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| ! colspan=2 style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| '''''Iowa''-class battleship''' | |||
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| |colspan=2 align=center|], the fourth ship of the class]] | |||
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| ! colspan=2 style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| Class Overview | |||
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| |Class type:||] | |||
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| |Class name:||] | |||
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| |Preceded by:||] | |||
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| |Succeeded by:||] | |||
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| |Ships of the line:||], ], ], ] (not completed: ], ]) | |||
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| ! colspan=2 style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| General Characteristics (USS ''Iowa'') | |||
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| |]:||45,000 ]s (stand);<br>56,500 tons (mean war service) | |||
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| |Length:||887 ] 3 ] (270.43 ]) | |||
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| |]:||108 ft 2 in (32.98 m) | |||
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| |]:||38 ft (11.6 m) | |||
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| |Speed:||33 ]s (61 ]) | |||
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| |Complement:||2,800 officers and men | |||
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| |Max. cruising radius||9,600 ]s (15,000 ]) @ 25 knots (46 km/h);<br>16,600 miles (27,000 km) @ 15 knots (28 km/h) | |||
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| |Power:||212,000 ] (158 ]) forward; 44,000 shp (33 MW) reverse | |||
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| |Drive:||4 screws; geared turbines | |||
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| |Fuel:||9,033 tons oil (max) | |||
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| |]{{ref|armour}}||]: 12.1 in (307 ]),<br>]s: 11.3 in (287 mm),<br>]s: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 339 mm),<br>]s: 19.7 in (500 mm),<br>]s: 7.5 in (191 mm) | |||
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| Four '''''Iowa''-class battleships''' were built in the early ] in the ]. Two other ''Iowa''-class ]s were laid down but were scrapped prior to completion. Built with cost as no object, the ''Iowa''s are among the finest battleships ever built, but were rapidly superseded by the ] as the most important naval vessels during ] ]s. | |||
| The ''Iowa''-class battleships were preceded by the ], and would have been succeeded by the ] if the ''Montana''s had not been cancelled prior to construction. The design of the ''Iowa'' class was based upon that of the ''South Dakota'' class but with more powerful engines, larger guns and an additional 200 ] (60 ]) of length for improved seakeeping. The ''Iowa''s are widely considered to be amongst the most attractive battleships ever built, with a long, narrow, elegant bow and three powerful ]s. While excellent sea boats, the ships are quite wet forward due to the selfsame long bow, and the narrowness forward made armoring in the way of No. 1 turret difficult. | |||
| The ''Iowa'' class was the last battleship line built by the United States, as naval power had shifted to being primarily ]-based. These ships were launched during World War II, and all of them saw action throughout the ]. All four of the completed ships were recommissioned in the ], only to be decommissioned in the ] after the ] ended. | |||
| The ''Iowa''s were unique for several reasons. First, these ships were designed as "fast" battleships, able to rely on an even mix of speed and firepower. Secondly, they were designed to fit through the ] with less than a foot (300 ]) to spare on either side. Third, all four of the ''Iowa'' class battleships were recommissioned and refitted under the ] as part of ] ]'s "]" plan, particularly in response to the Soviet Navy commissioning the ]. Fourth, these ships actively participated in the ] throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Lastly, all four of the ships are still in existence, which is unusual because the Navy typically scraps older, ] ships or ] such ships in weapons tests. | |||
| ==Construction== | |||
| The ''Iowa''-class battleships were constructed at two Navy Yards: the ] in ], and the ]. The New York Naval Yard handled construction of ] and ], while the Philadelphia Navy Yard handled construction of ] and ]. The last two ships, ] and ], were laid down in the Philadelphia Navy Yard and New York Navy Yard respectively, and construction on both continued until their cancellation in 1945 and 1947, respectively. | |||
| ==Armament== | |||
| The ''Iowa''-class ships were among the most heavily armed ships the United States ever put to sea. The main ] of guns were of considerable caliber and could fire a variety of ] shells, from standard armor piercing to "Katies" (from kt for kiloton), shells containing small tactical ]s, that could be fired nearly 40 km (24 miles) on land or sea targets. The secondary battery was of much smaller caliber and had shorter range, but could still inflict severe damage to smaller fighting ships. When the ships were constructed, a large array of 40 mm ] was included, but with the advancement of aircraft design, these eventually became ineffective and were gradually replaced with a ]-class ] system and various other platforms for fighting sea and land targets. | |||
| ===Main battery=== | |||
| ] fires a full broadside of nine 16 inch (406 mm) 50-cal. and six 5 inch (127 mm) 38-cal. guns during a target exercise. Note concussion effects on the water surface, and 16-inch (406 mm) gun barrels in varying degrees of recoil.]] | |||
| The primary armament of the ''Iowa''-class battleships are their nine 16-inch diameter, 50-] (406 mm) guns located in three 3-gun turrets—two forward and one aft. The guns are 66 feet (20 m) long each (50 times their 16 inch diameter). Approximately 43 feet (13 m) of that is protruding from the front of the gun house, and each gun weighs approximately 239,000 ]s (108,000 ]). For perspective, that is roughly the weight of a ]; so the ''Iowa''-class ships are carrying the weight of 9 space shuttles just in the guns. The gun fires projectiles weighing up to 2,700 pounds (1,200 kg) at a maximum speed of 2,690 ] (820 ]). Maximum effective range is 24 miles (39 km)<!--I find it unlikely that this range would be in statute miles. Source?-->. At that range the projectile spends almost one and a half minute in the air. | |||
| The gun house that is visible above deck is only the very top of the turret. The turret extends either 4 decks (Turrets 1 & 3) or 5 decks (Turret 2) beneath the main deck. The lower spaces contain projectile-handling rooms and a powder-handling room, where the powder bags used to fire the guns are stored. Each turret required a crew of between 77 and 110 men. One interesting fact about the turrets is that they are not actually attached to the ship. The gunhouses (the part most people think of as "the turret") are simply sitting on rollers, which means that if the ship were to ] the turrets would fall out. For a good demonstration of this see the recent underwater photos of the ], which show her ]s empty because her turrets fell out as the ship sank. | |||
| The turrets are 3-gun turrets and not triple turrets because the guns can be elevated independently. The guns can also be fired independently if desired; the ship could fire any combination of its 9 guns, including all 9 at once, which is known as a '']''. Contrary to popular myth, the ship ''does not'' move sideways when a broadside is fired. The ''Iowa''-class battleships displace 58,000 ]. It is too heavy to move sideways just by firing the guns. For a more scientific exploration of this subject, see the link below. | |||
| The guns can be elevated from −5 degrees to 45 degrees depending upon the range to the desired target and they elevate at 12 degrees per second. The turrets can be rotated through approximately 300 degrees at approximately 4 degrees per second and can even be fired back beyond the ], which is sometimes called ''over the shoulder''. The guns are never fired directly forward. | |||
| The main battery of the ''Iowa''-class battleships were designed to fire the standard 16-inch (406 mm) artillery shells, but in later years the art and science of seaborne artillery improved greatly, resulting in several different types of shells, some of which are listed below{{ref|ammo1}}: | |||
| ] | |||
| *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 ]s (18 km) the Mk. 8 could defeat (penetrate) 20 inch (500 mm) of steel armor plate. At the same range, the Mk. 8 was able to 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 ] 50 feet (15 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) deep upon impact and detonation, and was capable of defoliating trees 400 yards (360 m) from the point of impact. | |||
| *Guided shells, which could offer a cost benefit ratio rivaling that of missile and aircraft strikes. | |||
