Origin USA
Type Battleship
Year 1942
Displacement, tons 45 230
Dimensions, meters 270.6 x 33.2 x 11.5
Aircraft 4 Helicopters
Missiles
32 x Tomahawk
16 x Harpoon
Guns
9 x Mk 7 400mm/50 guns
12 Mk 28 127mm/38 guns
4 Mk 15 20mm Phalanx CIWS
Torpedo 9 x Mk 32
Main Engines 8 x boilers. 212 000 shp
Speed, knots 35
Range, miles 7.500
Complement 1515

Four battleships of the Iowa-class battleships (BB-61 through BB-64) were built in the early 1940s in the United States. Two other Iowa-class ships, Illinois and Kentucky , were scrapped prior to completion. The Iowa-class was preceded by the South Dakota class battleships and would have been succeeded by the Montana class battleships if the Montanas had not been cancelled prior to construction. These were the last battleships built by the U.S. Navy and were removed from service in the 1990's.

The Iowa class were constructed at two Navy Yards: Iowa (BB-61), built at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn , New York ; New Jersey (BB-62), built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; Missouri (BB-63), built at the New York Navy Yard; Wisconsin (BB-64), built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; Illinois (BB-65), keel laid at Philadelphia Navy Yard. Cancelled 12 August, 1945 ; Kentucky (BB-66), keel laid at New York Navy Yard. Cancelled 17 February, 1947 .

All four of the completed ships were recommissioned in the 1980s, only to be decommissioned in the 1990s after the Cold War ended. Built as cost-no-object gunships, the Iowas are arguably the finest battleships ever built (their only serious competition were the British Vanguard and the Japanese Yamato class). The Iowa design was based upon the SoDaks but with more powerful engines, larger guns and an additional 200 feet of length for improved seakeeping. The Iowas are also among the most attractive battleships ever built, with a long, narrow, elegant bow and three powerful gun turrets.