Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:30:43-3:31:14

USS West Virginia best shows the Pearl Harbor modernization path

USS West Virginia is the preferred Pearl Harbor survivor because her rebuilt form demonstrates how the United States modernized older battleships for a new phase of the war.

Battleship ModernisationColorado Class BattleshipsMuseum ShipsPearl HarborUS NavyUSS West Virginia (BB-48)
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Question

If one Pearl Harbor survivor could have been preserved as a museum ship, which should it be?

Short answer

USS West Virginia, chiefly because her reconstruction clearly demonstrates the US Navy's wartime modernization path for older battleships.

Notes

USS West Virginia is the preferred Pearl Harbor survivor for preservation. Her rebuilt form shows the modernization path available to American battleships of her era. A museum ship in that condition would connect an older hull with the wartime changes made to keep it useful.