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USS Wisconsin (BB-64)

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

                            USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
                      USS Wisconsin at sea, circa 1990

   Career (US) United States Navy Jack
   Laid down: 25 January 1941
   Launched: 7 December 1943
   Commissioned: 16 April 1944
   Decommissioned: 30 September 1991
   Struck: 17 March 2006
   Status: Museum ship
   General Characteristics
   Displacement: 45,000 tons
   Length: 887.2 ft (270 m)
   Beam: 108.2 ft (33 m)
   Draft: 28.9 ft (8.8 m)
   Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h)
   Complement: Unknown
   Sensors and processing systems: AN/SPS-49 Air Search Radar
   AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar
   AN/SPQ-9 Surface Search / Gun Fire Control Radar
   Electronic warfare and decoys: AN/SLQ-32
   AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Decoy System
   8 × Mark 36 SRBOC Super Rapid Bloom Rocket Launchers
   Armament: 1943:
   9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
   20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
   80 x 40 mm 56 cal. anti-aircraft guns
   49 x 20 mm 70 cal. anti-aircraft guns
   1983:
   9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
   12 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
   32 x BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles
   16 x RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles
   4 x 20 mm/76 cal. Phalanx CIWS
   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 (190 mm)

   USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-class battleship, and is the second
   ship of the United States Navy named in honour of the U.S. state of
   Wisconsin. She was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and launched on
   December 7, 1943.

   During her career Wisconsin served in World War II, where she shelled
   Japanese fortifications at Leyte Gulf, and screened US aircraft
   carriers as they conducted air raids against enemy positions. During
   the Korean War she shelled North Korean targets in support of UN and
   South Korean ground operations, after which she was decommissioned into
   the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the mothball
   fleet. She was reactivated and modernized in 1986 as part of the "
   600-ship Navy" plan, and participated in the 1991 Gulf War.

   Wisconsin was last decommissioned in September 1991, having earned a
   total of six battle stars for war service in WWII and Korea, and a Navy
   Unit Commendation for service during the 1991 Gulf War, and currently
   functions as a museum ship at Nauticus, The National Maritime Centre in
   Norfolk, Virginia. Wisconsin was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
   (NVR) 17 March 2006, and is currently awaiting donation for permanent
   use as a museum ship.

Construction

   Wisconsin was one of the "fast battleship" designs planned in 1938 by
   the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair.
   She was the third of the four completed ships of the Iowa class of
   battleships. Although Wisconsin is numerically the highest numbered US
   battleship built, she was actually completed before USS Missouri,
   making Missouri the last completed US battleship. Her keel was laid
   down on January 25, 1941, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was
   launched on December 7, 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Walter S. Goodland, and
   commissioned on April 16, 1944, with Captain Earl E. Stone in command.

World War II (1944-1945)

Shakedown and service with 3rd Fleet, Admiral Halsey

   After the ship's trials and initial training in the Chesapeake Bay,
   Wisconsin departed Norfolk, Virginia, on July 7, 1944, bound for the
   British West Indies. Following her shakedown (conducted out of
   Trinidad) she returned to the builder's yard for alterations and
   repairs.

   On 24 September 1944, Wisconsin sailed for the west coast, transited
   the Panama Canal, and reported for duty with the Pacific Fleet on 2
   October. The battleship later moved to Hawaiian waters for training
   exercises and then headed for the Western Caroline Islands. Upon
   reaching Ulithi on 9 December, she joined Admiral William F. Halsey's
   Third Fleet.

   Wisconsin had arrived at a time when the reconquest of the Philippines
   was well underway. As a part of that movement, the planners had
   envisioned landings on the southwest coast of Mindoro, south of Luzon.
   From that point, American forces could threaten Japanese shipping lanes
   through the South China Sea. In preparation for the coming invasion of
   Mindoro, Wisconsin was assigned to protect the Third Fleet's Fast
   Carrier Task Force (TF) 38, as they conducted air raids at Manila to
   soften up Japanese positions.

   The next day the weather, however, soon turned sour for Halsey's
   sailors. A furious typhoon struck his fleet, catching many ships
   refueling and with little ballast in their nearly dry bunkers. Three
   destroyers, Hull (DD-350), Monaghan (DD-354), and Spence (DD-512),
   capsized and sank. Wisconsin proved her seaworthiness as she escaped
   the storm unscathed.

   Wisconsin’s next operation was in the Philippines, specifically the
   occupation of Luzon. Bypassing the southern beaches, American
   amphibians went ashore at Lingayen Gulf, the scene of the Japanese
   landings nearly three years before.

   Wisconsin, armed with heavy anti-aircraft batteries, performed escort
   duty for TF 38's fast carriers during air strikes against Formosa,
   Luzon, and the Nansei Shoto, to neutralize Japanese forces there and to
   cover the unfolding Lingayen Gulf operations. Those strikes, lasting
   from 3 January to 22 January 1945, included a thrust into the South
   China Sea, in the hope that major units of the Imperial Japanese Navy
   could be drawn into battle.

