News The Iowa rides again (kinda)

[mojoey]

http://news.yahoo.com/wwii-era-battleship-uss-iowa-being-refitted-move-044015368.html

Firing its 16-inch (40.64-centimetre) 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 (270.36-meter) 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 (kilometres) 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 non-profit organization that has been restoring the boat for its new mission.

"This means everything — it's going to be saved," John Wolfinbarger, 87, 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 nine 16-inch (40.64-centimetre) guns, which could send an armour-piercing shell the weight of a small car 24 miles (38.6 kilometres). 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 (444.5-millimeter) armoured conning station on the bridge and viewing Roosevelt's stateroom.

There will also be tours of secondary weapons, missiles, engineering, armour 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.

Thoughts?

 

[boogabooga]

Perhaps someday they will get to display a retired Orion or Dragon capsule on it's deck.
:shifty:

 

[ED_4]

Getting it ready just in time for Independence day eh? That's nice. That will be an interesting display to visit if ever I get any time to visit the territory there.

Mojoey, you should ask our resident former battleship crew member here what he thinks about that one.:thumbup:

 

[Ark]

This is awesome, the Iowa is overdue for museum ship status. It shouldn't be left to rust away at anchor in mothball.

 

[N_Molson]

Refitted with nuclear propulsion, that one would be fun

 

[ED_4]

Refitted with nuclear propulsion, that one would be fun

That would be an extremely expensive upgrade. If you're going to go that way. You may as well turn her into a Space Battleship ala Space Battleship Yamato. :lol:

 

[Urwumpe]

Well, as the Prince of Wales and the Yamato have proven, the age of battleships is over.

 

[Ghostrider]

You may as well turn her into a Space Battleship ala Space Battleship Yamato. :lol:

I love this plan! I'm excited it could work! LET'S DO IT!

 

[Codz]

Well, as the Prince of Wales and the Yamato have proven, the age of battleships is over.

Yeah, when large aircraft carriers, advanced submarines, and guided missiles came about, battleships were considered to be too expensive and inefficient to maintain and operate.

 

[Urwumpe]

Yeah, when large aircraft carriers, advanced submarines, and guided missiles came about, battleships were considered to be too expensive and inefficient to mantain and operate.

Especially: Too vulnerable to operate. Like any better wargamer should learn quickly: Big ships/robots/spacecraft are also big targets. They rarely can evade you, and even just damaging it means an aweful blow to your opponent.

But: There are situations in which you really want such a big target. If your opponent is forced to deal with your battleship first, it can absorb the damage for the smaller forces.

Such ships are impossible to build in the modern world - but if you could, they would make sense. Imagine a huge well-protected sensor/missile platform in space, which large sensor signature makes it possible to hide smaller vehicles near it. A guided missile could fly past spacecraft protecting the big vessel without even noticing the smaller targets, getting caught in a perimeter defense before even reaching the big target.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Especially: Too vulnerable to operate. Like any better wargamer should learn quickly: Big ships/robots/spacecraft are also big targets. They rarely can evade you, and even just damaging it means an aweful blow to your opponent.

But: There are situations in which you really want such a big target. If your opponent is forced to deal with your battleship first, it can absorb the damage for the smaller forces.

Such ships are impossible to build in the modern world - but if you could, they would make sense. Imagine a huge well-protected sensor/missile platform in space, which large sensor signature makes it possible to hide smaller vehicles near it. A guided missile could fly past spacecraft protecting the big vessel without even noticing the smaller targets, getting caught in a perimeter defense before even reaching the big target.

I wonder what kind of weapons could make the largest warships today - the aircraft carriers - obsolete.... :hmm:

 

[Codz]

A fully armed nuclear SSBN makes all ships obsolete...

 

[Urwumpe]

I wonder what kind of weapons could make the largest warships today - the aircraft carriers - obsolete.... :hmm:

Hard to tell, but the SSGN developments are pretty interesting there.

Maybe we will soon see a submerged UAV carrier... (The German submarines of the U212 class have a drone launcher mast, but that is rather for small recon drones, not big combat UAVs - but if you can launch rockets from underwater, why not a UAV?)

 

[garyw]

I thought that aircraft carriers were the most vulnerable ships out there which is why they have several layers of defense including battleships and subs - hence the 'carrier' group rather than a single carrier.

 

[Urwumpe]

I thought that aircraft carriers were the most vulnerable ships out there which is why they have several layers of defense including battleships and subs - hence the 'carrier' group rather than a single carrier.

Yes, but an aircraft carrier can fight over a distance of about 600 km, a battleship less than 45 km. An aircraft carrier has its own air cover, battleships need it from other sources.

Aircraft carriers are only the vulnerable core of a 1200 km bubble of missiles and bombs.

 

[Codz]

I thought that aircraft carriers were the most vulnerable ships out there which is why they have several layers of defense including battleships and subs - hence the 'carrier' group rather than a single carrier.

Battleships haven't been used in the US since the early 90's. Carrier groups are made of a carrier, destroyers, and attack subs.

 

[Urwumpe]

Battleships haven't been used in the US since the early 90's. Carrier groups are made of a carrier, destroyers, and attack subs.

And frigates, cruisers and oilers.

But a battleship couldn't be effectively used like that, too stiff formation, too little tactical mobility

 

[ED_4]

And frigates, cruisers and oilers.

But a battleship couldn't be effectively used like that, too stiff formation, too little tactical mobility

Tactical mobility? I highly doubt it. The Iowa Classes can move as fast as the carriers. And thus can move just as fast.

 

[Ghostrider]

I wonder what kind of weapons could make the largest warships today - the aircraft carriers - obsolete.... :hmm:

A humungous arsenal ship that delivers a Macross Missile Massacre-like onslaught with thousands of cruise missiles, guided missiles, drones, artillery and curse words, and protected by massive armour and so many CIWS and SAMs that it's not funny anymore?

Granted, it then retreats to rearm for at least 10 fiscal years but hey, nice fireworks...

 

[Urwumpe]

Tactical mobility? I highly doubt it. The Iowa Classes can move as fast as the carriers. And thus can move just as fast.

Speed isn't mobility. A battleship needs to do maneuvering to get into a good firing position and evade fire. You can't do that with a carrier, which is operating in a huge task force formation - the protection by the large task force comes at the price of limited mobility for the carrier to move independently or change course rapidly.

---------- Post added at 04:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 PM ----------

Granted, it then retreats to rearm for at least 10 fiscal years but hey, nice fireworks...

:rofl: