View source for Iowa class battleship

{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}}
{{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image=[[Image:BB61 USS Iowa BB61 broadside USN.jpg|300px]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Iowa'' (BB-61) fires a full broadside on 15 August 1984 during a firepower demonstration after her recommissioning.
}}
{{Infobox Ship Class Overview
|Name='''''Iowa'' class battleship'''
|Builders=[[New York Naval Shipyard]] <br /> (BB-61 & BB-63) <br /> [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]] <br /> (BB-62, BB-64, & BB-65)<ref group=A>BB-65 was canceled on 11 August 1945 when 22% complete. (''Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II'').</ref> <br /> [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]] <br/> (BB-66)<ref group=A>BB-66 was suspended for a time, but was started on 6 December 1944. Canceled 1946.</ref>
|Operators={{navy|USA}}
|Class before=[[South Dakota class battleship (1939)|''South Dakota'' class battleship]]
|Class after=[[Montana class battleship|''Montana'' class battleship]]
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=
|In service range= 22 February 1943 – 17 March 2006<ref group=A>The ''Iowa''s were maintained on the Naval Vessel Register (NVR) throughout the mid and latter half of the 20th century, this range accounts for the earliest commissioning date to the last day on NVR before being officially struck</ref>
|In commission range=22 February 1943 – 31 March 1992<ref group=A>The ''Iowa''s were commissioned intermittently throughout the mid and latter half of the 20th century, therefore the range given here accounts for the times when they were in reserve in between conflicts.</ref>
|Total ships building= 
|Total ships planned=6
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships cancelled= {{USS|Illinois|BB-65|2}} <br/>  {{USS|Kentucky|BB-66|2}}
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=4
|Total ships preserved={{USS|Iowa|BB-61|2}} <br /> {{USS|New Jersey|BB-62|2}} <br /> {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}} <br /> {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|2}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= 
|Ship class=
|Ship type=[[Battleship]]
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=45,000&nbsp;[[ton]]s (standard);<br />52,000&nbsp;tons (mean war service);<br />58,000&nbsp;tons (full load)<ref name="FAQ">Newhart, pp. 90–101</ref>
|Ship tons burthen=
|Ship length=861¼&nbsp;[[foot (length)|ft]] (262.5&nbsp;[[metre|m]]) between perpendiculars<br />{{convert|890|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} overall
|Ship beam={{convert|108|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|36|ft|m|abbr=on}} maximum
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=4 screws; geared turbines; 8 Babcock & Wilcox Boilers; G.E. (BB-61;BB-63); West. (BB-62; BB-64; BB-66); {{convert|212000|shp|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|31|kn|km/h}} normal operating<ref name=Friedman317>Friedman, ''U.S. Battleships'', p. 317</ref><br />{{convert|35|kn|km/h}} theoretical maximum (light displacement)<ref name=Friedman317/>
|Ship range=9,600&nbsp;miles (15,000&nbsp;[[kilometre|km]]) @ {{convert|25|kn|km/h}};<br />16,600&nbsp;miles (27,000&nbsp;km) @ {{convert|15|kn|km/h}}
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=*'''World War II, Korea and Vietnam''' <br/> 2,700 officers and men
*'''During the 1980s'''<ref name="FAQ"/> <br/> 1,800 officers and men 
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=*'''World War II, Korea'''<br/>None<br/> 
*'''During the 1980s'''<br/>[[SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite|AN/SLQ-32(V)]]<br/>[[AN/SLQ-25 Nixie]]<br/>[[Mark 36 SRBOC]]
|Ship armament=*'''World War II, Korea, Vietnam:'''<br />9 × {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} / 50&nbsp;[[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|cal.]] [[16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun|Mark 7]] guns<ref group=A>A total of nine guns were placed aboard the ''Iowa''-class battleships in three [[gun turret]]s.</ref><br />20 × {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} / 38&nbsp;cal. [[5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun|Mark 12]] guns<ref group=A>A total of 20 gun barrels were placed aboard the ''Iowa''-class battleships in 10 separate [[gun turret]]s, five on the port (left) side and five on the starboard (right) side.</ref><br />80 × 40&nbsp;mm / 56&nbsp;cal. [[Bofors 40 mm gun|Bofors]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] guns<br />49 × 20&nbsp;mm / 70&nbsp;cal. [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon]]  anti-aircraft guns
*'''Cold War, Gulf War:'''<br />9 × 16-inch / 50&nbsp;cal. Mark&nbsp;7 guns<br />12 × 5-inch / 38&nbsp;cal. Mark 12 guns<br />32 × [[BGM-109 Tomahawk]] [[cruise missile]]s<br />16 × [[Boeing Harpoon|RGM-84 Harpoon]] [[anti-ship missile]]s<br />4 × 20&nbsp;mm / 76&nbsp;cal.[[Phalanx CIWS]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|12.1|in|mm|abbr=on}},<ref name="The Battleships II">Johnston and McAuley, pp. 108–23.</ref><br />[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{convert|11.3|in|mm|abbr=on}},<ref name="The Battleships II"/><br />[[Barbette]]s: 11.6&nbsp;to 17.3&nbsp;in (295 to 439&nbsp;mm),<ref name="The Battleships II"/><br />[[Turret]]s: {{convert|19.7|in|mm|abbr=on}},<ref name="The Battleships II"/><br />[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]s: {{convert|7.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name="The Battleships II"/>
|Ship aircraft=*'''World War II:''' <br/> 3 × [[OS2U Kingfisher|Vought OS2U Kingfisher]]/[[Curtiss]] [[SC Seahawk]]
*'''Korea/Vietnam:'''  <br/> 3 × helicopters
*''' Cold War/Gulf War:''' <br/> 8 × [[RQ-2 Pioneer]] [[Unmanned aerial vehicle]]
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=Final battleship class completed by U.S. Navy, only remaining battleship class currently in existence that can be reactivated
}}
|}

The '''''Iowa'' class battleships''' were a class of six [[fast battleship]]s ordered by the [[United States Navy]] in 1939 and 1940 to escort the [[Fast Carrier Task Force]]s that would operate in the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]] of World War&nbsp;II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down, but they were canceled prior to completion and eventually scrapped. The ''Iowa'' class was the final class of U.S. battleships to be built.<ref>At the time the, [[Montana class battleship|''Montana'' class]] battleships were being planned, but none of those ships were laid down.</ref> 

Built with no regard for cost, the ''Iowa'' class was arguably the ultimate in the evolution of the [[capital ship]].<ref name="The Battleships I">Johnston and McAuley, p. 11.</ref><ref>Bonner and Bonner, pp. 54–56.</ref><ref group=A>Although it is frequently cited as the ultimate battleship class, other battleship classes did outclass the ''Iowa''s in certain fields; for example, the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]'s {{sclass|Yamato|battleship}} had larger guns – {{convert|46|cm|in|abbr=on}} – and more armor than the ''Iowa''’s.</ref> The ships topped the [[Military Channel]]'s list of the 10 "most fearsome vessels in the history of naval warfare".<ref name="Discovery">{{cite episode | title = The 10 Greatest Fighting Ships in Military History | network = The Military Channel}} Web page: [http://military.discovery.com/convergence/topten/warships/slideshow/slideshow_10.html Top Ten Fighting Ships] Retrieved 23 April 2007.</ref> Yet even as these [[leviathan]]s entered service, they had been eclipsed by [[aircraft carrier]]s as the most important naval vessels.

The ''Iowa''-class battleships served in every major U.S. war of the mid and latter half of the 20th century. In World War II, they defended aircraft carriers and shelled Japanese positions before being placed in reserve at the end of the war. Recalled for action during the [[Korean War]], the battleships provided artillery support for [[United Nations|UN]] forces fighting against [[North Korea]]. In 1968, ''New Jersey'' was recalled for action in the [[Vietnam War]] and shelled [[Communism|Communist]] targets near the [[Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone]]. All four were reactivated and armed with missiles during the 1980s as part of the [[600-ship Navy]]. In 1991, ''Missouri'' and ''Wisconsin'' fired missiles and {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns at [[Iraq]]i targets during the [[Gulf War]]. All four battleships were decommissioned in the early 1990s as the [[Cold War]] drew to a close, and were initially removed from the [[Naval Vessel Register]]; however, at the insistence of the [[United States Congress]], two were reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register for maintenance in the [[United States Navy reserve fleets|mothball fleet]] in 1995. These last two battleships were removed from the Naval Vessel Register in 2006.

== History ==

The ''Iowa''-class battleships were shaped by the [[Battle of Jutland]], by naval treaties signed by various countries during the 1920s and 1930s, and by the need to keep up with aircraft carriers and protect them from aerial attack. 

During the Battle of Jutland in 1916 three [[Royal Navy]] [[battlecruiser]]s were lost due to inadequate armor protection. As a result of this loss, naval architects for the world's major naval powers set out to improve their naval armor to prevent such a loss from recurring, leading to so-called "Post-Jutland" hull designs with greater armor protection.<ref name="math">Davis, p. 1.</ref>

The [[Washington Naval Treaty]] was proposed by [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] [[Charles Evans Hughes]] and forged during a November 1922 conference attended by [[Great Britain]], [[France]], [[Italy]], and [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]. The attending nations agreed to abandon ongoing construction of battleships and battlecruisers, to limit ships to 35,000&nbsp;tons, to cap armament at {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} cannons, and to limit replacement tonnage.<ref>{{cite | author = [[United States Department of State]] | title = Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States: 1922, Vol. 1 | url = http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/FRUS.FRUS1922v01 | year = 1938 | chapter =  | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = [[United States Government Printing Office]] | pages = 247–66 | id = {{ISSN|1048-6445}} | oclc =6699241 | accessdate = 2008-07-24 }}. Additional convenience copy available online in [http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/pre-war/1922/nav_lim.html html format] and [http://images.library.wisc.edu/FRUS/EFacs/1922v01/reference/frus.frus1922v01.i0006.pdf PDF format (209 MB)].</ref> The [[London Naval Treaty]] further restricted battleship construction and banned new battleships through 1937.<ref name="The Battleships II"/><ref>{{cite journal | title = Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament | journal = [[The American Journal of International Law]] | volume = 25 | issue = 2 | month = April | year = 1931 | pages = 63–82 |  publisher = [[American Society of International Law]] | doi = 10.2307/2212911 }} Convenience copy of the treaty online is available [http://www.microworks.net/pacific/road_to_war/london_treaty.htm here].</ref> These treaties stopped U.S. construction of battleships and battlecruisers.

At the [[Second London Naval Treaty|Second London Naval Conference]] in 1935, the Empire of Japan denounced the naval treaty and withdrew its delegates. The other conferees agreed that if Japan did not sign the treaty by April 1937, other nations would be free to build guns up to {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}}, the maximum size under the Washington Naval Treaty. Tonnage limits would also be relaxed.<ref name="The Battleships II"/>

That same year (1935), an [[Empirical relationship|empirical formula]] for predicting a ship's maximum speed was developed, based on scale-model studies in flumes of various [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] forms and [[propeller]]s: 
:<math>\mbox{Capital Ship Speed} = 1.19 \times \sqrt{\mbox{waterline length}}</math>
The formula was adopted after various tests at the [[David Taylor Model Basin]], and was based on a length-to-speed [[ratio]] originally developed for 12-meter (39&nbsp;ft) [[yacht]]s. It quickly became apparent that propeller [[cavitation]] caused a drop in efficiency at speeds over 30 knots (56&nbsp;km/h). Propeller design therefore took on new importance.<ref>Davis, pp. 5–6.</ref><ref group=A>These mathematical formulas still stand today, and have been used to design hulls for U.S. ships and to predict the speed of those hulls for the ships when commissioned, including [[nuclear power]]ed ships like the U.S. fleet of [[Nimitz class aircraft carrier|''Nimitz''-class]] [[supercarrier]]s. See Davis, p. 15.</ref>

In 1936, on the heels of the Empire of Japan's withdrawal from the Second London Naval Conference, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Franklin Roosevelt]] issued an [[Executive order (United States)|executive order]] creating the [[Battleship Design Advisory Board]] (BDAB) and charged the new group with developing new battleship designs, in particular for a 45,000-ton battleship. The board, composed of renowned U.S. naval architects and headed by Captain Allan Chantry, played with various designs for the upcoming U.S. fleet of [[North Carolina class battleship|''North Carolina'']] and [[South Dakota class battleship (1939)|''South Dakota'']]-class battleships to help lessen the gap between the U.S. based battleships and those being commissioned in Germany and Japan at the time.<ref name="gs design">{{citeweb | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/bb-61-design.htm | title = BB-61 Iowa-class Design | publisher = [[GlobalSecurity.org]] | date = 2007-10-09 | accessdate = 2007-11-15 }}</ref>

The United States began building the ''North Carolina'' and ''South Dakota''-class battleships in the late 1930s. Designed mostly within [[Second London Naval Treaty|treaty limitations]], these new battleships could steam at {{convert|28|kn|km/h|0}}, fast for a battleship, but not fast enough to keep pace with the aircraft carriers being planned.<ref name="The Battleships II"/>

=== Birth of the ''Iowa'' class ===
The ''Iowa'' class, like the ''South Dakota'' class and ''North Carolina'' class, began in response to the need for fast escorts for the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s. Plans for fast battleships that displaced 45,000&nbsp;tons had been under development since 1935, beginning with a study of the idea of creating an extended ''South Dakota'' class that would take full advantage of the escalator clause of the [[Second London Naval Treaty]]. When the [[Second Vinson Act]] was passed by the [[United States Congress]] in 1938, the U.S. Navy moved quickly to develop a 45,000-ton battleship that would pass through the 110&nbsp;ft (34&nbsp;m) wide [[Panama Canal]]. Drawing on the earlier speed equations and a newly developed empirical theorem that related [[waterline length]] to maximum [[Beam (nautical)|beam]], the Navy drafted plans for a battleship class with a maximum beam of 108&nbsp;ft (33&nbsp;m), which when multiplied by 7.96 produced a waterline length of 860&nbsp;ft (262&nbsp;m), permitting a maximum speed of {{convert|34.9|kn|km/h|1}}. The Navy also called for the class to have a lengthened [[forecastle]] and amid-ship, which would increase speed, and a [[bulbous bow]].<ref name=Davis-10>Davis, p. 10.</ref>

As with the preceding battleship classes, the ''Iowa''-class battleships were "[[Panamax]]" ships&mdash;built within the size limits required to transition the Panama Canal. The main reason for this was [[Military logistics|logistical]]: the largest U.S. [[shipyard]]s were located on the [[East Coast of the United States]], while the United States had territorial interests in both oceans.<ref name=Davis-10 /> Requiring the battleships to fit within the Panama Canal shaved days off the transition time from the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the [[Pacific Ocean]] by allowing ships to move through the canal instead of sailing all the way around [[South America]].<ref group=A>Sailing a battleship around South America was unusual, but had been done by the battleship {{USS|Oregon|BB-3}} during the [[Spanish-American War]] in 1898. See {{cite DANFS | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/o3/oregon-ii.htm | title = Oregon | accessdate = 2009-07-02 }}</ref><ref group=A>Modern [[supercarrier]]s face this same problem: they are unable to pass through the canal and must circumnavigate South America to move from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.</ref>

[[Image:USS Iowa Pedro Miguel Locks cropped.jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Iowa'' transiting the Panama Canal]]

Originally, the ships were to mount the Mark 2 {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} / 50-[[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|caliber]] gun, which had been intended to arm the [[South Dakota class battleship (1920)|''South Dakota''-class battleships]] and [[Lexington class battlecruiser|''Lexington''-class battlecruiser]]s canceled in 1922. But due to a miscommunication between the [[Bureau of Ordnance]] and the [[Bureau of Construction and Repair]] that left the ship's barbettes too small, the Mark&nbsp;2 guns were replaced in the design by the new, lighter [[16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun|Mark 7]] 16-inch/50-caliber gun.<ref name=Mark_7>DiGiulian, ''United States of America 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark 7''.</ref> The Mark&nbsp;7 was heavier and had a greater range than the 16"/45 Caliber Mark&nbsp;6 guns used on the preceding [[North Carolina class battleship|''North Carolina'']]- and [[South Dakota class battleship (1939)|''South Dakota''-class]] ships. The Mark&nbsp;7 was originally intended to fire the same {{convert|2240|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell as the 16-in/45-caliber gun, but as the design was being completed a new "super-heavy" {{convert|2700|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell was developed for both guns. However, the ''Iowa''{{'}}s armor was only designed to resist 2,240&nbsp;lb (1,016&nbsp;kg) shells, as adding armor would have pushed the ship's weight over the 45,000-ton limit.

At the time the ''Iowa'' class had been cleared for construction, the United States Congress had allocated only enough money to construct the first two ships (''Iowa'' and ''New Jersey''). Congress had not expected the ''Iowa'' class to be so costly; with a price tag of $125&nbsp;million per ship, the ''Iowa''s were 60% more expensive than the previously authorized battleship classes.<ref name="gs design"/><ref group=A>Adjusted for [[inflation]] using the [[Consumer Price Index]], each individual ''Iowa''-class battleship would cost US$1.8&nbsp;billion in 2008 dollars. The total cost of the four completed ships of the class in 2008 dollars was just under $7.4&nbsp;billion, but if all six ships of the ''Iowa'' class been completed the total cost in 2008 dollars would have been $11&nbsp;billion. This estimation does not take into account the price of the various specialty items that the U.S. Navy would have needed for the battleships. ([http://www.austintxgensoc.org/calculatecpi.php Calculate Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 1665-2012]).</ref> Moreover, some policymakers were not sold on the U.S. need for more battleships, and proposed turning the ships into aircraft carriers by retaining the hull design but switching their decks to carry and handle aircraft.<ref group=A>This had already been done with two of the {{Sclass|Lexington|battlecruiser|2}}s&mdash;{{USS|Lexington|CV-2|2}} and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}}&mdash;back in the 1920's.</ref><ref name="conversion">{{citeweb | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/bb-61-av.htm | title = BB-61 Iowa-class Aviation Conversion | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | date = 2005-11-27 | accessdate = 2007-05-19 }}</ref><ref name="concept">{{cite web | title = Iowa Class (BB-61 through BB-66) Drawings | url =http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/bb/bb61cl-d.htm | publisher = Online Library of Selected Images, Naval Historical Center | date = 2005-03-28 | accessdate =2007-11-07}}</ref><ref name=Friedman190>Friedman, ''U.S. Aircraft Carriers'', 190.</ref><ref group="A">In the end, the [[Cleveland class cruiser|''Cleveland''-class]] [[light cruiser]]s were selected for the aircraft carrier conversion. Nine of these light cruisers would be rebuilt as [[Independence class aircraft carrier|''Independence''-class]] [[aircraft carrier|light aircraft carriers]]. Friedman, ''U.S. Aircraft Carriers'', 191.</ref> The proposal to build the ''Iowas'' as aircraft carriers was countered by [[Admiral]] [[Ernest King]], the [[Chief of Naval Operations]],<ref name="conversion"/><ref group=A>On the issue of redesigning the ''Iowa''-class to be aircraft carriers, Admiral Earnest King is quoted as saying "I cannot acquiesce in a complete cessation of BB construction", to President Franklin Roosevelt. See: {{citeweb | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/bb-61-design.htm | title = BB-61 Iowa-class Design | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | date = 2007-10-09 | accessdate = 2007-11-15 }}</ref> and Congress' position on the funding for the ''Iowa'' class changed after the [[Fall of France]], when Roosevelt demanded that Congress fund a two-ocean navy to meet the threats posed in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Concern over the German invasion prompted Congress to respond by allotting enough money to complete the last four ''Iowa''-class battleships (''Missouri'', ''Wisconsin'', ''Illinois'', and ''Kentucky'').<ref name="gs design"/>

Under the direction of Secretary of the Navy [[Charles Edison]], the design was finalized and a contract was signed with the shipyards in July 1939 for the construction of BB-61, BB-62, BB-63, and BB-64 (all ''Iowa''-class battleships) along with BB-65 and BB-66, the first two ships of the [[Montana class battleship|''Montana'' class]] of battleships.<ref group=A>At the time, the {{sclass|Montana|battleship|4}} was planned to begin with hull number BB-65, but following the success of carrier combat at the [[Battle of Coral Sea]] and, to a greater extent, the [[Battle of Midway]], BB-65 and BB-66 were reordered as ''Iowa'' class battleships and assigned the names ''Illinois'' and ''Kentucky'', respectively. See: {{cite web | title = Iowa Class (BB-61 through BB-66) Drawings | url =http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/bb/bb61cl-d.htm | publisher = Online Library of Selected Images, Naval Historical Center | date = 2005-03-28 | accessdate =2007-11-07}}</ref> By 1942, however, the United States Navy shifted its building focus from battleships to [[aircraft carrier]]s after the successes of carrier combat in both the Battle of Coral Sea and, to a greater extent, the Battle of Midway.<ref name="spring">{{cite web | title = Bureau of Ships' "Spring Styles" Book # 3 (1939-1944) (Naval Historical Center Lot # S-511): Battleship Preliminary Design Drawings | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/albums/s511-bb.htm | publisher = Online Library of Selected Images, Naval Historical Center | date = 2005-03-28 | accessdate = 2007-12-01 }}</ref>

As a result, the construction of the U.S. fleet of {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s had been given the highest priority for completion in the U.S. shipyards by the U.S. Navy.<ref name="magazine">{{cite journal | last = Minks | first = R. L. | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4442/is_200609/ai_n17193832 | title = Montana class battleships end of the line | journal = Sea Classics | month = September | year = 2006 | location = [[Canoga Park, California]] | publisher = Challenge Publications  | oclc = 3922521 | accessdate = 2007-12-01 }} (Convenience copy from [http://findarticles.com/ FindArticles.com].)</ref> The ''Essex''-class carriers required escorts that could steam with the carriers at a comparable speed, which prompted the U.S. Navy to reorder BB-65 and BB-66 as ''Iowa''-class battleships, enabling both battleships to steam at a comparable speed with the ''Essex''-class and provide the carriers with the maximum amount of anti-aircraft protection.<ref name="Discovery"/>

=== Service history ===
[[Image:All Four Iowas.jpg|thumb|right|All four ''Iowa''-class battleships together for the first and only time, 1954]]

When brought into service during the final years of World War II, the ''Iowa''-class battleships were assigned to operate in the Pacific, primarily to provide anti-aircraft screening for U.S. aircraft carriers and perform shore bombardment. None of the completed ''Iowa''-class battleships engaged an enemy [[capital ship]] during World War II, although ''Iowa'' and ''New Jersey'' did engage enemy surface ships operating in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.<ref name=New_Jersey-DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = New Jersey | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/n4/new_jersey-ii.htm | short = on }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ussiowa.org/general/html/detail.htm |title=USS IOWA(BB-61) Detailed History |accessdate=2008-08-09 |work=USS Iowa Veterans Association |publisher=The Veteran's Association of the USS IOWA (BB-61) |date= }}</ref> At the end of the war, ''Iowa'', ''New Jersey'' and ''Wisconsin'' were decommissioned and placed in the mothball fleet;<ref group=A>As part of the post World War II drawdown, three of the ''Iowa''-class battleships had been de-activated and decommissioned; however, President Truman refused to allow ''Missouri'' to be decommissioned. Against the advice of [[Secretary of Defense]] [[Louis A. Johnson|Louis Johnson]], [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[John L. Sullivan (Navy)|John L. Sullivan]], and [[Chief of Naval Operations]] [[Louis E. Denfeld]], Truman ordered ''Missouri'' to be maintained with the active fleet partly because of his fondness for the battleship and partly because the battleship had been commissioned by his daughter [[Margaret Truman]]. See: {{cite journal | url=http://www.historynet.com/magazines/american_history/3037591.html | title = USS ''Missouri'': Served in World War II and Korean War | last=Stillwell | first=Paul | month = February | year = 1999 | journal = [[American History]] | volume =  | issue =  | pages =  | issn = 1076-8866 | id = {{OCLC|30148811}} | accessdate=2007-12-03 }} {{cite news | url = http://starbulletin.com/1999/08/09/news/story2.html | title = Mighty Mo anchors $500,000 donation | last=Adamski | first = Mary | work = [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] | date = [[1998-08-09]] | accessdate=2007-06-14 }}</ref> construction was halted on the two incomplete ships, ''Illinois'' and ''Kentucky''.<ref group=A>Construction on ''Illinois'' never resumed after this cancellation, but construction work on ''Kentucky'' was resumed in 1944 and continued until 1947, then resumed again in 1948 and continued until her final cancellation in 1950.</ref>

The ''Iowa''s were recalled in 1950 with the outbreak of the [[Korean War]], and provided naval artillery support for U.N. forces for the entire duration of the war before being returned to mothballs in 1955 after hostilities had ceased. In 1968, to help alleviate US air losses over [[North Vietnam]]<ref>Neubeck, p. 42</ref> as well as delivering the ordnance necessary for the escalating war in Vietnam, ''New Jersey'' was recommissioned, and as the only active battleship in the world in 1968, departed for the gunline off the Vietnamese coast. From approximately 6 April 1968 until 17 December 1969, ''New Jersey'' operated in the waters off the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone, firing nearly 6,000 {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} shells and well over 14,000 rounds of {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} shells at communist targets, before departing the gunline;<ref>Polmar, p. 129</ref> she was decommissioned the following year.<ref name=New_Jersey-DANFS />

