Statistics:
Fun facts and interesting information about the USS IOWA listed for both children and adults who want to learn more about the West Coast’s only battleship.
Namesake
Ordered
July 1, 1939
Builder
Laid Down
June 27, 1940
Launched
August 27, 1942
Commissioned
(First) February 22, 1943 through March 24, 1949; (Second) August 25, 1951 through February 24, 1958; and (Third/ Final) April 28, 1984 through October 26, 1990.
Decommissioned
October 26, 1990
Motto
"Our Liberties We Prize, Our Rights We Will Maintain"
Original Nickname
During WWII and the Korean War, it was the "Mighty I", and for the 1980's Cold War, it was the "Big Stick", which referred to President Teddy Roosevelt's advice: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
Additional Nickname
Standard Displacement
45,000 tons
Full Displacement (1980's)
55,450 tons
Length
887 feet, 3 inches (270.43 meters)
Beam
108 feet, 2 inches (32.97 meters)
Draft
37 feet, 2 inches (11.33 meters)
Speed
33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h)
World War II Complement
151 officers, 2637 enlisted
Armor
- Belt: Internal hull armor plates of 12.1 inches (307.3mm) tapered to 1.62 inches (41.1mm) on a 19-degree incline.
- Bulkheads: Transverse fore and aft plates of 11.3 inches (287.0mm)
- Barbettes: Upper armor segments; abeam 17.3 (439.44mm), quarters 14.8 (375.9mm), centerline 11.6 inches (294.66mm
- Turrets: Face-plate 17 inches (431.8mm) armor over 2.5 inches (63.5mm) of Special Treated Steel (STS). Side armor 9.5 inches (241.3mm), back armor 12 inches (304.8mm), and top armor 7.25 inches (184.2mm) --- all over .75 inches (19.1mm) of STS plate.
- Decks: Main Deck ("bomb deck") armor of 1.5 inches (38.1mm) over the Second Deck (protective deck) of 6.0 inches (152.44mm).
Armament (1943)
- 9 x 16 inch (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns
- 20 x 5 inch (127 mm)/38 cal Mark 12 guns
- 76 x 40 mm/56 cal anti-aircraft guns (76 barrels, since Iowa's T2 was unique from sister ships having 3 20 mm instead of a quad 40)
- 52 x 20 mm/70 cal anti-aircraft cannons (52 due to 40 mm above)
Armament (1984)
Aircraft
- 9 x 16 inch (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns
- 12 x 5 inch (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
- World War: Vought Kingfisher OS2U floatplanes (carried 3), replaces with Curtis SC-1 Seahawk (3)
- Korean War: Sikorsky HO3S-1 Horse helicopter (1 to 2 assigned), landing from Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever, and Bell H-13.
- Cold War: Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) RQ-2B Pioneer (up to 5 assigned), landings from helicopters; Kaman H-2 Sea Sprite, Bell UH-1 Iroquois Huey, Boeing Vertol CH-46 Knight, Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, Sikorsky SH-60 LAMPS MK III Seahawk, and Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King.