   Wisconsin’s carrier group launched air strikes between Saigon and
   Camranh Bay, Indochina, on 12 January resulted in severe losses for the
   enemy. TF 38's warplanes sank 41 ships and heavily damaged docks,
   storage areas, and aircraft facilities. Formosa, already struck on 3
   January and 4 January, was raided again on 9 January, 15 January, and
   21 January. Throughout January Wisconsin shielded the carriers as they
   conducted air raids at Hong Kong, Canton, Hainan Island, the Canton oil
   refineries, the Hong Kong Naval Station, and Okinawa.

Service with 5th Fleet, Admiral Spruance

   Wisconsin was assigned to the Fifth Fleet when Admiral Raymond A.
   Spruance relieved Admiral Halsey as Commander of the Fleet. She moved
   northward with the redesignated TF 58 as the carriers headed for the
   Tokyo area. On 16 February 1945, the task force approached the Japanese
   coast under cover of adverse weather conditions and achieved complete
   tactical surprise. As a result, Wisconsin and the other ships shot down
   322 enemy planes and destroyed 177 more on the ground. Japanese
   shipping, both naval and merchant, suffered drastically, too, as did
   hangars and aircraft installations.

   Wisconsin and the task force moved to Iwo Jima on 17 February to
   provide direct support for the landings slated to take place on that
   island on 19 February. They revisited Tokyo on 25 February and, the
   next day, hit the island of Hachino off the coast of Honshu- which
   resulted in heavy damage to ground facilities; additionally, the
   American planes sank five small vessels and destroyed 158 planes.

   Wisconsin's task force stood out of Ulithi on 14 March, bound for
   Japan. The mission of that group was to eliminate airborne resistance
   from the Japanese homeland to American forces off Okinawa. Enemy fleet
   units at Kure and Kobe, on southern Honshu-, reeled under the impact of
   the explosive blows delivered by TF 58's airmen. On 18 March and 19
   March, from a point 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Kyu-shu-, TF 58 hit
   enemy airfields on that island; unfortunately, allied anti-aircraft
   fire on 19 March failed to stop a Kamikaze attack on the carrier
   Franklin (CV-13). That afternoon, Wisconsin and the task force retired
   from Kyu-shu-, screening the blazing and battered flattop, and in doing
   so, the screen shot down 48 attackers.

   On 24 March, Wisconsin trained her 16 inch (406 mm) guns on targets
   ashore on Okinawa. Together with the other battlewagons of the task
   force, she pounded Japanese positions and installations in preparation
   for the landings. Japanese resistance, while fierce, was doomed to
   failure by dwindling numbers of aircraft and trained pilots.
   Wisconsin escorting US Essex-class aircraft carriers in the Pacific
   Ocean during World War II. The tail crane was used to recover
   reconnaissance planes launched by Wisconsin.
   Enlarge
   Wisconsin escorting US Essex-class aircraft carriers in the Pacific
   Ocean during World War II. The tail crane was used to recover
   reconnaissance planes launched by Wisconsin.

   While TF 58's planes were dealing with Yamato and her escorts, enemy
   aircraft attacked the American surface units. Combat air patrols (CAP)
   shot down 15 enemy planes, and ships' gunfire shot down another three,
   but not before one Kamikaze attack penetrated the CAP and screen to
   crash on the flight deck of the fleet carrier Hancock (CV-19). On 11
   April, the Japanese renewed their Kamikaze attacks; and only drastic
   maneuvers and heavy barrages of gunfire saved the task force. Combat
   air patrols shot down 17 planes, and ships' gunfire shot down 12. The
   next day, 151 enemy aircraft attacked TF 58, but Wisconsin, together
   with other units of the screens for the vital carriers, kept the
   Kamikaze pilots at bay and destroyed them before they could reach their
   targets. Over the days that ensued Japanese suicide attacks managed to
   crash into three carriers — Intrepid (CV-11), Bunker Hill (CV-17) and
   Enterprise (CV-6) — on successive days.

   By 4 June, a typhoon was swirling through the Fleet. Wisconsin rode out
   the storm unscathed, but three cruisers, two carriers, and a destroyer
   suffered serious damage. Offensive operations were resumed on 8 June
   with a final aerial assault on Kyu-shu-. Japanese aerial response was
   virtually nonexistent; 29 planes were located and destroyed. On that
   day, one of Wisconsin’s floatplanes landed and rescued a downed pilot
   from the carrier Shangri-La (CV-38).

Bombardment of Japan

   Wisconsin ultimately put into Leyte Gulf and dropped anchor there on 18
   June for repairs and replenishment. Three weeks later, on 1 July, the
   battleship and her escorts sailed once more for Japanese home waters
   for carrier air strikes on the enemy's heartland. Nine days later,
   carrier planes from TF 38 destroyed 72 enemy aircraft on the ground and
   smashed industrial sites in the Tokyo area. Wisconsin and the other
   ships made no attempt whatsoever to conceal the location of their
   armada, due in large part to a weak Japanese response to their
   presence.

