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THE FOUR LADIES OF MISSISSIPPI These grand Ladies have represented Mississippi and the United States in foreign lands, and they have fiercely defended our freedoms.
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For a few months we can step back in time when Mississippi was a name that commanded fear and respect in the form of four warships of the United States Navy named after the state of Mississippi. "Pride of the Fleet: U.S.S. Mississippi" will be open to the public through November 9, 2003, at the Old Capitol Museum of Mississppi History in Jackson, MS.
"Considering the state of world affairs, we feel this patriotic exhibit is very timely." Clay Williams said. Willisams is Director of Exhibits at the Old Capitol Museum. Mike Bunn, assistant curator of exhibits at the Old Captiol Museum, said even most Mississippians are not aware that there have been four United States naval vessels named after the state. "This gives us the opportunity to educate the public about this important aspect of Mississippi's legacy." Starting in 1999, Williams began researching the four U.S. Navy hips to bear the name of Mississippi. Of the four U. S.S. Mississippi ships, only the hull of the routh U. S.S. Mississippi remained, mothballed in Washington State. The search for artifacts of all four ships has led Williams and Bunn to some surprising places, including Rosalie Mansion, the antebellum home in Natchez, MS, that is owned and operated by the Mississippi DAR. The ship's bell from the Third U.S.S. Mississippi is securely installed in the gardens at Rosalie Mansion, on the site of Fort Rosalie overlooking the Mississippi River. A large silver plated punch bowl and other objects that served aboard the second U.S.S. Mississippi normally on display at Rosalie, will be on loan to the exhibit in Jackson for the duration of the exhibit. |
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Aboard the first U.S.S. Mississippi, Commodore Matthew Perry headed a diplomatic mission to open trade to japan. |
The First U.S.S. Mississippi saw duty from 1841 to 1863. She was a side wheel steamer built under the personal supervision of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, the "father of the steam navy".
The 229 foot stern wheel steamer played a role in the Mexican War of the 1840's. Her guns were actually removed and placed on land for the bombardment of Vera Cruz which was an unusual tactic. In 1863, Commodore Perry sailed on the U.S.S. Mississippi to head a diplomatic mission to open up Japan to trade. He carried a letter from President Millard Fillmore and proceeded in one of the most difficult, skillful and significant naval/diplomatic mission ever recorded. The observations and careful notes taken by Perry and his officers on the U.S.S. Mississippi as they steamed toward Tokyo Bay, especially their notes on Shuri Castle, might be considered foreshadowing for the Third U.S.S. Mississippi to destroy that infamous fortification in World War II. The steam powered namesake patrolled the Far east, based in Shanghai, protecting America's growing trade with the Orient. She responded to request for aide from the American Consul in Shanghai in 1859 to restore order. During the War Between the States, she served the U.S. navy off Key West, blockading it in 1861. Preparing to join the assault on New Orleans, the First U.S.S. Mississippi and the U.S.S. Pensacola successfully passed over the bar at Southwest pass in 1862, the heaviest ships ever to enter the Mississippi River to that time. While on the Mississippi River, the U.S.S. Mississippi ran the Confederate Manassas ashore, wrecking her with two mighty broadsides. In March 1863, she ran aground while attempting to pass the forts guarding Port Hudson. Under enemy fire, every effort was made to refloat her. To prevent her capture by the Confederates, her battery was spiked and her machinery destroyed before she was set ablaze. When flames reached her magazines, she blew up and sank. |
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The Second U.S.S. Mississippi steamed up the Mississippi River to be lavishly welcomed by Natchez with balls and a picnic. At Pascagoula, she was presented with a stunning silver service that depicted scenes of historic importance in Mississippi. A number of silver pieces are on display in the exhibit. |
| The second U.S.S. Mississippi, Battleship #23, launched September 30, 1905 from Philadelphia, PA. She operated off the New England Coast until January 1909, when she represented the United States at the inauguration of the Cuban President in Havana. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt reviewed the fleet on Washington's Birthday in 1909, with the U.S.S. Mississippi in the review.