In the 1980s, all of the ''Iowa''s were recommissioned as part of President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s plan to rebuild the U.S. military and create a [[600-ship Navy]]. With the {{sclass|Des Moines|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]]s worn out, the relatively low mileage ''Iowas'' were brought back to fill the offshore bombardment role.<ref name="Discovery"/> The ships also provided a counter to the new Soviet ''Orlan''-class large missile cruisers, better known in the West as the [[Kirov class battlecruiser|''Kirov''-class battlecruisers]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Middleton | first = Drew | title = Pentagon likes budget proposal, but questions specifics | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 1981-03-13 | page = A14 }}</ref><ref>Bishop, p. 80.</ref><ref>Miller and Miller, p. 114.</ref> Each battleship was modernized to carry [[electronic warfare]] suites, [[CIWS]] self-defense systems, and missiles.<ref group=A>During this reactivation, the Navy played with various ideas to remove the #3 gun turrets from the battleships and replace them with servicing facilities for 12 [[AV-8B Harrier]] STOVL jumpjets. Plans for such a conversion were dropped in 1984. See: {{citeweb | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/bb-61-av.htm | title = BB-61 Iowa-class Aviation Conversion | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | date = 2005-11-27 | accessdate = 2007-05-19 }}</ref><ref name="GOA1">{{cite web | last = Horan | first = Donald J. | url = http://archive.gao.gov/f0102/115403.pdf | format = PDF | title = Update of the Issues Concerning the Proposed Reactivation of the Iowa class battleships and the Aircraft Carrier Oriskany | date = 1981-04-20 | accessdate = 2005-05-25 | publisher = [[United States General Accounting Office]] | pages = pp. 3–18 }}</ref> They became the centerpieces of their own [[battleship battle group]]s (BBBGs).<ref group=A>A Battleship Battle Group consisted of one {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser}}, one {{sclass|Kidd|destroyer}} or {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer}}, one {{sclass|Spruance|destroyer}}, three {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate}}, and one support ship. {{cite book |title=The Complete Book of U.S. Fighting Power |last=Lightbody |first=Andy |coauthors=Poyer, Joe |year=1990 |publisher=Crown Publishers, Inc |location=New York, New York |isbn=0517032988 |pages= 338–339 |accessdate=2009-03-21 }}</ref> Their missions in the 1980s and early 1990s included the U.S. intervention in the [[Lebanese Civil War]] following the [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing]] and ''Desert Storm'' in 1991, first as part of [[Gulf_War#Operation_Desert_Shield|Operation ''Desert Shield'']] in 1990 and then as part of [[Operation Desert Storm|Operation ''Desert Storm'']] in January thru February 1991. Decommissioned for the last time due to budgetary restraints<ref group=A>A Government Accountability Office report on the operating cost for each individual ''Iowa''-class battleship in 1991 reported that it cost the United States Navy $58 million to operate each individual battleship. Adjusted for inflation on the [http://www.austintxgensoc.org/calculatecpi.php Consumer Price Index], each individual battleship would cost just over $88.5 million to operate in 2008 dollars. This number does not take into consideration the cost of specialty items and other unique components that may be needed to keep a battleship operational. {{cite web |url=http://archive.gao.gov/d23t8/142247.pdf |format=pdf  |title=Defense Budget: Potential Reductions to DOD's Ammunition Budgets|accessdate=2009-08-08 |publisher=[[Government Accountability Office|United States General Accounting Office]]  |date=17 September 1990 |pages=p. 29}}</ref> in the early 1990s, the ''Iowa''s were split into two groups: those retained in the [[United States Navy reserve fleets]] (better known as the "mothball fleet") and those donated for use as [[museum ship]]s. 

In 1996, the [[National Defense Authorization Act]] led ''Iowa'' and ''Missouri'' to be struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]]. ''Missouri'' was donated to the Missouri Memorial Association of [[Pearl Harbor, Hawaii|Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], for use as a museum ship. ''Iowa'' was set to be donated with ''Missouri'', but was reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register after the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 allowed ''New Jersey'' to be donated as a museum ship.<ref>{{cite web | author = [[105th United States Congress|105th Congress]] | title = Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 | url = http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/olc/docs/1999NDAA.pdf | format = PDF | date = 1998-10-17 | accessdate = 2007-03-12 | pages = pp. 200–01 }}</ref> The last two ''Iowa''-class battleships were removed from the mothball fleet in 2006, and are currently awaiting transfer for use as museum ships.<ref name=New_Jersey-DANFS /><ref name=Iowa-NVR>{{cite web | title = Iowa (BB 61) | url = http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/BB61.htm | publisher = [[Naval Vessel Register]], [[United States Navy]]| date = 2007-02-26 | accessdate=2007-12-01}}</ref><ref name=Wisconsin-NVR>{{cite web | title = Wisconsin (BB 64) | url = http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/BB64.htm | publisher = Naval Vessel Register, United States Navy | date = 2006-03-20 |  accessdate=2007-12-01}}</ref><!-- <ref name="NVR">{{cite web | title = Naval Vessel Register | url = http://www.nvr.navy.mil/ |publisher= [[United States Navy]] | accessdate=2006-01-17}}</ref> -->

== Ships ==
The ''Iowa''-class ships were built to steam at the same speed as the U.S. fleet of {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|2}}s. Their main battery and secondary battery guns were designed to take on the ships of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]],<ref name="Discovery"/> and to shell beachheads in advance of [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] [[amphibious warfare|amphibious assaults]]. They carried a wide array of anti-aircraft guns to defend themselves and their carriers. 

=== USS ''Iowa'' (BB-61) ===
[[Image:USSIowa.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}} during the [[Korean War]]]]

{{USS|Iowa|BB-61|2}} was ordered 1 July 1939, laid down 27 June 1940, launched 27 August 1942, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] 22 February 1943. ''Iowa'' conducted a [[shakedown cruise]] in the [[Chesapeake Bay]] before sailing to [[Naval Station Argentia]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] to counter the [[German battleship Tirpitz|German battleship ''Tirpitz'']]. Transferred to the [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]] in 1944, ''Iowa'' made her combat debut in the [[Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign|campaign for the Marshall Islands]]. The ship escorted U.S. aircraft carriers conducting air raids in the [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign|Marianas campaign]], then was present at the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]. During the Korean War, ''Iowa'' bombarded enemy targets at [[Songjin]], [[Hungnam]], and Kojo, [[North Korea]]. ''Iowa'' returned to the U.S. for operational and training exercises before being [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]]. Reactivated in the early 1980s, ''Iowa'' made several operation cruises in European waters. On 19 April 1989, [[USS Iowa turret explosion|an explosion of undetermined origin]] ripped through her No.&nbsp;2 turret, killing 47 sailors. The turret remained inoperable when ''Iowa'' was decommissioned for the last time in 1990. In 1999, ''Iowa'' was placed in the mothball fleet as a replacement for sister ship ''New Jersey''. Stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 17 March 2006. Even though Congress was concerned with the loss of surface support that a battleship provided, they passed Pub.L. 109-163, the National Defense Authorization Act 2006, to allow the ''Iowa'' to be struck from the Naval Vessel Register for donation.<ref name="Congress 68">109th Congress, House of Representatives. Report 109-163. {{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-1815 |title=National Defense Authorization Act of 2006 |page=68 |archiveurl=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-1815 |archivedate=2006-09-21 |accessdate=2006-11-26}}</ref> However, whoever receives the ''Iowa'' must maintain her in a state of readiness should she ever be needed by the Navy again.<ref name="Congress 68"/> If such an emergency arises, ''Iowa'' would be immediately transferred back to the Navy for use.<ref name="Congress 68"/> ''Iowa'' is currently berthed at [[Suisun Bay]] in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]].<ref name=Iowa-NVR /><ref name=Iowa-DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Iowa | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i2/iowa-iii.htm | short = on }}</ref>

=== USS ''New Jersey'' (BB-62) ===
[[Image:New Jeresy broadside.JPG|thumb|right|USS ''New Jersey'' fires a broadside of {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns.]]

{{USS|New Jersey|BB-62|2}} was ordered 1 July 1939, laid down 16 September 1940, launched 7 December 1942, and commissioned 23 May 1943. ''New Jersey'' completed fitting out and trained her initial crew in the Western Atlantic and [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] before transferring to the [[Pacific Theatre of World War II|Pacific Theatre]] in advance of the planned [[Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign|assault on the Marshall Islands]], where she screened the U.S. fleet of aircraft carriers from enemy air raids. At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the ship protected carriers with her anti-aircraft guns. ''New Jersey'' then bombarded [[Iwo Jima]] and [[Okinawa]]. During the Korean War, the ship pounded targets at [[Wonsan]], [[Yangyang]], and Kansong. Following the ceasefire, ''New Jersey'' conducted training and operation cruises until she was decommissioned. Recalled to duty in 1968, ''New Jersey'' reported to the ''gunline''<ref>Polmar, p. 129</ref> off the Vietnamese coast; delivering nearly 6,000 rounds of {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} gunfire and over 14,000 rounds of {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} shells before departing the line in December 1969.<ref>Polmar, p. 129</ref>  She was decomissioned the following year. Reactivated under the 600-ship Navy program, ''New Jersey'' was sent to [[Lebanon]] to protect U.S. interests and U.S. Marines, firing her main guns at [[Druze]] and [[Syria]]n positions in the [[Bekaa valley]] east of [[Beirut]]. Decommissioned for the last time 8 February 1991, ''New Jersey'' was briefly retained on the [[Naval Vessel Register]] before being donated to the Home Port Alliance of [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]], [[New Jersey]], for use as a museum ship.<ref name=New_Jersey-DANFS/><ref name=New_Jersey-NVR>{{cite web | title = New Jersey (BB 62) | url = http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/BB62.htm | publisher = Naval Vessel Register, United States Navy | date = 2002-07-19 |  accessdate=2007-12-22}}</ref>

=== USS ''Missouri'' (BB-63) ===
[[Image:Missouri post refit.JPG|thumb|right|USS ''Missouri'' in her 1980s configuration]]

{{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}} was ordered 12 June 1940, laid down 6 January 1941, launched 29 January 1944, and commissioned 11 June 1944. ''Missouri'' conducted her trials off New York and shakedown and battle practice in the Chesapeake Bay before transferring to the Pacific Fleet, where she screened U.S. aircraft carriers involved in offensive operations against the Japanese before reporting to [[Okinawa]] to shell the island in advance of the planned landings. Following the bombardment of Okinawa ''Missouri'' turned her attention to [[Honshū]] and [[Hokkaidō]], shelling the islands and screening U.S. carriers involved in combat operations against the Japanese positions. She garnered international attention in September 1945 when representatives of the [[Empire of Japan]] boarded the battleship to sign the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|documents of unconditional surrender]] to the [[Allies of World War II|Allied powers]]. After World War II ''Missouri'' turned her attention to conducting training and operational cruises before being dispatched to Korea at the outbreak of the Korean War. ''Missouri'' served two tours of duty in Korea before being decommissioned in 1956. Reactivated 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan, ''Missouri'' was sent on operational cruises until being assigned to [[Operation Earnest Will|Operation ''Earnest Will'']] in 1988. In 1991, ''Missouri'' participated in [[Operation Desert Storm]] by firing 28 [[BGM-109 Tomahawk|Tomahawk Missiles]] at Iraqi targets and firing 759 {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} shells<ref>Polmar p. 129</ref> at Iraqi positions along the coast. Decommissioned for the last time in 1992, ''Missouri'' was donated to the USS ''Missouri'' Memorial Association (MMA) of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for use as a museum ship in 1999.<ref name=Missouri-DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Missouri | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m12/missouri-iv.htm | short = on }}</ref><ref name=Missouri-NVR>{{cite web | title = Missouri (BB 63) | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w10/wisconsin-ii.htm | publisher = Naval Vessel Register, United States Navy | date = 2002-07-19 |  accessdate=2007-12-22}}</ref>

=== USS ''Wisconsin'' (BB-64) ===
[[Image:USS Wisconsin (BB-64) launching Tomahawk.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Wisconsin'' fires a Tomahawk missile.]]

{{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|2}} was ordered 12 June 1940, laid down 25 January 1942, launched 7 December 1943, and commissioned 16 April 1944. After trials and initial training in the Chesapeake Bay, ''Wisconsin'' transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944 and assigned to protect the U.S. fleet of aircraft carriers involved in operations in the Philippines until summoned to Iwo Jima to bombard the island in advance of the Marine landings. After the landings on Iwo Jima she turned her attention to Okinawa, bombarding the island in advance of the allied amphibious assault. In mid-1945 ''Wisconsin'' turned her attention to pounding the Japanese home islands, a job she retained until the surrender of Japan. Reactivated in 1950 for the Korean War, ''Wisconsin'' served two tours of duty assisting South Korean and UN forces by providing call fire support and shelling targets of opportunity. In 1956, the bow of the uncompleted USS Kentucky was removed and grafted on the Wisconsin, which had collided with the destroyer [[USS Eaton (DD-510)|USS ''Eaton'']]. Decommissioned in 1958, ''Wisconsin'' was placed in the reserve fleet at the [[Philadelphia Naval Yard]] until reactivated in 1986 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan. In 1991, ''Wisconsin'' participated in [[Operation Desert Storm]], firing 24 Tomahawk Missiles at Iraqi targets, and expending 319 {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} shells<ref>Polmar, p. 129</ref> at Iraqi troop formations along the coast. Decommissioned for the last time 30 September 1991 ''Wisconsin'' was placed in the reserve fleet until struck from the Naval Vessel Register 17 March 2006 so she could be transferred for use as a museum ship. Even though Congress was concerned with the loss of surface support that a battleship provided, they passed Pub.L. 109-163, the National Defense Authorization Act 2006, to allow the ''Wisconsin'' to be struck from the Naval Vessel Register for donation.<ref name="Congress 68">109th Congress, House of Representatives. Report 109-163. {{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-1815 |title=National Defense Authorization Act of 2006 |page=68 |archiveurl=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-1815 |archivedate=2006-09-21 |accessdate=2006-11-26}}</ref> ''Wisconsin'' must be maintained in a state of readiness should she ever be needed by the Navy again.<ref name="Congress 68"/> If such an emergency arises, ''Wisconsin'' would be immediately transferred back to the Navy for use.<ref name="Congress 68"/> ''Wisconsin'' is currently berthed at the [[Nauticus]] maritime museum in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]].<ref name=Wisconsin-DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Wisconsin | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w10/wisconsin-ii.htm | short = on }}</ref><ref name=Wisconsin-NVR />

=== USS ''Illinois'' (BB-65) ===
[[Image:USSKentuckyBB-66.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Illinois'' and USS ''Kentucky'' (shown here) were never finished, and both ultimately scrapped.]]

