USS South Carolina (Battleship #26, later BB-26)
The lead ship of her class of two ships, USS South Carolina (Battleship #26) was commissioned on March 1, 1910, at William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her weaponry design was a distinct change from a mixed-caliber-gun to an all-big-gun, the first American dreadnought. Following a cruise to Europe, South Carolina steamed to the Gulf of Mexico in 1913-14 to support U.S. operations in Veracruz and Tampico, Mexico, and to secure the U.S. Embassy at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, by delivering U.S. Marines. During World War I, she trained sailors, participated in escort duty, and brought 4,000 veterans back to the United States in 1919. In July 1920, she was designated BB-26. Following two Midshipmen cruises, she was decommissioned in December 1921. In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty, South Carolina was stricken from the Navy List in November 1923 and was sold for scrap in April 1924.
A model of South Carolina used to be on display in the World War I section at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Bldg. 76, until 2022.
Image: NH 108804: USS South Carolina (Battleship #26), port view, hand-tinted post card. NHHC Photograph Collection.
