Length overall ( LOA , o/a , o.a. or oa ) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also used for calculating the cost of a marina berth (for example, £2.50 per metre LOA).
193-685: USS Missouri (BB-63) is an Iowa -class battleship built for the United States Navy (USN) in the 1940s and is a museum ship . Completed in 1944, she is the last battleship commissioned by the United States. The ship was assigned to the Pacific Theater during World War II , where she participated in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and shelled the Japanese home islands . Her quarterdeck
386-515: A 600-ship Navy , led by Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman , Missouri was reactivated and towed by the salvage ship Beaufort to the Long Beach Naval Yard in the summer of 1984 to undergo modernization in advance of her scheduled recommissioning. In preparation for the move, a skeleton crew of 20 spent three weeks working 12 to 16-hour days preparing the battleship for her tow. Over
579-438: A Mark 36 SRBOC system to fire chaff rockets intended to confuse enemy missiles. The ship's crew now consisted of 65 officers and 1,450 enlisted men. During the modernization the ship's 800 lb (360 kg) bell, which had been removed from the battleship and sent to Jefferson City, Missouri for sesquicentennial celebrations in the state, was formally returned to the battleship in advance of her recommissioning. Missouri
772-484: A SPS-8 system that required strengthening the mainmast to handle its weight. The day before the end of the overhaul, Captain Taylor Keith relieved Brodie in command of the ship. As the flagship of Rear Admiral Ruthven Libby , who had relieved Woolridge, Missouri departed Norfolk on 7 June as the flagship of the midshipman training cruise to Lisbon , Portugal, Cherbourg , France, and Cuba. During this voyage Missouri
965-557: A broadside of all nine. The fire control was performed by the Mark 38 Gun Fire Control System (GFCS); the firing solutions were computed with the Mark 8 rangekeeper, an analog computer that automatically receives information from the director and Mark 8/13 fire control radar, stable vertical, ship pitometer log and gyrocompass, and anemometer. The GFCS uses remote power control ( RPC ) for automatic gun laying . The large-caliber guns were designed to fire two different conventional 16-inch shells:
1158-511: A shakedown cruise and conducted training. During this period, she operated with the new large cruiser Alaska , which had also recently entered service, and several escorting destroyers . The ship got underway on 11 November, bound for the West Coast of the United States . She passed through the Panama Canal a week later and continued on to San Francisco . There, additional fitting-out work
1351-502: A 1935 empirical formula for predicting a ship's maximum speed based on scale-model studies in flumes of various hull forms and propellers and a newly developed empirical theorem that related waterline length to maximum beam, the Navy drafted plans for a battleship class with a maximum beam of 108 ft 2 in (32.97 m) which, when multiplied by 7.96, produced a waterline length of 860 ft (262 m). The Navy also called for
1544-502: A better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past, a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice." By 09:30 the Japanese emissaries had departed. In the afternoon of 5 September, Halsey transferred his flag to the battleship South Dakota , and early the next day Missouri departed Tokyo Bay. As part of
1737-424: A bore length of 190 inches (4,800 mm), and a rifling length of 157.2 inches (3,990 mm). The gun could fire shells at about 2,500–2,600 ft/s (760–790 m/s); about 4,600 could be fired before the barrel needed to be replaced. Minimum and maximum elevations were −15 and 85 degrees, respectively. The guns' elevation could be raised or lowered at about 15 degrees per second. The mounts closest to
1930-468: A courier brought the flag that Commodore Matthew Perry had flown during his expedition to open Japan in 1853; the flag was to be displayed during the surrender ceremony. The flotilla then entered Tokyo Bay on 29 August, and Missouri was anchored close to where Perry had anchored his own vessels some ninety-two years earlier. Poor weather delayed the ceremony until 2 September. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz boarded shortly after 08:00, and General of
2123-482: A designed cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), although the New Jersey 's fuel consumption figures during her sea trials suggest that her range was at least 20,150 nmi (37,320 km; 23,190 mi) at that cruising speed. Their designed crew numbered 117 officers and 1,804 enlisted men which had greatly increased by
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#17328386905302316-399: A displacement greater than that of most battleships, its armor would have protected it only against the 8-inch (200 mm) weapons carried by heavy cruisers . Three improved plans – "A", "B", and "C" – were designed at the end of January. An increase in draft , vast additions to the armor, and the substitution of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in the secondary battery were common among
2509-636: A few weeks earlier. Other highlights during the year included port visits in British Columbia and Washington . In the early months of 1989, Missouri was in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for routine maintenance. It was there that the Missouri was the site and setting of Cher's music video for If I Could Turn Back Time . A few months later she departed for the multi-national Pacific Exercise (PacEx) '89 , where she and New Jersey performed
2702-476: A firepower demonstration off Okinawa for the Japanese and some of the other allied ships. Missouri fired 45 rounds of 16-inch and 263 of 5-inch, considerably more than her sister. The highlight of PacEx was a port visit in Pusan , Republic of Korea during which she had some trouble docking in the port's shallow water. At the end of the year, the ship visited Mazatlan , Mexico. In early 1990, Missouri again took part in
