USS Michigan (BB-27) - World War I

World War I

Michigan next put to sea on 11 October and from that time until the eve of America's entry into World War I, operated out of various ports on the Eastern Seaboard. Assigned to Battleship Force 2 on 6 April 1917, the warship escorted convoys, trained recruits, and engaged in fleet maneuvers and battle practice. The battleship suffered two notable accidents, one in September 1916 when a twelve-inch gun of her second turret burst while being fired and the second in January 1918 when her "cage" foremast collapsed during a storm at sea. On 15 January 1918, while steaming in formation with the fleet off Cape Hatteras, Michigan's foremast buckled and was carried away over the port side as the battlewagon lurched violently in the trough of a heavy sea. Six men were killed and 13 injured, five seriously, in this accident. Michigan proceeded to Norfolk where the next day she transferred her casualties to Solace. On 22 January, she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for repairs. Early in April, she resumed operations off the East Coast and trained gunners in Chesapeake Bay until World War I ended.