{{USS|Illinois|BB-65|2}} was ordered 9 September 1940 and laid down 15 January 1945. Construction was canceled 11 August 1945 when ''Illinois'' was 22% complete. She was sold for scrap in September 1958.<ref name=Illinois-DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Illinois | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i1/illinois.htm | short = on }}</ref><ref name=Illinois-NVR>{{cite web | title = Illinois (BB 65) | url = http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/BB65.htm | publisher = Naval Vessel Register, United States Navy | date = 2002-07-22 | accessdate=2006-01-17 }}</ref> ''Illinois''' design called for an all-welded hull, lighter and stronger than the riveted/welded hull of the four completed ''Iowa''-class ships. A proposal to redesign the hull with a ''Montana''-class type torpedo protection system was rejected.<ref name="armor">{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20071018131915/http://battleship.org/html/Articles/IowaClass/Armor.htm |title=Iowa Class: Armor Protection |accessdate=2009-07-02 |publisher=Iowa Class Preservation Society}}</ref>

=== USS ''Kentucky'' (BB-66) ===
{{USS|Kentucky|BB-66|2}} was ordered 9 September 1940 and laid down on 6 December 1944. Construction was suspended 17 February 1947 when ''Kentucky'' was 72% complete. She was informally launched 20 January 1950 to clear a dry-dock for repairs to ''Missouri'', which had run aground. In 1956, ''Kentucky''’s bow was removed and shipped in one piece across [[Hampton Roads]], where it was grafted on the battleship ''Wisconsin'', which had collided with the destroyer {{USS|Eaton|DD-510|2}}. Later, ''Kentucky''’s engines were salvaged and installed on the [[fast combat support ship]]s {{USS|Sacramento|AOE-1|2}} and {{USS|Camden|AOE-2|2}}. Nothing came of several proposals to complete ''Kentucky'' as a guided missile ship.<ref name="Kentucky">{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/bb-61.htm |title=BB-61 Iowa Class |accessdate=2007-03-14 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org}}</ref> Ultimately, ''Kentucky'' was sold to [[Boston Metals Co.]] for scrap on 31 October 1958.<ref name=Kentucky-DANFS>{{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Kentucky | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k3/kentucky.htm | short = on }}</ref><ref name=Kentucky-NVR>{{cite web | title = Kentucky (BB 66) | url = http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/BB66.htm | publisher = Naval Vessel Register, United States Navy | date = 2002-07-23 | accessdate=2006-12-17}}</ref> Like ''Illinois,'' ''Kentucky'''s hull was of all-welded construction, lighter and stronger than the other ''Iowas,'' and a proposal to redesign the hull with a ''Montana''-class torpedo protection system was rejected.<ref name="armor"/>

== Armament ==
{{main|Armament of the Iowa class battleship}}
The ''Iowa''-class battleships were among the most heavily armed ships the United States ever put to sea. The main [[artillery battery|battery]] of {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns could hit targets nearly 24&nbsp;miles (39&nbsp;km) away with a variety of [[artillery]] shells, from standard [[armor piercing rounds]] to tactical [[atom bomb|nuclear charge]]s called "Katies" (from "kt" for [[kiloton]]). The secondary battery of {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns could hit targets nearly {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} away with solid projectiles or proximity fused shells, and were equally adept in an anti-aircraft role and for damaging smaller ships. When commissioned these battleships carried a wide array of 20&nbsp;mm and 40&nbsp;mm [[anti-aircraft artillery|anti-aircraft guns]], which were gradually replaced with Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles, [[Phalanx CIWS|Phalanx]] anti-aircraft/anti-missile [[gatling gun]] systems, and electronic warfare suites. By the time the last ''Iowa''-class battleship was decommissioned in 1992 the ''Iowas'' had set a new record for battleship weaponry: no other battleship class in history had so many weapons at its disposal for use against an opponent.<ref name="Discovery"/>

=== Main battery ===
[[Image:Uss iowa bb-61 pr.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}} fires a full broadside of nine 16-inch (406&nbsp;mm) / 50-caliber and six 5-inch (127&nbsp;mm) / 38-caliber guns during a target exercise. Note concussion effects on the water surface, and 16-inch (406&nbsp;mm) gun barrels in varying degrees of elevation.]]

The primary armament of an ''Iowa''-class battleship is nine {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} / 50-caliber [[16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun|Mark 7]] naval guns,<ref group=A>Originally the armament was to be nine 16"/50 Mark 2 Naval Guns intended for the canceled [[South Dakota class battleship (1920)|''South Dakota''-class battleships]]; however, a miscommunication between the design bureaus left the class barbettes too small to fit the Mark&nbsp;2 guns; so the ''Iowa'' class was equipped with the Mark&nbsp;7 Naval Guns instead. See: DiGiulian, ''United States of America 16"/50 (40.6&nbsp;cm) Mark 7''.</ref> which are housed in three 3-gun turrets: two forward and one aft in a configuration known as "2-A-1". The guns are {{convert|66|ft|m}} long (50 times their {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} bore, or 50 [[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|calibers]], from [[breechface]] to [[muzzle (firearm)|muzzle]]). About {{convert|43|ft|m}} protrudes from the gun house. Each gun weighs about 239,000&nbsp;pounds (108,000&nbsp;kg) without the breech, or {{convert|267900|lb|kg}} with the breech.<ref name=Mark_7 /> They fire projectiles weighing from 1,900 to 2,700&nbsp;pounds (850 to 1,200&nbsp;kg) at a maximum speed of 2,690&nbsp;[[ft/s]] (820&nbsp;[[m/s]]) up to 20&nbsp;miles (32&nbsp;km). At maximum range the projectile spends almost 1½&nbsp;minutes in flight. The maximum firing rate for each gun on an ''Iowa''-class battleship is two rounds per minute.<ref name="BAW">Poyer, pp. 50–53.</ref> When firing two ''broadsides'' per minute, a single ''Iowa''-class battleship can put {{convert|36000|lb|kg}} of ordnance on a designated target every minute, a figure that can only be matched by a single [[B-52 Stratofortress]] of the [[United States Air Force]].<ref name="BAW"/> A B-52 can carry up to {{Convert|60000|lb|kg}} of bombs, missiles, and mines, or any combination thereof.<ref>{{cite web | last = Loftin | first = L. K., Jr. | title = Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft, NASA SP-468 | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/cover.htm | date =  | accessdate = 2008-02-23 }}</ref>

[[RADAR]] range estimation provided a significant accuracy advantage over earlier ships with optical rangefinders.  A United States Navy officer who spent months towing 5- to {{convert|27|kn|km/h|adj=on}} surface targets for various warships during World War II recalled long range practice firing from over the horizon and stated: "The ''Iowa''s always fired nine-gun salvos, and the opening one usually straddled the target."<ref name="hoskins">Hoskins(September 1983)p.103</ref>    

Each gun rests within an armored turret, but only the top of the turret protrudes above the main deck. The turret extends either four decks (Turrets 1 and 3) or five decks (Turret 2) down. The lower spaces contain rooms for handling the projectiles and storing the powder bags used to fire them. Each turret required a crew of between 85 and 110 men to operate.<ref name=Mark_7 /> The turrets are not actually attached to the ship, but sit on rollers, which means that if the ship were to [[capsize]] the turrets would fall out.<ref group=A>During his investigation of the wreck of the [[German battleship Bismarck|German battleship ''Bismarck'']] oceanographer Robert D. Ballard and his team found four large empty barbettes that had once held the turrets Anton, Bruno, Caesar, and Doris. Ballard noted in his book ''Exploring the Bismarck'' that, "None of the four big turrets [were] still attached to the ship", each having fallen out when the battleship capsized and sank. {{cite book |last=Ballard |first=Robert D. |authorlink=Robert Ballard |others=with Rick Archbold |title=Exploring the Bismarck |origyear=1991 |edition=2nd Printing |year=1994 |publisher=Scholastic / Madison Press |location=Italy |isbn=0-590-44269-4 |page=51 |chapter=Exploring the Bismarck}}</ref> The original cost for each turret was US$1.4&nbsp;million, but this number does not take into account the cost of the guns themselves.<ref name=Mark_7 />

The turrets are "three-gun", not "triple", because each barrel can be elevated independently; they can also be fired independently. The ship could fire any combination of its guns, including a [[broadside]] of all nine. Contrary to myth, the ships do not move noticeably sideways when a broadside is fired.<ref>{{cite web | last = Landgraff | first = R. A. | coauthors =  Locock, Greg; DiGiulian, Tony | title = Do battleships move sideways when they fire? | url = http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-022.htm | date = 2006-08-22 | publisher = Navweaps.com | accessdate=2008-02-24 }}</ref> The guns can be elevated from &minus;5° to +45°, moving at up to 12° per second. The turrets can be rotated about 300° at about four degrees per second and can even be fired back beyond the [[Beam (nautical)|beam]], which is sometimes called "over the shoulder". Within each turret, a red stripe on the wall of the turret, just inches from the railing, would have marked the boundary of the gun's recoil, providing the crew of each gun turret with a visual reference for the minimum safe distance range.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/mk-7.htm |title=Mark 7 16-inch/50-caliber gun |accessdate=2007-03-12 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists}}</ref> The guns are never fired directly forward because of the shape of the bow and risk that firing the guns forward would damage the ship; in addition to this concern, a satellite up-link antenna was mounted at the bow of each battleship when they were reactivated in the 1980s.

=== Secondary battery ===
[[Image:5-inch 38-caliber cropped.jpg|thumb|right|A {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} gun mount emblazoned with the [[Eagle, Globe, and Anchor]] of the [[United States Marine Corps]] aboard the battleship {{USS|New Jersey|BB-62|2}}.  In keeping with tradition, a 5-inch gun mount on each ''Iowa'' class battleship was manned by the ship's Marine Detachment (MARDET).]]

The secondary battery of the ship consists of {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} [[5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun|Mark 12]] guns in 10 twin mounts, five each to port and starboard, and four Mark&nbsp;37 Gun Fire Control Systems. These guns were introduced on [[destroyer]]s in 1934, but by World War II had been installed on nearly every major U.S. warship.<ref name="5/38">{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = United States of America 5"/38 (12.7&nbsp;cm) Mark 12 | url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-38_mk12.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 2008-03-27  | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref> The secondary battery was intended to fight off aircraft. Its effectiveness soon declined as Japanese airplanes became faster, then rose again toward the end of the war because of an upgrade to the Mark&nbsp;37 Fire Control System and the [[proximity fuze|proximity-fuzed]] {{convert|5|in|mm|sing=on}} shells. During the 1980s modernization, four twin mounts were removed to make room for missiles, the two farthest aft and the two at mid-ship on each side. In the Gulf War, the secondary battery was largely relegated to shore bombardment and [[littoral]] defense.<ref name="FAS Iowa"/>

=== Anti-aircraft batteries ===

Since they were designed to escort the U.S. fleet of fast attack aircraft carriers the ''Iowa''-class battleships were all outfitted with a wide array of anti-aircraft guns to protect U.S. aircraft carriers from Japanese fighters and dive bombers.<ref>Keegan, p. 264.</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Toppan | first = Andrew | title = World Battleships List: US Treaty and Post-Treaty Battleships | url = http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/battleships/us_wwii.htm | date = 2001-10-06 | accessdate = 2007-06-01 }}</ref>

==== Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft guns ====
The [[Oerlikon Contraves|Oerlikon]] [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft gun]] was one of the most heavily produced [[anti-aircraft gun]]s of World War&nbsp;II; The U.S. alone manufactured a total of 124,735 of these guns. When activated in 1941 these guns replaced the [[M2 Browning machine gun|0.50"/90 (12.7&nbsp;mm) M2 Browning MG]] on a one-for-one basis. The Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm AA gun remained the primary anti-aircraft weapon of the United States Navy until the introduction of the [[Bofors 40 mm gun|40&nbsp;mm Bofors AA gun]] in 1943.<ref name="Oerlikon">{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = British, Swiss and USA 20 mm/70 (0.79") Oerlikon Marks 1, 2, 3 and 4 | url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_2cm-70_mk234.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 2008-05-14 | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref>

==== Bofors 40&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft guns ====
[[Image:Bofors firing USS Hornet.jpg|thumb|right|Bofors 40&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft guns on a MK 12 quadruple mount fire from the deck of the {{USS|Hornet|CV-12|6}} in World War II.]]