   On 16 July, Wisconsin fired the 16 inch (406 mm) guns at the steel
   mills and oil refineries at Muroran, Hokkaido. Two days later, she
   wrecked industrial facilities in the Hitachi Miro area, on the coast of
   Honshu, northeast of Tokyo itself. During that bombardment, British
   battleships of the British Pacific Fleet contributed their heavy
   shellfire. By that point in the war, Allied warships such as Wisconsin
   were able to shell the Japanese homeland almost at will.

   Task Force 38's planes subsequently blasted the Japanese naval base at
   Yokosuka, and put the former fleet flagship Nagato out of action, one
   of the two remaining Japanese battleships. Throughout July and into
   August Admiral Halsey's airmen visited destruction upon the Japanese,
   the last instance being against Tokyo on 13 August 1945. Two days
   later, the Japanese surrendered. World War II was over at last.

   Wisconsin, as part of the occupying force, arrived at Tokyo Bay on 5
   September, three days after the formal surrender occurred on board the
   battleship Missouri (BB-63). During Wisconsin’s brief career in World
   War II, she had steamed 105,831 miles (170,318 km) since commissioning;
   had shot down three enemy planes; had claimed assists on four
   occasions; and had fueled her screening destroyers on some 250
   occasions.

Post WWII (1945-1950)

   Shifting subsequently to Okinawa, the battleship embarked
   homeward-bound GIs on 22 September, as part of Operation Magic Carpet
   staged to bring soldiers, sailors, and marines home from the far-flung
   battlefronts of the Pacific. Departing Okinawa on 23 September,
   Wisconsin reached Pearl Harbour on 4 October, remaining there for five
   days before she pushed on for the west coast on the last leg of her
   state-side bound voyage. She reached San Francisco, California, on 15
   October.

   Heading for the east coast of the United States soon after the start of
   the new year, 1946, Wisconsin transited the Panama Canal between 11
   January and 13 January and reached Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 18
   January. Following a cruise south to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the
   battleship entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul. After
   repairs and alterations that consumed the summer months, Wisconsin
   sailed for South American waters.

   Over the weeks that ensued, the battleship visited Valparaíso, Chile,
   from 1 November to 6 November; Callao, Peru, from 9 November to 13
   November; Balboa, Canal Zone, from 16 November to 20 November; and La
   Guaira, Venezuela, from 22 November to 26 November, before returning to
   Norfolk on 2 December 1946.

   Wisconsin spent nearly all of 1947 as a training ship, taking naval
   reservists on two-week cruises throughout the year. Those voyages
   commenced at Bayonne, New Jersey, and saw visits conducted at
   Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the Panama Canal Zone. While underway at sea,
   the ship would perform various drills and exercises before the cruise
   would end where it had started, at Bayonne. During June and July of
   1947, Wisconsin took United States Naval Academy midshipmen on cruises
   to northern European waters.

   In January 1948, Wisconsin reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at
   Norfolk, for inactivation. Placed out of commission, in reserve on 1
   July 1948 Wisconsin was assigned to the Norfolk group of the Atlantic
   Reserve Fleet.

The Korean War (1950-1952)

   USS Buck (DD-761), USS Wisconsin (BB-64) and USS Saint Paul (CA-73)
   steam in close formation during operations off the Korean coast, 1952
   Enlarge
   USS Buck (DD-761), USS Wisconsin (BB-64) and USS Saint Paul (CA-73)
   steam in close formation during operations off the Korean coast, 1952

   Her sojourn in "mothballs," however, was comparatively brief, due to
   the North Korean invasion of South Korea in late June 1950. Wisconsin
   was recommissioned on 3 March 1951 with Captain Thomas Burrowes in
   command. After shakedown training, the revitalized battleship conducted
   two midshipmen training cruises, taking the officers-to-be to
   Edinburgh, Scotland; Lisbon, Portugal; Halifax, Nova Scotia; New York
   City; and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, before she returned to Norfolk. While
   leaving New York Wisconsin was accidentally grounded on mud flats in
   New York Harbour, but was freed on 23 August 1951 with no damage to the
   ship.

   Wisconsin departed Norfolk on 25 October 1951, bound for the Pacific.
   She transited the Panama Canal on 29 October and reached Yokosuka,
   Japan, on 21 November. There, she relieved New Jersey (BB-62) as
   flagship for Vice Admiral H. M. Martin, Commander, Seventh Fleet.

