It occurs to me that if I’m going to reference Nevada in a Rule 5 post for a previous shipgirl, then it’s only fair that I actually do a Rule 5 feature for her. So meet Nevada. Probably one of the first battleships that Azur Lane players will receive, but also one based on an actual ship that had a long, rich history.
The original USS Nevada (BB-36) was launched in 1914 to become the first of the USN’s “standard” class battleships. She featured several notable firsts in US battleship construction, including triple gun turrets, fuel by oil rather than coal, and geared steam turbines for propulsion. Along with her sister ship USS Oklahoma, they formed a two ship class that paved the way for numerous ships to come in the next twenty-five years.
After America’s entry into World War I, USS Nevada served as a convoy escort based out of Ireland. None of the German navy chose to engage these convoys, and the ships of BatDiv6 ended The Great War without firing a shot in anger.
The next war would be a different story. USS Nevada would undergo a significant refit between 1927 and 1930, then move to the Pacific Fleet. On the morning of December 7th, 1941, she was one of the many battleships parked in Pearl Harbor. USS Nevada would be the one battleship that was able to get underway during the attack, and downed several attacking aircraft before being forced to run aground after taking at least seven, possibly up to ten hits during the attack.
In 1942, she would be refloated, partially repaired, and sent to the Puget Sound Shipyards for another major refit. After this, she would join the battleships providing fire support for amphibious landings, first at Attu (during the mostly forgotten Alaskan campaign), then at Normandy and Toulon, before sailing back to the Pacific to support the Marine landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
As an Azur Lane shipgirl, Nevada is one of the mature senior members of the Eagle Union (American) fleet. That doesn’t stop her from having fun from time to time, and she even got her own side story adventure with the Commander where she took him on a horseback riding trip (actual horses and actual riding. Sheesh. Get your minds out of the gutter, people.) Appropriately for someone named after a state known for ranches and gambling (mainly the latter) Nevada is usually attired in Wild West inspired outfits with lots of fringe and tends to gamble just a little more than she should.
Although BB-36 USS Nevada was ultimately sunk during atomic testing (an event which has been vaguely hinted at in game) her legacy lives on in the modern Ohio-class SSBN-733 USS Nevada.
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