Laid down in 1937 and launched on 9 April 1941, the USS North Carolina was the first new-construction battleship to enter service during WWII and took part in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theater, becoming the most decorated US battleship of WWII. After a brief post-war stint as a training ship, North Carolina (dubbed in the press as the "Showboat") was laid up in reserve before her eventual movement to Wilmington, and her preservation as a war memorial. This volume traces the history of North Carolina, photographically documenting the evolution of armament and electronics that elevated her pre-Pearl Harbor design to its peak, bristling with guns to counter the threat of kamikaze attack. Records the ship's wartime operations that earned her 12 battle stars, her crew, and their work and recreation.