Original Item: Only One Available. Here at IMA we just received a very beautiful collection of U.S. Navy ships’ pennants, most of which were ships that were in port during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. This pennant is for the USS California which was on Battleship Row during the attack.
On December 7, 1941, USS California’s crew fought bravely to save her. For their heroic actions, four of her crew were awarded the Medal of Honor.
When torpedoes and bombs began to fall from Japanese aircraft onto the American battle fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor in the early morning of December 7, 1941, sailors rushed into action. When their acts were tallied after the attack, 15 men of the US Navy were awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroics that fateful morning. Four of those went to sailors and one officer aboard the stricken USS California (BB-44). Of the four, only one survived.
The pennant measures 34 ½” from the tip to the corners. The “hoist” side measures 14” and is complete with both pairs of 5” hanging tabs. We believe the pennant to be from the late 1920s/early 30s and is not WWII era. It is constructed of both orange and purple wool. The purple wool main body bears the name “CALIFORNIA” in gold lettering. The “hoist” side is orange with “USS” in purple. The condition is excellent for its age and materials used. There are minor moth nips in the wool which is expected. All stitching appears to still be intact and tight.
Pinned to the bottom of the pennant is the USS California November 20, 1919 Launch medal. The fifth U.S.S. California (BB-44) was launched 20 November 1919 by Mare Island Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. R. T. Zane, and commissioned 10 August 1921, Captain H. J. Ziegemeier in command; and reported to the Pacific Fleet as flagship.
This is a very beautiful U.S. Navy pennant of a historic ship that was resurrected after the attack at Pearl Harbor and took the fight to the enemy in the Pacific.
Come ready to display!
USS California (BB-44)
USS California (BB-44) was the second of two Tennessee-class battleships built for the United States Navy between her keel laying in October 1916 and her commissioning in August 1921. The Tennessee class was part of the standard series of twelve battleships built in the 1910s and 1920s, and were developments of the preceding New Mexico class. They were armed with a battery of twelve 14-inch (356 mm) guns in four three-gun turrets. California served as the flagship of the Battle Fleet in the Pacific Ocean for the duration of her peacetime career. She spent the 1920s and 1930s participating in routine fleet training exercises, including the annual Fleet Problems, and cruises around the Americas and further abroad, such as a goodwill visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1925.
California was moored in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked the port, bringing the United States into World War II. The ship was moderately damaged by a pair of torpedoes and a bomb, but a fire disabled the ship's electrical system, preventing the pumps from being used to keep the ship afloat. California slowly filled with water over the following three days and eventually sank. Her crew suffered heavy casualties in the attack and four men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the attack. She was raised in April 1942, repaired and heavily rebuilt, and returned to service in January 1944.
The ship thereafter supported the amphibious operations conducted during the Pacific War, including the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign (though she was damaged in a collision with Tennessee and thus missed the Battle of Peleliu) and the Philippines campaign, during which she took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait. She was hit by a kamikaze during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in January 1945, after repairs, joined the fleet supporting troops fighting on Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa. Her crew took part in the occupation of Japan after the end of the war, and after returning to the United States via the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, was laid up in Philadelphia in 1946. She remained in the fleet's inventory until 1959, when she was broken up for scrap.