2895-532: A fleet oiler that also brought the ship's new commander, Captain Stuart S. Murray , who relieved Captain Callaghan on 14 May. On 9 May, Missouri reached Ulithi, before continuing on to Apra Harbor , Guam , where she arrived nine days later. Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. , the commander of Third Fleet , came aboard the ship that day, making her the fleet flagship of what was now re-designated as TF 38. On 21 May,
3088-402: A high-tensile structural steel with armor properties comparable to Class B, was extensively used in the hull plating to increase protection. The citadel consisting of the magazines and engine rooms was protected by an STS outer hull plating 1.5 inches (38 mm) thick and a Class A armor belt 12.1 inches (307 mm) thick mounted on 0.875-inch (22.2 mm) STS backing plate; the armor belt
3281-472: A large ship. The grounding occurred during a particularly high tide making the effort to free her even more difficult as did having an abandoned anchor becoming embedded in her hull. After off-loading ammunition, fuel and food to lighten the battleship, she was refloated on 1 February with the aid of tugboats , pontoons , beach gear and a rising tide. After the subsequent Naval Board of Inquiry , Brown and three of his officers were court-martialled . Brown
3474-610: A maximum superheater outlet temperature of 850 °F (454 °C). The double-expansion engines consist of a high-pressure (HP) turbine and a low-pressure (LP) turbine. The steam is first passed through the HP turbine which turns at up to 2,100 rpm. The steam, largely depleted at this point, is then passed through a large conduit to the LP turbine. By the time it reaches the LP turbine, it has no more than 50 psi (340 kPa) of pressure left. The LP turbine increases efficiency and power by extracting
3667-667: A maximum thickness of 14.5 in (368 mm) at the top that tapers to 11.7 in (297 mm). The aft bulkhead is a consistent 14.5 inches in thickness, but does not go below the lower belt extension due it meeting the armored third deck protecting the shafts and steering gears; the steering gear is closed by another 14.5-inch aft bulkhead. The main-gun turrets has Class B plates 19.5 in (495 mm) thick on their faces and 9.5 in (241 mm) of Class A plates on their sides. The armor plates protecting their barbettes range in thickness from 17.3 in (439 mm) to 14.8 in (376 mm) and 11.6 in (295 mm) with
3860-521: A midshipman training cruise to Brazil, Cuba and Panama and returned to Norfolk on 4 August. Woolridge hauled down his flag in October as he transferred to another ship; Rear Admiral Clark Green, commander of Battleship Division 2 replaced him. The battleship was overhauled in Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 20 November to 2 April 1954 that included replacing her 16-inch guns and exchanging her SP radar for
4053-411: A reasonable degree of success. However, this did not mean that it possessed inferior anti-air abilities. As proven during 1941 gunnery tests conducted aboard North Carolina the gun could consistently shoot down aircraft flying at 12,000–13,000 feet (2.3–2.5 mi; 3.7–4.0 km), twice the effective range of the earlier single-purpose 5-inch/25 caliber AA gun. As Japanese airplanes became faster,
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#17328386905304246-568: A second three-week Arctic cold-weather training cruise to the Davis Strait. During the next two years, Missouri participated in exercises from the New England coast to the Caribbean, alternated with two midshipman summer training cruises. She was overhauled at Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 23 September 1949 to 17 January 1950. Throughout the latter half of the 1940s, the various service branches of
4439-489: A short speech especially aimed at the ship's crew, which ended with "now take care of my baby." Her remarks were met with rounds of applause from the crew. Only briefly in command, Kaiss was relieved by Captain James A. Carney on 20 June. Three months later Missouri departed from her new home port of Long Beach for an around-the-world cruise, visiting Pearl Harbor Hawaii; Sydney , Hobart , and Perth , Australia; Diego Garcia ;
4632-466: A significant accuracy advantage over earlier ships with optical rangefinders; this was demonstrated off Truk Atoll on 16 February 1944, when the New Jersey engaged the Japanese destroyer Nowaki at a range of 35,700 yards (32.6 km; 17.6 nmi) and straddled her, setting the record for the longest-ranged straddle in history. In World War II, the electronic countermeasures (ECM) included
4825-426: A slight advantage over the 16-inch/50 caliber Mark 7 gun when hitting deck armor – a shell from a 45 cal gun would be slower, meaning that it would have a steeper trajectory as it descended. At 35,000 yards (20 mi; 32 km), a shell from a 45 cal would strike a ship at an angle of 45.2 degrees, as opposed to 36 degrees with the 50 cal. The Mark 7 had a greater maximum range over
5018-580: A small detachment of Marines aboard, the Marines would man one of the 5-inch gun mounts. At the time of their commissioning, all four of the Iowa -class battleships were equipped with 20 quad 40 mm mounts and 49 single 20 mm mounts. These guns were respectively augmented with the Mk ;14 range sight and Mk 51 fire control system to improve accuracy. The Oerlikon 20-millimeter (0.8 in) gun, one of
5211-402: A top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) and a range of 20,000 nautical miles (37,000 km; 23,000 mi) when traveling at the more economical speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Their plan fulfilled these requirements with a ship of 50,940 long tons (51,760 t) standard displacement, but Chantry believed that more could be done if the ship were to be this large; with
5404-465: Is sloped at 19 degrees, equivalent to 17.3 in (439 mm) of vertical class B armor at 19,000 yards. The armor belt extends to the triple bottom, where the Class B lower portion tapers to 1.62 inches (41 mm). The ends of the armored citadel are closed by 11.3-inch (287 mm) vertical Class A transverse bulkheads for Iowa and New Jersey . The transverse bulkhead armor on Missouri and Wisconsin
