In the early morning hours of June 25, 1950, North Korean forces surged across the 38th parallel, marking the outbreak of the Korean War. The United States, under United Nations command, responded rapidly with a military intervention that saw the reactivation of its most formidable sea-going war machines: the Iowa-class battleships. Among these mighty warships, four behemoths—USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, and USS Wisconsin—were summoned from their slumber in the “mothballs” to unleash their firepower on the Korean Peninsula.
These battleships were no strangers to warfare, having asserted their might in the grand stages of the Pacific during World War II. Their reactivation was a testament to the United States’ naval capabilities and its commitment to defending South Korea against the communist onslaught. During the Korean War, the quartet of Iowa-class battleships found a new purpose in coastal bombardment against Chinese and North Korean positions, striking with their 16-inch guns strategic and operational targets from railways to concealed artillery and command posts.
The presence of these battleships in Korean waters began in earnest when the USS Missouri, already operational at the outbreak of the war, arrived on September 19, 1950. She quickly made her presence felt, providing fire support and disrupting enemy movements. But Missouri could not hold the line alone. Reactivated and refurbished with modern advancements such as helicopters to replace World War II-era floatplanes, USS New Jersey, USS Wisconsin, and USS Iowa joined the fight, with New Jersey arriving in November 1950, Wisconsin in March 1951, and Iowa in August 1951.
The impact of their presence along the peninsula’s coasts prompted alterations in enemy tactics, compelling Chinese and North Korean forces to move critical facilities beyond the range of the battleships’ guns. However, the transport network, being less mobile, remained vulnerable. As the ships pounded away at enemy positions, they sparred with coastal artillery and navigated mine-laden waters. Mines were the main threat to these steel giants since air superiority by UN forces largely diminished the risk of attacks from the air.
Each ship had its own story of service during this period. USS Missouri, having undergone a refit in early 1951, resumed her bombardment and escort duties from October 1952 until March 1953. New Jersey, as robust as her sisters, carried out her first shore bombardment in May 1951 and returned for a second tour in April 1953 until the end of the conflict. USS Wisconsin served from November 1951 until April 1952, and USS Iowa delivered lethal fire support between April and October 1952.
The effectiveness of these bombardments was, however, difficult to parse out amid the concurrent air bombings that ravaged the Korean landscape. Yet, the psychological effect of their very presence cannot be understated, and the versatility and adaptability of the Iowa-class battleships throughout the conflict demonstrated their value as a strategic and tactical asset.
By 1958, the four Iowas had once again joined the reserve fleet. They had effectively performed their shore bombardment role, though the heavy cruisers had shown that they could deliver a similar level of destruction at a lesser operational cost. Still, the Korean War experience influenced North Korean and Chinese naval doctrine and procurement, informing coastal defense strategies designed to repel similar naval attacks.
Relevant articles:
– Iowa (BB 61), Navy.mil
– Iowa-Class Battleships: The U.S. Military’s Secret Weapon During the Korean War, The National Interest, Jan 17, 2023
– How the U.S. Navy Sent 4 Retired Iowa-Class Battleships to Fight North Korea, The National Interest, Nov 21, 2023
– USS Missouri (en), USS Missouri Memorial