USS Nebraska (BB-14)

USS Nebraska (BB-14) was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy. She was the first ship to carry her name.

History
Nebraska was laid down by Moran Brothers, Seattle, Washington on 4 July 1902; launched on 7 October 1904; sponsored by Miss Mary Nain Mickey, daughter of Governor John H. Mickey of Nebraska; and commissioned on 1 July 1907, Captain Reginald F. Nicholson in command.

Pre-World War I
After shakedown and alterations, the new battleship joined the "Great White Fleet" at San Francisco on 6 May 1908, replacing USS Alabama (BB-8).

Departing San Francisco on 7 July 1908, the Fleet visited Honolulu, Hawaii; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Manila, Philippine Islands; Yokohama, Japan; and Colombo, Ceylon, arriving Suez, Egypt on 3 January 1909. Departing Messina, Italy on the 9th, the Fleet visited Naples, Italy and Gibraltar, arriving Hampton Roads on 22 February, where President Theodore Roosevelt reviewed the fleet as it passed into the roadstead.



Nebraska continued duty with the Atlantic Fleet. She attended the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1910 and the Louisiana Centennial in 1912. She earned the Mexican Service Medal for operations at Veracruz, Mexico from 1 May–21 June 1914 and 1 June–13 October 1916. After a period of reduced commissioned service, she was again placed in full commission on 3 April 1917.

World War I
When war was declared on 6 April 1917, Nebraska was undergoing repairs at the Boston Navy Yard, attached to the 3rd Division, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet. On 13 April, she departed Boston to engage in maneuvers and battle practice with the fleet in the Chesapeake Bay area. She operated along the east coast, primarily training armed guard crews for American merchantmen, until entering the Norfolk Navy Yard on 15 April 1918 for repairs.

At Hampton Roads on 16 May, she received on board the body of the late Carlos M. DePena, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from Uruguay, with full honors, departing Hampton Roads the same day and arriving Montevideo on 10 June in company with USS Pittsburgh (ACR-4), flagship of the Pacific Fleet. The Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet came aboard for the ceremonies, and the body of the late Uruguyan Minister to the United States was transferred with full honors. Nebraska departed Montevideo on 15 June for home, arriving Hampton Roads on 26 July.

The battleship departed New York on 17 September as principal escort for a fast merchant convoy of 18 ships to an eastern Atlantic rendezvous, returning to Hampton Roads on 3 October. Nebraska made two more convoy voyages in the Atlantic, returning from the latter on 2 December to prepare for service in returning American troops from France.

Inter-war period
Nebraska made four voyages from the United States to Brest, France, transporting 4,540 troops to and from the United States. On the first trip, she departed Hampton Roads on 30 December, arrived Brest on 11 January 1919, and returned Newport News on 28 January. The final voyage to return veterans from France ended when she arrived Newport News on 21 June with 1,279 troops.

On 22 June, Nebraska was detached from the transport service and shortly thereafter sailed to join Division 2, Squadron 1, Pacific Fleet for operations along the west coast—under command of Captain P. N. Olmstead—until she decommissioned on 2 July 1920.

In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty limiting naval armament, Nebraska was declared "incapable of further warlike service" on 9 November 1923 and sold for scrap a few weeks later.