| *"Katie" shells{{ref|ammo2}}: In or about 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 ]s. 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 ] defenses, but as aircraft became faster their effectiveness in that role decreased. By the time of the ] the secondary battery was largely relegated to shore bombardment and ] 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 a 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 ] and the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor made it clear that airpower was going to play a substantial role in the war. The ''Iowa''s were designed to be a fearsome anti-aircraft platform. When launched they carried twenty quad ] mounts, and forty-nine ] 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 ]. By 1950, almost all of the single 20 mm guns had been removed. In the modernization in the ], 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 ]. | |||
| ] displays the three weapons systems installed under her ] modernization (from upper left to lower right): the ] for anti-aircraft/anti-missile defense, the ] launchers for use against enemy ships, and the ] for use against land-based targets.]] | |||
| ===Missiles=== | |||
| During the modernization in the 1980s three important weapons systems were added to the ''Iowa''-class battleships. The first was the CIWS anti-aircraft/anti-missile system discussed immediately above. The other two were missile systems for use against both land and sea targets. | |||
| The ''Iowa'' class were fitted with an antiship ], the ], in 16 launch tubes. The tubes are located alongside the aft ] with 8 on each side of the ship in two pods of four. The Harpoon has a range of up to approximately 85 ]s (157 km) depending upon how it is fired. For increased range and accuracy against land targets the ''Iowa'' class gained 32 ] missiles located in 8 ]s. The TLAM or ''Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile'' was used extensively in the ] by USS ''Missouri'' and USS ''Wisconsin''. During the war ''Wisconsin'' served as the TLAM strike commander for the Persian Gulf, directing the sequence of launches that marked the opening of ]. | |||
| ==Aircraft== | |||
| {|align=right| | |||
| ] recovers a ] during her 1944 shakedown cruise. Note the catapult below the plane, which was used to launch the planes off the battleship.]] | |||
| ] ] aboard ]. Pioneer drones launched from the ''Iowa''-class battleships were steered into a large nets on the ships, where they were recovered by the crew.]] | |||
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| ] and gunnery spotting are a crucial role on any battleship and most of the later classes of battleship utilize aircraft to facilitate those missions. The ''Iowa''-class battleships use the ] of the ship as their flight deck and over time their aircraft complement has varied and evolved. | |||
| The early aircraft were floatplanes launched from catapults on the fantail and recovered through a complicated process of landing on prepared water, taxiing up to the stern of the ship and then being recovered by a crane which lifts the aircraft out of the water and returns it to the catapult. Initially the ''Iowa'' class were equipped with ]s. The Kingfisher is a two-man aircraft which, despite having a light weapon package, was used exclusively for reconnaissance and gunnery spotting. Typically an ''Iowa''-class battleship would carry three of these aircraft on board; two on the catapults and a spare on a trailer nearby. At the beginning of 1945 the Kingfisher was replaced by the ] ], a single-seat floatplane which conducted the same missions as the Kingfisher. | |||
| Around ], the ''Iowa'' class no longer had to conduct the dangerous work of launching and recovering floatplanes, as ] were brought aboard for the reconnaissance and gunnery-spotting roles and also added the ability to carry out search and rescue missions as necessary. The first helicopters were operated from the top of turret 2 as the fantail was still too crowded prior to the removal of the catapults. Later the helicopters operated from the fantail of the ships. | |||
| As the ''Iowa'' class entered the ], they had a new tool available for the reconnaissance and gunnery-spotting missions; the ] ] or UAV. Sometimes referred to as a ], these were unmanned drones that were piloted via remote control. Launched from the fantail using a rocket-assist booster, which was discarded shortly after takeoff, they used a push propeller engine located at the rear of the aircraft to achieve speeds of up to 90 mph (40 m/s) with a mission endurance of approximately 4 hours. 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. | |||
| Recovering the aircraft is an unusual maneuver. Though the Pioneer is equipped with wheeled "landing gear," it is rather difficult to land the aircraft on the ship without damaging the aircraft or the ship. Therefore a large net is employed for recovery. The net is strung up in a manner similar to a ] net, and the aircraft is flown into the net. As many as 8 Pioneers would be carried by an ''Iowa''-class battleship. The Pioneers saw extensive use by the USS ''Missouri'' and USS ''Wisconsin'' during the Gulf War, a conflict in which the ''Wisconsin'' became the first ship ever to have enemy forces surrender to a remotely controlled observation drone.{{ref|drone}} | |||
