USS Soth Dakota Memorial

My MIL lives about an hour south of Sioux Falls SD
We were down there to celebrate her 90th birthday this weekend.
We've passed through Sioux Falls several times in the last couple of years but I never took the time to stop and see the memorial.
But we left early this morning so I made a point of stopping this time.
It was early - 6:30 AM so the interpretive center wasn't open. And all I had was my cell phone for photos.
Still, I snapped a couple of pics just to share.
It does make you sad to see that all remains of a huge BB is a concrete wall in the shape of the original ship plus one of the 16" rifles, a couple of her secondary 5" rifles, a propeller and an anchor - plus a few sundry items.
But I can say everything had fresh paint and the place was clean, tidy and well maintained. So kudos to Sioux Falls.
One thing I did get a kick out of was the narrative on the bronze plaque that described her encounter at the second naval battle of Guadalcanal where So Dak got her butt kicked badly and USS WASHINGTON sunk the Japanese BB Kirishima.
Reading the narrative you would think So Dak did all the work and Washington was just along for the ride.
Gut you gotta allow for some home town pride I guess.
The black thing on the one photo of the anchor is my black 11 1/2 D shoe - just to give it some scale.
If you get through that way it's worth the stop as you do get a sense of what she was.
















Wikipedia article

I live in sioux falls about 6 blocks east of there, lived in soux falls for 12 years and drive by five times a week, but have never taken to time to stop by. I think i will have to put that on my things to do for next weekend. Looks like a neat place to stop.

were the guns referred to as rifles? Bill

Your phone takes better pictures than a lot of cameras! Thanks!

'Twas the same with me.

On the south side of Columbus, NE, there is a memorial to Andrew Jackson Higgins, the man from Columbus who designed and manufactured the famous Higgins landing craft of WWII. Some were still used in 'Nam.

My wife has two brothers who live in Columbus, also when I was doing insurance inspections I drove through Columbus many times on the job. I drove past the memorial literally dozens of times, if not hundreds, and never bothered to stop. Finally one day about a year ago I stopped and shot some pics. As I recall, I posted them on this site at the time.

Thanks for the photos, UD.

I've not seen the memorial but have read about the battle.

Had the Japanese not failed to see the Washington, it is highly likely that the SD would have been sunk.

Radar was a wonderful thing in 1942.

Dean

Goose, if you can find the link maybe repost it. I would be glad to see the photos.
Bill Mart, they are a rifled cannon so yes, they are rifles.

thank you

I travel to Sioux Falls from time to time, but have never stopped to see the Memorial either. Back in the 80s my Army reserve unit did summer camp at Sunny Point NC. I did get to tour the Battleship North Carolina that is moored at Wilmington. To a land lubber like me, that was an awesome tour.

About an hour and a half west of Sioux Falls. Umpired many, many games and tournaments at the ball park that is adjacent to it. Always liked to look at it from a distance, ut never did get time to do an up close look at it.

one of these times up to Sioux Falls, I will make the time.

And, they were more than likely machined at the Watervliet Arsenal, just across the river from me here. They have a 16" on display.

Good pics. I'm a huge history buff.
Saying the narrative gives all the credit to the SD reminds me of an old friend of mine who has since passed. He was in the 10th Armored Div. during WW2. He always complained that the 10th got no recognition for the stand it took alongside the 101AB Div in Bastogne. And the 10th got there first!, he would say.

They saw the Washington - they misidentified it as an Idaho class BB and also thought it was sinking - their paint scheme really screwed with Japanese night optics. The Washington blasted the Japanese Kirishima while it was shooting at the South Dakota. The South Dakota never got hits main battery online to shoot at the Kirishima. Had the Washington been out of position there is a very real chance the old Kirishima may have taken the brand new South Dakota out of the war. At the range being fought even the 14" guns of the Kirishima would have punched through the heavy armour of the SD. The SD was heavily damaged but might have been in extreme trouble even with the Washington's help had the Kirishima not been "preloaded" with HE shells instead of armour piercing shells. The HE shells tore up the upper decks of the SD but her hull and engines were protected.

Two points, first, both Morrison and Hornfisher wrote excellent accounts of the Naval Battle for Guadalcanal. Second, the USS North Carolina and the USS Alabama were similar in class to the USS South Dakota and exist and are open to tours, if anyone wants to see what one of those ships were like. The USS North Carolina is on display in Wilmington, NC and the USS Alabama is on display in Mobile, Al.