5597-482: Is usually measured on the hull alone. For sailing ships , this may exclude the bowsprit and other fittings added to the hull. This is how some racing boats and tall ships use the term LOA. However, other sources may include bowsprits in LOA. Confusingly, LOA has different meanings. "Sparred length", "Total length including bowsprit", "Mooring length" and "LOA including bowsprit" are other expressions that might indicate
5790-565: The 600-ship Navy plan. Cruise missile and anti-ship missile launchers were added along with updated electronics. The ship served in the Persian Gulf escorting oil tankers during threats from Iran, often while keeping her fire-control systems trained on land-based Iranian missile launchers. She served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 including providing fire support. Missouri was again decommissioned in 1992, but remained on
5983-484: The AN/SPY-1 Aegis Combat System radar on the battleships – were suggested in 1962, 1974, and 1977, but as before, these proposals failed to gain the needed authorization. This was due, in part, to the possibility that sensitive electronics within 200 ft (61 m) of any 16-inch gun muzzle may be damaged from overpressure. In 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected president on a promise to build up
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6176-842: The Dodecanese to be included in the peace treaty with Italy and for access through the Dardanelles strait between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The voyage of Missouri to the eastern Mediterranean symbolized America's strategic commitment to the region. News media proclaimed her a symbol of US interest in preserving Greece and Turkey's independence. Missouri departed Piraeus on 26 April, touching at Algiers and Tangiers before arriving at Norfolk on 9 May. She departed for Culebra Island on 12 May to join Admiral Mitscher's 8th Fleet in
6369-645: The Fast Carrier Task Force and also shelled Japanese positions. During the Korean War , the battleships provided naval gunfire support (NGFS) for United Nations forces , and in 1968, New Jersey shelled Viet Cong and Vietnam People's Army forces in the Vietnam War . All four were reactivated and modernized at the direction of the United States Congress in 1981, and armed with missiles during
6562-624: The Hungnam evacuation in December until the last UN troops, the American 3rd Infantry Division , departed on 24 December. In early 1951 Missouri alternated carrier escort duty and shore bombardments off the east coast of Korea until 19 March. During a visit to Yokosuka , Japan, Captain George Wright relieved Duke as commanding officer on 2 March. The battleship arrived at Yokosuka on 24 March and departed
6755-480: The Incheon landings . After a brief visit to Sasebo , Japan, to resupply, the ship arrived at Incheon on 19 September, and began bombarding North Korean troops as they retreated north. On 10 October she became flagship of Rear Admiral John M. Higgins , commander of Cruiser Division 5. She arrived at Sasebo on 14 October, where she became flagship of Vice Admiral A. D. Struble , Commander, Seventh Fleet . After screening
6948-400: The Iowa class was to consist of only four battleships with hull numbers BB-61 to BB-64: Iowa , New Jersey , Missouri , and Wisconsin . However, changing priorities during World War II resulted in the battleship hull numbers BB-65 Montana and BB-66 Ohio being reordered as Illinois and Kentucky , respectively; Montana and Ohio were reassigned to hull numbers BB-67 and BB-68. At
7141-708: The Iowa s carried the Vought OS2U Kingfisher and Curtiss SC Seahawk , both of which were employed to spot for the battleship's main gun batteries – and, in a secondary capacity, perform search-and-rescue missions. By the time of the Korean War, helicopters had replaced floatplanes and the Sikorsky HO3S-1 helicopter was employed. New Jersey made use of the Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH drone for her Vietnam War deployment in 1968–69. The Iowa class were
7334-561: The Iowa s have a double bottom hull that becomes a triple bottom under the armored citadel and armored skegs around the inboard shafts. The dimensions of the Iowa s were strongly influenced by speed. When the Second Vinson Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1938, the U.S. Navy moved quickly to develop a 45,000-ton-standard battleship that would pass through the 110 ft (34 m) wide Panama Canal . Drawing on
7527-716: The Korean People's Army (KPA) supply lines; as a result, the KPA had begun a lengthy retreat from South Korea into North Korea. This retreat was closely monitored by the People's Republic of China (PRC), out of fear that the UN offensive against Korea would create a US-backed enemy on China's border, and out of concern that the UN offensive in Korea could evolve into a UN war against China. In an effort to dissuade UN forces from completely overrunning North Korea,
7720-545: The Mark 7 , that was both lighter and smaller in outside diameter; this allowed it to be placed in a turret that would fit in the smaller barbette. The redesigned 3-gun turret, equipped as it was with the Mark 7 naval gun, provided an overall weight saving of nearly 850 long tons (864 t) to the overall design of the Iowa class. The contract design displacement subsequently stood at 45,155 long tons (45,880 t) standard and 56,088 long tons (56,988 t) full load. In May 1938,
7913-649: The Naval Vessel Register until her name was struck in 1995. In 1998, she was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association and became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii. The Iowa class of fast battleships was designed in the late 1930s in response to the US Navy 's expectations for a future war with the Empire of Japan . The last battleships to be built by the United States, they were also
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8106-820: The New Jersey was reactivated in 1968 for the Vietnam War, she was outfitted with the ULQ-6 ECM system. Like all battleships, the Iowa s carried heavy armor protection against shellfire and bombs with significant underwater protection against torpedoes. The Iowa s' " all-or-nothing " armor scheme was largely modeled on that of the preceding South Dakota class, and designed to give a zone of immunity against fire from 16-inch/45-caliber guns between 18,000 and 30,000 yards (16,000 and 27,000 m; 10 and 17 mi) away. The protection system consists of Class A face-hardened Krupp cemented (K.C.) armor and Class B homogeneous Krupp-type armor; furthermore, special treatment steel (STS),
