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USS Massachusetts (BB-59), known as "Big Mamie" to her crewmembers during World War II, was a battleship of thesecond South Dakota-class. She was theseventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in hon or of the sixth state. Her keel was laid down 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 23 September 1941 spon sored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams, wife of the Secretary of the Navy; and commission ed on 12 May 1942 at Boston, Massachusetts, with Captain Francis E.M. Whiting in command . The ship, which saw action throughout World War II, is believed to have fired the U.S. Navy's first and last 16-inch shells of the war.BB-59 is currently a museum ship, the focal point of Battleship Cove at Fall River, Massachusetts.
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