Iron clads and Pre-Dreadnough battleships.

I was surfing around and saw a pic of an Iron clad and started following the linkies and decided to do a post.  I remember as a kid seeing this pic, then the battle of the USS Monitor the Merrimac CSS Virginia. during the American War between the States Civil War.

  I was giving a book in 1975 that my Dad bought me called "Sea Battles of the 20th Century", The battle of the Tsushima Straits was the first battle listed and this image I remembered

Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late 1880s and 1905, before the launch of HMS Dreadnought.Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, and protected by hardened steel armour, pre-dreadnought battleships carried a main battery of very heavy guns in barbettes (open or with armored gunhouses) supported by one or more secondary batteries of lighter weapons. They were powered by coal-fuelled triple-expansion steam engines.
In contrast to the chaotic development of ironclad warships in preceding decades, the 1890s saw navies worldwide start to build battleships to a common design as dozens of ships essentially followed the design of the British Majestic class. The similarity in appearance of battleships in the 1890s was underlined by the increasing number of ships being built. New naval powers such as Germany, Japan, the United States, and – to a lesser extent – Italy and Austria-Hungary, began to establish themselves with fleets of pre-dreadnoughts, while the navies of Britain, France, and Russia expanded to meet these new threats. The decisive clash of pre-dreadnought fleets was between the Imperial Russian Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905These battleships were abruptly made obsolete by the arrival of HMS Dreadnought in 1906. Dreadnought followed the trend in battleship design to heavier, longer-ranged guns by adopting an "all-big-gun" armament scheme of ten 12-inch guns. Her innovative steam turbine engines also made her faster. The existing pre-dreadnoughts were decisively outclassed, and new and more powerful battleships were from then on known as dreadnoughts while the ships that had been laid down before were designated pre-dreadnoughts.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, navies were very important. The maritime powers of Europe, particularly England, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal, relied upon them to protect trade routes and overseas colonies. Warships were the most powerful weapons a state could possess. They were mostly divided into frigates, built for speed and agility, and ships of the line, designed for battle.

With the invention of the steam engine in the eighteenth-century naval warfare changed radically. The propeller greatly enhanced the speed and maneuverability of ships. Steam-powered vessels did not have to rely on the sail, and so engineers could think more of weaponry and protective armour. This made armoured vessels – ironclads – possible.

French battleship Carnot underway

 

The first steam-powered battleship was the French frigate Napoleon. Launched in 1850, it was to be the vanguard of a fleet of powerful ships of the line that would challenge the British Navy’s supremacy on the seas. It could steam at a speed of 12 knots, ignoring the wind altogether. It was armed like previous battleships, with 90 guns and had no armour plating.
Carnot started an arms race between the French and British. By the end of Napoleon III’s reign, the French Navy had 38 steam-powered wooden battleships, 28 of which were converted sail vessels. In response, the British built 18 news ships and converted 41 others.
During the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) The British and French were allies against Russia, and their navies co-operated in engagements against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and coastal targets. Napoleon III ordered the construction of floating batteries, armoured ships that bombarded the shore. These can be considered to be forerunners of the first true ironclads.

Russian battleship Tsesarevich, a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, docked Krondsdat, ca. 1915. Note dark wartime scheme Photo Credit

Tsarevitch, a Borodino-class battleship in the Imperial Russian Navy. Commissioned in 1903, it served in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904/05. It was the flagship in the Battle of the Yellow Sea. The battle was a strategic victory for the Japanese Fleet, and Tsarevitch was damaged and forced to port.

  Nemesis was the first warship constructed with an iron hull. It can be considered a true ironclad. The steam frigate was designed by John Laird and was made in 1839 for the East India Company, which ruled British India at the time. It was active in 1840 in the First Opium War against China. It proved successful and was called the ‘devil ship’ by the Chinese. Laird went on to build two steam frigates for the Mexican fleet: Montezuma and Guadalupe.
 

After Nemesis, wooden hulls were being replaced with iron. However, the iron plates were still thin, and could not withstand heavy fire.

French battleship Charles Martel, commissioned in 1896, epitomized the “French look” for battleships. Photo Credit

  U.S.S. Essexwas an ironclad of the American Civil War. It was originally a steamboat named New Era but was refitted as a gunboat in 1861. It had 1.75-inch armour on the forward casemate and .75 inch on the sides. It was armed with one 32 pounder gun, a 12 pounder howitzer and 4 Dahlgrens. It was involved in the defence of Baton Rouge, Louisiana on August 5, 1862.

USS Essex, Converted Ironclad, Coaling at Baton Rouge, July 1862.

Redoutable and Massena
Redoutable was the first battleship to be built principally from steel. It overcame the problem of armour in the designs of Nemesis and previous ironclads Steel’s high tensile strength meant that the hull could support thicker armour than previous vessels. The armour was almost 14 inches thick. She was a battery and a barbette commissioned in 1878.

French battleship Jauréguiberry

French battleship Massena, commissioned in 1898, showing typical French tumblehome, massive masts, and a plethora of long-barreled cannons.

