USS NEW MEXICO
My father, Arlie S. Beavers served aboard this ship near the end of WW1 as Electrician.
Click on Photos to enlarge
USS New Mexico
Arlie S. Beavers WW II
Arlie Beavers
Arlie served on the USS New Mexico, it is believed for a short period. He wrote a letter to his wife to be, Estella Ruth Fish on April 17, 1919 about the time of her father's death.
(BB-40: dp. 32,000; 1. 624'; b. 97'; dr. 30'; s. 21 k.; cpl.
1,084 a. 12 14", 14 5", 4 3", 2 21" tt.; cl. New Mexico)
New Mexico (BB-40) was laid down 14 October 1915 by the New York Navy Yard:
launched 13 April 1917, sponsored by Miss Margaret C. DeBaea, daughter of the
Governor of New Mexico; and commissioned 20 May 1918, Capt. Ashley H. Robertson
in command.
After initial training, New Mexico departed New York 15 January 1919 for Brest,
France, to escort home transport George Washington carrying President Woodrow
Wilson from the Versailles Peace Conference, returning to Hampton Roads 27
February. There on 16 July she became flagship of the newly-organized Pacific
Fleet, and three days later sailed for the Panama Canal and San Pedro, Calif.,
arriving 9 August. The next 12 years were marked by frequent combined maneuvers
with the Atlantic Fleet both in the Pacific and Caribbean which included visits
to South American ports and a 1925 cruise to Australia and New Zealand.
Modernized and overhauled at Philadelphia between March 1931 and January 1933,
New Mexico returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume training exercises
and tactical development operations. As war threatened, her base was Pearl
Harbor from 6 December 1940 until 20 May 1941
when she sailed to join the Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk 16 June for duty on
neutrality patrol. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, she returned to the
west coast, and sailed 1 August 1942 from San Francisco to prepare in Hawaii for
action. Between 6 December and 22 March 1943, she sailed to escort troop
transports to the Fijis, then patrolled the southwest Pacific, returning to
Pearl Harbor to prepare for the campaign against the Japanese in the Aleutians.
On 17 May she arrived Adak, her base while serving on the blockade of Attu, and
on 21 July she joined in the massive bombardment of Kiska that forced its
evacuation a week later.
After refitting at Puget Sound Navy Yard, New Me:rico returned to Pearl Harbor
25 October to rehearse the assault on the Gilbert Islands. During the invasion,
begun 20 November, she pounded Butaritari, guarded transports during their night
withdrawals from the islands, and provided antiaircraft cover during unloading
operations, as wolf as sereenir,g carriers. She returned to Pearl Harbor 5
December.
Underway with the Marshall Islands assault force 12 January 1944, New Mexico
bombarded Kwajalein and Ebeye 31 January and 1 February, then replenished at
Majuro. She
blasted Wotie 20 February and Kavieng, New Ireland 20 March, then visited Sydney
before arriving in the Solomons in May to rehearse the Marianas operation.
New Mexico bombarded Tinian 14 June, Saipan 15 June and Guam 16 June, and twice
helped drive off enemy air attacks 18 June. She protected transports off the
Marianas while the carrier task force spelled the doom of Japanese naval
aviation in its great victory, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19-20 June. New
Mexico excorted transports to Eniwetok, then sailed 9 July guarding escort
carriers until 12 July, when her guns opened on Guam in preparation for the
landings 21 July. Until 30 July she blasted enemy positions and installations on
the island.
Overhauled at Bremerton August to October, New Me~ico arrived in Leyte Gulf 22
November to cover the movement of reinforcement and supply convoys, firing in
the almost daily air attacks over the Gulf, as the Japanese posed desperate
resistance to the reconquest of the Philippines. She left Leyte Gulf 2 December
for the Palaus, where she joined a force covering the Mindoro-bound assault
eoIlvoy. Again she sent up antiaircraft fire as invasion troops stormed ashore
15 December, providing cover for two days until sailing for the Palaus.
Her next operation was the invasion of Luzon, fought under a sky full of would
be suicide planes, against whom she was almost continually at general quarters.
She fired prelanding bombardment 6 January 1945, and that day took a suicide hit
on her bridge which killed her commanding officer, Captain R. W. Fleming, and 29
others of her crew with 87 injured. Her guns remained in action as she repairer
damage, and she was still in action 9 January as troops went ashore.
After repairs at Pearl Harbor, New Mexico arrived at Ulithi to stage for the
invasion of Okinawa, sailing 21 March with a heavy fire support group. Her guns
opened on Okinawa 26 March, and were not silent until 17 April as she gave every
aid to troops engaged ashore. Again on 21 and 29 April she opened fire, and on
11 May she destroyed 8 suicide boats. While approaching her berth in Hagushi
anchorage just after sunset 12 May, New Mexico was attacked by two suicides one
plunged into her, the other managed to hit her with his bomb. She was set on
fire, and 54 of her men were killed, with 119 wounded. Swift action extinguished
the fires within half an hour, and on 28 May she departed for repairs at Leyte,
followed by rehearsals for the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands.
Word of the war's end reached her at Saipan 15 August, and next day she sailed
for Okinawa to join the occupation force. She entered Sagami Wan 27 August to
support the airborne occupation of Atsugi Airfield, then next day passed into
Tokyo Bay to witness the surrender 2 September.
New Mexico was homeward bound 6 September, calling at Okinawa, Pearl Harbor, and
the Panama Canal before arriving Boston 17 October. There she decommissioned 19
July 1946. She was sold for scrapping 13 October 1947 to Lipsett, Inc., New York
City.
New Mexico received 6 battle stars for Wrorld War II service.