Arguably the best light anti-aircraft weapon of World War II, the [[Bofors 40 mm gun|40&nbsp;mm Bofors AA gun]] was used on almost every major warship in the US and UK fleet during World War&nbsp;II from about 1943 to 1945. Although a descendant of German and Swedish designs, the Bofors mounts used by the United States Navy during World War II had been heavily "Americanized" to bring the guns up to the standards of the US Navy. This resulted in a gun system set to English standards (now known as the [[United States customary units|Standard System]]) with interchangeable ammunition, which simplified the logistics situation for World War II. When coupled with hydraulic couple drives to reduce salt contamination and the Mark&nbsp;51 director for improved accuracy the Bofors 40&nbsp;mm gun became a powerful adversary, accounting for roughly half of all Japanese aircraft shot down between 1 October 1944 and 1 February 1945.<ref name="Bofors">{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = Sweden, British, USA, German and Japanese Bofors 40 mm/56 (1.57") Model 1936 | url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_4cm-56_mk12.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 2008-05-14 | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref>

==== Phalanx CIWS ====
During their modernization in the 1980s each ''Iowa''-class battleship was equipped with four of the United States Navy's [[Phalanx CIWS]] mounts, two which sat just behind the bridge and two which were fixed to a platform installed between the ship's funnels. ''Iowa, New Jersey'', and ''Missouri'' were equipped with the Block&nbsp;0 version of the Phalanx, while ''Wisconsin'' received the first operational Block&nbsp;1 version in 1988.<ref name="navwiz">{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = USA 20 mm Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) | url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_Phalanx.htm | publisher = Navweaps.com | date = 2007-11-02 | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref> Phalanx CIWS mounts were used by ''Missouri'' and ''Wisconsin'' during the 1991 Gulf War; ''Wisconsin'' alone fired 5,200 20&nbsp;mm Phalanx CIWS rounds.<ref name="USS Wisconsin">{{cite web | title = The USS Wisconsin (BB-64) Ship's History | url = http://www.usswisconsin.org/General/Ships%20History.htm | publisher= USS Wisconsin Association | date = 2008-01-08 | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref>

=== Missiles ===
[[Image:USSNewJersey tomohawk.jpg|thumb|right|An [[Armored Box Launcher]] on {{USS|New Jersey|BB-62|6}}]]

During the modernization in the 1980s, three weapons were added to the ''Iowa''-class battleships. The first was the CIWS anti-aircraft/anti-missile system discussed above. The other two were missiles for use against both land and sea targets. At one point, the NATO [[Sea Sparrow]] was to be installed on the reactivated battleships; however, it was determined that the system could not withstand the overpressure effects from firing the main battery.<ref>Statement by Admiral Rowden in the ''Department of Defense Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1982''.</ref><ref name="GOA1"/>

==== Tomahawk land attack missile ====

The [[BGM-109 Tomahawk|BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile]] (TLAM) entered U.S. service in 1983. A long-range, all-weather, subsonic [[cruise missile]], the Tomahawk could hit targets {{convert|1350|nmi|km}} away, more than 55 times farther than the {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} guns' {{convert|24|mi|km|0|adj=on}} range.<ref group=A>The maximum range for the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is 1350&nbsp;[[nautical mile]]s (nm), the maximum range for the Harpoon is 85&nbsp;nm,[http://web.archive.org/web/20071018131922/http://battleship.org/html/Articles/IowaClass/Missile.htm] and the maximum range for the {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns is roughly 24&nbsp;nautical miles (nm). {{cite web|title = USS Missouri (BB-63) Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Ben M. Schorr, FactPlace.com | url = http://www.factplace.com/mightymo.htm#Ship  |accessdate=2006-12-16}}</ref><ref name="missile system"/>

==== Harpoon anti-ship missile ====
For protection against enemy ships, the ''Iowa'' class carried [[Boeing]] [[Boeing Harpoon|RGM-84 Harpoon]] anti-ship missiles in four Mk&nbsp;141 shock-hardened quad-cell canister launchers located alongside the aft [[Funnel (ship)|stack]], two launchers per side. At firing, the Harpoon weighs {{convert|1530|lb|kg}}, including a booster of about {{convert|362|lb|kg}}. The cruising speed is Mach&nbsp;0.87 and the range is 64&nbsp;[[nautical mile]]s (119.5&nbsp;km) in Range and Bearing Launch mode and 85&nbsp;nm (157.4&nbsp;km) in Bearing Only Launch mode.<ref name="missile system">{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20071018131922/http://battleship.org/html/Articles/IowaClass/Missile.htm |title=Iowa Class: Missile Battery |accessdate=2009-07-02 |publisher=Iowa Class Preservation Society}}</ref>

=== Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Chaff system ===
During their modernization in the 1980s each of the ''Iowa''-class battleships were outfitted with the [[Mark 36 SRBOC|Mark 36 Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Chaff (SRBOC)]] system, enabling the ''Iowa''s to carry and fire [[Chaff (radar countermeasure)|chaff]] rockets which, when launched from their tubes, release missile decoys or lures. The decoys/lures are intended to act as an anti-missile shield by providing false targets for an enemy missile to attack.<ref name="Chaff">{{cite web | title = MK 36 SRBOC | url = http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/mk-36.htm | publisher = [[Federation of American Scientists]] | date = 1999-06-30 | accessdate = 2007-06-29 }}</ref> During the 1991 Gulf War, chaff was blamed for a [[friendly fire]] incident between the [[Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate|''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class]] [[guided missile frigate|frigate]] {{USS|Jarrett|FFG-33|2}} and the battleship {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}}: during an Iraqi missile attack ''Missouri'' fired chaff into the air to confuse the incoming missile; however a Phalanx&nbsp;CIWS mount on ''Jarrett'' unintentionally engaged the chaff fire by ''Missouri''. Rounds from the Phalanx mount on ''Jarret'' struck ''Missouri'', causing one minor injury to a crewman on the battleship; however, no serious injuries or damage resulted from the attack.<ref name="friendly fire I">{{cite book | author = Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses | title = Environmental Exposure Report | url = http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du_ii/index.htm | chapter = Friendly-fire Incidents | chapterurl = http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du_ii/du_ii_tabh.htm#TAB%20H_Friendly-fire%20Incidents | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses, Dept. of Defense | year = 2000 | month = December | oclc = 47168115 | accessdate= 2007-02-25 }}</ref>

== Armor ==
Aside from its firepower, a battleship's other defining feature is its armor. Battleships are usually armored to withstand an attack from guns the size of their own, but the exact design and placement of the armor—factors inextricably linked with the ship's stability and performance—is a complex science honed over decades.<ref name="armor"/>

Unlike modern warships, which operate on the concept of eliminating an incoming threat (anti-ship missiles or enemy aircraft) before the given threat strikes a ship and thus carry lighter armor, the ''Iowa''-class was designed and built in an age when ships were expected to withstand an onslaught of [[naval artillery|naval shells]] from enemy ships, emplaced [[coastal artillery|coastal defenses]] from fortified enemy positions near the coast, and the increasing threat of gunfire and [[armor piercing bomb|armour piercing]]/[[Incendiary device|incendiary bombs]] dropped by enemy fighter and bomber aircraft. Like most World War II era battleships, the ''Iowa''-class was equipped with class&nbsp;B armor plate designed to a post-[[Battle of Jutland|Jutland]] configuration (the "[[All or nothing (armour)|all or nothing]]" armor scheme), but unlike earlier WWII-era battleship, the ''Iowas'' benefited from advances in steel technology that allowed mills to forge the steel at higher temperatures and heat treatment, which produced a much higher-quality, stronger and more ductile armor. The metal was a nickel-steel compound, classified as a [[stainless steel]], that can bend easily and resists corrosion. Most of the armor was manufactured at [[Bethlehem Steel]]’s main mill in [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania]], and [[Luken Steel]]’s Coatesville mill just outside [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]. The exception was the turret plating, which was forged at a plant built especially for the ''Iowas'': the [[Charleston Ordnance Works]] in [[Charleston, West Virginia]].<ref name="gs design"/>

[[Image:USS New Jersey armor citadel.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the door and {{convert|17|in|mm|adj=on}} thick armor citadel of the battleship ''New Jersey'']]

The ''Iowa''-class battleships' armor can be divided into the part above the waterline, which is designed to protect the ship against gunfire and aerial bombing, and that below the waterline, intended to protect the vessel from mines, near-miss bombs, and torpedoes.<ref name="armor"/> 

Overall, ''Iowa''-class armor is essentially the same as on the earlier [[South Dakota class battleship (1939)|''South Dakota''-class battleships]]. Both have an internal main belt, a change from the previous two {{sclass|North Carolina|battleship|2}}s that was reluctantly adopted because it was difficult to install and repair. An external belt that could ward off {{convert|2700|lb|abbr=on}} {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} shells would have required a belt incline of 19° and a beam too wide for the [[Panama Canal]].<ref name="armor"/>

The underwater armor includes side protection and a triple bottom, both multi-layered systems designed to absorb the energy from an underwater explosion equivalent to {{convert|700|lb|kg}} of [[trinitrotoluene|TNT]]—the Navy's best guess in the 1930s about Japanese weapons.  However, unbeknownst to U.S. Naval Intelligence, the Japanese {{convert|610|mm|in|abbr=on}} "Long Lance" torpedo carried a {{convert|1080|lb|kg|abbr=on}} warhead.<ref name="armor"/> 

The ''Iowa''-class torpedo defense is virtually the same as the ''South Dakota'''s. Each side of the ship is protected by one tank mounted outside the hull and loaded with fuel oil or other liquid ballast, and an empty inboard tank, all running from the third deck to the bottom of the ship. The liquid tanks are to deform and absorb the shock from the explosion and contain most of the shards from the damaged structure. The inner void is expected to contain any leakage into the interior ship spaces. The armor belt is designed to stop fragments that penetrate the second torpedo bulkhead; however, tests in 1943 showed structural defects in the system.<ref name="armor"/>

== Aircraft ==
[[Image:Missouri Recovers.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}} recovers a [[OS2U Kingfisher|Vought OS2U Kingfisher]] during her 1944 shakedown cruise. Note the catapult below the plane, which was used to launch the planes off the battleship.]]

The ''Iowa'' class used several types of aircraft for [[reconnaissance]] and for gunnery spotting. The early aircraft were floatplanes launched from catapults on the ship's [[Poop deck|Fantail]]. They landed on the water, taxied to the stern of the ship, and were lifted by a crane back to the catapult.

=== Kingfisher ===

Initially, the ''Iowas'' carried the [[Vought]] [[OS2U Kingfisher]], a lightly armed two-man aircraft designed in 1937. The ships typically carried three Kingfishers: two on the catapults and a spare on a trailer nearby.<ref name="planes">{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20071018132611/http://battleship.org/html/Articles/IowaClass/Aircraft.htm |title=Iowa Class: Shipboard Aircraft |accessdate=2007-03-13 |publisher=Iowa Class Preservation Association}}</ref> 

The Kingfisher's high operating ceiling made it well-suited for its primary mission: to observe the fall of shot from the battleship's guns and radio corrections back to the ship. The floatplanes also performed [[search and rescue]] for [[Naval aviation|naval aviators]] who were shot down or forced to ditch in the ocean.<ref name="planes"/>

=== Seahawk ===
In June 1942, the U.S. Navy [[Bureau of Aeronautics]] requested industry proposals for a new seaplane to replace the Kingfisher and Curtiss [[SO3C Seamew]]. The new aircraft was required to be able to use landing gear as well as floats.

Curtiss submitted a design on 1 August, and received a contract for two prototypes and five service-test aircraft on 25 August.<ref name=janes>Bridgeman, pp. 221–22.</ref> The first flight of a prototype XSC-1 took place 16 February 1944 at the [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], [[Ohio]], Curtiss plant. The first production aircraft were delivered in October 1944, and by the beginning of 1945 the single-seat [[Curtiss]] [[SC Seahawk]] floatplane began replacing the Kingfisher.<ref name=janes/>

=== Helicopters ===
Around 1949, helicopters replaced floatplanes on the ''Iowa'' class. They operated from atop of Turret&nbsp;2 until the catapults were removed, allowing helicopter operations to shift to the fantail. The aft guns are forbidden to fire when a helicopter is on the aft deck.

Helicopters added a logistics role to gunnery spotting and search-and-rescue; they ferried troops and supplies between ships and to and from land bases. Like the seaplanes before them, the helicopters had no hangar facilities, but the ''Iowas'' did have support facilities for five types of helicopters: the [[UH-1 Iroquois]], [[SH-2 Seasprite]]s, [[CH-46 Sea Knight]], [[CH-53 Sea Stallion]] and the LAMPS III [[SH-60B Seahawk]].<ref name="planes"/>

=== Pioneer ===
[[Image:Iowa drone.jpg|thumb|right|Crewmen recover an RQ-2 Pioneer [[Unmanned Aerial Vehicle]] aboard {{USS|Iowa|BB-61|2}}.]]

In December 1983, U.S. aircraft carriers operating off the coast of [[Lebanon]] sent out 28 aircraft to bomb targets in the [[Bekaa Valley]] in retaliation for anti-aircraft fire directed at [[F-14 Tomcat|F-14]] reconnaissance flights operating from the carriers. The main target of the bombing run was a Syrian radar station, but before the aircraft could reach the site, two American planes were shot down by Syrian guns.<ref name="Mastiff I">{{cite news | last = Hellman | first = Peter | title = The little airplane that could: Mastiff, a remotely piloted vehicle | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_v8/ai_4620402/pg_6 | work = [[Discover (magazine)|Discover]] | date = February 1987 | accessdate = 2007-10-09}}</ref> In an analysis of the incident, [[Secretary of the Navy|U.S. Navy Secretary]] [[John Lehman]] determined that the targeted SAM sites had been within the range of the battleship ''New Jersey'' and her {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} guns, but there had been no way for the battleship to accurately target the sites without an aerial observer to direct the ship's rounds to the target.<ref name="Mastiff II">Newcome, p. 96.</ref>

In part because of [[Israel]]i success with their deployment of the [[IMI Mastiff|Mastiff]] [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s, the U.S. Navy made a covert request for a Mastiff drone system. Israel responded by lending a drone to the U.S. in 1984.<ref name="Mastiff I"/><ref name="Mastiff II"/> The success of the Mastiff system in tests ultimately led the Navy to develop its own UAV system, resulting in the creation of the [[RQ-2 Pioneer]] UAV.<ref name="Mastiff II"/> The Pioneer made its first deployment in December 1986 aboard the ''Iowa''.<ref name="fas drone">{{cite web | last = Pike | first = John  | title = Pioneer Short Range (SR) UAV | url = http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/pioneer.htm | publisher = Federation of American Scientists | date = 2000-03-05 | accessdate = 2007-03-02 }}</ref>

Launched from the fantail using a rocket-assist booster that was discarded shortly after takeoff, a Pioneer used an aft-mounted, push-propeller engine to achieve speeds of up to {{convert|90|mph|km/h}} with a mission endurance of about four hours. The Pioneer carried a video camera in a pod under the belly of the aircraft, which transmitted live video back to the ship so that the operators could observe enemy actions or fall of shot during naval gunnery. Because it was difficult to land the Pioneer without damaging itself or the ship, a large net was strung up for recovery as for a [[volleyball]] game, and the aircraft is flown into it.<ref name="fas drone"/> Each battleship could carry as many as eight Pioneers, sometimes referred to as [[Remotely operated vehicle|remote piloted vehicles (RPVs)]].

