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USS
IOWA
BB-61
after modernization
USS
Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship
and was the only ship of her class to have served in
the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. Her
keel was laid down on 27 June 1940 at the New York
Navy Yard. Nicknamed "The Big Stick", USS Iowa
was launched in August 1942 and commissioned in
February 1943.
The Iowa-class
battleships trace their origins back to 1939 and
1940. Designed to meet the “escalator clause” of the
Second London Naval Treaty via their 16-inch main
guns and 45,000-long-ton standard displacement, they
were intended to intercept fast capital ships such
as the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Kongō class
whilst also being capable of serving in a
traditional battle line alongside slower battleships
and act as its “fast wing.” These big beasts
carried nine 16-inch guns which could lob a
2,700-pound shell over a distance of 23.4
nautical miles. They are 860 feet long at the waterline and 887 feet 3 inches
long overall with a beam of 108 feet 2
inches, and a Class A armor belt 12.1
inches thick.
During
World War II, the USS Iowa carried President Franklin D.
Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Algeria, en route to a
crucial 1943 meeting in Tehran with Winston Churchill
and Josef Stalin.
When transferred to the Pacific Fleet in
1944, Iowa shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and
Eniwetok in advance of allied amphibious landings and
screened aircraft carriers operating in the Marshall
Islands. She also served as the Third Fleet flagship,
flying Adm. William F. Halsey's flag at the Japanese
surrender in Tokyo Bay.
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USS Iowa
earned nine battle stars for World War II service and
two for Korean War service. During
the Korean War, Iowa was involved in raids on the North
Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into
the United States Navy reserve fleets.
As part of President
Ronald Reagan's effort to create an expanded 600-ship
Navy, the USS Iowa was reactivated in 1982.
During the refit, Iowa had all of her remaining Oerlikon
20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns removed, due
to their ineffectiveness against modern fighter jets.
Additionally, the two 5 in.
gun mounts located at mid-ship and in the aft on the
port and starboard sides of the battleship were removed.
She was also given the most advanced weaponry available.
Among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141
quad cell launchers for 16 AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship
missiles, eight Armored Box Launcher mounts for 32
BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, and a quartet of Phalanx
Close-in weapon system Gatling guns for defense against
enemy anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft. The ship was
reactivated in 1984
and operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets to
counter the expanded Soviet Navy.
In 1990,
USS Iowa was decommissioned for the last time. In 2011
she was donated to the non-profit Pacific Battleship
Center and was permanently moved to Berth 87 at the Port
of Los Angeles where she was opened to the public to
serve as a museum and memorial to battleships.
This primarily wood USS
Iowa battleship model portrays the ship after her
modernization in 1982. We can also build the WW2 version
for you, like the one in
the following link.
https://www.modelshipmaster.com/products/modern_navy/uss_missouri.htm.
30.5" long
x 10.5" x 6" wide (1/350
scale) $2,890 
shipping
and insurance in the
contiguous USA
included. Other places:
$300 flat rate.
This model is in stock and will be shipped
within three business days.
54" long
x 15" tall x 7" wide.
Please click here for a similar quality ship:
Missouri.
$8,450 shipping
and insurance in the
contiguous USA
included. Other places: $700 flat rate. This large model weighs
less than 20 lbs and can be carried around easily by an average
man.
This model is built per commission only. We require only
a small deposit of $2,000 to start the process.
The
remaining balance won't be due until the model is
completed, in about nine months.
We have visited the real
USS Iowa in San Pedro many times since 1018. We post photos
here for your enjoyment: the real USS Iowa BB-61
Learn more about the USS Iowa here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Iowa_(BB-61).
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