| ==Engineering plant== | |||
| The ''Iowa''-class battleships are the fastest battleships ever launched by any nation, capable of sustained speeds of 33 ]s (61 ]) or better. This is made possible by her engineering plant which consists of 4 ] double-expansion ] engines. Each engine feeds a single shaft which turns one of the ship's four screws. The two outboard screws on the ''Iowa'' class are 4-bladed and just over 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter. The two inboard screws are 5-bladed and approximately 17.5 feet (5.3 m) in diameter. The engines receive the steam that turns the turbines from eight Babcock and Wilcox M-Type ] which heat the water in tubes to a temperature of more than 800 ] (430 ]), which produces 650 ] (4,500 ]) of steam pressure. | |||
| 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 ]. The steam, largely depleted at this point, is then passed through a ] to the LP turbine. By the time it reaches the LP turbine it has no more than 50 lbf/in² (300 kPa) of pressure left. The LP turbine acts somewhat like a ], increasing the efficiency and power output of the engine by squeezing the last little bit of energy out of the steam. | |||
| After leaving the LP turbine the exhausted steam goes into a ] where it is recondensed back into water and sent back to the boilers. There is some loss during the process, so the ''Iowa'' class requires its ]s to continue making more fresh water to replenish the boilers. The ''Iowa'' class have three evaporators on board which make a combined total of 60,000 ]s per day (3 ] per second) of fresh water. After the boilers have had their fill of water, the remaining fresh water from the evaporators is fed to the ship's potable water systems for crew 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, turn at high speeds, much higher than one would want to try to feed back to the screws. In order to reduce those rpm to a more manageable rate, the shafts that come out of the turbines go into a set of reduction gears which reduce the 2000+ rpm speeds down into a more manageable rate, generally in the under-225 rpm rate—depending upon the desired speed of the ship. | |||
| ===Electricity=== | |||
| Modern warships are heavily dependent upon electricity and the ''Iowa'' class are no exception. Much of what happens on the ship, including rotating the turrets and elevating the guns, is done by electric motors. To generate electricity each of the four engine rooms has a pair of Ship's Service Turbine Generators (SSTGs) manufactured by ]. Each SSTG generates 1.25 ] of electrical power for a total of 10 MW of electricity. The SSTGs are steam powered and get their steam from the same boilers that feed the engines. For backup the ship also has a pair of 250-] diesel generators. | |||
| During battle it is possible that electrical circuits could be damaged and so it is essential to be able to repair or work around that damage as quickly as possible in order to restore electrical power to crucial systems. To that end throughout the lower decks of the ship there is a ''Casualty Power System'' consisting of large 3-wire cables and wall outlets called ''biscuits'' which the cables plug into. By using these cables electrical power can be dynamically rerouted around damaged circuits and electrical power restored to the ship if necessary. | |||
| ==Reactivation potential== | |||
| ]. Although unlikely, there exists a possibility that ''Wisconsin'' may be reactivated again in the service of her country.]] | |||
| Although there are no active battleships in any navy as of ], the United States Navy still maintains two mothballed battleships—''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin''—and could recommission one or both of them if needed. Since the 1950s the United States battle doctrine has called for ], which clearly favors the ], but other weapons such as guided missile ships and destroyers also play a significant role. In addition, cannon-fired shells have become exceedingly accurate thanks to guided shells, as well as longer range due to improved shell technology (including rocket boosting) and better cannons. For targets within range of the ships' cannons, it is cheaper to fire and harder to stop shells than either missiles or aircraft strikes. The 16-inch (406 mm) guns of the ''Iowa''—if equipped with guided shells—would offer a cost-benefit ratio potentially rivaling an aircraft strike for targets along the coast, and even firing the older shells would have similar accuracy to many types of aircraft bombing strikes. | |||