8299-492: The New York Navy Yard , the lead shipyard, conducted the final detail design. These revisions included changing the design of the foremast, replacing the original 1.1-inch (27.9 mm)/75-caliber guns that were to be used for anti-aircraft (AA) work with 20 mm (0.79 in)/70 caliber Oerlikon cannons and 40 mm (1.57 in)/56 caliber Bofors guns , and moving the combat information center into
8492-545: The Norden bombsight further fueled these concerns. While the design of the Iowa s was too far along to adequately address this issue, experience in the Pacific theater eventually demonstrated that high-altitude unguided bombing was ineffective against maneuvering warships. When they were commissioned during World War II, the Iowa -class battleships came equipped with two aircraft catapults designed to launch floatplanes . Initially,
8685-431: The Pacific Theater of World War II , and accounted for roughly half of all Japanese aircraft shot down between 1 October 1944 and 1 February 1945. Although successful in this role against WWII aircraft, the 40 mm guns were stripped from the battleships in the jet age – initially from New Jersey when reactivated in 1968 and later from Iowa , Missouri, and Wisconsin when they were reactivated for service in
8878-619: The RIM-2 Terrier missile after World War II. One such proposal came from Rear Admiral W.K. Mendenhall, Chairman of the Ship Characteristics Board (SCB) ; Mendenhall proposed a plan that called for $ 15–30 million to be spent to allow Kentucky to be completed as a guided-missile battleship (BBG) carrying eight SSM-N-8 Regulus II guided missiles with a range of 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km; 1,200 mi). He also suggested Terrier or RIM-8 Talos launchers to supplement
9071-611: The Suez Canal ; Istanbul , Turkey; Naples , Italy; Rota , Spain; Lisbon , Portugal; and the Panama Canal . Missouri became the first American battleship to circumnavigate the globe since Theodore Roosevelt 's " Great White Fleet " 80 years before—a fleet which included the first battleship named USS Missouri (BB-11) . In 1987, Missouri was outfitted with 40 mm grenade launchers and 25 mm chain guns and sent to take part in Operation Earnest Will ,
9264-418: The "escalator clause" that would permit maximum standard capital ship displacement of 45,000 long tons (45,700 t). Using the additional 10,000 long tons (10,200 t) over previous designs, the studies included schemes for 27-knot (50 km/h; 31 mph) "slow" battleships that increased armament and protection as well as "fast" battleships capable of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) or more. One of
9457-508: The "slow" designs was an expanded South Dakota class carrying either twelve 16-inch/45 caliber Mark 6 guns or nine 18-inch (457 mm)/48 guns and with more armor and a power plant large enough to drive the larger ship through the water at the same 27-knot maximum speed as the South Dakota s. While the "fast" studies would result in the Iowa class, the "slow" design studies would eventually settle on twelve 16-inch guns and evolve into
9650-608: The "surrender deck" where a bronze plaque memorialized the spot ( 35°21′17″N 139°45′36″E / 35.3547°N 139.76°E / 35.3547; 139.76 ) in Tokyo Bay where Japan surrendered to the Allies. The accompanying historical display included copies of the surrender documents and photos. Nearly thirty years passed before Missouri returned to active duty. Under the Reagan Administration 's program to build
9843-454: The 16-inch guns and a quartet of Mk 37 gun fire control systems with Mark 12 fire control radar and Mark 22 height finding radar to direct the 5-inch gun batteries. These systems were upgraded over time with the Mark 13 replacing the Mark 8 and the Mark 25 replacing the Mark 12/22, but they remained the cornerstones of the combat radar systems on the Iowa class during their careers. The range estimation of these gunfire control systems provided
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#173283869053010036-408: The 1980s, as part of the 600-ship Navy initiative. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Missouri and Wisconsin fired missiles and 16-inch (406 mm) guns at Iraqi targets. Costly to maintain, the battleships were decommissioned during the post- Cold War drawdown in the early 1990s. All four were initially removed from the Naval Vessel Register , but the United States Congress compelled
10229-467: The 1980s. The powerplant of the Iowa s consists of eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers and four sets of double reduction cross-compound geared turbines , with each turbine set driving a single shaft. Specifically, the geared turbines on Iowa and Missouri were provided by General Electric , while the equivalent machinery on New Jersey and Wisconsin was provided by Westinghouse . The plant produced 212,000 shp (158,000 kW) and propelled
10422-470: The 2,700-pound (1,225 kg) Mk 8 "Super-heavy" APC (Armor Piercing, Capped) shell for anti-ship and anti-structure work, and the 1,900-pound (862 kg) Mk 13 high-explosive round designed for use against unarmored targets and shore bombardment. When firing the same conventional shell, the 16-inch/45 caliber Mark 6 used by the fast battleships of the North Carolina and South Dakota classes had
10615-408: The 35,000-long-ton (36,000 t) South Dakota class. The first plans made for this indicated that 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) was possible on a standard displacement of about 37,600 long tons (38,200 t). 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) could be bought with 220,000 shp (160,000 kW) and a standard displacement of around 39,230 long tons (39,860 t), which was well below
