U.S. BATTLESHIP IOWA (BB-61)

The USS Iowa (BB-61) was an American battleship laid down in 1940, launched in August 1942, and commissioned in the US Navy in February 1943. The length of the ship was 270.4 m, width 33 m, and her full displacement - at the time of launching - 58,400 tons. The maximum speed of the USS Iowa battleship was up to 33 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 406 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 20 127 mm guns. The USS Iowa was the first of six battleships of the same-name type ordered. As it turned out, in view of the failure of the Montana-class battleship building program, the Iowa-class battleships were the last to be launched for the US Navy. As they were built without any financial or displacement limits, they also turned out to be the most technologically advanced American battleships in World War II. From the outset, they were built as key carrier ships for aircraft carriers and placed great emphasis on high top speed, which made Iowa-class battleships much faster than any other American battleships. They also had carefully crafted armor and new 406 mm Mk. VII with a greater range of the effective shot. USS Iowa (BB-61) began its participation in World War II with operations conducted in the Atlantic in 1943 against the German battleship Tirpitz. From 1944, the USS Iowa served in the Pacific, supporting American operations in the Marshall Islands and the Truk Atoll. In October of the same year, the battleship took an active part in the Battle of Leyte Bay. From April to June 1945, the ship supported operations already directed against the Japanese Islands. USS Iowa took an active part in the Korean War (1950-1953), mainly shelling North Korean positions. In 1958, the battleship was transferred to the reserve, but returned to line service in the 1980s, having previously undergone a thorough modernization in 1982-1984. It involved the installation of modern electronics and fire control systems, as well as the installation of Tomahawk and Harpoon rocket launchers and Phalanx anti-aircraft systems. The battleship was also adapted to the homing of on-board helicopters. Finally, in 1990, the ship was decommissioned, and since 2012, it serves as a museum ship.