Redoutable was a central battery and barbette ship of the French Navy. She was the first warship in the world to use steel as the principal building material. Photo Credit

The SS Cordoba: Flagship of the Aragonian fleet and one of the navy’s most recently-built ironclad ships. The Cordoba was perhaps most well-known for being one of the first ships (as always, the record was disputed endlessly with other seagoing navies of the day) to use steel for a majority of its construction materials Photo Credit

The Confederacy’s French-built last ironclad was also Japan’s first: Stonewall was later renamed Kōtetsu Photo Credit

CSS Stonewall a Confederate ironclad generated much fear by her enemies. She was built in France in 1864. However, it did not remain Confederate for long. After the Confederate defeat, the US government sold it to the Japanese in 1869. It was Japan’s first ironclad, and it was renamed Kotetsu.

USS Cairo, an example of a City-class ironclad gunboat.

USS Cairo was one of the first ironclads built for the Union. It was sunk on December 12, 1862, and was the first vessel ever sunk by a naval mine.

Massena was again a French battleship, built in the 1890s and commissioned in 1898. In some places it’s armour was a thick as 18 inches. It could also support powerful guns, including 12 Modele guns ranging from 138 to 305 mm.
For all its strength and power it suffered from considerable design flaws. Its instability rendered its guns inaccurate.
The Jauréguiberry and Charles Martel are ironclads of the same class.
 

U.S.S. IOWA goes to Museum

I am glad that Iowa is saved,  I kinda wish that the Navy would recommission them and sail them around the world  kinda like the Great White Fleet back 100+ years ago.  There were 4 ships of the Iowa Class Battleships.   To my knowledge there are 6 battleships that have survived the battleship age.  they are the 4 Iowa class ships, the U.S.S. Alabama which is a North Dakota class battleship and the U.S.S. Texas which is a New York Class Battleship.   the only commissioned Battleship is the U.S.S. Arizona  which lies at Pearl Harbor.

   

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 1987 file …

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  FILE- In this Dec. 16, 1987 file …
• FILE - In this July 18, 2003 file …
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RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — Firing its 16-inch guns in the Arabian Sea, the U.S.S. Iowa shuddered. As the sky turned orange, a blast of heat from the massive guns washed over the battleship. This was the Iowa of the late 1980s, at the end of its active duty as it escorted reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq war.

Some 25 years later, following years of aging in the San Francisco Bay area's "mothball fleet," the 887-foot long ship that once carried President Franklin Roosevelt to a World War II summit to meet with Churchill, Stalin and Chiang Kai Shek is coming to life once again as it is being prepared for what is most likely its final voyage.

Not far from where "Rosie the Riveters" built ships in the 1940s at the Port of Richmond, the 58,000-ton battlewagon is undergoing restoration for towing May 20 through the Golden Gate, then several hundred miles south to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. There it is to be transformed into an interactive naval museum.

On May 1, ownership of the Iowa was officially transferred from the U.S. Navy to the Pacific Battleship Center, the nonprofit organization that has been restoring the boat for its new mission.

"This means everything — it's going to be saved," John Wolfinbarger, 87, of San Martin, Calif., who served aboard the USS Iowa for almost two years in the mid-1940s and recently began giving public tours of the old ship during repairs here.

"When it gets down to San Pedro, it's going to be the happiest day of my life, like coming home!" he said, watching the mast being reattached.

For the past decade, the lead ship of her battleship class known as "The Big Stick" has sat in the cold and fog, anchored with other mothballed ships in nearby Suisun Bay. This spring, workers began scrubbing and painting the Iowa's exterior, replacing the teak deck and reattaching the mast in preparation for the museum commissioning on July 4.

Jonathan Williams, executive officer of Pacific Battleship Group, has been overseeing the project, which will exceed $4 million upon completion. Williams credited his dedicated his staff and volunteers, along with the financial contributions from the state of Iowa, for making the restoration possible.

"The U.S. Navy, MARAD (United States Maritime Administration) and the crew that mothballed the battleship over the past 22 years did an excellent job and kept the heart and soul of Iowa alive," said Williams.

"Things are on track and we are following our schedule as planned," he added. "We are trying to make sure nothing is missed as the process is complex."

The fast Iowa-class battleships, ordered by the Navy in 1939 and 1940, could travel at a speed of 33 knots. The Iowa, first commissioned in 1943 and again in 1951 and 1984, saw duty in World War II and the Korean War. It took part in escorting tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war before being decommissioned in 1990.

During World War II, when transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944, the ship shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carriers operating in the Marshall Islands.

It was one of two ships of its class camouflaged during World War II— and it also was the only one with a bathtub, which was put in for President Roosevelt. The Iowa also served as the Third Fleet flagship, flying Adm. William F. Halsey's flag as it accompanied the Missouri at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

A dark part of the ship's history took place in 1989, when 47 sailors were killed in an explosion in the No. 2 gun turret. After the blast, the Navy alleged a crewmember caused the explosion as a result of a failed relationship with another male crewmember. A follow-up investigation found the explosion was most likely the result of human error.

Most visitors are immediately drawn to the sight and firepower of the Iowa's nine16-inch guns, which could send an armor-piercing shell the weight of a small car 24 miles. When the ship was modernized during the 1980s, it was outfitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Phalanx gun mounts. It was also one of the first ships outfitted to carry a drone for reconnaissance flights.