10808-424: The 45,000-long-ton (46,000 t) limit. An apparent savior appeared in a Bureau of Ordnance preliminary design for a turret that could carry the 50-caliber guns and also fit in the smaller barbette of the 45-caliber gun turret. Other weight savings were achieved by thinning some armor elements and substituting construction steel with armor-grade Special Treatment Steel (STS) in certain areas. The net savings reduced
11001-602: The AA guns and proposed nuclear (instead of conventional) shells for the 16-inch guns. This never materialized, and Kentucky was ultimately sold for scrap in 1958, although her bow was used to repair her sister Wisconsin after a collision on 6 May 1956, earning her the nickname WisKy . In 1954, the Long Range Objectives Group of the United States Navy suggested converting the Iowa -class ships to BBGs. In 1958,
11194-565: The Army Douglas MacArthur , the Supreme Commander for the Allies, came on board at 08:43. The Japanese representatives, headed by Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu , arrived at 08:56, 2 September 1945. At 09:02, General MacArthur stepped before a battery of microphones and opened the 23-minute surrender ceremony to the waiting world by stating, "It is my earnest hope—indeed the hope of all mankind—that from this solemn occasion
11387-582: The Bureau of Ships offered a proposal based on this idea. This replaced the 5- and 16-inch gun batteries with "two Talos twin missile systems, two RIM-24 Tartar twin missile systems, an RUR-5 ASROC antisubmarine missile launcher, and a Regulus II installation with four missiles", as well as flagship facilities, sonar, helicopters, and fire-control systems for the Talos and Tartar missiles. In addition to these upgrades, 8,600 long tons (8,700 t) of additional fuel oil
11580-509: The Japanese Kamikaze attacks used during the latter half of World War II and were subsequently phased out in favor of the heavier Bofors 40-millimeter (1.6 in) AA gun. When the Iowa -class battleships were commissioned in 1943 and 1944, they carried twenty quad 40 mm AA gun mounts, which they used for defense against enemy aircraft. These heavy AA guns were also employed in the protection of Allied aircraft carriers operating in
11773-685: The Japanese battle line was therefore a major driving force in setting the design criteria for the new ships, as was the restricting width of the Panama Canal. For "fast" battleships, one such design, pursued by the Design Division section of the Bureau of Construction and Repair , was a "cruiser-killer". Beginning on 17 January 1938, under Captain A.J. Chantry , the group drew up plans for ships with twelve 16-inch and twenty 5-inch (127 mm) guns, Panamax capability but otherwise unlimited displacement,
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#173283869053011966-491: The Japanese fleet into battle. Even the new standard battle line speed of 27 knots, as the preceding North Carolina -class and South Dakota -class battleships were designed for, was not considered enough and during their development processes, designs that could achieve over 30 knots in order to counter the threat of fast "big gun" ships were seriously considered. At the same time, a special strike force consisting of fast battleships operating alongside carriers and destroyers
12159-624: The Korean peninsula. Due to the urgency of her mission Duke took the battleship directly through a hurricane off the coast of North Carolina on 20 August that blew her helicopters off the stern and damaged her enough that she required nearly a week's worth of repairs once she reached Pearl Harbor. Missouri arrived just west of Kyūshū on 14 September, where she became the flagship of Rear Admiral Allan Edward Smith . The first American battleship to reach Korean waters, she bombarded Samchok on 15 September in an attempt to divert troops and attention from
12352-547: The London Treaty's "escalator clause" maximum limit of 45,000 long tons (45,700 t). These designs were able to convince the General Board that a reasonably well-designed and balanced 33-knot "fast" battleship was possible within the terms of the "escalator clause". However, further studies revealed major problems with the estimates. The speed of the ships meant that more freeboard would be needed both fore and amidships,
12545-490: The Mark 6: 23.64 miles (38.04 km) vs 22.829 miles (36.740 km). In the 1950s, the W23, an adaptation of the W19 nuclear artillery shell , was developed specifically for the 16-inch guns. The shell weighed 1,900 pounds (862 kg), had an estimated yield of 15 to 20 kilotons of TNT (63,000 to 84,000 GJ), and its introduction made the Iowa -class battleships' 16-inch guns
12738-525: The Mk 8 armor-piercing shell due to the weapon's increased muzzle velocity and improved shell penetration; increasing the armor would have increased weight and reduced speed, a compromise that the General Board was not willing to make. The Iowa s' torpedo defense was based on the South Dakota s' design, with modifications to address shortcomings discovered during caisson tests. The system is an internal "bulge" that consists of four longitudinal torpedo bulkheads behind
12931-479: The Navy to reinstate two of them on the grounds that existing shore bombardment capability would be inadequate for amphibious operations . This resulted in a lengthy debate over whether battleships should have a role in the modern navy. Ultimately, all four ships were stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and released for donation to non-profit organizations. With the transfer of Iowa in 2012, all four are museum ships part of non-profit maritime museums across
13124-568: The Navy's first large-scale postwar Atlantic training maneuvers. The battleship returned to New York City on 27 May, and spent the next year steaming Atlantic coastal waters north to the Davis Strait and south to the Caribbean on various training exercises. On 3 December, during a gunnery exercise in the North Atlantic, a star shell fired by the light cruiser Little Rock accidentally struck
13317-528: The People's Republic of China issued diplomatic warnings that they would use force to protect North Korea, but these warnings were not taken seriously for a number of reasons. This changed abruptly on 19 October 1950, when the first of an eventual total of 380,000 People's Liberation Army soldiers under the command of General Peng Dehuai crossed into North Korea, launching a full-scale assault against advancing UN troops . The PRC offensive forced UN troops to retreat. The Missouri provided gunfire support during