| The United States has not manufactured the 16-inch (406 mm) battleship shell ammunition since the 1950s and 1960s, because a reserve of nearly 15,000 of the 16-in (406 mm) shells are in storage, in case the battleships are reactivated. Until the stocks are depleted below a certain level there will be no need to make more for the ships. | |||
| There are some serious issues regarding the reactivation of these battleships, namely the cost involved in reactivating and operating the battleships, which is high when compared to smaller warships, making them prime targets for budget cuts. Also, the Tomahawks carried by the ''Iowa'' class are now obsolete; modern U.S. Navy ships use a type of Tomahawk fired from a ] launcher. The ''Iowa''-class ships still carry the old ] system which is not compatible with the presently used Tomahawks. As a result, the older-style missiles would have to be used, VLS missiles retrofitted to work with the ABL system, or the ships would need to be refitted with the VLS system. The practicality of any these options would have to be determined by expert analysis. | |||
| USS ''Iowa'' and USS ''Wisconsin'' are maintained in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of ]{{ref|NDAA'96}}, which includes the following battleship readiness requirements: | |||
| # List and maintain at least two ''Iowa''-class battleships on the ] that are in good condition and able to provide adequate fire support for an ]; | |||
| # 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 | |||
| # 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) | |||
| Current plans in the United States Navy call for keeping the battleships on the register until its naval surface fire support gun and missile development programs achieve operational capability, which is expected to occur sometime between ] and ]. If and when ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' are removed from the Naval Vessel Register, there is a high probability that interest groups will request that they be placed on donation hold and transferred for use as museums. | |||
| The longterm plan to remove ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' and donate them as museum ships is not without controversy; the ] has fought to get both battleships reinstated. The USMC believes that the naval surface fire support gun and missile programs will not be able to provide adequate fire support for an amphibious assault or onshore operations; additionally, the USMC does not think that the Navy's ] destroyer program will be an acceptable replacement for the battleships. | |||
| Currently, three of the ships are on display at the following locations: | |||
| ; ''']''' : On ], ], USS ''New Jersey'' opened as a museum at ], ]. | |||
| ; ''']''' : Located 1,000 yards (about 1 km) from ] at ], ''Missouri'' was opened as a museum ] ]. The museum is operated by the USS ''Missouri'' Memorial Association, a nonprofit organization. | |||
| ; ''']''' : Berthed in ] as a museum ship at the Nauticus National Maritime Center. ''Wisconsin'' was originally struck from the naval register, but her name was restored ] ]. 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 fourth ship of the class, ], is currently part of the ] and is currently berthed at ] in ]. In 2005, San Francisco's city council members, citing opposition to the ] and the Navy's policies regarding ], voted 8-3 against maintaining ''Iowa'', paving the way for ], to acquire the battleship. Currently, ''Iowa'' is the only ship of her class not open to the public as a museum. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| ] en route to the ] in ] ].]] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
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| == Notes == | |||
| #{{note|armour}}''The Battleship'', p. 120, "General Characteristics: USS Iowa" | |||
| #{{note|ammo1}}Ammunition data is taken from "Battleships: United States Battleships 1935–1992" | |||
| #{{note|ammo2}}Additional info taken from ''Secret Weapons of the Cold War'' | |||
| #{{note|drone}} | |||
| #{{note|NDAA'96}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *Johnston, Ian and McAuley, Rob. ''The Battleships''. Channel 4 Books, London ISBN 0752261886 | |||
| *Naval Historical Foundation. ''The Navy''. Barnes & Noble Inc, China ISBN 0767076218X | |||
| *Yenne, Bill. ''Secret Weapons of the Cold War'' Berkley Publishing Group ISBN 0-425-20149-X | |||
| *Keegan, John; Ellis, Chris, and Natkiel, Richard. ''World War II: A Visual Encyclopedia'' PRC Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85585-878-9 | |||
| *William H. Garzke and Robert O. Dulin, Jr. ''Battleships: United States Battleships 1935–1992'' | |||
| *The Floating Drydock. ''United States Naval Vessels'', ONI 222-US, Kresgeville, PA 18333 | |||
| {{Iowa_class_battleship}} | |||
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