USS Illinois, built at Newport News, Virginia, was the name ship of a class of three 11,565-ton battleships. She was commissioned in September 1901. One of her first assignments was to test the newly-constructed floating dry dock at the Naval Station at New Orleans, Louisiana. In April and May 1902 she steamed across the Atlantic to visit European ports, but had to be repaired in England after accidently grounding at Christiana (Oslo), Norway, on 14 July. Illinois then resumed her European Squadron duties, including a tour in the Mediterranean Sea, before returning to the United States early in 1903. Thereafter she participated in regular fleet operations in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean area.
In December 1907 Illinois steamed out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, to begin a voyage around South America. This was the first leg of the World Cruise of the "Great White Fleet". In company with most of the U.S. Navy's battleships, she arrived at California in the spring of 1908 and that summer crossed the Pacific to Australia and Asia. During the rest of 1908 and the first weeks of 1909 she transited the Indian Ocean, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic, arriving back at Hampton Roads in February 1909. Some months later Illinois was decommissioned and underwent a major modernization, receiving new "cage" masts and more modern equipment.
After over two years in the shipyard and in reserve, Illinois returned to active service in 1912. During 1913 and 1914 she again went to Europe on training cruises and, after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, was employed for training along the East Coast. Illinois was placed in reserve at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1919. Given the hull number BB-7 in July 1920, the next year she became a training ship for the New York State Naval Militia and in 1922 was reduced to "unclassified" status. Subsequently disarmed and housed over as a floating armory, Illinois continued in Naval Reserve service through the 1920s and 1930s. In January 1941 she was renamed Prairie State (IX-15). The old ship served through World War II as a Midshipmen's training school at New York and was kept there after the war to provide quarters for the Naval Reserve. USS Prairie State was stricken from the Navy list in March 1956 and sold for scrapping a few months later.
This page features selected views of USS Illinois (Battleship # 7, later BB-7) and USS Prairie State (IX-15), and provides links to other views concerning this ship.
For other images related to this ship, see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 60633 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) In a harbor, circa 1901-1908. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 93KB; 740 x 545 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 73783 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Underway in harbor, circa 1901-1907. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, D.C. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 76KB; 740 x 555 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 105553 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Anchored off New York City, 1905. Photographed by C.C. Langill, New York. Collection of Warren Beltramini, donated by Beryl Beltramini, 2007. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image size: 67KB; 740 x 570 pixels |
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Photo #: 19-N-1-10-35 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Anchored in Hampton Roads, Virginia, during the Jamestown Exposition Naval Review, 2 May 1907. The Italian cruiser Etruria is in the right background. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 76KB; 740 x 600 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 100295 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Photographed circa 1908. The original photograph was printed on a stereograph card, copyright by Underwood & Underwood, 1908. Donation of Louis Smaus, 1985 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 125KB; 620 x 675 pixels A stereo pair version of this image is available as Photo # NH 100295-A Online Image of stereo pair: 72KB; 675 x 360 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 60247 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Off New York City during the Naval Review, October 1912. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 70KB; 740 x 530 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 94936 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) At Madeira, circa 1913-1914. Photographed by Perestrello. Courtesy of Captain Don Fink, 1983. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 81KB; 740 x 460 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 60570 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Underway, circa 1918, showing modifications made to the ship during the First World War. Despite the inscription on the print, this is NOT USS Alabama. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 104KB; 740 x 590 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 47030 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) Off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1919. Photographed by La Tour. Note that she only retains three six-inch guns on this side. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 69KB; 740 x 530 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 48143 USS Illinois (Battleship # 7) At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1919. Photographed by La Tour. Note that all main deck six-inch guns have been removed. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 79KB; 740 x 500 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 67629 USS Prairie State (IX-15) (ex-Illinois, BB-7) Tied up, probably at New York, during the 1940s or early 1950s. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 63KB; 740 x 455 pixels |
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Note: National Archives photograph # 19-N-1-11-3 has long been identified as showing USS Illinois. However, the ship seen there has been conclusively reidentified as USS Alabama (Battleship # 8). She was of the same basic design as Illinois, but differed in detail, as explained in remarks provided on the Picture Data pages for Photo # 19-N-1-11-3 and Photo # NH 60570.
For other images related to this ship, see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 8 February 2003
New image added 12 April 2008