USS Iowa (BB-61)

| beam = {{convert|108|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}

| beam = {{convert|108|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}

| draft = {{convert|37|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} (full load)

| draft = {{convert|37|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} (full load)

| power = * 8 [[Babcock & Wilcox]] [[water-tube boiler]]s

| power = * 8 [[Babcock & Wilcox]] water-tube boilers

*{{convert|212000|shp|kW|abbr=on|lk=in|0}}

*{{convert|212000|shp|kW|abbr=on|lk=in|0}}

| propulsion =

| propulsion =

Ordered in July 1939,{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=BB61 |title=''Iowa''}}. [[Naval Vessel Register]]. The Department of Defense. Retrieved on 6 September 2008. USS ''Iowa'' was laid down at [[New York Naval Shipyard]] in June 1940. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 27 August 1942, [[sponsor (military)|sponsored]] by [[Ilo Wallace]] (wife of [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Henry A. Wallace|Henry Wallace]]), and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 February 1943 with Captain [[John L. McCrea]] in command.{{cite DANFS |title=Iowa |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/iowa-iii.html |access-date =14 January 2009}}

Ordered in July 1939,{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=BB61 |title=''Iowa''}}. [[Naval Vessel Register]]. The Department of Defense. Retrieved on 6 September 2008. USS ''Iowa'' was laid down at [[New York Naval Shipyard]] in June 1940. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 27 August 1942, [[sponsor (military)|sponsored]] by [[Ilo Wallace]] (wife of [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Henry A. Wallace|Henry Wallace]]), and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 February 1943 with Captain [[John L. McCrea]] in command.{{cite DANFS |title=Iowa |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/iowa-iii.html |access-date =14 January 2009}}

USS ''Iowa''{{'}}s main battery consisted of nine [[16-inch/50-caliber Mark 7 gun]]s, which could fire {{convert|2700|lb|kg|abbr=on}} armor-piercing shells {{convert|20|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}}. Her secondary battery consisted of twenty [[5-inch/38-caliber gun|5"/38 caliber gun]]s in twin mounts, which could fire at targets up to {{convert|12|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain [[air superiority]] came a need to protect the growing fleet of Allied [[aircraft carrier]]s; to this end, ''Iowa'' was fitted with an array of [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon 20 mm]] and [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|antiaircraft guns]] to defend Allied carriers from enemy airstrikes.{{Cite book |last=Johnston |first=Ian |author2=McAuley, Rob |title=The Battleships |publisher=Channel 4 |year=2002 |location=London |page=120 |isbn=0-7522-6188-6 |oclc=59495980}}

USS ''Iowa''{{'}}s main battery consisted of nine [[16-inch/50-caliber Mark 7 gun]]s, which could fire {{convert|2700|lb|kg|abbr=on}} armor-piercing shells {{convert|20|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}}. Her secondary battery consisted of twenty [[5-inch/38-caliber gun|5"/38 caliber gun]]s in twin mounts, which could fire at targets up to {{convert|12|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain [[air superiority]] came a need to protect the growing fleet of Allied [[aircraft carrier]]s; to this end, ''Iowa'' was fitted with an array of [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon 20 mm]] and [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm antiaircraft guns]] to defend Allied carriers from enemy airstrikes.{{Cite book |last=Johnston |first=Ian |author2=McAuley, Rob |title=The Battleships |publisher=Channel 4 |year=2002 |location=London |page=120 |isbn=0-7522-6188-6 |oclc=59495980}}

==World War II (1943–1945)==

==World War II (1943–1945)==

==Korean War (1951–1952)==

==Korean War (1951–1952)==

In 1950, [[North Korea]] [[Korean War|invaded]] South Korea, prompting the United Nations to authorize military intervention. President [[Harry S. Truman]] ordered US forces stationed in Japan to transfer to South Korea. Truman also sent US-based troops, tanks, fighter and bomber aircraft, and a strong naval force to the area to support South Korea. As part of the naval mobilization, ''Iowa'' was reactivated on 14 July 1951, and formally recommissioned on 25 August, with Captain William R. Smedberg III, in command. ''Iowa'' sailed for Korean waters in March 1952. On 1 April, she relieved her sister ship {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|6}} and became the flagship of [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[Robert P. Briscoe]], commander of the Seventh Fleet. In her first combat operation of the Korean War, ''Iowa'' fired her main guns near [[Wonsan]]–[[Sŏngjin]] on 8 April 1952, with the goal of striking North Korean supply lines. In the company of other naval vessels, ''Iowa'' again engaged North Korean forces the following day, this time against enemy troop concentrations, supply areas, and suspected gun positions in and around Suwon Dan and Kojo. In support of South Korea's [[I Corps (South Korea)|I Corps]], ''Iowa'' shelled enemy positions on 13 April, killing 100 enemy soldiers, destroying six gun emplacements, and wrecking a division headquarters. The next day, she entered Wonsan Harbor and shelled warehouses, observation posts, and railroad marshaling yards before moving out to rejoin the UN flotilla aiding ground forces around [[Kosong]]. On 20 April, in her first combat action above the [[38th parallel north#Korea|38th parallel]], ''Iowa'' shelled railroad lines at [[Tanchon]], where four railroad tunnels were destroyed, before sailing to Chindong and Kosong for a two-day bombardment of North Korean positions.

In 1950, [[Korean War|North Korea invaded South Korea]], prompting the United Nations to authorize military intervention. President [[Harry S. Truman]] ordered US forces stationed in Japan to transfer to South Korea. Truman also sent US-based troops, tanks, fighter and bomber aircraft, and a strong naval force to the area to support South Korea. As part of the naval mobilization, ''Iowa'' was reactivated on 14 July 1951, and formally recommissioned on 25 August, with Captain William R. Smedberg III, in command. ''Iowa'' sailed for Korean waters in March 1952. On 1 April, she relieved her sister ship {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|6}} and became the flagship of [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[Robert P. Briscoe]], commander of the Seventh Fleet. In her first combat operation of the Korean War, ''Iowa'' fired her main guns near [[Wonsan]]–[[Sŏngjin]] on 8 April 1952, with the goal of striking North Korean supply lines. In the company of other naval vessels, ''Iowa'' again engaged North Korean forces the following day, this time against enemy troop concentrations, supply areas, and suspected gun positions in and around Suwon Dan and Kojo. In support of South Korea's [[I Corps (South Korea)|I Corps]], ''Iowa'' shelled enemy positions on 13 April, killing 100 enemy soldiers, destroying six gun emplacements, and wrecking a division headquarters. The next day, she entered Wonsan Harbor and shelled warehouses, observation posts, and railroad marshaling yards before moving out to rejoin the UN flotilla aiding ground forces around [[Kosong]]. On 20 April, in her first combat action above the [[38th parallel north#Korea|38th parallel]], ''Iowa'' shelled railroad lines at [[Tanchon]], where four railroad tunnels were destroyed, before sailing to Chindong and Kosong for a two-day bombardment of North Korean positions.

[[File:USS Iowa (BB-61) fires at North Korean target in mid-1952.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A large gunship facing the viewer with one gun turret pointed toward the right. Flames can be seen from the gun barrels, and a concussive effect is visible on the water.|USS ''Iowa'' fires a 16 in (406 mm) shell towards a North Korean target in 1952.]]

[[File:USS Iowa (BB-61) fires at North Korean target in mid-1952.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A large gunship facing the viewer with one gun turret pointed toward the right. Flames can be seen from the gun barrels, and a concussive effect is visible on the water.|USS ''Iowa'' fires a 16 in (406 mm) shell towards a North Korean target in 1952.]]

As part of President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[John F. Lehman]]'s efforts to create an expanded [[600-ship Navy]], ''Iowa'' was reactivated in 1982 and towed by [[USNS Apache|USNS ''Apache'']]{{Cite news |date=15 September 1982 |title=Battleship Bound For Avondale |page=1 |work=The Times-Picayune |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A1223BCE5B718A166%40GB3NEWS-13229B2D33D97396%402445228-131D06D7DC18AAA0%400-131D06D7DC18AAA0%40?h=20&fname=&mname=&lname=&rgfromDate=1979&rgtoDate=2000&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=%22USNS%20Apache%22&kwexc=&page=1&sid=qrhiwavzyjwekfddpiakqktvbtgxyitj_wma-gateway020_1684513861126}} to [[Avondale Shipyard]] near [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], for refitting and equipment modernization in advance of her planned recommissioning. During the refit, ''Iowa'' had all of her remaining [[Oerlikon 20 mm]] and [[Bofors 40 mm]] antiaircraft guns removed, due to their ineffectiveness against modern [[Fighter aircraft|fighter jets]] and [[antiship missile]]s. Additionally, the two {{convert|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} gun mounts located at midship and in the [[:wikt:aft|aft]] on the [[Port (nautical)|port]] and [[starboard]] sides of the battleship were removed.{{cite web |title=BB-61 Iowa-class specifications |url=https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/bb-61.htm |website=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |date=21 October 2000 |access-date=26 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125043334/https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/bb-61.htm |archive-date=25 November 2006 |url-status=live }}

