March 31, 2007

In 1911, the third battleship christened with the name Arkansas was launched. The USS Arkansas (BB33), shown in this 1912 photograph, saw service in both world wars. Among its duties in World War I was serving as part of the fleet that escorted President Woodrow Wilson to France for the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Versailles. In World War II, it and the crew participated in the Normandy invasion and saw extensive combat service during the Pacific island-hopping campaign. It was awarded four battle stars for its World War II service. Shortly after the war ended, it was sunk in the atomic testing at the Bikini Atoll.