   On 26 November, with Vice Admiral Martin and Rear Admiral F.P.
   Denebrink, Commander, Service Force, Pacific, embarked, Wisconsin
   departed Yokosuka for Korean waters to support the fast carrier
   operations of TF 77. She left the company of the carrier force on 2
   December and, screened by the destroyer Wiltsie (DD-716), provided
   gunfire support for the Republic of Korea (ROK) Corps in the Kasong-
   Kosong area. After disembarking Admiral Denebrink on 3 December at
   Kangnung, the battleship resumed station on the Korean "bombline,"
   providing gunfire support for the American 1st Marine Division.
   Wisconsin’s shellings accounted for a tank, two gun emplacements, and a
   building. She continued her gunfire support task for the 1st Marine
   Division and 1st ROK Corps through 6 December, accounting for enemy
   bunkers, artillery positions, and troop concentrations. On one occasion
   during that time, the battleship received a request for call-fire
   support and provided three star-shells for the 1st ROK Corps,
   illuminating an enemy attack that was consequently repulsed with
   considerable enemy casualties.

   After being relieved on the gunline by the heavy cruiser St. Paul
   (CA-73) on 6 December, Wisconsin retired only briefly from gunfire
   support duties. She resumed them, however, in the Kasong-Kosong area on
   11 December screened by the destroyer Twining (DD-540). The following
   day, 12 December, saw the embarkation in Wisconsin of Rear Admiral H.
   R. Thurber, Commander, Battleship Division 2. The admiral came on board
   via helicopter, incident to his inspection trip in the Far East.

   The battleship continued naval gunfire support duties on the
   "bombline," shelling enemy bunkers, command posts, artillery positions,
   and trench systems through 14 December. She departed the "bombline" on
   that day to render special gunfire support duties in the Kojo area
   blasting coastal targets in support of United Nations (UN) troops
   ashore. That same day, she returned to the Kasong-Kosong area. On 15
   December, she disembarked Admiral Thurber by helicopter. The next day,
   Wisconsin departed Korean waters, heading for the Sasebo U.S. Fleet
   Activities base to rearm.

   Returning to the combat zone on 17 December, Wisconsin embarked United
   States Senator Homer Ferguson of Michigan on 18 December. That day, the
   battleship supported the 11th ROK invasion with night illumination fire
   that enabled the ROK troops to repulse a North Korean assault with
   heavy enemy casualties. Departing the "bombline" on 19 December, the
   battleship later that day transferred her distinguished passenger,
   Senator Ferguson, by helicopter to the carrier Valley Forge (CV-45).

   On 20 December Wisconsin participated in a coordinated air-surface
   bombardment of Wonsan to neutralize pre-selected targets in the Wonson
   area. She shifted her bombardment station to the western end of Wonsan
   harbour, hitting boats and small craft in the inner swept channel with
   her 5-in guns during the afternoon. Such activities helped to forestall
   any attempts to assault the friendly-held islands in the Wonsan area.
   Wisconsin then made an anti-boat sweep to the north, firing her five
   inch (127 mm) batteries on suspected boat concentrations. She then
   provided gunfire support to UN troops operating at the "bombline" until
   22 December 1951, when she rejoined the carrier task force.
   Wisconsin shells North Korean targets during the Korean War
   Enlarge
   Wisconsin shells North Korean targets during the Korean War

   On 28 December, Francis Cardinal Spellman, on a Korean tour over the
   Christmas holidays, visited the ship, coming on board by helicopter to
   celebrate Mass for the Catholic members of the crew. He left the ship
   by helicopter off Pohang. Three days later, on the last day of the
   year, Wisconsin put into Yokosuka.

   Wisconsin departed that Japanese port on 8 January 1952 and headed for
   Korean waters once more. She reached Pusan the following day and
   entertained the President of South Korea, Syngman Rhee, and his wife,
   on 10 January. President and Mrs. Rhee received full military honours
   as they came on board, and he reciprocated by awarding Vice Admiral
   Martin the ROK Order of the Military Merit.

   Wisconsin returned to the "bombline" on 11 January, and over the
   ensuing days delivered heavy gunfire support for the 1st Marine
   Division and the 1st ROK Corps. As before, her primary targets were
   command posts, shelters, bunkers, troop concentrations and mortar
   positions. As before, she stood ready to deliver call-fire support as
   needed. One such occasion occurred; on 14 January when she shelled
   enemy troops in the open at the request of the ROK 1st Corps.

   Rearming at Sasebo and once more joining TF 77 off the coast of Korea
   soon thereafter, Wisconsin resumed support at the "bombline" on 23
   January. Three days later, she shifted once more to the Kojo region, to
   participate in a coordinated air and gun strike. That same day, the
   battleship returned to the "bombline" and shelled the command post and
   communications centre for the 15th North Korean Division during
   call-fire missions for the 1st Marine Division.

   Returning to Wonsan at the end of January, Wisconsin bombarded enemy
   guns at Hodo Pando before she was rearmed at Sasebo. The battleship
   rejoined TF 77 on 2 February and the next day, blasted railway
   buildings and marshaling yards at Hodo Pando and Kojo before rejoining
   TF 77. After replenishment at Yokosuka a few days later, she returned
   to the Kosong area and resumed gunfire support. During that time, she
   destroyed railway bridges and a small shipyard besides conducting
   call-fire missions on enemy command posts, bunkers, and personnel
   shelters, making numerous cuts on enemy trench lines in the process.

