the Pacific, Nevada provided bombardment support at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The end of the war saw her outgunned and outmoded, but her contributions were not over. In 1946, she survived not one but two atomic tests, the second of which left the battleship too radioactive for scrapping. On a sunny day in 1948, Nevada was towed off the coast of Oahu and used for target practice. After five days of pounding by everything the Navy could throw her, Nevada was dispatched by a torpedo. She died a warrior's death. Silver State Dreadnought is the story of a remarkable ship, but it is also the story of the remarkable men who sailed in her. Nevada's first captain, William S. Sims, brought his unique style of leadership to America's premiere battleship and set the tone for what became known as the "Cheer Up Ship." As Nevada aged, the ship gained the affectionate name "The Old Maru," beloved by all who served in her.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 1, 2019
I approached Silver State Dreadnought with trace of biases. I am a native Nevadan, I was in the U.S. Navy for thirty years, I am the son and nephew of World War II War in the Pacific Navy veterans and my favorite aunt was a WWII Navy nurse, and like any young Silver State kid growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s I knew the story of the USS Nevada’s life and death. She was the only battleship to get underway during the Pearl Harbor attack; once the war was over, she proved defiantly unsinkable through two atomic bomb tests. Her beautiful silver service set, with a magnificent punch bowl as the centerpiece—a commissioning gift from the people of the state of Nevada—was seen by every Nevada kid within traveling range of the state museum in Carson City, where it still resides today. The USS Nevada embodied the tough resilience of the Silver State’s people and they new it. Nevadans were proud of their namesake warship.
I began Silver State Dreadnought wondering if Younger could live up to my expectations. He took, however, took a different approach. His book was not intended to reinforce the lore of my youth or to choke the life and death of a warship in literary glory. Instead he gives the reader a factual, chronological account of the USS Nevada’s history. Certainly there are ships that had extraordinarily, adventurous lives, particularly those in World War II. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), the submarine USS Wahoo (SS-238), and the USS San Diego (CL-53) are but three such ships. Nevada was different. It was a workhorse, a Clydesdale among thoroughbreds. Her history reads, accurately in my opinion, more like a ship’s log rather than an epic tale of a daring battlewagon.
The USS Nevada was a technological marvel when she was launched in the middle of Europe’s Great War. She was the first U.S. Navy battleship to be oil fired; the first to strategically place her armor to protect the ships vital operating spaces; the first to place three large naval rifles in one turret, and the first to combine these advances in a ship that could steam at 20 knots. After the United States entered World War I, the Nevada found herself operating out of Ireland, but her stay was only slightly more than three months. The end of the war in November 1918 truncated her overseas service and by the end of December she was home.
The interwar years were a time of training, refitting, and upgrading. Technological advancements overtook the Nevada’s ability to remain a frontline battleship. As the 1930s were coming to a close, she found herself ten to fifteen knots slower than the newest battleships. Her 14-inch main guns, while reliable and accurate, lacked the range of newer, larger 15 and 16-inch guns now being found on other battleships. After Pearl Harbor and the outbreak of World War II, there was consideration given to refloating and decommissioning the Nevada after her sinking, but the losses at Perl Harbor left the U.S. Navy short of battleships.
The USS Nevada was thus given new life and a new look at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1942. Gone were the tripod masts and her heavy conning tower. She was fitted with new main guns and sixteen modern five-inch dual purpose guns in eight mounts. She now bristled with 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft guns and had the latest radar equipment installed. Her crew size doubled, as almost 2,000 sailors now called her ‘home’. Her silhouette was modern and graceful. Not bad for a ship now more than twenty-five years old.
The remaining years of the war found the Nevada providing critical support for troops ashore in the Aleutian campaign, aggressively attacking German shore batteries on D-Day in Normandy, and for many days after, as the Allies broached Hitler’s Fortress Europe. She then returned home for a brief refit and re-gunning before steaming to the frontlines of the Pacific War. There she provided similar support for the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. There the war was finally brought home to the men of the Nevada as Kamikaze and shore fire killed and injured many sailors.
After the war came to a sudden close, the end for the USS Nevada in one form or another was not far off. At the advanced age of thirty and hopelessly obsolete, she was selected to be part of the first post-war atomic bomb tests. After two of these tests permanently radiated the ship beyond recovery but failed to sink her, the Nevada was subjected to a series of airborne torpedo attacks off of Hawaii and was sunk on July 31, 1948. What the Japanese, Germans, and the atomic age had been unable to do was finally achieved, the demise of the USS Nevada.
Younger’s ‘travel log’ has captured what a U.S. Navy ship’s life is—long, often boring, subject to repetitive peacetime training exercises, long days and months at sea, and if destiny chooses, a call to war. A ship’s life is a journey. As the journey progresses a ship develops a personality and creates a family constituency of all those who serve on her. Good ships have loyal and loving constituencies that never forget. There is no higher compliment for a U.S. Navy ship than to have such a constituency. The USS Nevada assuredly had hers.
