USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), a New Mexico-class battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state, and the second battleship to carry the name. Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II, for which she earned eight battle stars. She was one of several pre-war battleships that participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.
Mississippi entered Norfolk Navy Yard on March 30, 1931 for a modernization overhaul. This overhaul significantly changed the ship's profile by removing the original fore and aft lattice mast. The former was replaced with a tower. Modernization also included replacement of earlier 3" (76 mm) anti-aircraft guns with eight 5" (130 mm)/25 cal guns. In 1941, the Mississippi was on convoy duty out of Hvalfjordur, Iceland. Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she left Iceland for the Pacific.
On the night of October 24, 1944, she helped to destroy a powerful Japanese task force at the Battle of Surigao Strait; Mississippi herself fired the final salvo in history by a battleship against other warships. As a result of the engagements at Leyte Gulf, the Japanese navy was no longer able to mount any serious offensive threat. Her gunfire contributed to the sinking of Japanese battleship Yamashiro. After the announced surrender of Japan, Mississippi steamed to Sagami Wan, Honshu, arriving on August 27, 1945 as part of the support occupation force. She anchored in Tokyo Bay and witnessed the signing of the surrender documents.
After World War II, her two sisters were quickly decommissioned and scrapped, but Mississippi continued to serve another decade as a weapons testing ship (AG-128). She played an important role in the development of the RIM-2 Terrier missile system. After an attempt to acquire her as a museum ship failed, she was sold for scrap in 1956.
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