   On 26 February, Wisconsin arrived at Pusan where Vice Admiral Shon, the
   ROK Chief of Naval Operations; United States Ambassador J.J. Muccio;
   and Rear Admiral Scott-Montcrief, Royal Navy, Commander, Task Group
   95.12, visited the battleship. Departing that South Korean port the
   following day, Wisconsin reached Yokosuka on 2 March, and a week later
   she shifted to Sasebo to prepare to return to Korean waters.

   Wisconsin arrived off Songjin, Korea, on 15 March 1952 and concentrated
   her gunfire on enemy railway transport. Early that morning, she
   destroyed a communist troop train trapped outside of a destroyed
   tunnel. That afternoon, she received the first direct hit in her
   history, when one of four shells from a communist 155 mm (aproximately
   6 in) gun battery struck the shield of a starboard 40 mm mount.
   Although little material damage resulted, three men were injured.
   Wisconsin subsequently destroyed that battery with a 16 inch (406 mm)
   salvo before continuing her mission. After lending a hand to support
   once more the 1st Marine Division with her heavy rifles, the battleship
   returned to Japan on 19 March.

   Relieved as flagship of the Seventh Fleet on 1 April by sister ship
   Iowa (BB-61), Wisconsin departed Yokosuka, bound for the United States.
   En route home, she touched briefly at Guam, where she took part in the
   successful test of the Navy's largest floating dry-dock on 4 April and
   5 April, marking the first time that an Iowa-class battleship had ever
   utilized that type of facility. She continued her homeward-bound
   voyage, via Pearl Harbour, and arrived at Long Beach, California on 19
   April; she then sailed for Norfolk.

Post Korean War (1952-1981)

   Wisconsinoff Norfolk during the 1950s.
   Enlarge
   Wisconsinoff Norfolk during the 1950s.

   On 9 June 1952 Wisconsin resumed her role as a training ship, taking
   midshipmen to Greenock, Scotland; Brest, France; and Guantánamo Bay,
   Cuba, before returning to Norfolk. She departed Hampton Roads on 25
   August and participated in the NATO exercise Operation Mainbrace, which
   was held out of Greenock, Scotland. After her return to Norfolk,
   Wisconsin underwent an overhaul in the naval shipyard there. Wisconsin
   remained in the Atlantic fleet throughout 1952 and into 1953, training
   midshipmen and conducting exercises. After a month of routine
   maintenance Wisconsin departed Norfolk on 9 September 1953, bound for
   the Far East.

   Sailing via the Panama Canal to Japan, Wisconsin relieved New Jersey
   (BB-62) as Seventh Fleet flagship on 12 October. During the months that
   followed, Wisconsin visited the Japanese ports of Kobe, Sasebo Navy
   Yard, Yokosuka, Otaru, and Nagasaki. She spent Christmas at Hong Kong
   and was ultimately relieved of flagship duties on 1 April 1954 and
   returned to the United States soon thereafter, reaching Norfolk, via
   Long Beach and the Panama Canal, on 4 May 1954.

   Entering the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 11 June, Wisconsin underwent a
   brief overhaul and commenced a midshipman training cruise on 12 July.
   After revisiting Greenock, Brest, and Guantánamo Bay, the ship returned
   to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for repairs. Shortly thereafter,
   Wisconsin participated in Atlantic Fleet exercises as flagship for
   Commander, Second Fleet. Departing Norfolk in January 1955, Wisconsin
   took part in Operation Springboard, during which time she visited
   Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Then, upon returning to Norfolk, the battleship
   conducted another midshipman's cruise that summer, visiting Edinburgh;
   Copenhagen, Denmark; and Guantánamo Bay before returning to the United
   States.

   Upon completion of a major overhaul at the New York Naval Shipyard,
   Wisconsin headed south for refresher training in the Caribbean Sea,
   later taking part in another Springboard exercise. During that cruise,
   she again visited Port-au-Prince and added Tampico, Mexico, and
   Cartagena, Colombia, to her list of ports of call. She returned to
   Norfolk on the last day of March 1956 for local operations. On 19
   October 1955, while operating in the East River in the New York Harbour
   Wisconsin was accidentally grounded. Fortunately, the ship was freed in
   about an hour without any serious damage.
   Post-collision damage to Wisconsin’s bow after 6 May 1956 collision
   with USS Eaton (DDE-510)
   Enlarge
   Post-collision damage to Wisconsin’s bow after 6 May 1956 collision
   with USS Eaton (DDE-510)

   Throughout April and into May, Wisconsin operated locally off the
   Virginia capes. On 6 May, the battleship collided with the destroyer
   Eaton (DDE-510) in a heavy fog; Wisconsin put into Norfolk with
   extensive damage to her bow and, one week later, entered dry dock at
   the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. A novel expedient speeded her repairs and
   enabled the ship to carry out her scheduled midshipman training cruise
   that summer. A 120 ton, 68 foot (21 m) section of the bow of the
   uncompleted battleship Kentucky was transported by barge, in one
   section, from Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation of
   Newport News, Virginia, across Hampton Roads to the Norfolk Naval
   Shipyard. Working round-the clock, Wisconsin’s ship's force and
   shipyard personnel completed the operation which grafted the new bow on
   the old battleship in a mere 16 days. On 28 June 1956, the ship was
   ready for sea.