Pioneer garnered international attention for its use during the 1991 Gulf War, when it saw extensive use from the ''Missouri'' and ''Wisconsin''. The latter became the first ship to have enemy forces surrender to one of its remotely controlled observation drones.<ref name="fas drone"/><ref group="A">When Navy officials offered to transfer a Pioneer to the [[Smithsonian Institution]], curators at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] specifically asked for the UAV that Iraqi troops surrendered to during the Gulf War, as a result, this particular Pioneer is now on display for the public to view. See: {{cite web | title = Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum: Pioneer RQ-2A UAV | url = http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?style=browse&currentrecord=1&page=search&profile=objects&searchdesc=RQ-2%20Pioneer&quicksearch=RQ-2%20Pioneer&newvalues=1&newstyle=single&newcurrentrecord=1 | publisher = The Smithsonian | date = 2000-03-05 | accessdate = 2009-07-02 }} </ref>

== Engineering plant ==
[[Image:USS New Jersey engine room controls.jpg|thumb|right|A crewman operates the ship's throttle in the main engine room aboard ''New Jersey''.]]

The ''Iowa''-class battleships are the fastest battleships ever launched, theoretically capable of sustained speeds of 35&nbsp;knots (65&nbsp;km/h) or better.<ref group="A">The actual speed of the ''Iowa''-class battleships varies from source to source. The most commonly cited figures for the battleship class are 32-33 knots, but it appears that such speeds have never actually been attained in speed tests. Theoretically, the battleships of the ''Iowa''-class should be able to cruise at nearly 35 knots, but this speed appears to be abnormally high and does not take into account factors like ocean resistance and weight. The fastest confirmed speed for the class is just over 31 knots, a speed attained by ''New Jersey'' during tests. (Friedman, U.S. Battleships, p. 317)</ref>  The engineering plant on ''Iowa'' and ''Missouri'' consists of four [[General Electric]] cross-compound [[steam turbine]] engines, each driving a single shaft that turns one screw. The two outboard screws on the ''Iowa'' class have four blades and are just over {{convert|18|ft|m}} in diameter. The two inboard screws have five blades and are about {{convert|17.5|ft|m}} in diameter.<ref name="FAQ"/> The equivalent machinery on ''New Jersey'' and ''Wisconsin'' was provided by [[Westinghouse]].<ref name="IOWA MACHINERY">Preston, p. 259.</ref>

Eight [[Babcock and Wilcox]] M-Type [[boilers]] operate at {{convert|600|psi|kPa|lk=on}} with a maximum superheater outlet temperature of {{convert|875|°F|°C}}. In normal steaming four boilers were operated; this was sufficient to power the ships at speeds up to 27 knots. For higher speeds all eight boilers were lit. Each operating boiler required a minimum of four trained operators on watch; a boiler supervisor (BTOW), a [[superheater]] burnerman and a saturated burnerman to control the steam temperature and pressure, and a checkman monitoring and controlling the water level in the [[steam drum]]. In addition, there was a fireroom messenger and a lower level pumpman on duty whenever the fireroom was steaming<ref>{{citation|title= Personnel Qualification Standard for BB-61 Class Engineering (NAVEDTRA 43404-7A)|publisher= Chief of Naval Education and Training |year= 1986 }}.</ref>. As extended high-power operations roughly doubled the demands on the Boilers division manpower, they were avoided whenever possible. The machinery and piping was arranged so that [[superheated steam|superheated main steam]] could be cross-connected between enginerooms and firerooms 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 in the event of breakdowns or battle damage. There was no main steam connection possible between spaces 2 and 3. However, auxiliary ([[saturated steam|saturated]]) steam ran to all eight main spaces in a continuous loop and could be connected between any engineroom or fireroom as desired.

The turbine engines consist of a pressure-velocity compounded 12-stage impulse high-pressure (HP) turbine and a pressure compounded 9-stage impulse <!-- I know, I know, low pressure turbines are normally reaction. But I distinctly remember reading impulse in the GE tech manual. Perhaps my memory is faulty, but this is what I remember. -->low-pressure (LP) turbine. The low pressure turbine is designed with bidirectional (split) steam flow to balance thrust forces against the blading and also mounts single-stage velocity compounded astern elements at each end which provide the power to turn the shafts in reverse. The steam is first passed through the HP turbine which turns at up to 2,100&nbsp;[[Revolutions per minute|rpm]]. The steam is then passed through a [[Boyle's law|large conduit]] to the LP turbine. By the time it reaches the LP turbine, its pressure has been reduced to no more than {{convert|50|psi|kPa}}. However, at full throttle more power is developed in the low pressure turbine by expanding the steam from {{convert|50|psi|kPa}} to 29 inches of vacuum than in the high pressure turbine which expands the steam from {{convert|540|psi|kPa}}<!-- This is the actual pressure at the turbine during full throttle operation after pressure drops in the superheater, piping, and throttle with steam drum pressure at 600 psig --> to {{convert|50|psi|kPa}}.

After leaving the LP turbine, the exhaust steam passes into a [[Condenser (heat transfer)|condenser]] and is then returned as feed water to the boilers. Water lost in the process is replaced by three [[evaporator]]s, which can make a total of {{convert|100000|USgal|L}} of fresh water per day. After the boilers have had their fill (it was not unusual for the engineering plant to consume {{convert|40000|USgal|L}} of makeup feed water per day underway), the remaining fresh water is fed to the ship's potable water systems for drinking, showers, hand washing, cooking, etc. All of the urinals and all but one of the toilets on the ''Iowa'' class flush with saltwater in order to conserve fresh water.<ref group=A>The toilet that gets the fresh water is the one in the [[prison|brig]], which flushes with fresh water to prevent those incarcerated in the brig from drinking the water to make themselves sick, which would entail transferring that person from the brig to the medical room. {{cite web|title = USS Missouri (BB-63) Frequently Asked Questions  | url = http://www.factplace.com/mightymo.htm#Ship  |publisher= Ben M. Schorr, FactPlace.com|accessdate=2006-12-16}}</ref>

[[Image:USS New Jersey electrical generators.jpg|thumb|right|Crewmen operate the electrical generators in the upper-level engine room aboard ''New Jersey''.]]

A steam turbine operates at maximum efficiency at high speeds whereas a marine propeller operates at its maximum efficiency at low speeds. The turbines of the Iowa-class ships can turn at over 2,000&nbsp;rpm; the propeller shafts turn at 202&nbsp;rpm at a Flank bell for 32 knots<!-- and 86 rpm at a Standard bell for 15 knots, if anyone's interested -->. To reconcile this speed discrepancy the propellers are driven by the turbines through a set of very finely-machined double-reduction, double helical, locked-train reduction gears. To transmit the thrust of the propeller to the hull of the ship Kingsbury [[thrust block|thrust bearings]] were mounted in the shaft alleys at the stern of the ship.

When underway, the Main Engines division normally staffed each engineroom with an engineroom supervisor (MMOW), a throttleman who controlled the speed of the turbines in response to the [[engine order telegraph]] and/or revolutions telegraph, a generator watch responsible for the mechanical operation of the SSTGs, an upper levelman who monitored the main air ejectors and regulated makeup water to the [[Deareating feed tank|DFT]], a lower levelman to monitor pumps and regulate the temperature of the main engine lubricating oil, and an engineroom messenger to take readings and run errands outside of the space<ref>{{citation|title= Personnel Qualification Standard for BB-61 Class Engineering (NAVEDTRA 43404-7A)|publisher= Chief of Naval Education and Training |year= 1986 }}.</ref>. In addition, the Electrical division supplied an electrician to monitor the electrical operation of the SSTGs and the main breakers at the switchboards located in each engineroom. Finally, there was a shaft alley watch to monitor the oil temperatures and supply to the thrust blocks and to keep an eye on water leakoff through the main shaft [[Stuffing box|packing gland]], and an Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW) in overall charge of the engineering plant from Main Engine Control located in engineroom #3.

=== Electricity ===
Electricity drives many systems aboard ship, including rotating the turrets and elevating the guns. Each of the four engine rooms has a pair of Ship's Service Turbine Generators (SSTGs)<ref>For a diagram and statistics of SSTGs, see: {{cite web | last = Hochscheidt | first = Mike | title = Ship’s Service Turbine Generator | url = http://www.nmc.edu/~mhochscheidt/STEAM%20NOTEBOOK/sstg.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref> manufactured by [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]]. Each SSTG generates 1.25&nbsp;[[megawatt|MW]] for a total of 10&nbsp;MW of electricity. The SSTGs are powered by steam from the same boilers that feed the engines. For backup, the ship also has a pair of 250-[[kilowatt|kW]] diesel generators.<ref name="FAQ"/>

To allow battle-damaged electrical circuits to be repaired or bypassed, the lower decks of the ship have a Casualty Power System whose large three-wire cables and wall outlets called "biscuits" can be used to re-route power.<ref>{{cite web | author = [[Defense Technical Information Center]]  | title = Casualty power | url = http://www.dtic.mil/dticasd/sbir/sbir032/n205.doc | format = [[DOC (computing)|doc]] | publisher = [[United States Department of Defense]] |  accessdate=2007-03-14 }}</ref>

== Radar and electronic warfare systems ==
Since the first commercial [[radar]] system was installed aboard the battleship {{USS|Texas|BB-35|6}},<ref name="HNSVG">{{cite web | title = USS ''Texas'' (BB-35) | url = http://www.hnsa.org/ships/texas.htm  | publisher= Historic Naval Ships Association | accessdate = 2006-12-29}}</ref> battleships have used radar for aerial reconnaissance, surface surveillance, and as part of the fire control system for the battleship's guns. Since their modernization in the 1980s, the four ''Iowa'' class battleships have also used electronic countermeasures systems for defense against enemy missiles and aircraft.

===Radar===
[[Image:SPS-49 Air Search Radar antenna.jpg|thumb|right|An AN/SPS-49 air search radar aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72|2}}]]

Each of the four ''Iowa''-class battleships are equipped with the [[AN/SPS-49]] Radar Set, an [[L-band]], long-range, two-dimensional, air-search radar system that provides automatic detection and reporting of targets within its surveillance volume. The AN/SPS-49 performs accurate centroiding of target range, azimuth, amplitude, ECM level background, and radial velocity with an associated confidence factor to produce contact data for command and control systems. Additionally, the contact range and bearing information is provided for display on standard plan position indicator consoles.<ref name="air">{{cite web | title = AN/SPS-49 Very Long-Range Air Surveillance Radar | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/an-sps-49.htm | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | date = 2005-04-27 | accessdate = 2007-03-14 }}</ref>

[[Image:USS Iowa gunfire control radars.jpg|thumb|left|Gunfire-control radars aboard USS ''Iowa'']]

The AN/SPS-49 uses a line-of-sight, horizon-stabilized antenna to provide acquisition of low-altitude targets in all sea states, and also utilizes an upspot feature to provide coverage for high diving threats in the high diver mode. External control of AN/SPS-49 modes and operation by the command and control system, and processing to identify and flag contacts as special alerts are provided for self-defense support.<ref name="air"/> 

The AN/SPS-49 has several operational features to allow optimum radar performance: an automatic target detection capability with pulse doppler processing and clutter maps, ensuring reliable detection in normal and severe types of clutter; an electronic counter-countermeasures capability for jamming environments; a moving target indicator capability to distinguish moving targets from stationary targets and to improve target detection during the presence of clutter and chaff; the Medium PRF Upgrade (MPU) to increase detection capabilities and reduce false contacts; and a Coherent Sidelobe Cancellation (CSLC) feature.<ref name="air"/> 

[[Image:USS Missouri SPS-67 radar operator.jpg|thumb|right|AN/SPS-67 radar operator aboard USS ''Missouri'']]

The ''Iowa''-class battleships are also equipped with the Radar Set [[AN/SPS-67]], a short-range, two-dimensional, surface-search/navigation radar system that provides highly accurate surface and limited low-flyer detection and tracking capabilities. The AN/SPS-67 is a solid-state replacement for the AN/SPS-10 radar, using a more reliable antenna and incorporating standard electronic module technology for simpler repair and maintenance. The AN/SPS-67 provides excellent performance in rain and sea clutter, and is useful in harbor navigation, since the AN/SPS-67 is capable of detecting buoys and small obstructions without difficulty.<ref name="surface">{{cite web | title = AN/SPS-67 | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/an-sps-67.htm | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | date = 2005-04-27 | accessdate = 2007-03-14 }}</ref>

The AN/SPS-67(V)1 radar is a two-dimensional (azimuth and range) pulsed radar set primarily designed for surface operations with a secondary capability of anti-ship-missile and low flier detection. The radar set operates in the 5,450 to 5,825&nbsp;MHz range, using a coaxial magnetron as the transmitter output tube. The transmitter/receiver is capable of operation in a long (1.0&nbsp;msec), medium (0.25&nbsp;msec), or short (0.10&nbsp;msec) pulse mode to enhance radar performance for specific operational or tactical situations. Pulse repetition frequencies (PRF) of 750, 1,200, and 2,400&nbsp;pulses/second are used for the long, medium, and short pulse modes, respectively.<ref name="surface"/>

===Electronic warfare===
[[Image:SLQ-32 console USS Iowa.jpg|thumb|right|A crew member monitors the SLQ-32 radar warning system console aboard the battleship USS ''Iowa''.]]

