Tons, 12 14-Inch Guns, 16 5-Inch Guns: The US Navy Rebuilt USS California for 25 Months After Pearl Harbor. She Fired 63 Shells in History's Last Battleship Duel

USS California (BB-44), sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was raised and rebuilt into the U.S. Navy’s last battleship-versus-battleship fighter. Japan hit her with two torpedoes and a bomb, killing 104 crew members. Salvage refloated the ship in March 1942, and Puget Sound Navy Yard spent 25 months modernizing her Tennessee-class hull. The overhaul widened and thickened the ship’s protection, added modern radar and anti-aircraft guns, and installed 16 new 5-inch guns. In October 1944, California fired 63 shells at Surigao Strait, earning seven battle stars before returning to the U.S. and later being sold in 1959.