This gallery is devoted to lead ship of America's final Battleship class, the ultimate evolution of the Battleship. No other class of surface warships can stand up to the firepower that a Battleship can deliver. This is not meant to erode the tremendous striking power of Aircraft carriers, but with out their airwing, carriers are tremendously vulnerable. Nor should carriers be placed directly where they can be attacked. Admiral Sandy Woodward provided a good example when he wisely kept his British carrier group eastward of the Falkland Islands at the extreme range of the land based Argetinean airforce, during the brief 1982 war with Argentina.
The U.S. Iowa Class Battleships are the ultimate expression of the superheavy dreadnought that were actually constructed and deployed in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War. The class was disigned to give lip service to the limitations of the Washinton Navy Treay, fit throught the Panma Canal, and possess high speed (30+ knots.) Designed in an era when warships were built to statin combat damage, they are an magnificent anachronism in an era where destroyers and frigates are commonly built with aluminum supersturctures and hulls, and are not entended to take heavy damage. A ships ability to shrugg off damage and keep fighting were essential in the Pacific theater. Even the Yorktown Class and Essex Class Carriers could remain afloat and underpower after absorbing absurd amounts of damage.
The United States Navy for a long time favored firepower and protection (not a bad idea) over speed. Until the construction of the two units of the North Carolina did we field a powerful combatant that was also fast (for the time.) When the escalator clause from the Washington Navy Treaty was lifted due to the Japanese refusal to comply with the treaty; America, Great Britain and France raised the weight limit for new construction to 45,000 tons. The extra 10,000 tons gave us the ability to take the South Dakota classes short comings, increase the horse power to a staggering 212,000 shaft horse power, increase protection and field the powerful new Mk7 50 caliber rifles that arm our most powerful capital ships. The Iowa class is a design of compromises but the balance over all makes for the fastest and arguably* the most powerful Battleship class ever to roam the high seas. The only major drawback to these ships is that we only have four of them. I have always wanted to play a scenario where a squadron of Iowa class Battleship engages a larger squadron of either Yamato Class Battleships or the German H class Battleships, with Bismarck and Tripitz. The "red force" are engaged by the faster American greyhounds and are lured into a battle with a squadron of 27 knot dreadnoughts consisting of the Montana and South Dakota classes. Imagine the ruckus! I would use the Des Moines class heavy cruisers as escorts for the Iowas, though using the Alaska class large Cruisers is appealing. The trade off between the rapid-fire 8-inch guns on the Des Moines and the heaver punch of the 12-inch guns on the Alaskas are an interesting comparison. The much higher firing rate of the 8-inch guns would put more steel on target, unique to American cruiser rifles. Personally I would rather have not built the Alaska class and instead completed USS Illinois (BB65) and USS Kentucky (BB66) given America 6 fast capital ships that would keep up with anything afloat. The 12-inch guns of the Alaskas would be very effective against any escorts for the opposing squadron of battleships, but any battlecruiser or large crusier would be vulnerable to the main battery of the battlewagons and will always be a poor substitute for a fast Battleship.
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USS Iowa and USS Forrestal (CV-59, ATV-59) "First and Finest" The world's first Supercarrier and the finest American Battleship class ever constructed. My brother Mark Sublette is the photographer.
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USS Iowa's towering superstructure, under tow from Norfolk Naval shipyard before decommissioning on 26 October 1990 at Pier 10, Norfolk NOB.
Note: missing SPS-49 radar on mainmast.
USS Iowa's second battery 794 X 540 pixels 68K
USS Iowa's two turret accident April 20, 1989. Click here for more information about the tragic accident that snuffed out the lives of 47 of our shipmates. This page is hosted on the excellent Dave's Web harbor. He had a Navy History page that is worth a look.
USS Iowa in port Norfolk Va. 19 April 1990 42k
Korea War photo of a Chance Vought F4U Corsair overflying USS Iowa.
The following are courtesy of my online buddy, Jeff Vincent.
Shot from the flight deck of USS Midway (CV-41) approximatly late 1987- early 1988 in the western Indian Ocean. This jives with my experience of seeing USS Iowa shoot during a NATO excersie in the Mediterranean about the same time. The Ticonderoga class cruiser in the back ground could be
USS Ticonderoga (CG-47, Iowa's consort) or Midway's cruiser escorts USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) or USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) both homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
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LIBERTY
It is easy to take liberty for granted
when you have never had it taken from you.
- M. Grundler
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Counter added on Stardate: 9811.13
Personal note on my grammer: As far as I'm concerned (and anyone who has ever served onboard, or seen a Battleship in action,) the word Battleship should always be captalized, just like the ships it represents.