As part of President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[John F. Lehman]]'s efforts to create an expanded [[600-ship Navy]], ''Iowa'' was reactivated in 1982 and towed by [[USNS Apache|USNS ''Apache'']]{{Cite news |date=15 September 1982 |title=Battleship Bound For Avondale |page=1 |work=The Times-Picayune |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A1223BCE5B718A166%40GB3NEWS-13229B2D33D97396%402445228-131D06D7DC18AAA0%400-131D06D7DC18AAA0%40?h=20&fname=&mname=&lname=&rgfromDate=1979&rgtoDate=2000&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=%22USNS%20Apache%22&kwexc=&page=1&sid=qrhiwavzyjwekfddpiakqktvbtgxyitj_wma-gateway020_1684513861126}} to [[Avondale Shipyard]] near [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], for refitting and equipment modernization in advance of her planned recommissioning. During the refit, ''Iowa'' had all of her remaining [[Oerlikon 20 mm]] and [[Bofors 40 mm]] antiaircraft guns removed, due to their ineffectiveness against modern [[Fighter aircraft|fighter jets]] and [[antiship missile]]s. Additionally, the two {{convert|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} gun mounts located at midship and in the [[:wikt:aft|aft]] on the [[Port (nautical)|port]] and [[starboard]] sides of the battleship were removed.{{cite web |title=BB-61 Iowa-class specifications |url=https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/bb-61.htm |website=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |date=21 October 2000 |access-date=26 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125043334/https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/bb-61.htm |archive-date=25 November 2006 |url-status=live }}

''Iowa'' was then towed to [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]], [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]], where over the next several months, the battleship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available. Among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141 quad-cell launchers for 16 [[Boeing Harpoon|AGM-84 Harpoon]] antiship missiles, eight [[armored box launcher]] mounts for 32 [[Tomahawk (missile family)|BGM-109 Tomahawk]] missiles, and a quartet of [[Phalanx CIWS|Phalanx]] [[close-in weapon system]]s for defense against enemy antiship missiles and enemy aircraft. Sometime after June 1986, ''Iowa'' was the first battleship to receive the [[RQ-2 Pioneer]] [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]. She could carry up to eight of the remotely controlled drones, which replaced the helicopters (although helicopters were not carried by battleships) previously used to spot for her nine 16 inch (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns.{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=2100&ct=1 |title=RQ-2A ''Pioneer'' Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) |access-date=8 January 2009 |author=United States Navy |author-link=United States Navy |date=28 August 2008 |website=United States Navy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210103039/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=2100&ct=1 |archive-date=10 February 2009 }}{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/program/collect/pioneer.htm |title=Pioneer Short Range (SR) UAV |access-date=2 March 2007 |last=Pike |first=John |date=5 March 2000 |website=Federation of American Scientists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206134413/http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/pioneer.htm |archive-date=6 February 2007 |url-status=live }} Also included in her modernization were upgrades to [[radar]] and [[fire-control system]]s for her guns and missiles, and improved [[electronic warfare]] capabilities. Armed as such, ''Iowa'' was formally recommissioned on 28 April 1984, ahead of schedule, within her budget at a cost of $500 million, and under the command of Captain Gerald E. Gneckow. To expedite the schedule, many necessary repairs to ''Iowa''{{'s}} engines and guns were not completed and the mandatory Navy [[Board of Inspection and Survey]] (InSurv) inspection was skipped.Thompson, p. 26. Although ''Iowa'' was refurbished within budget, the final price tag was $50 million above the originally projected cost, mainly because of overtime pay for the ship's contractors.

''Iowa'' was then towed to [[Ingalls Shipbuilding]] in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]], where over the next several months, the battleship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available. Among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141 quad-cell launchers for 16 [[Boeing Harpoon|AGM-84 Harpoon]] antiship missiles, eight [[armored box launcher]] mounts for 32 [[Tomahawk (missile family)|BGM-109 Tomahawk]] missiles, and a quartet of [[Phalanx CIWS|Phalanx close-in weapon system]]s for defense against enemy antiship missiles and enemy aircraft. Sometime after June 1986, ''Iowa'' was the first battleship to receive the [[RQ-2 Pioneer]] unmanned aerial vehicle. She could carry up to eight of the remotely controlled drones, which replaced the helicopters (although helicopters were not carried by battleships) previously used to spot for her nine 16 inch (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns.{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=2100&ct=1 |title=RQ-2A ''Pioneer'' Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) |access-date=8 January 2009 |author=United States Navy |author-link=United States Navy |date=28 August 2008 |website=United States Navy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210103039/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=2100&ct=1 |archive-date=10 February 2009 }}{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/program/collect/pioneer.htm |title=Pioneer Short Range (SR) UAV |access-date=2 March 2007 |last=Pike |first=John |date=5 March 2000 |website=Federation of American Scientists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206134413/http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/pioneer.htm |archive-date=6 February 2007 |url-status=live }} Also included in her modernization were upgrades to [[radar]] and [[fire-control system]]s for her guns and missiles, and improved [[electronic warfare]] capabilities. Armed as such, ''Iowa'' was formally recommissioned on 28 April 1984, ahead of schedule, within her budget at a cost of $500 million, and under the command of Captain Gerald E. Gneckow. To expedite the schedule, many necessary repairs to ''Iowa''{{'s}} engines and guns were not completed and the mandatory Navy [[Board of Inspection and Survey]] (InSurv) inspection was skipped.Thompson, p. 26. Although ''Iowa'' was refurbished within budget, the final price tag was $50 million above the originally projected cost, mainly because of overtime pay for the ship's contractors.

===Shakedown and NATO exercises (1984–1989)===

===Shakedown and NATO exercises (1984–1989)===