Future plans for the Iowa include an interactive tour experience that will allow the visitor to experience what life at sea was like during active duty. Among the highlights will be viewing the inside of one of the main gun turrets, seeing the 17.5-inch armored conning station on the bridge and viewing Roosevelt's stateroom.

There will also be tours of secondary weapons, missiles, engineering, armor and special spaces. An ADA accessibility plan calls for an elevator to be installed from the main deck to one below for access to the main exhibit areas. The museum is scheduled to open on July 7.

Some features of the Yamato class Battleships

I have blogged about Battleships before on my blog, I have blogged about the Yamato class Battleships before, there is something about an all gun Warship, I suppose that I am a traditionalist. 

I clipped this article from the NGB

The Yamato class battleships hold a special place in naval history. Popularly known as the biggest battleship to ever go to sea and carrying the most powerful guns, it is little wonder why these dreadnoughts are so endearing. However, there was so much more to these battleships that is less known to many. In this article, we will look at five great features of the Yamato class battleships! Without any delay, let us begin.

The Yamato class was the first battleship to utilize 18.1″ guns as well as the first Japanese battleship to carry triple gun turrets for the main battery. To accommodate three of the gigantic 18.1″ (46cm) guns, the Yamato class required an equally large turret. In addition, to protect against the most powerful guns that the Allies could muster would require armor of exceptional thickness. Japanese designers lavished incredible attention to the layout of the turret. The result was the most advanced turret design ever fitted to a Japanese battleship as well as one of the most impressive among any navy.

Soon to be the biggest battleship in the world. Yamato undergoing fitting out at the Kure Naval Arsenal on September 20, 1941. Her aft 46cm gun turret is easily seen in the picture.

A popular description of the turrets of the Yamato class is that they weighed more than a destroyer. At just over 2,730 tons, it is little surprise that the biggest battleship carried the biggest turrets. Carrying three guns that weighed over 360,000lbs apiece and a massive slab of armor that was almost 26″ thick would result in a hefty turret. However, despite the immense weight of the turret and the massive 18.1″ (46cm) guns inside of it, the overall size was impressively compact.
Compare the turret of the Yamato class with the American Iowa class battleships:

	Yamato Class	Iowa Class
Turret Length	56′ 1″	50′ 7 1/2″
Turret Height	13′ 7″	9′ 10″
Turret Weight	2730 tons	1708 tons
Turret Armor Front	25.6″	17″ + 2.5″
Turret Armor Side	9.8″	9.5″ + .75″
Turret Armor Roof	10.6″	7.25″ + .75″
Turret Armor Rear	7.5″	12″ + .75″
Individual Gun Weight	363,000lbs	267,900lbs
Gun Length	69.3′	68′
Rate of Fire	1 round per 35 seconds	1 round per 30 seconds
Loading Angle	3 Degrees	5 Degrees
Elevation Rate	8 Degrees per Second	12 Degrees per Second
Train Rate	2 Degrees per Second	4 Degrees per Second

Despite the larger guns and heavier armor, the Yamato class turret was not that much larger than that found on the Iowa class. That is an impressive feat of engineering unto itself.
Even more impressive than the size of the turret was the equipment inside of it. The Yamato class utilized a unique sliding cradle behind each gun. The shells, weighing up to 3,218lbs, were lifted up to a tray at the end of the cradle. The entire cradle then slid forward on rails, moving the tray to the breech where it would be rammed inside the chamber. Then, the cradle would retract backwards. This allowed the powder tray to lift all six powder bags, each weighing 121.25lbs (55kg), into position behind the breech. A separate rammer would then ram all six charges into the chamber with a single stroke. A person would not have to touch any of the powder bags while loading the gun. This system reduced the number of men working inside the turret and allowed for an excellent rate of fire of up to one round per 30 seconds, though 35 seconds was more practical.
The Yamato class enjoyed one of the most compact turrets available to a battleship despite the fact that it carried the largest naval guns ever mounted to a battleship. In addition, the layout was excellent and the equipment inside was superb. A great achievement for Japanese designers!

As a warship designed to engage the most powerful battleships likely to be brought against it, the Yamato class featured a tremendous amount of armor protection. Almost 23,000 tons of armor was used on the Yamato class and Japanese designers intensively studied the most effective methods for utilizing this armor.

Armor Class Armour Figures
Belt:	Yamato 410mm (16.1″) Musashi 400mm (16″)
Lower Belt:	200mm (7.9″)
Traverse Bulkheads:	340mm (13.4″) – 300mm (11.8″)
Deck:	200mm (7.9″) – 230mm (9″)
Conning Tower:	500mm (19.7″)
Barbettes:	380mm (15″) – 560mm (22″)
Turrets:
Front:	650mm (25.6″)
Top:	270mm (10.6″)
Sides:	250mm (9.8″)

Yamato class were the first production battleships in Japan to adopt the “All or Nothing” armor principle. This ensured that Armor was maximized at the areas that needed it most while it was minimized in less important areas of the battleship. Therefore, the most vulnerable areas of the Yamato class (Magazines, machinery) were encased in a heavily armored box known as a citadel. The citadel was flanked by the armored belt (16″ & angled at 20 degrees) and capped by the armored traverse bulkheads (11.8″ – 13.4″) forward and aft. The upper section of the citadel was covered by the armored deck (7.9″ – 9″). This armor scheme was sufficient to provide an immunity zone against 46cm (18.1″) shells at ranges between 21,800 and 32,800 yards. The deck was designed to resist the momentum of a 1000kg (2200lb) bomb dropped from 3,400 meters. A monstrous amount of armor to protect from some serious weaponry.

