United StatesUSS Iowa
Lead ship of America's fast battleships, combining heavy 16-inch guns with the speed to keep pace with fast carrier task forces.
- Navy
- United States
- Commissioned
- 1943
- Fate
- Decommissioned 1990; preserved as museum ship
Service History
USS Iowa was the lead ship of the last class of battleships built by the United States. Her combination of nine 16-inch guns and a 33-knot top speed made her ideal for escorting fast carrier groups across the Pacific.
Iowa served as an anti-aircraft escort and shore-bombardment platform throughout the Pacific campaign, and even carried President Roosevelt across the Atlantic. She was repeatedly reactivated postwar and is preserved today as a museum ship.
Major Campaigns & Battles
- Marshall Islands
- Battle of Leyte Gulf
- Okinawa
Other Battleships
JPNYamato
Japan · Commissioned 1941
The largest and most heavily armed battleship ever built, mounting nine 18.1-inch guns — the biggest naval guns ever mounted at sea.
GERBismarck
Germany · Commissioned 1940
Germany's most famous battleship, whose single Atlantic sortie ended in one of the most dramatic chases in naval history.
UKHMS King George V
United Kingdom · Commissioned 1940
The Royal Navy's modern fast battleship, notable for her unusual quadruple gun turrets and her role in sinking the Bismarck.