USS West Virginia: From Pearl Harbor Wreck to Surigao Strait Gunfight

USS West Virginia (BB-48) was sunk into the harbor bottom during the attack on Pearl Harbor, then salvaged, repaired, extensively modernized, and returned to combat in 1944. This documentary follows the battleship from the massive engineering challenge of raising and rebuilding her to the Battle of Surigao Strait, where radar, mechanical fire-control systems, and a newly trained crew allowed her 16-inch guns to engage the Japanese battleship Yamashiro in darkness. It examines how West Virginia tracked the target, why Captain Herbert V. Wiley delayed opening fire until friendly destroyers were clear, how the opening salvo was placed on target, and how shell-hoist failures, ammunition handling, and crew exhaustion affected the battle as it unfolded. Sources: https://www.history.navy.mil/our-coll... https://www.history.navy.mil/research... https://www.history.navy.mil/content/... https://www.history.navy.mil/content/... https://www.history.navy.mil/our-coll... #USSWestVirginia #BB48 #SurigaoStrait #BattleOfLeyteGulf #PearlHarbor #WorldWarII #WW2History #USNavy #NavalHistory #Battleship #Yamashiro #PacificWar