17 Facts About Battleship Iowa

1.

USS Iowa is a retired battleship, the lead ship of her class, and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named after the state of Iowa.

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2.

On 24 February 1943, Battleship Iowa put to sea for a shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast.

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3.

In November 1943, Iowa carried President Roosevelt, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Roosevelt's Chief of Staff Admiral William D Leahy, Chief of Staff of the Army General George C Marshall, Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King, Commanding General of the US Army Air Forces Henry "Hap" Arnold, Harry Hopkins, and other military leaders to Mers El Kebir, Algeria, on the first leg of the journey to the Tehran Conference.

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4.

On being warned, Battleship Iowa turned hard to avoid being hit by the torpedo and the torpedo detonated in the ship's wake.

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5.

Battleship Iowa then joined in the pursuit of the fleeing enemy fleet, shooting down one torpedo plane and assisting in splashing another.

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6.

Battleship Iowa reported zero injured sailors as a result of the typhoon, but suffered a loss of one of her float planes, and damage to one of her shafts.

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7.

Battleship Iowa sailed on 19 March 1945 for Okinawa, arriving on 15 April to relieve her sister ship New Jersey.

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8.

Battleship Iowa arrived in Seattle, Washington, on 15 October 1945, then sailed for Long Beach, California, where she engaged in training operations until returning to Japan in 1946 to serve as flagship for the 5th Fleet.

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9.

In September 1948, as part of the post World War II drawdown of the armed forces, Battleship Iowa was deactivated at San Francisco, and then formally decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets on 24 March 1949.

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10.

En route to US positions, Battleship Iowa again bombarded Songjin, destroying several railroad tunnels and bridges in the area.

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11.

The following month, Iowa was part of the force involved in Operation Decoy, a feint to draw enemy troops into Kojo and bring them within striking distance of the battleships' big guns.

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12.

In October 1952 Battleship Iowa was serving as flagship for the Commander, Seventh Fleet, and she engaged in 43 gun strikes on targets in the areas of Wonsan, Songjin, Kojo, Chaho, Toejo, Simpo, Hungnam and northern Inchon North Korea, and in 27 bombline operations.

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13.

From January–April 1955, Battleship Iowa made an extended cruise to the Mediterranean Sea as the flagship of the Commander, 6th Fleet.

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14.

From April to August 1984, Battleship Iowa underwent refresher training and naval gunfire support qualifications at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the Puerto Rican Operating area.

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15.

The inspection, which Iowa ultimately failed, was conducted under the supervision of Rear Admiral John D Bulkeley.

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16.

At the time, New Jersey was the only commissioned battleship anywhere in the world, and it was found that, in an effort to get another battleship commissioned to relieve New Jersey, the modernization of Iowa was stepped up, leaving her in poor condition when she recommissioned in 1984.

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17.

In February 2010, the Pacific Battleship Iowa Center supported the efforts to have the ship berthed in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.

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