13510-460: The RimPac Exercise and Kaiss returned to relieve Chernesky on 13 June. On 2 August 1990 Iraq , led by President Saddam Hussein , invaded Kuwait . In the middle of the month US President George H. W. Bush sent the first of several hundred thousand troops, along with a strong force of naval support, to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf area to support a multinational force in a standoff with Iraq. Iowa-class battleship The Iowa class
13703-399: The SK-2 air-search radar and SG surface-search radar; the Iowa class was updated to make use of these systems between 1945 and 1952. At the same time, the ships' radar systems were augmented with the installation of the SP height finder on the main mast. In 1952, AN/SPS-10 surface-search radar and AN/SPS-6 air-search radar replaced the SK and SG radar systems, respectively. Two years later
13896-522: The SP height finder was replaced by the AN/SPS-8 height finder, which was installed on the main mast of the battleships. In addition to these search and navigational radars, the Iowa class were also outfitted with a variety of fire control radars for their gun systems. Beginning with their commissioning, the battleships made use of a pair of Mk 38 gun fire control systems with Mark 8 fire control radar to direct
14089-681: The SPS-8 radar and the mainmast were removed. The added missile capacity necessitated additional fire-support systems to launch and guide the ordnance. To fire the Harpoon anti-ship missiles, the ship was equipped with the SWG-1 fire-control system. Missouri was also outfitted with the AN/SLQ-25 Nixie to be used as a decoy against enemy torpedoes, an AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite electronic-warfare system that can detect, jam, and deceive an opponent's radar and
14282-579: The SPT-1 and SPT-4 equipment; passive electronic support measures (ESM) were a pair of DBM radar direction finders and three intercept receiving antennas, while the active components were the TDY-1 jammers located on the sides of the fire control tower. The ships were also equipped with the identification, friend or foe (IFF) Mark III system, which was replaced by the IFF Mark X when the ships were overhauled in 1955. When
14475-473: The Second World War, including every major ship type and many smaller warships constructed between 1934 and 1945. They were considered to be "highly reliable, robust and accurate" by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance. Each 5-inch/38 gun weighed almost 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) without the breech; the entire mount weighed 156,295 pounds (70,894 kg). It was 223.8 inches (5,680 mm) long overall, had
14668-480: The U.S. Navy's traditional 21-knot battle line of "Standard-type" battleships would be too slow to force these Japanese task forces into battle, while faster aircraft carriers and their cruiser escorts would be outmatched by the Japanese Kongō -class battlecruisers, which had been upgraded in the 1930s to fast battleships . As a result, the U.S. Navy envisioned a fast detachment of the battle line that could bring
14861-459: The US Navy had consistently advocated armor and firepower at the expense of speed. Even in adopting fast battleships of the North Carolina class, it had preferred the slower of two alternative designs. Great and expensive improvements in machinery design had been used to minimize the increased power on the designs rather than make extraordinary powerful machinery (hence much higher speed) practical. Yet
15054-459: The US Navy's largest and fastest vessels of the type. American officers preferred comparatively slow but heavily armed and armored battleships, but Navy planners determined that such a fleet would have difficulty in bringing the faster Japanese fleet to battle, particularly the Kongō -class battlecruisers and the aircraft carriers of the 1st Air Fleet . Design studies prepared during the development of
15247-622: The US military as a response to the increasing military power of the Soviet Union . The Soviet Navy was commissioning the Kirov class of missile cruisers, the largest type of surface combatant since World War II . As part of Reagan's 600-ship Navy policy and as a counter to the Kirov class, the US Navy began reactivating the four Iowa -class units and modernizing them for service. Length overall LOA
15440-460: The US. The vessels that eventually became the Iowa -class battleships were born from the U.S. Navy's War Plan Orange , a Pacific war plan against Japan. War planners anticipated that the U.S. fleet would engage and advance in the Central Pacific, with a long line of communication and logistics that would be vulnerable to high-speed Japanese cruisers and capital ships. The chief concern was that
15633-656: The United States Congress passed the Second Vinson Act , which "mandated a 20% increase in strength of the United States Navy ". The act was sponsored by Carl Vinson , a Democratic Congressman from Georgia who was Chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee. The Second Vinson Act updated the provisions of the Vinson-Trammell Act of 1934 and the Naval Act of 1936, which had "authorized
15826-472: The United States and disembarked at Norfolk on 19 September. Her overhaul in New York, which lasted from 23 September to 10 March 1948 included upgrading most of her radar suite. The SK-2 system was replaced by a SR-3 radar and both SG fire-control radars were removed, an improved SG-6 replaced the forward antenna and the aft SG was exchanged for a SP height-finding radar ; Mark 25 fire-control radars replaced
16019-479: The United States had been reducing their inventories from their World War II levels. For the Navy, this resulted in several vessels of various types being decommissioned and either sold for scrap or placed in one of the various United States Navy reserve fleets scattered along the coasts. As part of this contraction, three of the Iowa -class battleships had been de-activated and decommissioned but President Truman refused to allow Missouri to be decommissioned. Against