When using the “All or Nothing Principle”, the armor was to be condensed to the vitals. Japanese designers took this a step further by seeking ways to make the vitals even smaller, allowing for the armour protection to be enhanced to its absolute maximum. They succeeding in shrinking the length of the citadel to a mere 55% of the ship’s overall length, a remarkable achievement. While this would seemingly leave 45% of the ship’s hull exposed, Japanese designers countered this by extensively compartmentalizing with some 1147 different compartments (1065 below the armored deck). The citadel was also designed to provide an immense amount of buoyancy, enough to keep the ship afloat even with the bow and stern heavily flooded. This helped mitigate the effects of damage to the hull, ensuring that the Yamato class could withstand damage and keep fighting.
The Yamato class was not just protected against threats above the waterline, they also featured the greatest underwater protection fitted to a Japanese battleship. A torpedo belt 5.1 meters (16.7′) deep protected the ship from torpedoes and mines. The torpedo belt was backed by the ship’s 200mm lower belt, designed to protect against shells striking the hull underwater (However, this feature turned out to be a liability in practice) and act as the main holding bulkhead. Outside of the ship’s torpedo belt, further protection against flooding was provided by the extensive compartmentalization mentioned already. Flooding would be contained to the compromised areas while the rest of the hull would remain watertight and buoyant. Using her volume, compartments, and a vast system of pumps, the Yamato class were expected to withstand a torpedo strike and still return themselves to an even keel despite the flooding.

A unique feature of the Yamato class was the gentle slope of the deck in the vicinity of the forward 46cm turrets. After sloping downwards, the deck would curve gracefully upwards again all the way to the ship’s bow.

The bow and forward hull of the battleship Musashi. The slope of her forward deck is easily seen in this photograph.

Don’t let the beautiful lines fool you, the purpose of this bow was more than aesthetics! The sloping deck helped reduce the height of the turrets as well as the barbettes they rested on. Each main battery turret, weighing over 2500 tons, could make the ship very top-heavy if they were located higher up on the ships’ hull. The deck allowed them to be lowered. Though the height reduction was modest, maybe only around 10′, it still contributed to the ship’s overall stability.
The deck also helped contribute to the protection of the Yamato class. By lowering the turret height, the height of the barbettes could also be lowered as well. This meant a reduction in the barbettes exposed outside of the citadel, increasing protection. This also saved having to armor taller barbettes, saving tonnage that could be used for protection elsewhere on the battleships.
Overall, the use of a sloping deck was not particularly advanced, but it was extremely effective and a further testament to lengths Japanese designers were willing to go to enhance the ship’s capabilities.

The biggest battleship is also remarkably agile! Yamato steaming at high speed while she was undergoing trials on October, 30, 1941.

Despite being the biggest battleship, the Yamato was relatively fast for her gargantuan size. Generally, the phrase “biggest battleship” and “fast” do not go well together in the same sentence. However, Japanese designers successfully managed to squeeze every bit of speed they could from the class.
Japan started with developing a hull that was as hydrodynamic as possible. During the development phase, some fifty different models tested to find the ideal hull shape. Japan went even further and applied features such as a bulbous bow to further enhance the hull form. The result was an extremely efficient hull of a design unique among Japanese dreadnoughts.
The powerplant of the Yamato class was provided by twelve Kampon boilers supplying steam (of 700 degrees) to four turbines. These turbines each drove their own shaft connected to a screw of 6m (20′). Though the system was rated at 150,000shp, Yamato was able to generate 153,553shp on her trials. This was enough to propel the huge battleship to 27.5 knots. Musashi exceeded this figure when her powerplant reached 166,500shp and drove her to 28 knots.

	Yamato	North Carolina	Richelieu	Bismarck	King George V
Powerplant:	150,00shp	121,000shp	155,000shp	148,116shp	110,000shp
Speed:	27.5knots	28 knots	32 knots	30 knots	28 knots
Range:	7200nmi	17400nmi	9500nmi	8870nmi	15600nmi

While the Yamato class would not be setting any speed records, they were still impressively fast given their size. Even more importantly, most battleships only enjoyed a knot or so advantage over the Yamato class.
Overall, the fact the Japanese designers were able to squeeze so much speed from the Yamato class is a major feat unto itself. Even with massive guns and incredible amounts of armour protection, the Yamato class was capable of achieving respectable top speed, making the ships relatively balanced.

The Japanese Navy placed a lot of thought into the design of the Yamato class. One area of consideration was the effect that the muzzle blast of her 18.1″ guns would have upon equipment stored on her decks. Japanese designers developed several innovative ways to reduce the damage from muzzle blast. One of the most interesting methods involved the storage of the battleship’s spotting aircraft and boats.

The stern of the battleship Musashi. Her aircraft hangar is located between the twin catapults at the stern. The aircraft could also be moved about the deck on a system of rails.The Yamato class utilized a lowered quarterdeck. Aircraft were stored inside a below-decks hangar where they could be rolled via rails to a hold located on the quarter deck. From there a crane would hoist them out and place them on one of the battleship’s catapults or on a system of rails mounted on the weather deck.

The ship’s boats were stored in no less than four hangars. Smaller boats were stored in two smaller hangars mounted on either side of the aircraft hangar. The boats would be rolled on their own system of rails to the quarterdeck. The same crane that serviced the aircraft would also handle the smaller boats.
Larger boats were stored in two large hangars mounted inside the hull. A hatch could be opened that allowed the boats to be moved outside via an overhead rail and crane system. The overhead system allowed the boats to be moved outside the hull and lowered into the water directly. This same system could then be used to lift the boats out of the water and moved back inside the hull.

Sea trials of the world’s biggest battleship at the time. This photo shows off one of the battleship’s boat hangars located alongside the #3 turret.

Both the ship’s boats and aircraft, safely tucked away inside the hangars, were granted a significantly higher level of protection than they would be on other battleships. Though the hangars were mounted outside the citadel, meaning they were still vulnerable to bombs and heavy shells, they were still protected against shrapnel, aircraft gunfire, and the elements. It also allowed the 18.1″ guns to fire without fear of damaging the delicate equipment.
The placement of the aircraft and boats at the stern allowed for uncluttered decks. Additional deck space allowed for more anti-aircraft guns and other equipment to be installed. Other battleships during the War generally had to give up their ship’s boats to free up space. The downside to her hangars was that they consumed interior volume. However, due to the immense size of the Yamato class, the loss of space did not affect crew accommodations that badly, if at all.
Overall, the Yamato class might have enjoyed the most superior accommodations for her aircraft or ship’s boats without affecting her fighting ability

For Yamato and Musashi, they had a lot more going for their design rather than simply holding onto the title of being the world’s biggest battleship. They were technological marvels compared to the dreadnoughts that came before them. Japan’s naval designers gave considerable thought about the overall design and developed several innovative ways to better enhance the capabilities of the class. Sadly, the quiet careers of the ships somewhat overshadows their enormous potential. Still, the Yamato class hold a special place in the minds of many naval historian enthusiasts and for good reason!

Why the Iowa class Battleships hung around so long.

I did a post on "Ironclads" and "Pre-Dreadnough" battleships, now I am posting something on "The Dreadnough" era
I have a fascination with battleships, this started with my military history back when I was in the 5th grade when while my Dad was stationed in Frankfurt  got interested in WWII especially the Pacific War.

This is the cover pic on the "American Heritage" book I kept checked out from the library.  

I have also posted some stories on "Battleships" on my Blog several times.   I saw this article on another blog and I thought it was pretty good, I added some extra pictures and my belief that besides the  IJN Kongo class, there were stories of an 18 inch gun "super battleships" that turned out to be the "Yamato" class.

The four vessels of the Iowa class were the last battleships put to sea by the United States. In many ways, they incorporated all of the lessons learned by the US Navy throughout the dreadnaught age. They were powerfully armed, decently armored, and very fast. It is no doubt due to their excellent design that they were able to provide five decades of service to the Navy. However, for all of their qualities, they actually represented a radical departure from the traditional battleship designs that the US Navy had followed since the start of the 1900s.

At the most basic level of design, a battleship is designed around three primary aspects: firepower, armor, and speed. On a given displacement, when one aspect is pursued, it often comes at the expense of the others. For instance, if a battleship needs to carry additional protection (armor), it will have to sacrifice either weapons (firepower) or its power plant (speed). Most nations tended to favor a particular combination of the three main aspects.

The Nevada class, the first of the heavily armed and armored standard-type battleships.

Traditionally, the US Navy had long favored firepower and armor at the expense of speed. This was a result of their adoption of the “standard-type” battleships. The US wanted battleships that could easily operate with one another in battleship divisions. Therefore, they designed all of their ships to operate at a speed of 21 knots. With so little displacement devoted to the powerplant, the battleships could devote more to armor and firepower. This method of thinking dominated US battleship design from 1911 to 1923 with five classes of battleships being designed.

 U.S.S Texas in initial form

While the US was working on the “standard-type” battleships, other navies had been experimenting with the so-called “fast” battleships thanks to the introduction of more powerful power plants. These ships, starting with the British Queen Elizabeth class, were capable of reaching speeds of up to 25 knots. Soon designers were now looking at faster battleships to chase down and engage the older, slower battleships. A problem with this idea was that fast battleships were incapable of operating with slower battleships. Battlegroups had to be broken into smaller, less effective units based on speed. The US was aware of this and it no doubt reinforced their idea of standard battleships as subsequent designs still remained at around 21 knots.

HMS Warspite, one of the Queen Elizabeth class “fast” battleships. While being the first class of battleships to achieve speeds of 25 knots, this was the result of more powerful machinery rather than design.