She steamed up the Mississippi River that year, arriving in Natchez on May 20, 1909. The town turned out in style with balls and a picnic for what was at that time the largest warship to navigate the Mississippi River. After being wined and dined in Natchez, the U.S.S. Mississippi returned to the Gulf of Mexico to Horn Island where, in a ceremony in Pascagoula, she was presented by the State of Mississippi a silver service consisting of over 60 pieces that depicted scenes of historic importance in Mississippi. Representative pieces of this silver service will be on display in the exhibit. The Second U.S.S. Mississippi performed training and representative duties from Cuba to England and France. In May, 1912, she sailed with a detachment form the Second Marine Regiment to protect American interests in Cuba. Of note in the career of the Second U.S.S. Mississippi was service as aeronautic station ship in 1914, at Pensacola, FL. Her crew and early naval aviators rebuilt the old naval base, laying the foundation for the largest and most famous American naval air station, the Pensacola Naval Air Station. When fighting in Mexico broke out in 1914, the Second U.S.S. Mississippi sailed with the first detachment of naval aviators aboard. The warship launched nine reconnaissance flights over the area in 18 days, serving as a floating base for the fledgling seaplanes and their pilots. The Second U.S.S. Mississippi was sold to the Greek Government later in 1914. For the next 17 years, she served Greece proudly as a coastal defense vessel. German dive bombers sank her in April 1941. The exhibit in Jackson has a stunning photograph taken from the German dive bomber of the U.S.S. Mississippi under attack. After World War II, the hull of the former Second U.S.S. Mississippi, was salvaged as scrap metal. The prow of this battleship is on the grounds of the State Capitol and is too big to move to the exhibit, but will be represented in the exhibit by photograph. The silver plated punch bowl presented by Natchez to the battleship will be on display. It is normally displayed at Rosalie Mansion in Natchez. |
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Two separate turret explosions aboard the Third U.S.S. Mississippi killed 48 and 43 men respectively. In different battles during World War II, she survived two kamikaze attacks but continued to fight despite the damages. |
The Third U.S.S. Mississippi, nuclear cruiser #41, launched from Newport News, VA on January 25, 1917. This New Mexico-class warship served off the coast of Cuba, along the East Coast of the United States, and then along the West Coast of the United States. In 1924, off of San Pedro, CA, 48 crew members were asphyxiated as a result of an explosion in her No. 2 main battery turret. In 1931, U.S.S. Mississippi #41 was modernized and returned to patrol the West Coast of the United States. Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, the U.S.S. Mississippi left Iceland for Pacific duty training and escorting convoys along the West Coast of the US. Of particular interest was the role of the U.S.S. Mississippi in restoring the Aleutian Islands to their rightful owners. On 22 July, she participated in shelling Kiska Island of the Aleutians, and a few days later, the Japanese withdrew. Overhauled again at San Francisco, the U.S.S. Mississippi #41 then participated in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Another turret explosion in November, 1943, almost identical to the explosion of 1924, killed 43 crew members. The U.S.S. Mississippi saw action in the Palau Islands, Manu, the liberation of the Philippines, Leyte Gulf, the Admiralty Islands, Luzon. On January 6, 1945, she began bombarding in Lingayan Gulf. Despite damages near her waterline received from the crash of a kamikaze plane, she continued to support the invasion forces until February 10th. After repairs, the U.S.S. Mississippi sailed to Okinawa to support the landing forces there. With her powerful guns, she took out Shuri Castle, an amazing fortification on Okinawa built over hundreds of years… and documented by the First U.S.S. Mississippi when she carried Commodore Perry to Tokyo Bay to open up Japan to trade with the west. Another kamikaze plane crashed into the starboard side of the U.S.S. Mississippi off of Okinawa on June 5, 1945, but she remained on post supporting the troops for eleven more days. Japan surrendered in August, and the U.S.S. Mississippi steamed to support the occupation force. She anchored in Tokyo Bay to witness the signing of the surrender documents, and then steamed for home on September 6, 1945. The battleship received eight battle stars for World War II service. After conversion to AG-128 in 1946, the Third U.S.S. Mississippi spent the last 10 years of her career testing new weapons and investigating gunnery problems, based at Norfolk. She successfully test fired the Terrier missile in 1953, launching the U.S. Navy into the age of guided missiles. The Third U.S.S. Mississippi was decommissioned in 1956. She was offered to the State of Mississippi to be set up as a floating museum such as the U.S.S. Alabama in Mobile has served, but Mississippi declined, and the venerable ship was sold for scrap metal to the Bethlehem Steel Company in November of 1956. |
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The Fourth U.S.S. Mississippi had only five days notice to prepare to deploy as part of the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy battlegroup to support Operation Desert Shield in 1990. She launched Tomahawk Cruise Missiles deep inside Iraq in early 1991. |
The Fourth U.S.S. Mississippi #CGN 40 began her naval career on August 5, 1978, with Former President Jimmy Cater presiding over the ceremonies. The Virginia Class nuclear-powered, guided missile cruiser first saw real action while escorting the U.S.S. Nimitz when F-14 fighters from that carrier shot down two Libyan fighter jets. She was called upon during that deployment to patrol off the shore of Egypt after President Anwar Sadat was assassinated. She deployed in response to the killing of Marine Corps Colonel Higgins by terrorists in 1989. Over the years, the Fourth U.S.S. Mississippi received awards for battle efficiency, personnel retention and other standards of excellence. Her armament capability included Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles and Mk46 torpedoes. She carried a crew of 39 officers and 539 enlisted sailors. For Operation Desert Shield in 1990 and Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the U.S.S. Mississippi deployed with the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy Battle Group with only five days notice to prepare. She launched Tomahawk cruise missiles deep inside Iraq in early 1991. Her last visit to the state of Mississippi was in early 1996 when she made a visit to the port at Pascagoula. Her last mission was Law Enforcement Operations in the Caribbean and escorting the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy to Northern Europe. The Fourth U.S.S. Mississippi was decommissioned July 31, 1997. Her bell is installed at Rosalie Mansion. Her hull is currently berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Washington State, awaiting final disposal by being recycled. She saw service just shy of 19 years. (Source: Mississippi Department of Archives and History) An exhibit catalog containing histories of the four U.S.S. Mississippi battleships with photos of the ships and crew members as well as artifacts from all four ships is available for $12.95 plus shipping and applicable sales tax from the Old Capitol Museum Gift Shop: 601-359-6921. |
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