In 1967 [[Egypt]] sank the Israeli destroyer [[HMS Zealous (R39)|''Eilat'']] using a Soviet [[P-15 Termit|SS-N-2 STYX missile]], prompting the [[Chief of Naval Operations]] (CNO) to consider creating a family of inexpensive [[Electronic Warfare]] suites to replace and/or complement existing and planned ship surveillance sensors in the early 1970s, a feeling increased when an analysis of the existing AN/WLR-1 and AN/ULQ-6 systems installed on most ships determined that neither system could counter an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) in time to prevent a hit. In addition, hard kill weapons were not effective because there was little early warning of an attack due to the characteristics of ASCMs. The resulting EW suite was the [[SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite|AN/SLQ-32(V)]], which debuted in 1979 and was capable of early warning of threat weapon system emitters and emitters associated with targeting platforms, threat information to own ship hard-kill weapons, automatic dispensing of [[Chaff (radar countermeasure)|chaff]] decoys, and Electronic Attack (EA) to alter specific and generic ASCM trajectories. This system, specifically the SLQ-32(V)3 variant, was fitted to the ''Iowa'' class battleships in 1980s for defense against enemy anti-ship missiles.<ref name="FAS slq">{{cite web | title = AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare (EW) system | url = http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/an-slq-32.htm | publisher = Federation of American Scientists| date = 1999-06-30 | accessdate = 2007-03-14 }}</ref>

To counter the threat posed by enemy [[submarine]]s the ''Iowa'' class were also outfitted with the [[AN/SLQ-25 Nixie]], a towed torpedo decoy used on US and allied warships. It consists of a towed decoy device, and a shipboard signal generator. The decoy emits signals to draw a torpedo away from its intended target. The Nixie attempts to defeat a torpedo's [[passive sonar]] by emitting simulated ship noise, such as propeller and engine noise, which is more attractive than the ship to the torpedo's sensors. [[Active sonar]] is decoyed by amplifying and returning "pings" from the torpedo, presenting a larger false target to the torpedo.<ref>{{cite web | title = AN/SLQ-25 NIXIE | url = http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/an-slq-25.htm | publisher = Federation of American Scientists| date = 1999-06-30 | accessdate = 2007-03-14 }}</ref>

==Reactivation potential==
{{see also|United States Naval Gunfire Support debate}}
[[Image:Wisconsin museum.JPG|thumb|right|USS ''Wisconsin'', shown moored in Norfolk, Virginia, is one of three ''Iowa''-class battleships open to the public as museums, and was one of two maintained in the [[United States Navy reserve fleets|US Mothball fleet]] for potential reactivation.]]

After World War II, the United States maintained the four ''Iowa''-class battleships in the [[United States Navy reserve fleets]], better known as the "mothball fleet", and on several occasions reactivated these battleships for [[naval gunfire support]]. The U.S. Navy has held onto its battleships long after the expense and the arrival of aircraft and [[precision guided munitions]] led other nations to [[Ship breaking|scrap]] their big-gun fleets.<ref>Government Accountability Office, ''Naval Surface Fire Support Program Plans and Costs'' (NSIAD-99-91).</ref> The United States Congress is largely responsible for this. The lawmakers argue that the battleships' large-caliber guns have a militarily useful destructive power lacking in the smaller, cheaper, and faster guns mounted by U.S. [[cruiser]]s and [[destroyer]]s.<ref name="GAO 1">Government Accountability Office. ''Information on Options for Naval Surface Fire Support'' (GAO-05-39R).</ref>

The Navy, which sees the battleships as too costly, is working to persuade Congress to allow it to remove ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] by developing extended-range guided munitions and a new ship to fulfill [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] requirements for naval surface fire support (<small>NSFS</small>). 

The Navy plan originally called for the extension of the range of the {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns on the Flight&nbsp;I {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|0}} [[guided missile destroyers]] ({{USS|Arleigh Burke|DDG-51|6}} to {{USS|Ross|DDG-71|6}}) with [[Extended Range Guided Munition]]s (<small>ERGM</small>s) that would enable the ships to fire precision guided projectiles about {{convert|40|nmi|km|-1}} inland. The program was initiated in 1996 with a preliminary cost of $78.6&nbsp;million; however, the cost of the program increased 400% during its research and development phase. The results of the program had been similarly disappointing: the original expected operational capability date was pushed from 2001 to 2011 before being cancelled by the navy in March 2008 for budget-related reasons and an apparent shift by the navy from the <small>ERGM</small> program to the [[Ballistic Trajectory Extended Range Munition]] (<small>BTERM</small>) program.<ref name="NDAA 2007"/><ref name="ERGM">{{cite news | url = http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/03/defense_ergm_032408/ | title = Navy ends <small>ERGM</small> funding | accessdate = 2008-04-23 | last = Matthews | first = William | date = 2007-03-25 | work = [[Navy Times]] }}</ref> These weapons are not intended or expected to satisfy the full range of the Marine Corps <small>NSFS</small> requirements.<ref name="GAO 2">Government Accountability Office, ''Evaluation of the Navy’s 1999 Naval Surface Fire Support Assessment'' (NSAID-99-225).</ref> 

The result of the latter effort to design and build a replacement ship for the two battleships was the [[Zumwalt class destroyer|''Zumwalt''-class destroyer program]], also known either as the DD(X) or DDG-1000 (in reference to ''Zumwalt''’s hull number). The DD(X) was to mount a pair of [[Advanced Gun System]] turrets capable of firing specially designed [[Long Range Land Attack Projectile]]s some {{convert|60|mi|km|-1}} inland. Originally, the navy had planned to build a total of 32 of these destroyers, however the increasing cost of the program led the navy to reduce the overall number of destroyers built from 32 to 24. In 2007 the total procurement of ''Zumwalt''-class destroyers was further reduced to a total of seven,<ref name="NDAA 2007" /> before being discontinued at a total of two destroyers in July 2008 as a result of the high cost of building each of the two ships.<ref name="DDX dead">{{cite news | url = http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/defense_ddg1000_072208/ | title = DDG 1000 program will end at 2 ships | accessdate = 2008-07-27 | last = Cavas | first = Christopher P. | date = 2008-07-24 | work = [[Navy Times]] }}</ref><ref>The Navy has stated that it may ask for construction of a third ''Zumwalt''-class destroyer, but has not specified when or if it will exercise such an option. {{cite news | url = http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/defense_ddg1000_072208/ | title = DDG 1000 program will end at 2 ships | accessdate = 2008-07-27 | last = Cavas | first = Christopher P. | date = 2008-07-24 | work = [[Navy Times]] }}</ref> 

{{Quote box|align=right|width=30%|quote="DDG 1000 ''Zumwalt'' is [...] being developed by the Navy to serve as the backbone of tomorrow’s surface fleet. DDG 1000 ''Zumwalt'' provides a broad range of capabilities that are vital both to supporting the Global War on Terror and to fighting and winning major combatant operations. ''Zumwalt''’s multi-mission warfighting capabilities are designed to counter not only the threats of today, but threats projected over the next decade as well."|source=<small>Statement of the DD(X) program on the United States Navy's Program Executive Office, Ships</small><ref name="PEO">{{cite web | url = http://peoships.crane.navy.mil/DDG1000/What_is_DDG1000.htm | title = DDG 1000 (subsection: What is DDG 1000?) | accessdate = 2007-06-24 | author = Program Executive Office, Ships | date = 2007-05-27 | publisher = United States Navy}}</ref>}}

On 17 March 2006 the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] exercised his authority to strike ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' from the [[Naval Vessel Register]], which cleared the way for both ships to be donated for use as museums. The United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps had both certified that battleships would not be needed in any future war, and turned their attention to development and construction of the next generation {{sclass|Zumwalt|destroyer|0}} [[guided missile destroyer]]s, production of which was later capped at two vessels in July 2008. 

This move has drawn fire from a variety of sources familiar with the subject; among them are dissenting members of the United States Marine Corps, who feel that battleships are still a viable solution to naval gunfire support,<ref name="CNN">{{cite news | last = Novak | first = Robert | authorlink = Robert Novak | title = Losing the battleships | url = http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/06/novak.marines/index.html | publisher = CNN.com | date = 2005-12-06 | accessdate = 2008-07-25 }}</ref><ref group=A>Marine Corps supports the strategic purpose of reactivating two battleships in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996 and supports the Navy's modernization efforts to deliver a sufficient <small>NSFS</small> capability that exceeds that of the Iowa class battleships. See: Government Accountability Office. ''Information on Options for Naval Surface Fire Support''.</ref> members of the United States Congress who remain "deeply concerned" over the loss of naval surface gunfire support that the battleships provided,<ref name="NDAA 2007"/> and number of independent groups such as the United States' Naval Fire Support Association (USNFSA) whose ranks frequently include former members of the armed service and fans of the battleships.<ref>{{cite news | last = Blazar | first = Ernest | title = New debate resurrects old one; critics say cancel arsenal ship, bring back battleships | work = Navy Times | date = 1996-07-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |   title = Navy proposes destroyer with long-range guns | work = USA Today | date = 2005-08-15 }}</ref> Although the arguments presented from each group differ, they all agree that the United States Navy has not in good faith considered the potential of reactivated battleships for use in the field, a position that is supported by a 1999 Government Accountability Office report regarding the United States Navy's gunfire support program.<ref name="GAO 2"/> 

In response, the Navy has pointed to the cost of reactivating the two ''Iowa'' class battleships to their decommissioned capability. The Navy estimates costs in excess of $500&nbsp;million,<ref>This number is based on 1999 estimate with a 4% annual inflation rate. See: Government Accountability Office. ''Information on Options for Naval Surface Fire Support''.</ref><ref>The U.S. Navy reported in the April 1987 edition of ''[[All Hands]]'' that the original cost of bringing the battleships back in the 1980s was $110&nbsp;million per ship, but the actual cost after modernization and recommissioning was $455&nbsp;million. See: Bureau of Naval Personnel, "Back on the battle line".</ref> but this does not include an additional $110&nbsp;million needed to replenish the gunpowder for the {{convert|16|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns because a survey found the powder to be unsafe. In terms of schedule, the Navy's program management office estimates that reactivation would take 20 to 40 months, given the loss of corporate memory and the shipyard industrial base.<ref name="GAO 1"/>

{{Quote box|align=right|width=30%|quote="In summary, the committee is concerned that the Navy has foregone the long-range fire support capability of the battleship, has given little cause for optimism with respect to meeting near-term developmental objectives, and appears unrealistic in planning to support expeditionary warfare in the mid-term. The committee views the Navy’s strategy for providing naval surface fire support as 'high risk,' and will continue to monitor progress accordingly."|source=<small>Evaluation of the United States Navy's naval surface fire support program in the [[National Defense Authorization Act]] of 2007</small><ref name="NDAA 2007">{{cite web | url = http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/hr109-452/title2.pdf| title = National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 | accessdate = 2007-03-12 | format = PDF | pages = pp. 193&ndash;94}}</ref>}}

Reactivating the battleships would require a wide range of battleship modernization improvements, according to the Navy's program management office. At a minimum, these modernization improvements include command and control, communications, computers, and intelligence equipment; environmental protection (including ozone-depleting substances); a plastic-waste processor; pulper/shredder and wastewater alterations; firefighting/fire safety and women-at-sea alterations; a modernized sensor suite (air and surface search radar); and new combat and self-defense systems.<ref name="GAO 1"/> The Navy's program management office also identified other issues that would strongly discourage the Navy from reactivating and modernizing the battleships. For example, personnel needed to operate the battleships would be extensive, and the skills needed may not be available or easily reconstituted.<ref>The U.S. Navy reported in the April 1987 edition of ''[[All Hands]]'' that while battleships have larger crews than other vessels the level of training required and the criticality of that training were less than that required of a crew aboard an [[Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate|''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class frigate]]. See: Bureau of Naval Personnel, "Back on the battle line".</ref> Other issues include the age and unreliability of the battleships' propulsion systems and the fact that the Navy no longer maintains the capability to manufacture their {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} gun system components and ordnance.<ref name="GAO 1"/>

