The USS IOWA (BB-61), now honored as a museum, carved an indelible niche in the annals of U.S. naval history through her nearly five decades of service. This battleship, a floating testament to American maritime might and resilience, experienced the crucible of war, the evolution of modern naval warfare, and finally, the solemn tranquility of remembrance.
Commissioned in February 1943 and built at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York, the USS IOWA began her storied career in the Atlantic. By November 1943, she had already earned distinction by safely ferrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt to and from Casablanca, Morocco, showcasing her strategic importance as a presidential flagship.
The ship’s Pacific tenure initiated in January 1944, engaging in the Marshalls Campaign and seeing fierce action throughout the year, including the significant Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. The USS IOWA’s guns boomed during the Okinawa campaign and she bore silent witness to Japan’s surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.
Not destined for a quiet retirement, the Korean War beckoned, and USS IOWA was recommissioned in August 1951, serving as the Seventh Fleet flagship and shelling enemy positions with her massive 16-inch guns. Though decommissioned in 1958, history was not done with this leviathan.
The 1980s saw a renewed purpose for the USS IOWA as tensions of the Cold War spurred her modernization and recommissioning in April 1984. In this era, she was graced by Vice President George H.W. Bush, who later served as Commander in Chief when USS IOWA was once again at the forefront of American naval might, embodying the pinnacle of naval ship design for her time.
However, not all chapters in the USS IOWA’s history are written in the glory of service. The tragic explosion on April 19, 1989, during a firing exercise northeast of Puerto Rico, claimed the lives of 47 sailors. This incident marked the most considerable peacetime loss of life in post-WWII U.S. Navy history and shrouded the ship in mourning. Despite this, the battleship’s robust design and compartmentalization prevented further disaster. Her final decommissioning came in October 1990.
The USS IOWA’s saga did not conclude with her striking from the Navy record in 2006. Instead, she embarked on a new mission, this time in the Port of Los Angeles, where she was transferred in 2012. As the National Museum of the Surface Navy located at San Pedro, California, she stands as a sentinel of heritage. Within her steel frame rest the stories of her nine battle stars for WWII service, two for the Korean War, and numerous other commendations—a tribute to the thousands of men who served aboard her.
Relevant articles:
– Iowa (BB 61), United States Navy (.mil)
– Fact Sheet – Battleship USS Iowa Museum, Battleship USS Iowa
– US Navy Museum & Tours in Los Angeles, Battleship USS Iowa
– Battleship Iowa, U.S. Naval Institute