Function: Last of the world's Surface Action capital ships.





History: Following a legacy established by the HMS Dreadnaught, the Iowa class battleships represent the ultimate personification of the Ship of the Line. Originally designed as the flagship of the United States fleet, the battleships were overshadowed by the emergence of the aircraft carrier in World War II. Despite this, however, battleships played an indispensable role during that war, their enormous firepower serving to protect not only the carriers but the rest of the fleet from enemy surface and air action as well as providing unequaled fire support during amphibious operations. Despite their age, no other ship currently afloat can deliver the same degree of firepower with the same accuracy over an extended period of time as the Iowa class battleships. Commissioned in the 40's the Iowa class battleships have participated in every major conflict the United States has been involved in since World War Two. Following their peacetime recommissioning in the 1980's the four Iowa battleships were able to serve supporting roles in carrier or amphibious battlegroups, or in low air threat environments, serve as flagships for Surface Action Groups.





General Characteristics, Iowa Class



Ships:

USS Iowa (BB-61), Decommissioned, Inactive



USS Wisconsin (BB-64), Decommissioned, Inactive



Builders:

BB 61 - New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, N.Y.



BB 64 - Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA





Power Plant:

Eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers, four General Electric or Westinghouse steam turbines, four shafts, 212,000 total shaft horsepower





Length, Overall:

888 feet (273 meters)





Beam:

109 feet (33.5 meters)





Displacement:

Approximately 57,353 tons full load





Speed:

35 knots (40 mph)





Dates Deployed:

February 22, 1943;

Decommissioned October 26, 1990 (USS Iowa)



April 16, 1944; Decommissioned September 30, 1991 (USS Wisconsin)







Crew:

Ship's Company: 1,515



Armament:



Guns:

9 Mk 7 16"/50 caliber naval cannons



12 Mk 12 5"/38 caliber general purpose cannons



1 Mk 15 Mod 2 Close-In Weapon System (4 mounts)





Missiles:

32 Tomahawk cruise missiles in Armored Box Launchers (ABL)



4 Mk 141 Harpoon Missile Quad-Cannister Launcher





Sensors:

One AN/SPS-48 air search radar



One AN/SPS-67 surface search radar



One AN/SPQ-9 gunfire control radar



Four Mk 37 gunfire control radar



Two Mk 38 gun director



One Mk 40 gun director





Countermeasures:

One AN/SLQ-29 electronic warfare suite



One AN/SLQ-25 towed torpedo decoy (Nixie)





Aircraft:

Four SH-3 or SH-60 helicopters