Navy SINKS Own Battleship For Target Practice

The U.S. Navy deliberately sank its worst battleship ever—not in battle, but as target practice in shallow water, where its wreck still lures divers today.

Story Snapshot

USS Massachusetts (BB-2) earned infamy for design flaws causing instability in rough seas and a string of deadly accidents.
Commissioned in 1895, it suffered groundings, a turret explosion killing nine sailors, and repeated retirements before World War I obsolescence.
Scuttled off Pensacola, Florida, in 1921 for artillery tests, it became the oldest surviving U.S. battleship wreck in 30 feet of water.
Florida protected the site from Navy salvage, turning failure into a diving attraction and archaeological treasure.
Its ironic “success” as a target contrasts sharply with the heroic World War II USS Massachusetts (BB-59).

Flawed Design from the Start

Congress authorized three Indiana-class battleships in 1890 amid post-Civil War naval modernization and tensions with Chile and China. USS Massachusetts entered service in June 1895 as Battleship No. 2. Rushed compromises produced low freeboard, making the ship unstable in waves and “not safe in rough seas.” Inadequate armor layouts compounded vulnerabilities. Sister ships USS Indiana and USS Oregon shared these defects, but Massachusetts compiled the worst record. Naval expansion during the Spanish-American War era set the stage for its trials.

Chain of Mishaps and Near-Misses

In late 1898, Massachusetts struck Diamond Reef near New York Harbor, flooding forward compartments. During the Spanish-American War, it blockaded Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba but missed the decisive battle after resupplying at Guantánamo Bay. Early 1900s brought two groundings requiring months of repairs each. Routine gunnery practice in 1903 triggered an 8-inch turret explosion, killing nine sailors instantly. These incidents sidelined the ship repeatedly, highlighting design over ambition.

Obsolescence and Final Roles

The Secretary of the Navy declared Indiana-class ships “worthless and obsolete” in 1910, retiring them amid dreadnought advancements. Massachusetts briefly acted as a cruise ship for sailors in 1911 and attended King George V’s coronation in England. Recommissioned in 1917 as a World War I gunnery training ship, it decommissioned finally in March 1919 as Coast Battleship No. 2. This freed the name for newer vessels, signaling total disposal. Post-1918 disarmament treaties accelerated pre-dreadnought scrapping.

Deliberate Sinking for Artillery Tests

In January 1921, the Navy towed Massachusetts to shallow Gulf of Mexico waters off Pensacola, Florida, and scuttled it for experimental coastal and railway gun practice. Budget constraints favored cheap targets over maintenance. The wreck settled in 30 feet of water, turrets visible at low tide. This marked its “greatest success,” proving more useful sunk than afloat. Naval command prioritized practical training, aligning with common-sense resource allocation over sentiment.

Legacy as Protected Wreck Site

Florida blocked later Navy salvage attempts to preserve the site, boosting local tourism and diving economy. Today, it serves as an underwater preserve, the oldest extant U.S. battleship wreck, attracting fishers and archaeologists. Its “grand second act” underscores maritime history lessons on early design failures. This pushed U.S. battleship evolution toward dreadnoughts. Pensacola communities benefit economically, while the site symbolizes accountability in naval engineering.