   Wisconsin resumed her midshipman training on 9 July 1956. That autumn,
   Wisconsin participated in Atlantic Fleet exercises off the coast of the
   Carolinas, returning to port on 8 November 1956. Entering the Norfolk
   Naval Shipyard a week later, the battleship underwent major repairs
   that were not finished until 2 January 1957.

   After local operations off the Virginia capes from 3 January 1957 to 4
   January 1957 and from 9 January to 11 January, Wisconsin departed
   Norfolk on 16 January, reporting to Commander, Fleet Training Group, at
   Guantánamo Bay. Wisconsin served as Admiral Henry Crommelin's flagship
   during the ensuing shore bombardment practices and other exercises held
   off the isle of Culebra, Puerto Rico, from 2 February to 4 February
   1957. Sailing for Norfolk upon completion of the training period, the
   battleship arrived on 7 February and resumed local operations off
   Norfolk. On 27 March Wisconsin sailed for the Mediterranean Sea,
   reaching Gibraltar on 6 April 1957, she pushed on that day to
   rendezvous with TF 60 in the Aegean Sea before reporting to Turkey for
   the NATO Exercise Red Pivot.

   Departing Xeros Bay on 14 April, she arrived at Naples four days later,
   Wisconsin conducted exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. In the
   course of those operational training evolutions, she rescued a pilot
   and crewman who survived the crash of a plane from the carrier
   Forrestal (CVA-59). Wisconsin reached Valencia, Spain, on 10 May and,
   three days later, entertained prominent civilian and military officials
   of the city.

   Departing Valencia on 17 April, Wisconsin reached Norfolk on 27 May. On
   that day, Rear Admiral L.S. Parks relieved Rear Admiral Crommelin as
   Commander, Battleship Division 2.< Departing Norfolk on 19 June, the
   battleship, over the ensuing weeks, conducted a midshipman training
   cruise through the Panama Canal to South American waters, and reached
   Valparaiso on 3 July. Eight days later, the battleship headed back to
   the Panama Canal and the Atlantic.
   Bow view of the battleships Iowa, right, and Wisconsin, left, in
   storage at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
   Enlarge
   Bow view of the battleships Iowa, right, and Wisconsin, left, in
   storage at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

   After exercises at Guantánamo Bay and off Culebra, Wisconsin reached
   Norfolk on 5 August and conducted local operations that lasted into
   September. She then participated in NATO exercises which took her
   across the North Atlantic to the British Isles.

   Wisconsin’s days as an active fleet unit were numbered, and she
   prepared to make her last cruise. On 4 November 1957, she departed
   Norfolk with a large group of prominent guests on board. Reaching New
   York City on 6 November, the battleship disembarked her guests and, on
   8 November, headed for Bayonne, New Jersey, to commence
   pre-inactivation overhaul. She was placed out of commission at Bayonne
   on 8 March 1958, and joined the "Mothball Fleet" there, leaving the
   United States Navy without an active battleship for the first time
   since 1896. Subsequently taken to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard,
   Wisconsin remained there with her sister ship Iowa into the 1980s.

Reactivation (1986-1990)

   Wisconsin prepares to fire her 16 inch (406 mm) guns sometime after her
   1986 modernization.
   Enlarge
   Wisconsin prepares to fire her 16 inch (406 mm) guns sometime after her
   1986 modernization.

   As part of President Ronald Reagan's Navy Secretary John F. Lehman's
   effort to create a " 600-ship Navy" Wisconsin was reactivated 1 August
   1986 and moved under tow to the Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans,
   Louisiana, to commence pre-re-commissioning workups. The battleship was
   then towed from the Avondale Shipyard and arrived at Ingalls
   Shipbuilding 2 January 1986 to recieve weapons system upgrades for her
   modernization. During the modernization Wisconsin had all of her
   remaining Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns removed,
   due to their ineffectiveness against modern day jet fighters and enemy
   anti-ship missiles; additionally, the two 5" gun mounts located in the
   aft on the port and starboard side of the battleship were removed.

