I’ve spent a few posts talking about how Idaho got its name and what the name might or might not mean. It’s time to do one on things named after the state of Idaho, in this case naval vessels. Arguably Idaho owes its name to a boat, the steamer Idaho. Inarguably, there have been four naval vessels named after the state… Unless you want to argue that the one currently under construction counts as an existing vessel. In that case, five USS Idahos.
The first USS Idaho (above) was named shortly after Idaho became a territory, in 1864. It was a 3,241-ton wooden steam sloop. She didn’t set sail until May of 1866. She was disappointing, in that the Idaho was hyped as a ship that would make 15 knots and she could only squeeze out about eight. Congress, being Congress, bought the boat anyway, despite her not living up to her specs. But it was a fast boat the U.S. Navy was after, so the Idaho was outfitted with sails to augment her steam power to push her to 18 knots, and she became one of the fasted ships in the fleet.
The Idaho served as a hospital ship in Japan for 15 months, then started back to the U.S. On the way she was hit by a roaring typhoon and demasted. Decommissioned in 1873, the hulk was eventually sold to the East Indies Trading Company.
The Idaho served as a hospital ship in Japan for 15 months, then started back to the U.S. On the way she was hit by a roaring typhoon and demasted. Decommissioned in 1873, the hulk was eventually sold to the East Indies Trading Company.
The second USS Idaho, (above) also known as Battleship No. 24, was ordered in 1903 and commissioned in 1908. As Milton said, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” The Idaho sailed here and there arriving unscathed by battle in the French port of Villefranche in 1914 where she was decommissioned and sold to the Greek Navy. She served there, no doubt without her original name, for 27 years before being sunk during WWII.
The third USS Idaho (above) was not a battleship at all, and probably counts as the weirdest of her cousins. She was a privately owned, 60-foot-long motorboat the U.S. Navy purchased during World War I. SP-545 was commissioned in 1917 and served as a patrol boat, mostly in the Philadelphia area, guarding the harbor and checking submarine nets. No longer needed at war’s end, the 24-ton boat was returned to her owner in November of 1918.
The fourth USS Idaho, shown above, saw the most action. BB-42 was commissioned in 1919 and spent the pre-WWII years in the Pacific doing training exercises. In 1941, before the U.S. entered the war several ships, including the Idaho, were sent to the Atlantic to protect shipping interests while the U.S. remained neutral. As a result, she was not part of the Pacific Fleet when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She and her sister ships moved back into the Pacific for the duration of the war.
The Idaho shelled Japanese forces during several island campaigns and she was there for the invasions of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The USS Idaho was also in Tokyo Bay for the formal surrender of the Japanese. The ship was decommissioned in 1946 and scrapped.
The Idaho shelled Japanese forces during several island campaigns and she was there for the invasions of Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The USS Idaho was also in Tokyo Bay for the formal surrender of the Japanese. The ship was decommissioned in 1946 and scrapped.
The fifth USS Idaho has yet to ply the waters of the world, on or below them. SSN 799 will be a Virginia-Class submarine. That’s the USS Virginia in the photo above. Commissioned in 2014, the nuclear sub is currently under construction. When launched, it will have a crew of 135 and will be capable of staying submerged for three months at a time. It will be fast, though that is a relative term. The sub will be able to cruise at 25 knots, which is a bit more than the first USS Idaho, that 18-knot steamer/sailboat.
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