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Iowa class battleship

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Military History and War

                                                     Iowa-class battleship
              USS Wisconsin, the fourth ship of the class, in her Cold War
                                                            configuration.
                                                            Class Overview
                                                    Class type: Battleship
                                             Class name: The State of Iowa
                                           Preceded by: South Dakota class
                                               Succeeded by: Montana class
    Ships of the line: Iowa (BB-61), New Jersey (BB-62), Missouri (BB-63),
     Wisconsin (BB-64) (not completed: Illinois (BB-65), Kentucky (BB-66))
                                        General Characteristics (USS Iowa)
                                    Displacement: 45,000  tons (standard);
                                           52,000 tons (mean war service);
                                                  56,500 tons (full load).
    Length: 861¼  ft between Perpendiculars; 890 ; ft overall (271.27  m)
                                                    Beam: 108 ft (32.92 m)
                                           Draft: 36 ft (10.97 m) Maximum.
   Speed: 33  knots (61.12  km/h nominal);35  knots (64.82  km/h maximum);
     Complement: 2,700 officers and men (World War II, Korea and Vietnam),
                                            1,800 officers and men (1980s)
      Max. cruising radius 9,600  miles (15,000  km) @ 25 knots (46 km/h);
                             16,600 miles (27,000 km) @ 15 knots (28 km/h)
      Power: 212,000  shp (158  MW) forward; 44,000 shp (33 MW) reverse; 8
                                                 Babcock & Wilcox Boilers.
       Drive: 4 screws; geared turbines; G.E. (BB-61;BB-63); West. (BB-62;
                                                            BB-64; BB-66).
                                                Fuel: 9,033 tons oil (max)
                                            Armor Belt: 12.1 in (307  mm),
                                              Bulkheads: 11.3 in (287 mm),
                               Barbettes: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 439 mm),
                                                Turrets: 19.7 in (500 mm),
                                                    Decks: 7.5 in (191 mm)

   The Iowa-class battleships were the biggest, the most powerful, and the
   last battleships built for the United States Navy. Four were built in
   the early 1940s for World War II; two more were laid down but were
   scrapped prior to completion. The four were decommissioned, then
   recommissioned in the 1980s, and decommissioned again in the 1990s.

   Built with cost as no object "The Iowa-class fast battleships were
   arguably the ultimate capital ship in the evolution of the battleship."
   Yet even as these behemoths entered service they were being eclipsed by
   aircraft carriers as the most important naval vessels.

   The Iowa-class battleships improved upon the earlier South Dakota class
   with more powerful engines, longer-caliber guns giving greater range,
   and an additional 200 feet (60 m) of length for improved seakeeping.
   The Iowas are widely considered to be amongst the most attractive
   battleships ever built, with a long, narrow, elegant bow and three
   powerful gun turrets. While excellent sea boats, the ships are quite
   wet forward owing to the long bow. Like all American battleships of
   their generation, their armament was laid out in two turrets before the
   superstructure and one after ("2-A-1"), with the 5 inch dual-purpose
   secondaries (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) flanking the superstructure.
   By battleship standards they were slender for their length, in order to
   be able to pass through the Panama Canal. This made them difficult to
   armor, especially forward, near the #1 turret. The ships are actually
   two feet wider than what is accepted in the present day as a Panamax
   configuration, only allowing a single foot of clearance either side of
   the hull. The follow-on Montana class battleships, had they been
   completed, would have been built to a post- Panamax design, having a
   beam 12 feet wider than the Iowas.

   The Iowas were unique in several respects. First, they were designed as
   "fast" battleships, able to rely on an even mix of speed and firepower,
   and capable of sailing at the same speed as the carrier force. Second,
   although they had to be designed to fit through the Panama Canal, they
   took that to the limit, as described above. Third, all four of the Iowa
   class battleships were recommissioned and refitted under the Reagan
   Administration as part of Navy Secretary John F. Lehman's " 600-ship
   Navy" plan, particularly in response to the Soviet Navy commissioning
   the Kirov class battlecruisers/missile cruisers. Fourth, these ships
   were active, albeit intermittently, throughout the latter half of the
   20th century. Lastly, all four ships still exist: this is unusual
   because the US Navy typically scraps older, decommissioned ships or
   sinks them in weapons tests.

