USS California (BB-44), a Tennessee class battleship, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named after the 31st state. She was laid down on October 25, 1916 by the Mare Island Navy Yard; launched on November 20, 1919; sponsored by Mrs. R.T. Zane, daughter of California governor William D. Stephens; and commissioned on August 10, 1921.

From 1921 until 1941, California served as flagship of the Pacific Fleet, then as flagship of the United States Battle Fleet. Her annual activities included joint Army-Navy exercises, tactical and organizational development problems, and fleet concentrations for various purposes. She received the Battle Efficiency Pennant for 1921 and 1922, and the Gunnery “E” for 1925 and 1926.

In 1925, California was one of the ships that conducted a major trans-Pacific cruise to Australia and New Zealand. She participated in the Presidential reviews of 1927, 1930, and 1934. In late 1929 and early 1930 she was modernized and equipped with an improved anti-aircraft battery. Numerous fleet exercises in the 1930s took her up and down the west coast, to Hawaii, and through the Panama Canal, to Cuba, to New York City for the 1939 Worlds Fair.

In 1925, California won her first Navy Department General Excellency Trophy for Capital Ships of the Pacific, also known as the Iron Man Trophy. She held the trophy for three years, and won it again for the last time in 1939. She was deployed to Hawaii in 1940 and was based there as tensions rose in the Pacific over the next year. On December 7, 1941, she was moored at Pearl Harbor's “Battleship Row” when the Japanese attacked. The ship was greatly wounded by torpedoes and bombs, slowly settling to the harbor bottom over the next few days. Her salvage, repair and modernization were not completed until January 1944.

Bring any empty space to life with the USS California wooden ship model. From planning to packaging, each step is performed with utmost care; everything is done by hand. Master craftsmen become magicians as they turn simple pieces of mahogany into ship replicas. After the wood is sanded and puttied, talented artists duplicate every single detail with extraordinary accuracy. Hand-casted resin and handmade metal parts complete the ship. A final coat of clear lacquer provides lasting protection for the product. Each model ship comes on a display base with brass pedestals and a brass name plate, and undergoes various stages of quality control. A double-lined box with high density foam ensures the safe arrival of each item.