HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 62

(By Delegates Sumner, Mr. Speaker (Mr. Thompson), Anderson, Andes, Armstead, Ashley, Azinger, Barill, Barker, Boggs, Border, Brown, Butcher, D. Campbell, T. Campbell, Cann, Canterbury, Caputo, Carmichael, Cowles, Craig, Crosier, Diserio, Doyle, Duke, Ellem, Ellington, Evans, Ferns, Ferro, Fleischauer, Fragale, Frazier, Gearheart, Givens, Guthrie, Hall, Hamilton, Hartman, Hatfield, Householder, Hunt, Iaquinta, Ireland, Jones, Lane, Lawrence, Longstreth, Mahan, Manchin, Manypenny, Marcum, Marshall, Martin, Michael, Miley, C. Miller, J. Miller, Moore, Morgan, Moye, Nelson, O'Neal, Overington, Pasdon, Paxton, Perdue, Perry, Pethtel, L. Phillips, R. Phillips, Pino, D. Poling, M. Poling, Poore, Reynolds, Rodighiero, Romine, Rowan, Savilla, Shaver, Sigler, Skaff, Smith, Snuffer, Sobonya, Staggers, Stephens, Storch, Stowers, Swartzmiller, Talbott, Varner, Walker, Walters, Wells, White, Williams and Howell)

Requesting that the sacrifice and service of the crew members of the U.S.S. West Virginia be recognized and rewarded for their actions during the Battle of Surigao Strait.

    Whereas, The Colorado-class battleship U.S.S. West Virginia (BB48) was commissioned on December 1, 1923. The U.S.S. West Virginia served in many pivotal naval battles during World War II and suffered extensive damage from Japanese bombers during the sudden surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, claiming the lives of one hundred five crew members and its commanding officer; and

    Whereas, The ship was rebuilt and modernized after its near destruction at Pearl Harbor and reentered the war effort two years

later as part of a task group ordered to invade the Philippine Islands. In the early morning hours of October 25, 1944, the U.S.S. West Virginia opened the Battle of Surigao Strait by firing

a three round salvo from her sixteen inch battery onto the Japanese

Battleship Yamashiro, effectively neutralizing the vessel before the other battleships of the American fleet had firing solutions in

their main battery plots. The U.S.S. West Virginia expended ninety-three rounds of sixteen inch of ammunition on the demise of the Yamashiro, displaying a massive amount of superior gunnery; and

    Whereas, The U.S.S. West Virginia's defeat of the Yamashiro was the last time a ship-of-the-line defeated an opposing ship-of the-line in an entirely surface battle, signaling the close of nearly four hundred years of naval action dominated by "battle-line" warfare; and

    Whereas, Although those who served alongside the Battleship West Virginia recognized that the credit for the sinking of the Yamashiro largely belonged to the superb gunnery of the U.S.S. West

Virginia, the credit was given to all six ships in the American Fleet; and

    Whereas, The surviving crew members deserve to receive their long overdue commendation and will be holding their last reunion in

Charleston and Beckley this year; therefore, be it

     Resolved by the House of Delegates:

    That the House of Delegates hereby honors the crew members of

the U.S.S. West Virginia; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the House of Delegates invites all members of the West Virginia Legislature and all citizens of West

Virginia to join in recognizing the exemplary service of the U.S.S.

West Virginia's surviving crew members, with recommendation that the President of the United States bestow either the Presidential

Unit Citation or the Navy Unit Commendation upon the Battleship West Virginia for its superior performance during the Battle of Surigao Strait on October 24 through 26, 1944; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Raleigh County Veterans Museum, Inc., the surviving crew members of the U.S.S. West Virginia, the Secretary of the Navy, and the President of the

United States.