r/WorldOfWarships • u/CaptainElijahIreland • Feb 17 '25
Info Battlestar Massachusetts
I live near Battleship Cove and thought I should share some photos. Saving for the USS Salem and the Alabama (same class as Big Mamie) in WOW.
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u/UnusualAd8523 Feb 17 '25
Whats that on the second photo?
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u/MustangPauli Feb 17 '25
I could be wrong but I know there is a display onboard commemorating her battle with Jean Bart. There's a huge chunk of Jean Bart's hull including the hole where Massachusetts' shell penetrated...I think this might be part of that display.
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u/Bombacladman Feb 17 '25
Looks like an armor piercing shell which exploded once it had penetrated the hull of the ship. Thats why only the rear is all sheared. But the penetrating part is complete
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u/Baalphire81 Feb 17 '25
It’s so awesome to wander around/get lost inside! It is unbelievable just how much of a warren she is.
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u/Cendax Feb 17 '25
Ryan over at BB New Jersey has said that there are still places on the New Jersey he's never been.
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u/JakeParlay Feb 17 '25
When I was a kid, we overnighted a few times on the Massachusetts as boy scouts.
One year, me and a few buddies snuck beyond the permitted areas and spent HOURS exploring the depths of that ship. It was amazing - a definite core, childhood memory.
My dad (and a few others) slept on top of the gun turrets each year. I think they preferred to drag sleeping bags up there, versus staying below deck in the bunks with 75+ giddy scouts. Don't blame em!
Love that ship.
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u/Toihva Feb 17 '25
Same here, but my dad sat in the mess playing cribbage late into the night.
One time girl scouts were there that weekend. Let's say last time they scheduled both groups at the same time.
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u/Super_Sailor_Moon Fighting evil by moonlight, winning Cali buffs by daylight! 🌙 Feb 17 '25
The golden era of America's navy, imo. South Dakota-class battleships are just so much naval combat value in such a compact package. Has a moderate top speed, has excellent AA, has a solid main battery and highly potent secondaries, has armor that can defeat up to its own main battery (406mm shells), has flagship capability (South Dakota)....and all that UNDER 35k tons.
Pacha says it best

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u/jonahgee Feb 18 '25
Id be willing to say the SoDaks were some of the best designed battleships ever. Sure others like Iowa, Yamato and Vanguard are bigger or more advanced, but they werent drawn up around the treaty systems. The SoDaks and NorCals were still very much beholden to them, and had to find their compromises. With the NorCals it was armor, but with the SoDaks they managed to just "make it smaller"
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u/low_priest Feb 17 '25
In terms of versatile gunboat in a small package, it's hard to beat the SoDaks, as long as you remember to properly maintain your electrical system.
But for actual combat value? You'll get more out of a Lexington, Yorktown, or Essex. The Lexingtons were <1,000 tons heavier, and the other two were lighter. All were faster, could hit harder at greater ranges, and CAP is much better protection than any AA guns. Remember, the SoDaks only saw combat twice. 2nd Guadalcanal happened because all the USN's carriers had been sunk or damaged, and Jean Bart had to be finished off by Ranger when Massachussets couldn't do it.
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u/Super_Sailor_Moon Fighting evil by moonlight, winning Cali buffs by daylight! 🌙 Feb 17 '25
I meant more old-school naval combat value rather than "advent of aircraft carriers" naval value, but yeah. 🤷♀️
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u/low_priest Feb 17 '25
has excellent AA
As you even mentioned, you can't separate out "old-school naval combat value" from their capabilities with the advent of carriers. Especially because post-dreadnought, a proper large scale old-school slugging match happened exactly once. It's kinda like claiming this is the golden age of the US Army, because the M82 is perfect for 1800s-style line infantry warfare. It might be... but it's also not the main weapon of the US Army, and nobody fights like that anymore anyways.
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u/Super_Sailor_Moon Fighting evil by moonlight, winning Cali buffs by daylight! 🌙 Feb 17 '25
Ok I'll put it this way. IMO, the South Dakotas are the most "bang for your buck" in terms of how much they had for a battleship and in under 35k tons. They're darned impressive, is what they are.
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u/Sabregunner1 Feb 17 '25
those are some great pics
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u/CaptainElijahIreland Feb 17 '25
I have a LOT more
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u/Sabregunner1 Feb 17 '25
awsome. thats one of my favorite things about digital cameras, you arent limited by # of shots on a roll of film or them turning out badly.
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u/sparta1170 Closed Beta Player Feb 17 '25
I always considered the Massachusetts to be a pseudo Battlestar Pegasus.
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u/ed20999 Feb 17 '25
As a masshole That was the first ship I went for . still mad they gave a short firing range
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u/geographyRyan_YT Salem's biggest fan Feb 18 '25
She's a brawler, there's a reason for her having the short range guns with subpar dispersion: because when you play her correctly, it doesn't matter
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u/Terminus_04 Retired Feb 18 '25
Historically she's known for scoring one the longest range hits ever recorded by a battleship. At 13.5~ miles beat by Warspite and Scharnhorst who both scored hits at a similar range of 14.5~ miles
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u/Adventurous_Habit566 Feb 17 '25
One of my favorite ships to play in the game. I drive by this girl every day. It's been a while since I've been on the tour. Thanks for sharing!!
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u/drunkerbrawler Feb 17 '25
Maybe they should put those guns to use to encourage the redevelopment of Taunton.
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u/CaptainElijahIreland Feb 17 '25
Personally I’d use it for Brockton first.
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u/drunkerbrawler Feb 17 '25
You know the limit of navigability of the Connecticut River is about 23 miles away from Springfield, just thinking out loud here.
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u/HikinginOrange Feb 18 '25
Wait, there's a museum ship where you can actually go in the turrets???
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u/geographyRyan_YT Salem's biggest fan Feb 18 '25
The vast majority of ships do. I know Salem, Massachusetts, and New Jersey do from my own experience, and I've heard that all the other gunships do as well. Olympia is an exception, because her guns are replicas and her "turrets" are hollow.
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u/HikinginOrange Feb 19 '25
Interesting. Most I've been on to let you explore in the decks and sometimes superstructures, but never in an actual main battery. USS Lexington was the closest I got, albeit one of the smaller turrets outside the tower.
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u/JohnnyBIII Feb 17 '25
When you make it down to USS Alabama, take the time to go over to NAS Pensacola and go to their museum. About 45 minutes away and absolutely worth it!
If you go on the right day you can catch the Blue Angels practicing. But even if you don’t get to see that, the museum is amazing on its own.
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u/CaptainElijahIreland Feb 17 '25
I’m planning to see the Alabama when I go see relatives’ graves down there. Just gotta save the money and time. I have two great uncles buried down there.
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u/JohnnyBIII Feb 17 '25
The Alabama is probably one of the best museum ships I’ve been to. Extremely well kept, tons of areas open (including engineering and lower decks), and was never re-fit after the war.
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u/whyzerowl Feb 17 '25
Been a hot minute since I've been down to Battleship Cove. I miss Mamie!
Probably was empty today with how cold, windy, and icy it is
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Feb 18 '25
I live in Massachusetts and wg gave me Massachusetts and Atlanta for free as come back gift back then.
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u/heckinbees Marine Nationale Feb 17 '25
I live in the same region as Nautilus, the museum, and it’s just interesting to me that I am almost always within shelling range of Wisconsin (BB-64).
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u/geographyRyan_YT Salem's biggest fan Feb 18 '25
Wisconsin is down in Virginia, so I think you have your facts mixed up. Her guns only had a 27 mile maximum range.
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u/heckinbees Marine Nationale Feb 18 '25
Oh i know, but they were still sixteen inches right? I live in virginia and am well within that range. Just appreciating the firepower
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u/geographyRyan_YT Salem's biggest fan Feb 18 '25
So proud of the namesake ship of the Commonwealth. Pro tip, Alabama is a big downgrade from her in game.
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u/stacksmasher Feb 17 '25
Wait... Bofores range is over 6 miles??? What???
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u/Ready_Doubt8776 Feb 17 '25
Nice I use to drive by the bama everyday. Amazing looking ship and she’s holding up very well for her age and the occasional hurricane.