Design history

   The Iowa-class began in response to the need for fast escorts for
   aircraft carriers. The design process began in early 1938 on the basis
   of creating an extended South Dakota class. A study indicated that a
   45,000 ton Extended-South Dakota would be capable of 33 knots. Another
   feature of the design was to be the Mark 2 16 inch(406 mm) / 50 caliber
   gun. This was originally intended to be the main armament of the
   cancelled battleships and battlecruisers of 1922. However, this gun was
   rejected in favour of the new Mark 7 16 inch(406 mm) / 50-caliber gun
   because of its lighter weight. The new gun had to be accepted because
   of a miscommunication between the Bureau of Ordnance and the Bureau of
   Construction and Repair resulting in the ship's barbettes being
   designed too small to support the heavier and bulkier Mark 2 guns. The
   Mark 7 was intended to fire the same 2,240 lb shell as the
   16 inch/45-caliber gun but as the design was being completed a new
   2,700 lb shell was developed. This led to problems with armor
   protection since the current armor was only designed to resist 2,240 lb
   shells. It was too late in the development to increase the armor as the
   increase in weight would have pushed the ship over the 45,000 ton
   limit. The design was then finalized and a contract was signed with the
   ship yards in July 1939. Originally BB-61, BB-62, and BB-63 were to be
   of the same design while BB-64, BB-65, and BB-66 were intended to be
   larger, slower ships mounting 12 16 inch guns. But by late in 1939 it
   was apparent that the navy needed as many fast battleships as possible
   and it was decided that, first, BB-64 alone, but then also BB-65 and
   BB-66, would follow the same design as their sisters.

Construction

   The Iowa-class battleships were constructed at three Navy Yards: the
   New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, the Philadelphia Navy Yard in
   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Norfolk Navy Yard in Norfolk,
   Virginia. The New York Naval Yard built Iowa and Missouri, while the
   Philadelphia Navy Yard built New Jersey and Wisconsin. The last two
   ships, Illinois and Kentucky, were laid down in the Philadelphia Navy
   Yard and Norfolk Navy Yard, and construction continued until they were
   cancelled, in 1945 and 1947 respectively. According to some sources,
   Illinois and Kentucky were to be built to a slower (28 knot) standard,
   with increased protection both above and below the waterline.

          BB-61 USS Iowa was laid down on June 6, 1940, and was completed
          on February 22, 1943.
          BB-62 USS New Jersey was laid down on September 16, 1940; and
          completed on May 23, 1943.
          BB-63 USS Missouri was laid down on January 6, 1941; and
          completed on June 11, 1944.
          BB-64 USS Wisconsin was laid down on January 25, 1942; and
          completed on April 16, 1944.
          BB-65 USS Illinois was authorized in 1940, and ordered from the
          Philadelphia Navy Yard in December, 1942; but was cancelled when
          22% complete on August 11, 1945.
          BB-66 USS Kentucky was laid down on December 6, 1944; and
          construction suspended on February 17, 1947. "Launched" on
          January 20, 1950 to clear drydock for repairs to USS Missouri.
          Sold for scrap on October 31, 1958. Bow used to replace the
          damaged bow of USS Wisconsin in 1956 and remains in place to
          this day.

Armament

   The Iowa-class ships were among the most heavily armed ships the United
   States ever put to sea. The main battery of 16 inch guns could hit
   targets nearly 24 miles (39 km) away with a variety of artillery
   shells, from standard armor piercing rounds to tactical nuclear charges
   called "Katies" (from "kt" for kiloton). The secondary battery, of much
   smaller caliber and shorter range, could inflict severe damage upon
   smaller ships. The ships were built with many 40 mm anti-aircraft guns,
   which were gradually replaced with missiles, electronic-warfare suites,
   and Phalanx anti-missile Gatling gun systems.

Main battery

   USS Iowa fires a full broadside of nine 16-inch (406 mm) / 50-caliber
   and six 5-inch (127 mm) / 38-calibre guns during a target exercise.
   Note concussion effects on the water surface, and 16-inch (406 mm) gun
   barrels in varying degrees of elevation.
   Enlarge
   USS Iowa fires a full broadside of nine 16-inch (406 mm) / 50-caliber
   and six 5-inch (127 mm) / 38-calibre guns during a target exercise.
   Note concussion effects on the water surface, and 16-inch (406 mm) gun
   barrels in varying degrees of elevation.

   The primary armament of an Iowa-class battleship is nine 16-inch
   (406 mm) / 50-caliber guns in three 3-gun turrets: two forward and one
   aft. The guns are 66 feet (20 m) long (50 times their 16-inch bore, or
   50 calibers, from breechface to muzzle). About 43 feet (13 m) protrudes
   from the gun house. Each gun weighs about 239,000  pounds (108 000
   kg), roughly the weight of a space shuttle. They fire projectiles
   weighing from 1,900 to 2,700 pounds (850 to 1,200 kg) at a maximum
   speed of 2,690  ft/s (820  m/s) up to 24 miles (39 km). At maximum
   range the projectile spends almost 1½ minutes in flight.

   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 77 to 110 men. 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. (Underwater photos of the Bismarck show empty
   barbettes, vacated as the ship sank.)

   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 much sideways when a
   broadside is fired. (For a more scientific exploration of this subject,
   see the link below.)

   The guns can be elevated from −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, which is sometimes
   called "over the shoulder." The guns are never fired directly forward
   (in the 1980s refit, a satellite uplink antenna was mounted at the
   bow).

   The big guns were designed to fire the standard 16-inch (406 mm)
   artillery shells, but later advances brought more types of shell,
   including:
   16-inch naval gunfire shells
   Enlarge
   16-inch naval gunfire shells
     * The Mk. 8 APC (Armor-Piercing, Capped) shell mentioned in the above
       text, which weighs in at 2,700 lb (1225 kg) and was designed to
       penetrate the hardened steel armor carried by foreign battleships.
       At 20,000  yards (18 km) the Mk. 8 could penetrate 20-inch (500 mm)
       of steel armor plate. At the same range, the Mk. 8 could penetrate
       21 feet (6.4 m) of reinforced concrete.
     * For unarmored targets and shore bombardment, the 1,900-lb (862-kg)
       Mk. 13 HC (High-Capacity—referring to the large bursting charge)
       shell was available. The Mk. 13 shell would create a crater 50 feet
       (15 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) deep upon impact and detonation, and
       could defoliate trees 400 yards (360 m) from the point of impact.
     * "Katie" shells: Around 1953, the United States Navy began a
       top-secret program to develop Mk. 23 nuclear naval shells with an
       estimated yield of 15 to 20 kilotons. These shells were designed to
       be launched from the best seaborne artillery platform available,
       which at the time were the four ships of the Iowa class. The shells
       were reportedly ready by 1956; however, it is not known whether
       they were ever actually deployed on the Iowa-class battleships
       because the United States Navy does not confirm or deny the
       presence of nuclear weapons aboard its ships.

Secondary battery and anti-aircraft batteries

   The secondary battery of the ship consists of 5 inch (127 mm) /
   38-caliber guns in a series of twin mounts. Originally the secondary
   battery was intended to be part of the anti-aircraft defenses, but as
   aircraft became faster their effectiveness in that role decreased.
   Their use increased again toward the end of the war with the
   development of proximity-fuzed 5 inch shells that burst near the target
   rather than requiring a direct hit. By the time of the Gulf War the
   secondary battery was largely relegated to shore bombardment and
   littoral defense. Until the modernization in the 1980s there were ten
   twin mounts, five on each side of the ship. In the modernization the
   two mounts farthest aft on each side were removed to make room for
   missiles, leaving the ship with just six twin mounts. The guns have an
   effective range of 9 miles (14 km) and can be fired as fast as the crew
   can load and fire them. A good crew could run 16 to 23 rounds per
   minute through them.

   The British attack at Taranto and the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbour
   made it clear that airpower was going to play a substantial role in the
   war. The Iowas were designed to be a fearsome anti-aircraft platform.
   When launched they carried twenty quad Bofors 40 mm gun mounts, and
   forty-nine Oerlikon 20 mm cannon single mounts. By the end of WWII, the
   single 20 mm had stopped being a very effective anti-aircraft weapon:
   it did not have enough punch to stop the bigger, heavier aircraft they
   were seeing, in particular the kamikazes. By 1950, almost all of the
   single 20 mm guns had been removed. In the modernization in the 1980s,
   the Navy realized that it is difficult to shoot down a jet with a 40 mm
   anti-aircraft gun, so all of the 40 mm gun mounts and the last of the
   20 mm guns were removed in the modernization. In their place, the Navy
   installed four of the Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems.
   USS New Jersey displays the three weapons installed during the 1982
   modernization: from upper left to lower right, the Phalanx CIWS
   anti-aircraft/anti-missile weapon, Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers,
   and Tomahawk land-attack missiles in their Armored Box Launchers.
   Enlarge
   USS New Jersey displays the three weapons installed during the 1982
   modernization: from upper left to lower right, the Phalanx CIWS
   anti-aircraft/anti-missile weapon, Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers,
   and Tomahawk land-attack missiles in their Armored Box Launchers.

Missiles

   During the modernization in the 1980s, three important 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.

   The Iowa class were fitted with an anti-ship cruise missile, the RGM-84
   Harpoon, in 16 launch tubes located alongside the aft stack, eight per
   side in two pods of four. The Harpoon has a range of about 85  nautical
   miles (157 km) depending upon how it is fired. For increased range and
   accuracy against land targets the Iowa class gained 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk
   missiles located in eight Armored Box Launchers. The TLAM or Tomahawk
   Land-Attack Missile was used extensively in the Gulf War by USS
   Missouri and USS Wisconsin. During the war, Wisconsin served as the
   TLAM strike commander for the Persian Gulf, directing the launches that
   marked the opening of Operation Desert Storm. To make room for the
   missile launchers, four of the ship's ten 5"/38 DP mounts were removed
   (little sacrifice, as the old guns were far less useful than the
   longer-barreled 5"/54 mounts on modern ships, and even less useful than
   the missiles that replaced them).

   A planned installation of RIM-7 Sea Sparrow was scrapped because no
   shock-absorbing mounting could be designed that would protect the
   missiles' radar from damage when the guns fired.

Aircraft

   USS Missouri recovers a Vought OS2U Kingfisher during her 1944
   shakedown cruise. Note the catapult below the plane, which was used to
   launch the planes off the battleship.
   Enlarge
   USS Missouri recovers a Vought OS2U Kingfisher during her 1944
   shakedown cruise. Note the catapult below the plane, which was used to
   launch the planes off the battleship.

   Like most later battleships, the Iowas used aircraft for reconnaissance
   and gunnery spotting.

   The early aircraft were floatplanes launched from catapults on the
   ship's fantail. Upon completion of their mission, they landed on the
   water, taxied up to the stern of the ship, and were lifted by a crane
   back to the catapult. Initially, the Iowas carried the Vought OS2U
   Kingfisher, a lightly armed two-man aircraft used exclusively for
   reconnaissance and gunnery spotting. Typically an Iowa-class battleship
   would carry three: two on the catapults and a spare on a trailer
   nearby. At the beginning of 1945, the Kingfisher was replaced by the
   single-seat Curtiss SC Seahawk floatplane.

   Around 1949, the Iowa class no longer had to conduct the dangerous work
   of launching and recovering floatplanes, as helicopters were brought
   aboard for reconnaissance, gunnery-spotting, and search-and-rescue
   missions. The first helicopters were operated from the top of Turret 2;
   the fantail was still too crowded. Presently, the catapults were
   removed and helicopter operations moved aft to the fantail.

   As the Iowa class entered the 1990s, they had a new tool available for
   reconnaissance and gunnery-spotting; as many as eight RQ-2 Pioneer
   unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Sometimes referred to as remote
   piloted vehicles (RPVs), these were unmanned aircraft piloted by remote
   control. 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 90 mph (40 m/s) with a
   mission endurance of about four hours. Because it is difficult to land
   the Pioneer without damaging itself or the ship, a large net is strung
   up for recovery as for a volleyball game, and the aircraft is flown
   into it.
   Crewmen recover an RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle aboard USS
   Iowa. Pioneer drones launched from the Iowa-class battleships were
   steered into a large net on the ships, where they were recovered by the
   crew.
   Enlarge
   Crewmen recover an RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle aboard USS
   Iowa. Pioneer drones launched from the Iowa-class battleships were
   steered into a large net on the ships, where they were recovered by the
   crew.

   The Pioneer carries a video camera in a pod under the belly of the
   aircraft, which transmits live video back to the ship so that the
   operators can observe enemy actions or fall of shot during naval
   gunnery. The Pioneers saw extensive use by the USS Missouri and USS
   Wisconsin during the Gulf War. The latter became the first ship ever to
   have enemy forces surrender to a remotely controlled observation drone.

Engineering plant

   The Iowa-class battleships are the fastest battleships ever launched,
   capable of sustained speeds of 33 knots (61 km/h) or better. The
   engineering plant consists of four General Electric double-expansion
   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 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter. The two inboard screws have
   five blades and are about 17.5 feet (5.3 m) in diameter.

   Eight Babcock and Wilcox M-Type boilers heat water in tubes to more
   than 800  °F (430  °C), producing 650  psi (4500  kPa) steam.

   The double-expansion engines consist of a high-pressure (HP) turbine
   and a low-pressure (LP) turbine. The steam is first passed through the
   HP turbine which turns at up to 2100  rpm. The steam, largely depleted
   at this point, is then passed through a large conduit to the LP
   turbine. By the time it reaches the LP turbine, it has no more than
   50 psi (300 kPa) of pressure left. The LP turbine increases efficiency
   and power by extracting the last little bit of energy from the steam.

   After leaving the LP turbine, the exhaust steam passes into a condenser
   and is then returned as feed water to the boilers. Water lost in the
   process is replaced by three evaporators, which can make a total of
   60,000  US gallons per day (3  liters per second) of fresh water. After
   the boilers have had their fill, 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.

   The turbines, especially the HP turbine, can turn at 2,000 rpm; their
   shafts drive through reduction gearing that turns the propellor shafts
   at speeds up to 225 rpm, depending upon the desired speed of the ship.

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) manufactured by
   Westinghouse. Each SSTG generates 1.25  MW for a total of 10 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- kW
   diesel generators.

   To allow battle-damaged electrical circuits to be repaired or bypassed,
   the lower decks of the ship have a Casualty Power System whose large
   3-wire cables and wall outlets called "biscuits" can be used to reroute
   power.

Reactivation potential

   USS Wisconsin is one of three Iowa-class battleships opened to the
   public as a museum, and one of two maintained in the US Mothball fleet
   for potential reactivation.
   Enlarge
   USS Wisconsin is one of three Iowa-class battleships opened to the
   public as a museum, and one of two maintained in the US Mothball fleet
   for potential reactivation.

   The United States long maintained Iowa and Wisconsin in reserve and
   could have recommissioned one or both of them. The cost was priced at
   $430 million for a 14-month program or $500 million for a 10-month
   program. Among other things, fitting the ships to fire Tomahawks would
   be costly. Their Armored Box Launchers cannot fire today's Tomahawks,
   which are designed for modern ships' Vertical Launch System (VLS)
   launcher.

   The Navy has nearly 15,000 16 inch (406 mm) shells, but has not
   manufactured them since the 1960s.

   The two ships were maintained in accordance with the National Defense
   Authorization Act of 1996, which includes the following battleship
   readiness requirements:
    1. List and maintain at least two Iowa-class battleships on the Naval
       Vessel Register that are in good condition and able to provide
       adequate fire support for an amphibious assault;
    2. Retain the existing logistical support necessary to keep at least
       two Iowa-class battleships in active service, including technical
       manuals, repair and replacement parts, and ordnance; and
    3. Keep the two battleships on the register until the Navy certified
       that it has within the fleet an operational surface fire support
       capability that equals or exceeds the fire support capability that
       the Iowa-class battleships would be able to provide for the Marine
       Corps' amphibious assaults and operations ashore. (Section 1011)

   The U.S. Navy had originally planned to keep the two battleships on the
   Naval Vessel Register until new naval surface fire support guns and
   missiles enter service between 2003 and 2008.

   On March 17, 2006, the Secretary of the Navy, acting with the authority
   granted by the 2006 defense appropriations act, struck Iowa and
   Wisconsin from the Register. They are likely to be transferred to a
   museum association, as were Missouri and New Jersey.

Reactivation debate

   Some have argued that the U.S. military needs the battleships and their
   16 inch guns.

   Some United States Marine Corps leaders have fought to get both
   battleships recommissioned. They argue that adequate fire support for
   an amphibious assault or onshore operations cannot be provided by
   existing weapons, the Navy's planned naval surface fire support guns
   and missiles, or the DD(X) destroyer, which will not arrive until 2013.

   Battleship proponents argue that cannon-fired shells would be more
   cost-effective at hitting coastal targets than missiles or bombs
   dropped from aircraft. They say guidance packages and rocket boosters
   make today's shells more accurate and longer-ranged than their
   predecessors.

   Detractors say:
     * Few coastal targets are hardened enough to withstand missile
       strikes.
     * Amphibious assault techniques have improved since World War II,
       rendering obsolete heavy bombardments and mass assaults against
       built-up chokepoints. During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the
       United States executed an amphibious entry against a landlocked
       nation, using a supercarrier ( Kitty Hawk) as a sort of super-
       amphibious assault ship.
     * A single round that destroys an enemy command centre so the enemy
       cannot see that the invasion force is landing somewhere else is as
       effective at protecting troops.
     * Battleships are disproportionately vulnerable to mine and submarine
       warfare. During the 1991 Gulf War, mines in Iraq's coastal waters
       limited the operations of Wisconsin and Missouri. Some of the most
       effective shore fires from that war were carried out by Oliver
       Hazard Perry-class frigates armed with 76 mm guns.
     * In order to fire modern Tomahawk missiles, the battleships would
       need to be equipped with Vertical Launching System emplacements,
       which would require a far more expensive rebuild than the old
       Armored Box Launchers, and might require cutting holes in the
       ship's armor deck, possibly compromising structural integrity.
     * Battleships cannot be equipped with modern electronics, which would
       be damaged or destroyed by the shock of the 16 inch guns' fire,
       reducing or eliminating their interoperability with the rest of the
       fleet.
     * Adding two 1,500-man battleships would exacerbate the Navy's
       chronic manpower shortfall.

Locations

   Currently, three of the ships are on display at the following
   locations:

   USS New Jersey
          On October 14, 2001, USS New Jersey opened as a museum at
          Camden, New Jersey.

   USS Missouri
          Located 500 yards (about 450 meters) from USS Arizona at Pearl
          Harbour, Missouri was opened as a museum on 29 January 1999. The
          museum is operated by the USS Missouri Memorial Association, a
          non-profit organization.

   USS Wisconsin
          Berthed in Norfolk, Virginia as a museum ship at the Hampton
          Roads Naval Museum. Wisconsin was originally struck from the
          naval register, but her name was restored 12 February 1998. Her
          weather decks are currently open to the public; however, the
          ship is still owned and operated by the Navy, and maintained as
          part of the United States' mothball fleet.

   The remaining ship of the class, USS Iowa, is currently part of the
   Naval Reserve Fleet and is currently berthed at Suisun Bay near San
   Francisco. In 2005, San Francisco's city council members, citing
   opposition to the Iraqi war and the U.S. Governments requirements on
   the Navy's policies regarding homosexuals, voted 8-3 against
   maintaining Iowa, paving the way for Stockton, California, to acquire
   the battleship. Currently, Iowa is the only ship of her class not open
   to the public as a museum.

Competition

   Historians and ship buffs debate which of the world's battleships might
   have been the closest competitors to the Iowa class, assessing
   performance using such factors as battle history, gun size, and armor.

   Some U.S. contenders include the Colorado class battleships, the first
   U.S. vessels to mount 16 inch guns; the North Carolina class, the first
   U.S. ships designated as "fast battleships"; and the South Dakota
   class, from which the Iowas were developed.

   Three other contenders were never built:
     * The Imperial Japanese Navy's "Super Yamato"-class battleships, with
       20 inch guns. Two were planned.
     * The U.S. Navy's Montana-class battleships, mounting four turrets
       with twelve of the 16 inch guns used on the Iowa-class. Five were
       planned.
     * The Soviet Navy's Sovetsky Soyuz class battleships, laid down in
       the late 1930s but never completed in the wake of the German
       invasion of the Soviet Union. They would have been considerably
       larger than the Iowa-class battleships, though they would have
       carried similar main armament.

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