battleship Uss Iowa bb-61

U.S.S. Iowa  BB-61 was the name ship of the class and was the second U.S. battleship to carry the name U.S.S. Iowa. The first being the Iowa class battleship BB-4 commissioned in 1897. The keel for U.S.S. Iowa was laid on June 27, 1940, she was launched August 27, 1942, and finally commissioned on February 22, 1943.

After her shakedown cruise off the Atlantic coast and the Caribbean Sea, the U.S.S. Iowa’s first assignment was to be based at Newfoundland, Canada on August 27, 1943, to guard against a breakout of the German battleship Tirpitz. In the fall of 1943, the U.S.S. Iowa hosted U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt while transporting him to and from Oran, Algeria on his way to the Tehran conference in Iran. Following this service U.S.S. Iowa was refitted for duty in the Pacific Theatre.

In this theatre, the U.S.S. Iowa and the other fast battleships were employed not only in shore bombardment duty but also as anti-aircraft escorts for the aircraft carrier battle groups. The first firing of U.S.S. Iowa’s guns in anger was on February 14, 1944, during the assault on the Japanese naval base at Truk. While engaged in this action, in company with U.S.S. New Jersey, the U.S.S. Iowa fired on and sank the I.J.N. Katori, which had fired a spread of torpedoes at the U.S.S. New Jersey. This may have been the U.S.S. Iowa’s first taste of action but it certainly would not be its last.

In March 1944, U.S.S. Iowa was engaged in shore bombardment at Mili Atoll when turret two was hit by 4.7 inch shells from a Japanese shore battery. Although hit, these shells caused no damage, expending themselves on the very thick armor of turret two. Later that month U.S.S. Iowa was again in action off the north coast of Papua/New Guinea supporting amphibious landings.

On June 15, 1944 U.S.S. Iowa was part of the fleet operating in the campaign against the Mariana Islands shelling Saipan and Tinian and destroying an ammo dump on the latter island. A few days later, U.S.S. Iowa, while acting as an anti-aircraft escort for Task Force 58’s fast fleet carriers she destroyed several Japanese aircraft that were attacking the fleet.

After a period of repair and refitting, In October 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, U.S.S. Iowa along with five other fast battleships was now part of the U.S. Navy’s 3rd Fleet under the command of Admiral William Halsey. They were charged with protecting the 3rd fleets Fast Carrier Task Forces with their anti-aircraft guns. U.S.S. Iowa shot down several Japanese aircraft in the process but unfortunately saw no further action during the battle. With the end of the Leyte Gulf battle, and with it the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s carrier fleet’s offensive capabilities, the battleships of the U.S. and British navies were now free to roam at will across the western Pacific. Following a return stateside for repairs and refit, U.S.S. Iowa returned to the battle line and proceeded to take the fight directly to the Japanese home islands. Beginning on July 15, 1945, the U.S.S. Iowa along sister ships New Jersey and Wisconsin, proceeded to bombard  the Wanishi Iron works and the Nihon Steelworks at Muroran, Japan with more than 800 16 inch shells. Two days later the U.S.S. Iowa in the company of five other U.S. and British battleships bombarded Hitachi Japan with more than 1200 heavy caliber shells. Finally after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 29, 1945 found U.S.S. Iowa along with 10 other Allied battleships as witnesses to the surrender of Imperial Japan on September 2, 1945.

With the end of the war, the U.S.S. Iowa returned to the United States and saw service on the west coast of the U.S, conducting training cruises for the next three years until its first deactivation in September of 1948. With the advent of the Korean War, the U.S.S. Iowa and other ships of her class were reactivated for service. U.S.S. Iowa was recommissioned in August 1951. Once off the coast of Korea, U.S.S. Iowa’s capabilities were in high demand. She quickly went to work destroying railroad tunnels, ammo dumps, the Chongin industrial complex, railroad marshaling yards, bridges, etc. During this time U.S.S. Iowa hosted General Mark Clark, U.S. commander in Chief of U.N. forces during the bombardment of the installations at Wonsan where a major ammo dump was destroyed. While off the coast of Korea, U.S.S. Iowa was called on to perform other duties including rescuing two pilots from U.S.S. Princeton that had been shot down and also covering the destroyer U.S.S. Thompson while she was withdrawing from the combat zone in a damaged state and treating her wounded.

After service off of Korea, U.S.S. Iowa along with the U.S.S. Wisconsin were taken in hand for a most unusual modification program. In 1954 to 55, a special 16 inch projectile, the Mark 23, nicknamed Katie was developed using a nuclear warhead. These ships were duly modified to store, assemble and fire these projectiles. Both the U.S.S. Iowa and Wisconsin were known to have actually carried ten of these shells while in service. From 1955 U.S.S. Iowa saw service participating in maritime exercises in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea until 1958 when she was again decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

While U.S.S.  Iowa’s offensive firepower was increased, her defensive capabilities were also strengthened with the addition of 4 Close In Weapons System 20mm Gatling type cannon for defense against aircraft and missiles. Anti-aircraft defenses were further strengthened with the addition of 5 launch stations for FIM 92 Stinger Shoulder Launched Anti-aircraft missiles with a range of three miles. She was also protected by 8 sets of sextuple launch tubes for Mk 36 Super Rapid Bloom Off board Chaff to decoy incoming missiles. Chaff being metalized paper strips that create false targets that can divert incoming anti-ship missiles. For protection against sub surface threats U.S.S. Iowa was also equipped with the SLQ 25 “Nixie” Torpedo Countermeasures system. This is a sound generator that is towed from the stern of the ship that can fool and divert acoustic torpedoes.

Finally, with her duties completed, U.S.S. Iowa was decommissioned on October 16, 1990 and again returned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, residing there until the late 1990’s when she was towed to the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay, Calif. She remained there until 2012 when she was towed to San Pedro, Calif. where she was opened to the public as a museum ship on 27 July 2012. U.S.S. Iowa may be visited at the Pacific Battleship Center, 250 South Harbor Blvd. Berth 87, Los Angeles, California.