USS West Virginia (BB-48) was an American battleship laid down in 1920, launched in November 1921, and commissioned into the US Navy in 1923. The length of the ship was 190 m, width 29.7 m, and full displacement - at the time of launching - 33,500 tons. The maximum speed of the USS West Virginia battleship was up to 21 knots. The main armament was 8 406 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 12 127 mm guns.
USS West Virginia was the fourth and final Colorado-class battleship. Units of this type belonged to the so-called standard battleships, i.e. ships with similar combat values, dimensions and capabilities, although divided into different classes, which entered service with the US Navy in the period 1916-1923. The Colorado-class battleships, compared to their predecessors, had primarily completely changed main weapons and were the first in the history of the American Navy to use artillery of 406 mm caliber. Projected them as a balance for the Japanese Nagato-class battleships. In general, however, in terms of construction, armor and maximum speed, the Colorado-class battleships were similar to the Tennessee-class battleships. USS West Virginia (BB-48) was at the Pearl Harbor base at the time of the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific. As a result of the Japanese attack, the ship suffered very serious damage and sank to the bottom. However, the ship was lifted from the bottom in May 1942 and underwent renovation and a far-reaching reconstruction, which included, among others: reinforcement of anti-aircraft weapons, installation of new navigation systems and radar, as well as improvement of water resistance. As a result, a completely new ship was created. After repairs and modernization, the ship returned to service in July 1944. He took a very active part in the Battle of Leyte Bay in October 1944, contributing significantly to the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamashiro. He also took part in the operations on Iwo-Jima and Okinawa, supporting the US Marines with artillery fire. USS West Virginia (BB-48) was decommissioned in 1947 and was sold for scrap in 1959.