In the spring of 1942, USS Washington was the first of Americas fast battleship fleet to participate in combat operations when she was briefly assigned to the Royal Navy. On 28th June 1942, together with HMS Duke of York, HMS Victorious and an accompanying cruiser and destroyer force, she formed part of the distant covering force to convoy PQ17, bound for Russia. In the Pacific later that same year, she became the only modern US battleship to engage an enemy capital ship, sinking the Japanese battlecruiser Kirishima.