Although the Navy firmly believes in the capabilities of the DD(X) destroyer program, members of the United States Congress remain skeptical about the efficiency of the new destroyers when compared to the battleships.<ref name="GAO 2"/> Partially as a consequence the [[US House of Representatives]] have asked that the battleships be kept in a state of readiness should they ever be needed again.<ref name="Congress 68">"Report 109–452. National Defense Authorization Act of 2007." 109th Congress, House of Representatives. p. 68.</ref> Congress has asked that the following measures be implemented to ensure that, if need be, ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' can be returned to active duty:
#''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' must not be altered in any way that would impair their military utility;
#The battleships must be preserved in their present condition through the continued use of cathodic protection, dehumidification systems, and any other preservation methods as needed;
#Spare parts and unique equipment such as the {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on}} gun barrels and projectiles be preserved in adequate numbers to support ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'', if reactivated; 
#The Navy must prepare plans for the rapid reactivation of ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' should they be returned to the Navy in the event of a national emergency.<ref name="Congress 68"/>
These four conditions closely mirror the original three conditions that the Nation Defense Authorization Act of 1996 laid out for the maintenance of ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' while they were in the Mothball Fleet.<ref name="FAS Iowa">{{cite web | title = BB-61 IOWA-class (Specifications) | url = http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/bb-61.htm | publisher = [[Federation of American Scientists]] | accessdate = 2006-11-26}}</ref><ref name="Congress 104">{{PDFlink|[http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/olc/docs/1996NDAA.pdf National Defense Authorization Act of 1996]|1.68&nbsp;MB}}. 104th Congress, House of Representatives. p. 237. Retrieved on 17 December 2006.</ref>

==Popular culture==
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The ''Iowa class''-battleships have been featured prominently in American culture. ''Iowa'' was the centerpiece for the book ''A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the U. S. S. Iowa & Its Cover-Up '' which dealt with the events surrounding the 1989 explosion of her No.&nbsp;2 turret. In 2001 the book was turned into a movie by the same name starring [[James Caan]] and directed by [[Mikael Salomon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/glimpseofhell.htm |title=A Glimpse of Hell |accessdate=2007-02-25 |author= Chaw, Walter|year=2002 |month=March  |publisher=[http://www.filmfreakcentral.net Film Freak Central]}}</ref> ''Missouri'' was featured in the 1977 movie [[MacArthur (film)|''MacArthur'']], starring [[Gregory Peck]], the 1983 television mini-series ''[[The Winds of War]]'', starring [[Ralph Bellamy]] and [[Robert Mitchum]], and [[Cher]]'s music video "[[If I Could Turn Back Time]]".<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OR0U87mRsY |title=Cher: If I Could Turn Back Time (Music Video) |accessdate=2007-12-02}}</ref> The 1992 movie ''[[Under Siege]]'', starring [[Steven Seagal]], was also set aboard ''Missouri'', although the movie was actually filmed aboard the battleship {{USS|Alabama|BB-60|6}}. ''Wisconsin'' was featured prominently in the news during the 1991 Gulf War, when she became the first ship to receive the surrender of enemy troops on the ground when her Pioneer drone recorded Iraqi soldiers waving [[white flag]]s after being shelled by ''Missouri''.<ref name="fas drone"/><ref>{{cite web | title = Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum: Pioneer RQ-2A UAV | url = http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?style=browse&currentrecord=1&page=search&profile=objects&searchdesc=RQ-2%20Pioneer&quicksearch=RQ-2%20Pioneer&newvalues=1&newstyle=single&newcurrentrecord=1 | publisher = The Smithsonian | date = 2000-03-05 | accessdate = 2009-07-02 }}</ref> ''Iowa'' and ''Missouri'' feature in ''[[The Iron Man (1998 Novel)|The Iron Man]]'' battling a fictitious and larger [[Soviet]] era [[battleship]].<ref>[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Man-John-Watson/dp/0751521477 The Iron Man (Paperback)], John Watson, 1998, accessed [[2009-03-22]]</ref>

Aside from the above appearances of the ''Iowa''-class battleships in popular culture, all four battleships have been featured to greater or lesser degrees in [[military science]] related media, in particular documentaries on or relating to World War II.<ref name="Discovery"/><ref>{{cite episode |title=[[Battle 360°|Battle 360°: USS Enterprise]] |network=[[History Channel]] |airdate= |began=2008-02-29 |ended=2008-05-02}}</ref> ''Missouri'', in particular, has received much attention in this area as it was on her deck that the Empire of Japan formally surrendered to the Allied Powers of World War II, thus ending the Second World War.<ref name="Discovery"/> In addition to appearances in documentary related material, the ''Iowa''-class battleships do occasionally feature in [[alternate history|alternative history]] scenarios, in particular with regards to the [[Cold War]] and the threat of armed conflict between [[Warsaw Pact]] and [[NATO]] forces. Such scenarios usually feature the battleships in naval gunfire support missions for U.S. or NATO personnel.<ref>{{cite video game|title=[[World in Conflict]] |developer=[[Massive Entertainment]] |publisher=[[Sierra Entertainment]] |year=2007 |platform=PC |level=Battle for Pine Valley}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Clancy |first=Tom |authorlink=Tom Clancy |coauthors=[[Larry Bond|Bond, Larry]]|title=[[Red Storm Rising]] |origdate=1983 |year=1987 |month=August |publisher=The Berkley Publishing Group |location=New York, New York |isbn=042510107X |pages=628&ndash;32.  |chapter=The Killing Ground }}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=A}}

== References ==
{{reflist|3}}

== Bibliography/Sources ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last = Bonner | first = Kermit | coauthors = Carolyn Bonner | title = Great Naval Disasters: U.S. Naval Accidents in the 20th Century |  chapter = Chapter 2: Explosion | year = 1998 | month =  | location = Osceola, Wisconsin | publisher = MBI Pub. Co | isbn = 0-7603-0594-3 | oclc = 39545709 }}
* {{cite book | last = Bishop | first = Chris | title = The Encyclopedia of World Sea Power | year = 1988 | location = New York | publisher = Crescent Books | isbn = 0517653427 | oclc = 18199237 }}
* {{Ref Jane's|The Curtiss Seahawk}}
* {{cite journal | author = [[Bureau of Naval Personnel]] | title = Back on the battle line | url = http://www.navy.mil/media/allhands/acrobat/ah198704.pdf | format = PDF | journal = [[All Hands]] | location = Washington, D.C. | publisher = United States Navy | month = April | year = 1987 | volume = 841 | pages = 28–29 | issn = 0002-5577 | oclc = 2555618 | accessdate = 2008-06-27}}
* The Floating Drydock. ''United States Naval Vessels'', ONI 222-US, Kresgeville, PA 18333
* {{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm | title = United States of America 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark 7 | accessdate = 2007-01-16 | date = 2008-07-02 | publisher = NavWeaps.com  }}
*{{cite book|author=Friedman, Norman | title=U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History |location=Annapolis, Maryland |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1983 |isbn=0870-2-1739-9}} 
*{{cite book|author=Friedman, Norman | title=U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History |location=Annapolis, Maryland |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1986 |isbn=0870-2-1715-1}} 
* {{cite book | last = Garzke | first = William H. | coauthors = Robert O. Dulin, Jr. | title = Battleships: United States Battleships 1935–1992 | year = 1995 | edition = Rev. and updated | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher =  Naval Institute Press | isbn = 9780870210990 | oclc = 29387525 }}
* {{cite web | author = Government Accountability Office | title = Naval Surface Fire Support Program Plans and Costs (GAO/NSIAD-99-91)  | url = http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/ns9991.pdf | format = PDF | publisher = Government Accountability Office | date = 1999-06-11 | accessdate = 2007-03-12 }}
* {{cite web | author = Government Accountability Office | title = Evaluation of the Navy’s 1999 Naval Surface Fire Support Assessment (GAO/NSIAD-99-225) | url = http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/ns99225.pdf | format = PDF | publisher = Government Accountability Office | date = 1999-09-14 | accessdate = 2007-03-12 }}
* {{cite web | author = Government Accountability Office | title = Information on Options for Naval Surface Fire Support (GAO-05-39R) | url = http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0539r.pdf | format = PDF | publisher = Government Accountability Office | date = 2004-11-19 | accessdate = 2007-03-14 }}
* {{cite book | last = Holland | first = W. J. | coauthors = [[Naval Historical Foundation]] | title = The Navy | origyear = 2000 | year = 2004 | location = New York | publisher = Barnes & Noble Books | isbn = 0-7607-6218-X | oclc = 57136923 }}
* {{cite journal|author=Hoskins, Lawrence E., LT USNR |title=Comment and Discussion |publisher=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |month=September | year=1983}}
* {{cite book | last = Johnston | first = Ian C. | coauthors = Rob McAuley | title = The Battleships | year = 2002 | location = London | publisher = Channel 4 | isbn = 0752261886 | oclc = 59495980 }}
* {{cite book | last = Keegan | first = John | authorlink = John Keegan | title = World War II: A Visual Encyclopedia | year = 2000 | location = London | publisher = PRC Publishing | isbn = 1-85585-878-9 | oclc = 45188820 }}
* {{cite book | last = Miller | first = David | coauthors = Chris Miller | title = Modern Naval Combat | location = London | publisher= Salamander Books | year = 1986 | isbn = 0861012313 | oclc = 17397400 }}
* {{cite book | last = Muir | first = Malcolm, Jr. | title = The Iowa-Class Battleships: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin | year = 1987 | location = Poole, Dorset | publisher = Blandford Press | isbn = 0-7137-1732-7 | oclc = 17509226 }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = [[Naval Historical Center]] | title = Illinois | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i1/illinois.htm | accessdate = 2009-07-02  }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Iowa | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i2/iowa-iii.htm | accessdate = 2009-07-02 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Kentucky | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k3/kentucky.htm | accessdate = 2009-07-02 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Missouri | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m12/missouri-iv.htm | accessdate = 2009-07-02 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = New Jersey | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/n4/new_jersey-ii.htm | accessdate = 2006-01-17 | link = off }}
* {{cite DANFS | author = Naval Historical Center | title = Wisconsin | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w10/wisconsin-ii.htm | accessdate = 2009-07-02 | link = off }}
* {{cite book |title=F-105 Thunderchief In Action |last=Neubeck |first=Ken |year=2002 |publisher=Squadron/Signal Publishing #185 |location= |isbn=089-7474-473 |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}
* {{cite book |title=American Battleships: A Pictorial History of BB-1 to BB-71 with Prototypes main and Texas |last=Newhart |first=Max R. |year=2007 |publisher=Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Inc. |location=Missoula, Montana |isbn=1-57510-004-5 |pages=90–101 }} 
* {{cite book | last = Newcome | first = Laurence R. | title = Unmanned Aviation: A Brief History of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | location = Reston, Virginia | publisher = [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 9781563476440 | oclc = 55078813 }}
* Polmar Norman.  ''The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet.''  2001, Naval Institute Press.  ISBN 1-5575 0656 6.
* {{cite book | last = Poyer | first = Joe | editor = Andy Lightbody and Blaine Taylor, eds. | title = Battleships at War: America's Century Long Romance with the Big Guns of the Fleet | chapter = Are These the Last Battleships? | origyear = 1984 | year = 1991  | location = Canoga Park, California | publisher = Challenge Publications | isbn =  | oclc =  }}
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* {{cite web | last = Rogers | first = J. David| title = Development of the World's Fastest Battleships | url = http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/american&military_history/World%27s%20Fastest%20Battleships.pdf | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070626224059/http://web.umr.edu/~rogersda/american&military_history/World's+Fastest+Battleships.pdf | archivedate = 2007-06-26 | accessdate = 2007-04-28 | format = PDF }}
* {{cite book | last = Sumrall | first = Robert F. | title = Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design, Weapons & Equipment | year = 1988 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0870212982 | oclc = 19282922 }}
* {{cite book | last = Sumrall | first = Robert F. | title = USS Missouri (BB-63) | year = 1999 | location = Missoula, Montana | publisher = Pictorial Histories | isbn = 1-57510-050-9 | oclc = 43607533 }}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7_firing.htm Firing Procedure for the 16"/50 (40.6&nbsp;cm) Mark 7]
* [http://www.hnsa.org/doc/destroyer/fiveinch/index.htm Operating Instructions for Five Inch, 38 Caliber, Gun Crews]

* {{cite book | last = Butler | first = John A. | coauthors = | date = 1995 | title = Strike Able-Peter:  The Stranding and Salvage of the USS Missouri | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland | isbn = 1557500940 }}
* {{cite book | last = Reilly | first = John C., Jr. | coauthors = | date = 1989 | title = Operational Experience of Fast Battleships:  World War II, Korea, Vietnam | publisher = Naval Historical Center | location = Washington DC | id = ASIN B000KZP9LA}}

== External links ==
{{commons|Category:Iowa class battleships|Iowa class battleship}}
* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm A comparison of seven battleship classes during WWII]
* [http://www.peachmountain.com/5star/Other_TheBest.asp Thoughts on the battleships of WWII]

{{Iowa class battleship}}
{{WWIIUSShips}}
{{featured article}}

[[Category:Battleship classes]]
[[Category:Iowa class battleships| ]]
[[Category:World War II battleships of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War battleships of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War battleships of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War battleships of the United States]]

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[[cs:Třída Iowa]]
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[[es:Clase Iowa]]
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[[hr:Bojni brodovi klase Iowa]]
[[id:Kapal perang Iowa]]
[[it:Classe Iowa]]
[[he:אוניות המערכה מסדרת איווה]]
[[hu:Iowa-osztály]]
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[[ja:アイオワ級戦艦]]
[[no:Iowa-klassen]]
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[[pt:Classe Iowa]]
[[fi:Iowa-luokka]]
[[zh:衣阿华级战列舰]]