16212-643: The United States to intervene on behalf of the United Nations (UN). President Truman ordered US forces stationed in Japan into South Korea. Truman also sent US-based troops, tanks, fighter and bomber aircraft, and a strong naval force to Korea to support the Republic of Korea. As part of the naval mobilization Missouri was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and dispatched from Norfolk on 19 August to support UN forces on
16405-463: The United States unilaterally withdrew all of its nuclear artillery shells from service, and the dismantling of the US nuclear artillery inventory is said to have been completed in 2004. The Iowa s carried twenty 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber Mark 12 guns in ten Mark 28 Mod 2 enclosed base ring mounts. Originally designed to be mounted upon destroyers built in the 1930s, these guns were so successful that they were added to many American ships during
16598-469: The actual invasion target on the western side of the island, during which she fired 180 rounds . Missouri thereafter returned to TG 58.4. While operating with the carriers on 11 April, Missouri came under attack from a kamikaze that struck the side of the vessel below the main deck. The impact shattered the aircraft, throwing gasoline on the deck that rapidly ignited, but it was quickly suppressed by her crew. The attack caused superficial damage and
16791-409: The addition of 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) over the South Dakota s. Rather than retaining the 16-inch/45 caliber Mark 6 guns used in the South Dakota s, they ordered that the preliminary design would have to include the more powerful but significantly heavier 16-inch/50 caliber Mark 2 guns left over from the canceled Lexington -class battlecruisers and South Dakota -class battleships of
16984-476: The advice of Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson , Secretary of the Navy John L. Sullivan , and Chief of Naval Operations Louis E. Denfeld , Truman ordered Missouri to be maintained with the active fleet partly because of his fondness for the battleship and partly because the battleship had been christened by his daughter Margaret. Captain William D. Brown assumed command of the battleship on 10 December while she
17177-400: The armored deck above it. The armor deck extends aft and the roof of the steering gear compartment is 6.2 in (160 mm) thick. The underwater protection system of the Iowa -class battleships consists of three watertight compartments outboard of the lower armor belt and another behind it. The two outermost compartment are kept loaded with fuel oil or seawater to absorb the energy of
17370-539: The armored hull. Additionally, in November 1939, the New York Navy Yard greatly modified the internal subdivision of the machinery rooms, as tests had shown the underwater protection in these rooms to be inadequate. The longitudinal subdivision of these rooms was doubled, and the result of this was clearly beneficial: "The prospective effect of flooding was roughly halved and the number of uptakes and hence of openings in
17563-466: The barbettes. These guns fire high explosive- and armor-piercing shells and can fire a 16-inch shell approximately 23.4 nautical miles (43.3 km; 26.9 mi). The guns are housed in three 3-gun turrets: two forward of the battleship's superstructure and one aft, in a configuration known as "2-A-1". The guns are 66 feet (20 m) long (50 times their 16-inch bore, or 50 calibers from breechface to muzzle ). About 43 feet (13 m) protrudes from
17756-548: The battleship fired a 21-gun salute (the first of 3 that day) as Truman—who had since become President of the United States—boarded for Navy Day ceremonies. After an overhaul in the New York Naval Shipyard that included the replacement of the Mark 8 fire-control radars with Mark 13 models, and a training cruise to Cuba , Missouri returned to New York. During the afternoon of 21 March 1946, she received
17949-457: The battleship got underway again, bound for Okinawa. She had reached the operational area by 27 May, when she took part in attacks on Japanese positions on the island. Together with the rest of the Third Fleet, she then steamed north to conduct a series of air strikes on Japanese airfields and other installations on the island of Kyūshū on 2 and 3 June. The fleet was struck by a major typhoon on
18142-423: The battleship remained on station. Two crewmen were wounded on 17 April when another kamikaze clipped the stern crane and crashed in the ship's wake . Missouri left Task Force 58 on 5 May to return to Ulithi; in the course of her operations off Okinawa, she claimed five aircraft shot down and another probable kill, along with partial credit for another six aircraft destroyed. While en route, Missouri refueled from
18335-752: The battleship, killing one crewman and wounding three others. Missouri arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 30 August 1947 for the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Hemisphere Peace and Security . President Truman boarded on 2 September to celebrate the signing of the Rio Treaty , which broadened the Monroe Doctrine by stipulating that an attack on any one of the signatory American countries would be considered an attack on all. The Truman family boarded Missouri on 7 September 1947 to return to
18528-644: The beginning of the overhaul. The battleship departed Hampton Roads on 11 September and arrived at Yokosuka on 17 October. Vice Admiral Joseph J. Clark , commander of the Seventh Fleet, brought his staff onboard on 19 October. Her primary mission was to provide naval gunfire support, codenamed "Cobra strikes", in the Chaho-Tanchon area, at Chongjin, in the Tanchon-Sonjin area, and at Chaho, Wonsan, Hamhung , and Hungnam from 25 October through 2 January 1953. One of
18721-406: The bow and stern could aim from −150 to 150 degrees; the others were restricted to −80 to 80 degrees. They could be turned at about 25 degrees per second. The mounts were directed by four Mark 37 fire control systems primarily through remote power control (RPC). The 5-inch/38 gun functioned as a dual-purpose gun (DP); that is, it was able to fire at both surface and air targets with