HMS Warspite, one of the Queen Elizabeth class “fast” battleships. Photo credit: IWM

During the 1930s, the US Navy began designing a new series of battleship that would eventually evolve into the North Carolina class battleships. Some would argue that the 27-knot speeds of these battleships would classify them as fast battleships. However, it must be noted that the ideals of the Standard-type battleship still lingered in a majority of the naval staff. For instance, during the design process, it was repeatedly asked why the ships had to be faster than the 21 knot limit of other battleships. While the ships were eventually allowed a 27-knot speed, it must be noted that this was actually the slowest of the final designs proposed for the North Carolina class. Once again, the designers opted for the more heavily armed and armored version. The following South Dakota class battleships were essentially redesigns of the North Carolinas, maintaining the same level of protection and firepower, but in a shorter hull.

Compared to thirty years of battleship design before them, the Iowa class was a puzzling design. Despite being the largest and most powerful class of battleship launched by the United States, they were basically 33-knot replicas of the South Dakota class before them. In the words of naval historian Norman Friedman, “Ten thousand tons was a very great deal to pay for 6 knots”. So what motivated a such a change?

 

A Kongo class battleship. The threat of these vessels was a large factor in the design of the Iowa class. Photo credit: Kure Maritime Museum

During the 1930s, the US Navy decided that the best way to win a war with Japan was to make a strong push through the central Pacific. However, such an operation would require a large chain of supply vessels. It was thought that Japan would use its cruiser and carrier forces to harass these supply ships, potentially stalling a US advance. The US believed that it could counter these forces with its own cruiser and carrier forces. However, one element of the Japanese Navy was a major cause for concern. These were the Kongo class battleships, 30-knot vessels with decent armor and potent 14″ guns. It was thought that the Japanese would use these warships to smash through the US cruiser screens, allowing attacks on the vulnerable supply ships. Not only were US cruisers at a disadvantage against them, but the slow speed of the standard battleships would be insufficient to bring the Kongo class to battle. To counter this threat, the US Navy decided that it needed to create a faster battleship.

This idea was the founding principle behind the Iowa class. A series of design schemes were introduced before eventually evolving into two competing designs. The first design was drawn up by members of the Naval Board that still believed in the armor and firepower elements. This was a larger South Dakota class vessel with either twelve 16″ weapons or nine 18″ weapons. Like the South Dakota class before it, it would travel at the same speed of 27 knots. The second design was a 50,000-ton fast battleship created with the intention of being a “cruiser killer”. It was to be armed with twelve 16″ guns and be protected from 8″ shells only. The second design was chosen and modified into the final design of the Iowa class.

The need for speed was a source of considerable controversy among many in the naval board. While the armor was good compared to many battleships used by other navies, some felt that it should have been much stronger for a ship of 45,000 tons. The long, fine hull form needed to achieve high speeds was also thought of as a weakness as it reduced volume around the magazines. Lastly, the introduction of the super heavy 16″ shell was seen as problematic. Against such a powerful shell, the Iowa class had only a 5000-yard immunity zone against its own shells, much lower compared to other battleships. For an American battleship, the Iowa class went into action with a level of armor protection below the standard of typical American construction for a given weight.

Photo of USS Iowa firing a broadside.

Conclusions

While the armor of the Iowa class might have been lacking for a ship of its large displacement, this is not to say that the ship was weakly armored. It was just a departure from how the US traditionally designed their battleships. The ship simply sacrificed armor for higher speed. In many ways, this makes them the first and only true fast battleship. They weren’t faster simply due to more powerful machinery, but because they were designed from the onset to be fast. This preference for speed in no way diminished their use as battleships. In fact, the reason why the Iowa class lasted so long in US Naval service was due to their high speed. They could bombard targets and fight capital ships like any battleship, while also having the speed to easily keep pace with carriers, providing them with valuable escorts. While the ship might have been a niche design, overall the US was immensely pleased with the Iowa class. The fact that the class saw service up until the Gulf War, long past the age of the battleship, is a testament to their effectiveness.

The Evolution of the Iowa Class

I am still busy, but I was taking a break from studying and was doing a bit of surfing and ran across this article and thought it was very neat and it had a lot of pics I have never seen before.  I hope to continue blogging over the weekend of all goes well:)  I still would like to see one of those ships to be recommissioned but with the lethality of today's missiles I am not sure that the battleships would survive and the swarm of missiles that the Chinese  opposing force would launch.  I am a student of History and I see parallels between the Iowa's and another famous ship that represented a country and a navy during the Prewar Years.

 The "Mighty" Hood

H.M.S Hood flew the flag and was the embodiment of the British Empire during the prewar years and unfortunately by the time WWII rolled around, the Hood was very obsolete.  She was due for upgrades in Armor, fire control systems and anti-aircraft defenses in the late 1930's, but the bean counters put off the upgrades that would have most likely saved the ship when she fought the Bismark in the Battle of the Denmark Strait and was destroyed by an explosion that was endemic of the British Battle Cruisers.  The British knew of the flaw since Jutland but never fixed the problem.

From the time that USS Iowa was laid down in 1940 until today, the Iowa class battleships have been around for 78 years. During that time, the ships underwent many changes to help them adapt to the type of conflict they were engaged in. In this article, I gathered a number of photos from those years and organized them into this collection. They help to show how these warships looked throughout their long and illustrious careers.

Iowa Class Battleships From 1940 to Present

September 30, 1940. Workers lay out the bottom hull plates for the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) about one month into her construction. Iowa would be the leadship for a new class of battleship design was free of the limitations imposed by the Second London Naval Treaty.

1941. The ceremonial driving of the first rivet for the battleship USS Missouri.

December 7, 1942. The Battleship USS New Jersey slides down the ways on the one year anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The day that saw the loss of many battleship of the United States Navy now sees one of its most powerful take to the water.

1943. The hull of the USS Wisconsin (BB-64) looks like she is ready to take to the water. In a few months she would finally slide down the ways during her christening on December 7, 1943.

November 1944. USS Wisconsin (BB-64) ties up to the hulk of the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) while stopping at Pearl Harbor. Wisconsin was 304′ longer than Oklahoma and displaced almost twice as much. Oklahoma was sunk at Pearl Harbor three years earlier. Now it was Wisconsin’s turn to go on the offensive as she headed to the front lines.

September 2, 1945. Swarms of aircraft fly over the battleship Missouri (BB-63) during the surrender to the Allies by the Empire of Japan.

April 5, 1946. USS Missouri anchored off of Istanbul, Turkey. She brought home the body of the Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Munir Ertegun. She is accompanied by the Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz, formally the battlecruiser SMS Goeben of the Imperial German Navy.

May 24, 1947. USS Iowa (BB-61) anchored in San Francisco Bay.

June 1948. USS New Jersey being moved from the New York Navy Yard to the Bayonne Shipyard in New Jersey for decommissioning. The dome shaped structures adorning her are covers for her 40mm anti-aircraft guns.

Summer 1949. USS Missouri tied up to the pier at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Photos like this really show off just how amazingly large these leviathans truly were.

October 21, 1950. USS Missouri fires a salvo into Chong Jin, Korea. Missouri was the first battleship to arrive off of Korea and she quickly set to work pummeling targets of opportunity. The firepower of the battleships was devastating to North Korean and Chinese forces.

November 10, 1951. USS New Jersey (BB-62) unleashes a broadside into the region surrounding the 38th Parallel during the Korean War. A haze of smoke in the background marks the location of a previous salvo.

April 1952. USS Wisconsin is used to test the lifting power of the largest drydock available to the United States Navy, AFDB-1. AFDB-1, named Artisan was first used during the Second World War. It was one of the only floating drydocks capable of handling an Iowa class battleship. She was moved to Guam to serve as a forward repair base during the Korean War.

1953. New Jersey lends her firepower during the Korean War. Judging by the elevation of her 16″ guns, she is firing at extreme range. The Iowa class were capable of sending a 2,700lb shell to just over 42,345 yards (24.05 miles).

June 7, 1954. All four battleships of the Iowa class steam together as Battleship Division 2. This was the only time that all four sisters were together. The ships (from nearest to farthest) are USS Iowa, USS Wisconsin, USS Missouri, and USS New Jersey.

1955. USS New Jersey takes on fuel from the fleet oiler USS Mississinewa (AO-144) along with the destroyer USS Bordelon (DDR-881). New Jersey was operating in the Mediterranean Sea at this time.

May 1956. USS Wisconsin steams to port with a chunk of her bow missing. On the sixth of May, she had collided with the destroyer USS Eaton (DD-510). Wisconsin was repaired by replacing her damaged bow with that of her never finished sister, USS Kentucky (BB-66).

June 13, 1957. USS Iowa at Hampton Roads, Virginia. She was there to take part in the International Naval review.

1958. USS Wisconsin cruising off of Hampton Roads. This was one of the last cruises she would conduct before being decommissioned later that year.

February 6, 1959. The sixth ship of the Iowa class, USS Kentucky (BB-66) is towed up the Chesapeake Bay on her way to the scrappers. Her deck is littered with unused material including 5″ gun barrels and their turrets. Kentucky and her sister, Illinois (BB-65), were both cancelled during construction.

1962. Three Iowa class battleships mothballed at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. From back to front: USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, and USS Wisconsin. New Jersey was originally stored at Bayonne, New Jersey but had been moved to Philadelphia the previous year.

July 4, 1963. USS Missouri continues sit in mothballs at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Missouri was mothballed on the West Coast while her sisters were on the East Coast.

April 10, 1964. Despite her mothballed status, Missouri served as the location of the memorial service that honored General Douglas MacArthur following his passing.

April 1965. The battleships New Jersey (Left) and Iowa (Right) tied up together at Philadelphia. Wisconsin had been temporarily moved to another location at the time.

1966. Though she as not a battleship, the fast combat support ship USS Sacramento (AOE-1) was very much related to the Iowa class. Before scrapping, the boilers and turbines of the sixth Iowa class battleship USS Kentucky were removed. Half of the power plant would be placed into USS Sacramento while the other half would go to her sister USS Camden (AOE-2).

April 1967. Three of the Iowa class sisters tied up together in mothballs. From left to right: USS Wisconsin (BB-64), USS New Jersey (BB-62), and USS Iowa (BB-61).

September 11, 1968. USS New Jersey cruising off of Hawaii before she would head for Vietnam. In interesting feature of this photograph is the 40mm gun tubs just forward of the 5″ guns. These were used as swimming pools by the crew. New Jersey was the only one of her sisters to have such a lavish feature!

March 1969. USS New Jersey (BB-62) fires a shell into South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. During the war, New Jersey performed brilliantly. During her brief time off Vietnam, she fired 5,688 rounds of 16 inch shells, and 14,891 rounds of 5-inch shells.

March 19, 1970. The battleship Missouri is mothballed at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. She is accompanied by several other ships including the cruisers Roanoke (CL-145) and Worcester (CL-144). Perhaps one of the few images showing America’s last battleships alongside its last light cruisers.

July 1974. A large assortment of mothballed ships at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. USS Missouri is at the bottom of the photo while her sister USS New Jersey can be seen farther up. Following her tour of service off Vietnam, New Jersey was decommissioned and placed at here.

1976. The battleship Missouri still quietly moored at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

1978. USS Iowa (Right) and USS Wisconsin (Left) mothballed at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Iowa was mothballed from 1958 until 1984. Wisconsin was mothballed from 1958 until 1988. They are accompanied by the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CVS-38).

April 1980. Years of neglect are apparent in this photo taken from the bow of USS Wisconsin.

1981. The Iowa class battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) and USS New Jersey (BB-62) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Due to her being reactivated for service in Vietnam, New Jersey looks very different from Missouri. 

December 28, 1982. The USS New Jersey is recommissioned at Long Beach California with President Ronald Regan in attendance. The Iowa class had finally returned to service thirteen years after being decommissioned.

June 17, 1983. USS Iowa (BB-61) undergoing modernization at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Yard to prepare for her recommissioning. Following her modernization, she would finally be recommissioned on April 28, 1984.

July 1, 1984. With a thunderous roar, USS Iowa demonstrates her firepower by firing all nine of her 16″/50 as well as six of her 5″/38 guns. The blast of her main guns is easily seen o the water surrounding them.

November 19, 1985. USS Iowa (BB-61) uses all of her 212,000 shaft horsepower during a full power run in the Chesapeake Bay. She is kicking up an unbelievable amount of water in her wake.

December 30, 1986. USS New Jersey (BB-62) fires all of its 16″ guns during a spectacular firepower demonstration.

October 17, 1987. The Battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) leads the aircraft carriers Coral Sea (CV-43) and Saratoga (CV-60) plus their respective battlegroups into Augusta Bay, Sicily.

1988. Tugboats guide USS New Jersey into Port Jackson. New Jersey had arrived in Sydney to take part in the Australian Bicentennial.

February 1, 1989. USS Missouri having her hull scrapped and other work done while in drydock. Her outer four bladed screws are 18.25′ in diameter while her inner five blades screws are 17′ in diameter. Couple with the powerful 212,000 shaft horsepower turbines, the Iowa class could exceed 32 knots.

1990. USS Wisconsin steaming alongside the carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60) during their 1990-1991 deployment in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

January 18, 1991. USS Wisconsin uses her 5″/58 secondary guns to pound targets ashore during the Gulf War. Wisconsin spent eight months in the Persian Gulf. During that time, she fired 319 16″ shells, 881 5″ shells, and 5,200 20mm rounds in addition to her 24 cruise missiles.

August 1992. The battleship New Jersey is tied up to the same pier at USS Hornet (CVS-12) at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

September 1993. The mothballed battleships USS Iowa (BB-61) and USS Wisconsin (BB-64) tied up together at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. I remembered seeing them there while we were driving in the Northeas.

October 30, 1995. A photo of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard along with a wide assortment of warships. Among the battleships Iowa and Wisconsin can be seen at the right. I was on that bridge when I saw the ships and I almost wrecked,  I knew what they were and so wanted to stop...but couldn't.

June 22, 1998. Crowds gather as USS Missouri enters the channel leading to Pearl Harbor. She was being moved to Pearl Harbor to serve as a museum ship. The location that saw the entrance of the United States into World War II would now host the vessel that saw its end.

November 11, 1999. The battleship USS New Jersey is towed up the Delaware river towards the Philadelphia Shipyard. She would go on to be restored and converted into a floating museum.

December 12, 2000. USS Wisconsin located at her new home in Norfolk, Virginia.

January 31, 2003. The battleship Missouri watches over the USS Arizona. In the background, nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) enters Pearl Harbor.

April 16, 2004. In celebration of the ship’s 60th anniversary of her commissioning, sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)  man the rails aboard USS Wisconsin.

January 7, 2010. Workers work early in the morning to prepare USS Missouri for her undocking later that day. Missouri had undergone an 18 million dollar overhaul aimed at preserving her so that future generations could continue to visit her.

May 25, 2015. The crew renders honors aboard the USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) as they pass the battleships Arizona and Missouri.

August 30, 2016. Iowa fires her secondary guns in salute to the assault carrier USS America (LHA-6) as she arrives at Los Angeles Harbor.  Though it might not look like it, at full load the Iowa (58,000 tons) displaced roughly 13,000 more tons than USS America (44,971 tons).From harbingers of war to the setting for peace. From World War II to the Gulf War. From instruments of destruction to tools of education. The Iowa class battleships have seen plenty of change throughout the years. Thanks to the dedicated people who maintain them today, we will ensure that they remain around for another 78 years.