   Over the next several months the ship was upgraded with the most
   advanced weaponry available; among the new weapons systems installed
   were four MK 141 quad cell launchers for 16 AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship
   missiles, eight Armored Box Launcher (ABL) mounts for 32 BGM-109
   Tomahawk missiles, and a quartet of the United States Navy's Phalanx
   Close In Weapon System (CIWS) gatling guns for defense against enemy
   anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft. Wisconsin also received eight
   RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, which are remotely controlled
   drones that replaced the helicopters previously used to spot for her
   nine 16"/50 Mark 7 guns. Also included in her modernization were
   upgrades to radar and fire control systems for her guns and missiles,
   and improved electronic warfare capabilities. Armed as such, Wisconsin
   was formally recommissioned on 22 October 1988 in Pascagoula,
   Mississippi and assigned to the United States Atlantic fleet.

   Wisconsin spent the first part of 1989 conducting training exercises in
   the Atlantic Ocean and off the coast of Puerto Rico before returning to
   the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a post recommissioning shakedown
   that lasted the rest of the year. In mid-1990 the battleship
   participated in a fleet exercise.

Gulf War (1990-1991)

   Wisconsin launches a BGM-109 Tomahawk missile against a target in Iraq
   during Operation Desert Storm.
   Enlarge
   Wisconsin launches a BGM-109 Tomahawk missile against a target in Iraq
   during Operation Desert Storm.

   On 2 August 1990 Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Kuwait. In the middle of
   the month, President George H. W. Bush, in keeping with the Carter
   Doctrine, sent the first of several hundred thousand troops, along with
   a strong force of naval support to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf
   area to support a multi-national force in a standoff with the Iraqi
   dictator. On 7 August 1990 Wisconsin was ordered to deploy in defense
   of Kuwait for Operation Desert Shield, and arrived in the Persian Gulf
   23 August. When Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm,
   Wisconsin found herself serving alongside her younger sister Missouri,
   just as she had done in Korea forty years previously. Both Wisconsin
   and Missouri launched missile attacks against Iraq; they were among the
   first ships to fire off missiles during the 1991 Gulf War. Wisconsin
   served as the TLAM strike commander for the Persian Gulf, directing the
   sequence of launches that marked the opening of Operation Desert Storm
   and firing a total of 24 of her own TLAMs during the first two days of
   the campaign.
   Wisconsin fires her big guns during the 1991 Gulf War.
   Enlarge
   Wisconsin fires her big guns during the 1991 Gulf War.

   Wisconsin, escorted by Nicholas, relieved Missouri on 6 February, then
   answered her first combat call for gunfire support since March 1952.
   The most recently recommissioned battleship sent 11 shells across
   19 miles of space to destroy an Iraqi artillery battery in southern
   Kuwait. Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as a spotter in combat
   for the first time, Wisconsin pounded Iraqi targets and Iraqi boats
   that had been used during raids along the Saudi Arabian coast. On 7
   February Wisconsin fired her guns against Iraqi artillery sites,
   missile facilities, and electronic warfare sites along the coast. She
   also targeted naval sites with her 16 inch guns firing several rounds
   which severely damaged or sunk 15 Iraqi boats, and destroyed several
   piers at the Khawr al-Mufattah Marina. In response to calls for fire
   support from U.S. and coalition forces Wisconsin’s turrets boomed again
   on 9 February, blasting bunkers and artillery sites, and shelling Iraqi
   troop positions near Khafji after the Iraqis were ousted from the city
   by Saudi and Qatari armor. Wisconsin and Missouri alternated positions
   on the gun line, using their 16 inch guns to destroy enemy targets and
   soften defenses along the Kuwait coastline for a possible amphibious
   assault.
   A technician moves a Pioneer RPV across the fantail of Wisconsin.
   Enlarge
   A technician moves a Pioneer RPV across the fantail of Wisconsin.

   On the night of 23 February Missouri and Wisconsin turned their big
   guns on Faylaka Island to support the ground offensive in Iraq. The two
   ships were to conduct a diversionary assault aimed at convincing the
   Iraqi forces arrayed along the shores of Faylaka Island that Coalition
   forces were preparing to launch an amphibious invasion. As part of this
   attack Missouri and Wisconsin were directed to shell known Iraqi
   defensive positions on the island. Shortly after Missouri completed her
   shelling of Faylaka Island Wisconsin, while still over the horizon (and
   thus out of visual range of the Iraqi forces) launched her RQ-2 Pioneer
   Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to spot for her 16 inch guns. As Wisconsin’s
   drone approached Faylaka Island the pilot of the drone was instructed
   to fly the vehicle low over Iraqi positions so that the soldiers would
   know that they were once again being targeted by a battleship. Iraqi
   troops on the ground heard the Pioneer’s distinctive buzzing sound, and
   having witnessed the effects of Missouri’s artillery strike on their
   trenchline the Iraqi troops decided to signal their willingness to
   surrender by waving makeshift white flags, an action dutifully noted
   aboard Wisconsin. Amused at this sudden development the men assigned to
   the drone’s aircrew called Wisconsin’s commanding officer, Captain
   David S. Bill III, and asked, "Sir, they want to surrender, what should
   I do with them?" This surrender to Wisconsin’s Pioneer has since become
   one of the most remembered moments of the Gulf War; the incident was
   also the first-ever surrender of enemy troops to an unmanned aircraft
   controlled by a ship.