I began Silver State Dreadnought wondering if Younger could live up to my expectations. He took, however, took a different approach. His book was not intended to reinforce the lore of my youth or to choke the life and death of a warship in literary glory. Instead he gives the reader a factual, chronological account of the USS Nevada’s history. Certainly there are ships that had extraordinarily, adventurous lives, particularly those in World War II. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), the submarine USS Wahoo (SS-238), and the USS San Diego (CL-53) are but three such ships. Nevada was different. It was a workhorse, a Clydesdale among thoroughbreds. Her history reads, accurately in my opinion, more like a ship’s log rather than an epic tale of a daring battlewagon.
The USS Nevada was a technological marvel when she was launched in the middle of Europe’s Great War. She was the first U.S. Navy battleship to be oil fired; the first to strategically place her armor to protect the ships vital operating spaces; the first to place three large naval rifles in one turret, and the first to combine these advances in a ship that could steam at 20 knots. After the United States entered World War I, the Nevada found herself operating out of Ireland, but her stay was only slightly more than three months. The end of the war in November 1918 truncated her overseas service and by the end of December she was home.
The interwar years were a time of training, refitting, and upgrading. Technological advancements overtook the Nevada’s ability to remain a frontline battleship. As the 1930s were coming to a close, she found herself ten to fifteen knots slower than the newest battleships. Her 14-inch main guns, while reliable and accurate, lacked the range of newer, larger 15 and 16-inch guns now being found on other battleships. After Pearl Harbor and the outbreak of World War II, there was consideration given to refloating and decommissioning the Nevada after her sinking, but the losses at Perl Harbor left the U.S. Navy short of battleships.
The USS Nevada was thus given new life and a new look at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1942. Gone were the tripod masts and her heavy conning tower. She was fitted with new main guns and sixteen modern five-inch dual purpose guns in eight mounts. She now bristled with 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft guns and had the latest radar equipment installed. Her crew size doubled, as almost 2,000 sailors now called her ‘home’. Her silhouette was modern and graceful. Not bad for a ship now more than twenty-five years old.
The remaining years of the war found the Nevada providing critical support for troops ashore in the Aleutian campaign, aggressively attacking German shore batteries on D-Day in Normandy, and for many days after, as the Allies broached Hitler’s Fortress Europe. She then returned home for a brief refit and re-gunning before steaming to the frontlines of the Pacific War. There she provided similar support for the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. There the war was finally brought home to the men of the Nevada as Kamikaze and shore fire killed and injured many sailors.
After the war came to a sudden close, the end for the USS Nevada in one form or another was not far off. At the advanced age of thirty and hopelessly obsolete, she was selected to be part of the first post-war atomic bomb tests. After two of these tests permanently radiated the ship beyond recovery but failed to sink her, the Nevada was subjected to a series of airborne torpedo attacks off of Hawaii and was sunk on July 31, 1948. What the Japanese, Germans, and the atomic age had been unable to do was finally achieved, the demise of the USS Nevada.
Younger’s ‘travel log’ has captured what a U.S. Navy ship’s life is—long, often boring, subject to repetitive peacetime training exercises, long days and months at sea, and if destiny chooses, a call to war. A ship’s life is a journey. As the journey progresses a ship develops a personality and creates a family constituency of all those who serve on her. Good ships have loyal and loving constituencies that never forget. There is no higher compliment for a U.S. Navy ship than to have such a constituency. The USS Nevada assuredly had hers.
June 8, 2022
While the author leans just a little too hard into the theme of the "happy ship," there is no denying that USS "Nevada" was something special and that this is a very good history of this vessel. One thing I particularly appreciated is that close attention was given to literal nuts & bolts details, as Younger explores what it took to keep a capital ship running when it was past its technological prime. There is also something of a more astringent tone when Younger examines Operation "Crossroads," the nuclear bomb tests that failed to put "Nevada" down for the count; Younger being very critical of disregard of safety protocols for the men dealing with the aftermath of "Alpha" and "Baker."
November 26, 2019
While it is a pretty straightforward chronological history of the USS Nevada, it nonetheless delivers plenty of feels - patriotism and sometimes downright disbelief.
When she was built, she was the most powerful war ship of her day. She was the only battleship to get under steam at Pearl Harbor and even though she was partially sunk, she was refloated and participated in many of the major engagements of WWII. She was off the coast of France for D-Day and there when both Iwo Jima and Okinowa were taken.
She was a test vessel at Bikini Atoll for atomic bomb tests Abel and Baker and survived both. When she was finally deemed obsolete and decommissioned, it took 4½ days to sink her. She was truly a magnificent ship. This is a must read for fans of WWII or naval history.
When she was built, she was the most powerful war ship of her day. She was the only battleship to get under steam at Pearl Harbor and even though she was partially sunk, she was refloated and participated in many of the major engagements of WWII. She was off the coast of France for D-Day and there when both Iwo Jima and Okinowa were taken.
She was a test vessel at Bikini Atoll for atomic bomb tests Abel and Baker and survived both. When she was finally deemed obsolete and decommissioned, it took 4½ days to sink her. She was truly a magnificent ship. This is a must read for fans of WWII or naval history.
September 11, 2019
The author abstained from glorifying his subject, the battleship Nevada and instead delivers a very objective, chronologically detailed account of the famous silver state battleship. Very recommendable.
March 11, 2024
Younger does a good job of sequentially exploring Nevada’s history. The pace of the history was good and did not dwell in too much detail of her actions during each world war. A difficult achievement to say the least.
January 3, 2019
An entertaining read about one of the USN’s most famous battleships.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews