USS Mississippi BB-23

 

Mississippi

Mississippi II
The second USS Mississippi (BB-23) was laid down on 12 May 1904 by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was launched on 30 September 1905, sponsored by Miss M. C. Money, the daughter of Senator H. P. Money of Mississippi, and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 1 February 1908, with Capt. J. C. Fremont in command.

Following her shakedown off the coast of Cuba from 13 February to 13 March 1908, the new battleship returned to Philadelphia for final outfitting. On 1 July, she operated along the New England coast until returning to Philadelphia on 10 September. The warship next set sail on 16 January 1909 to represent the United States at the inauguration of the President of Cuba in Havana, from 25 to 28 January. Mississippi remained in the Caribbean until 10 February, sailing that day to join the "Great White Fleet" as it returned from its world cruise. Reviewed by President Theodore Roosevelt on Washington's Birthday, she returned to the Caribbean on 1 March.

The ship departed Cuban waters on 1 May for a cruise up the Mississippi River, the river for which she was named. Calling at major ports along this great inland waterway, she arrived in Natchez on 20 May, and then proceeded five days later to Horn Island, where she received a silver service from the State of Mississippi. Returning to Philadelphia on 7 June, the battleship operated off the New England coast until sailing on 5 January 1910 for winter exercises and war games out of Guantanamo Bay. Departing on 24 March for Norfolk, she operated off the east coast until fall, visiting numerous large ports, serving as a training ship for the Naval Militia, and engaging in maneuvers and exercises.

On 1 November, she departed Philadelphia for a fleet rendezvous at Gravesend Bay, England, on 16 November, and then sailed for Brest, France, arriving on the 9th of December. On 30 December, Mississippi set course for Guantanamo Bay for winter maneuvers until 13 March 1911.

Returning to the United States, the battleship operated off the Atlantic coast, alternating bases between Philadelphia and Norfolk for the next year and two months. She served as a training ship and conducted operational exercises. Departing Tompkinsville, New York, on 26 May 1912 with a detachment from the 2nd Marine Regiment on board to protect American interests in Cuba, she landed her Marine detachment at El Cuero on 19 June, remaining in Guantanamo Bay until 5 July, when she sailed for home.

After exercises with the 4th Battleship Division off New England, she returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was placed in the 1st Reserve on 1 August 1912.

Mississippi remained in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia until 30 December 1913 when she was detached for duty as an aeronautic station ship at Pensacola, Florida. Departing on 6 January 1914, she arrived on 21 January, transporting equipment for the establishment of a naval air station. In Pensacola, she supported the early naval aviators in rebuilding the old naval base, laying the foundation for what would become the largest and most famous American naval air station.

With the outbreak of fighting in Mexico, Mississippi sailed on 21 April to Vera Cruz, arriving on the 24th with the first detachment of naval aviators to enter combat. Serving as a floating base for the fledgling seaplanes and their pilots, the warship launched nine reconnaissance flights over the area during an 18-day period, with the last flight on 12 May. A month later, the battleship departed Vera Cruz for Pensacola, serving as a station ship there from 15 to 28 June before sailing north to Hampton Roads, where she transferred her aviation gear to the armored cruiser North Carolina (CA-12) on 3 July.

On 10 July, Mississippi shifted to Newport News to prepare for transfer to the Greek Government. She was decommissioned at Newport News on 21 July 1914 and turned over to the Royal Hellenic Navy the same day. Renamed Lemnos, the battleship served for the next 17 years as a coast defense vessel. She was sunk in an air attack by German bombers in Salamis harbor in April 1941, and after World War II, her hull was salvaged for scrap.