   The next day Wisconsin answered two separate call fire support missions
   for coalition forces by suppressing Iraqi troops barricaded in a pair
   of bunkers. After witnessing the effects of Wisconsin’s strike against
   the Iraqi positions an elated Saudi marine commander commented over the
   radio, "I wish we had a battleship in our navy."

   Both Wisconsin and Missouri passed the million-pound mark of ordnance
   delivered on Iraqi targets by the time President Bush ended hostilities
   on 28 February. With one last salvo from her big guns, Wisconsin fired
   the last naval gunfire support mission of the war. Wisconsin remained
   in the Persian Gulf after the cease-fire took effect, and returned home
   on 28 March 1991. During the 6 months Wisconsin spent in the Persian
   Gulf she had flown 348 UAV hours, recorded 661 safe helicopter
   landings, steamed 46,000 nautical miles, fired 528 16 inch rounds, 881
   5 inch rounds, and 5,200 20 mm Phalanx CIWS rounds. This was the last
   time that United States battleships actively participated in a foreign
   war.

Museum ship (1992-present)

   Crew members man the rails aboard Wisconsin during her decommissioning
   ceremony.
   Enlarge
   Crew members man the rails aboard Wisconsin during her decommissioning
   ceremony.

   With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the
   absence of a perceived threat to the United States came drastic cuts in
   the defense budget, and the high cost of maintaining and operating
   battleships as part of the United States Navy's active fleet became
   uneconomical; as a result, Wisconsin was decommissioned on 30 September
   1991 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 January
   1995. On 15 October 1996 she was moved to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard,
   and on 12 February 1998 she was restored to the Naval Vessel Register.
   On 7 December 2000 the battleship was towed from Norfolk and berthed
   adjacent to Nauticus, The National Maritime Centre in Norfolk. Her
   weather decks have since been opened to the public, but the ship is
   still owned by the Navy and is considered part of the mothball fleet.

   Wisconsin was named as one of two US Navy battleships that were to be
   maintained in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of
   1996 (the other was Iowa). Both battleships were maintained in the
   United States Navy reserve fleets for use as shore bombardment vessels
   since their 16 in (405 mm) guns are capable of firing 2,700 lb
   projectiles approximately 24  nautical miles inland; However, Wisconsin
   is now over 60 years old and would require extensive modernization to
   return to the fleet since most of her technology dates back to World
   War II, and the missile and electronic warfare equipment added to the
   battleship during her 1980s modernization are now considered obsolete.
   Furthermore, during the 1991 Gulf War she was said to be hindered by
   Iraqi naval mines, and reports on the internet suggest that the
   majority of the shore bombardments were successfully carried out by US
   Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates and their 3 in (76 mm) guns. In
   addition, the cost of modernizing Iowa and Wisconsin is estimated to be
   somewhere around $500 million for reactivation and $1.5 billion for
   full a modernization program.
   Berthed in Norfolk at night (April 3, 2004)
   Enlarge
   Berthed in Norfolk at night ( April 3, 2004)

   On 17 March 2006 the Secretary of the Navy exercised his authority to
   strike Iowa and Wisconsin from the NVR, which has cleared the way for
   both ships to be donated for use as museums; however, Congress remains
   "deeply concerned" over the loss of naval surface gunfire support that
   the battleships provided, and has noted that "...navy efforts to
   improve upon, much less replace, this capability have been highly
   problematic." 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. Congress has asked that the
   following measures be implemented to ensure that, if need be, Wisconsin
   can be returned to active duty:
    1. Wisconsin must not be altered in any way that would impair her
       military utility;
    2. The battleship must be preserved in her present condition through
       the continued use of cathodic protection, dehumidification systems,
       and any other preservation methods as needed;
    3. Spare parts and unique equipment such as the 16 in gun barrels and
       projectiles be preserved in adequate numbers to support Wisconsin,
       if reactivated;
    4. The Navy must prepare plans for the rapid reactivation of Wisconsin
       should she be returned to the Navy in the event of a national
       emergency.

   These four conditions closely mirror the original three conditions that
   the Nation Defense Authorization Act of 1996 laid out for the
   maintiance of Wisconsin while she was in the Mothball Fleet. It is
   unlikely that these conditions will impede the current plan to turn
   Wisconsin into a permanent museum ship at her berth in Norfolk.

Decorations

   Wisconsin and a guided missile cruiser sit at anchor in the harbor
   during the New York Fleet Week activities in June 1991.
   Enlarge
   Wisconsin and a guided missile cruiser sit at anchor in the harbour
   during the New York Fleet Week activities in June 1991.

   Wisconsin earned five battle stars for her World War II service and one
   for the Korean War. The ship also received the Navy Unit Commendation
   for service during the 1991 Gulf War.

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