American battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) 1940-

South Dakota-class

Iowa-class

Preliminary design Montana-class battleships dated 9 July 1940

Part of the Iowa-class consisting of the Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois and Kentucky preceded by the South Dakota-class and succeeded by the never realized Montana-class. The designing-process of a fast battleship started in 1938. Building ordered on 1 July 1939, laid down at the New York Naval Yard on 27 June 1940, launched by Ilo Wallace on 27 August 1942, commissioned on 22 February 1943, decommissioned on 24 March 1949, recommissioned on 25 August 1951, decommissioned on 24 February 1958, recommissioned on 28 April 1984, decommissioned on 26 October 1990 and stricken on 17 March 2006 becoming museum ship.

General technical class specifications. Displacement 45.000 (standard)-52.000 (mean war service)-57.000 (full load before the 1980s)-58.000 (full load after the 1980s) tons and as dimensions 262,5 (between perpendiculars)-270,43 (over all)x 32,97 x 11,33 metres or 861¼-887’3”x 108’2” x 37’2”. The machinery consisted of General Electric geared steam turbines and 8 water tube boilers delivering 212.000 shp. Speed 32,5-35,2 (light load) 3 knots. With a speed of 15 knots was the range 14.890 miles. Crew numbered 151 officers and 2.637 enlisted men, since the 1980s around 1.800 men. Original armament in 1943: 3x3-40,6cm/16” /50 cal Mark 7 guns, 20-12,7cm/5” /38 cal Mark 12 guns, 80-4cm /56cal anti aircraft guns and 49-2cm /70 cal anti aircraft guns. Armament in 1984: 3x3-40,6cm/16” /50 cal Mark 7 guns, 12-12,7cm/5” /38 cal Mark 12 guns, 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 16 RGM084 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles and 4-2cm /76 cal Phalanx CIWS. Armour consisted of a 30,73cm/12.1” thick belt, 28,7cm/11.3” thick bulkheads, 19,05cm/7.5” thick decks with the barbettes and turrets protected by respectively 29,46cm/11.6”-43,94cm/17.3” and 50cm/19.7”.