'Washington'
was flagship of Vice Admiral Lee, Commander of the Fifth Fleet Battle Line,
at Philippine Sea. Her most famous
exploit was her vital participation in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
on 15 November 1942, when - here too serving as Admiral Lee's flagship -
she destroyed the enemy battleship 'Kirishima' in one of the very few classic
battleship versus battleship engagements of World War
2. During the war she probably received less publicity than any other
United States capital ship,but
she had perhaps the most distinguished combat record of all the Pacific
Fleet's battleships.
This USS 'Washington' site
is especially useful as it contains detailed information onthe
types of anti-aircraft weapon carried by 'Washington' in common with almost
all the US ships involved in the battle, thesebeing
the 5-inch 38-cal. dual-purpose gun, and the light AA guns of 40mm.
and 20mm. calibres.
This organisation is
dedicated to the preservation of the four ships of the 'Iowa' Class, two
of which - 'Iowa' and 'New Jersey' -
were present at Philippine Sea as part of the Fifth Fleet Battle Line.