18914-525: The bow and stern. Missouri was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named after the US state of Missouri . The ship was authorized by Congress in 1938 and ordered on 12 June 1940 with the hull number BB-63. The keel for Missouri was laid down at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 6 January 1941 in slipway 1. The ship was launched on 29 January 1944 before a crowd of 20,000 to 30,000 spectators. At
19107-457: The carrier Valley Forge along the east coast of Korea , she conducted bombardment missions from 12 to 26 October in the Chongjin and Tanchon areas on the west coast, and at Wonsan where she again screened carriers eastward of Wonsan. During this time, comedian Bob Hope visited the battleship and gave three performances for the crew. MacArthur's amphibious landings at Incheon had severed
19300-419: The centerline at the ends of the superstructure and one on each broadside, control the five-inch guns. Each director was equipped with a 15-foot (4.6 m) rangefinder and a pair of radars on its roof. These were a Mark 12 fire-control system and a Mark 22 height-finder radar . Each 40 mm mount was remotely controlled by a Mark 51 director that incorporated a Mark 14 lead-computing gyro gunsight while
19493-588: The centerline, extending down to the main armor deck. The conning tower armor is Class B with 17.3 inches (439 mm) on all sides and 7.25 inches (184 mm) on the roof. The secondary battery turrets and handling spaces were protected by 2.5 inches (64 mm) of STS. The propulsion shafts and steering gear compartment behind the citadel had considerable protection, with 13.5-inch (343 mm) Class A side strake and 5.6–6.2-inch (142–157 mm) roof. The armor's immunity zone shrank considerably against guns equivalent to their own 16-inch/50-caliber guns armed with
19686-592: The centerpiece for Battlegroup Echo, Missouri escorted tanker convoys through the Strait of Hormuz , keeping her fire-control system trained on land-based Iranian Silkworm missile launchers. The ship returned to the United States via Diego Garcia, Australia, and Hawaii in early 1988. Captain John Chernesky relieved Carney on 6 July in Pearl Harbor during the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RimPac) exercises that had begun
19879-430: The class to have a lengthened forecastle and amidship, which would increase speed, and a bulbous bow . The Iowa s exhibit good stability, making them steady gun platforms. At design combat displacement, the ships' (GM) metacentric height was 9.26 ft (2.82 m). They also have excellent maneuverability in the open water for their size, while seakeeping is described as good, but not outstanding. In particular,
20072-427: The combination Mark 12/22 installations on the roofs of the Mark 37 directors. After the overhaul, the ship worked up at Guantanamo Bay . The summer of 1948 was devoted to midshipman and reserve training cruises. Also in 1948, Missouri became the first battleship to host a helicopter detachment, operating two Sikorsky HO3S-1 machines for utility and rescue work. The battleship departed Norfolk on 1 November 1948 for
20265-475: The construction of the first American battleships in 17 years", based on the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930; this act was quickly signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and provided the funding to build the Iowa class. Each ship cost approximately US$ 100 million. As 1938 drew to a close, the contract design of the Iowa s was nearly complete, but it would continuously evolve as
20458-473: The design for the 60,500-long-ton (61,500 t) Montana class after all treaty restrictions were removed following the start of World War II. Priority was given to the "fast" design in order to counter and defeat Japan's 30-knot (56 km/h; 35 mph) Kongō -class fast battleships, whose higher speed advantage over existing U.S. battleships might let them "penetrate U.S. cruisers, thereby making it 'open season' on U.S. supply ships", and then overwhelm
20651-485: The design proposal to rebuild these two ships as aircraft carriers and they were cleared for construction as fast battleships to conform to the Iowa -class design, though they differed from the earlier four that were built. Eventually, the Cleveland -class light cruisers were selected for the aircraft-carrier conversion. Nine of these light cruisers would be rebuilt as Independence -class light aircraft carriers. After
20844-602: The earlier North Carolina and South Dakota classes demonstrated the difficulty in resolving the desires of fleet officers with those of the planning staff within the displacement limits imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty system, which had governed capital ship construction since 1923. An escalator clause in the Second London Naval Treaty of 1936 allowed an increase from 35,000 long tons (36,000 t ) to 45,000 long tons (46,000 t) in
21037-440: The early 1920s. The 16"/50 turret weighed some 400 long tons (406 t) more than the 16"/45 turret already in use and also had a larger barbette diameter of 39 feet 4 inches (11.99 m) compared to the latter's barbette diameter of 37 feet 3 inches (11.35 m), so the total weight gain was about 2,000 long tons (2,030 t). This put the ship at a total of 46,551 long tons (47,298 t) – well over
21230-456: The east coast of Korea. As part of these, the ship would enter Wonsan Harbor to bombard targets there. North Korea artillery fruitlessly engaged her there on two occasions, 5 and 10 March, as their shells were fused to burst in the air. In retaliation for the latter incident, Missouri ' s five-inch guns fired 998 shells at the North Korean positions. The last bombardment mission by Missouri
21423-401: The effects, the third deck and triple bottom structure behind the lower armor belt were reinforced and the placement of brackets was changed. Iowa s' system was also improved over the South Dakota s' through closer spacing of the transverse bulkheads, greater thickness of the lower belt at the triple bottom joint, and increased total volume of the "bulge". The system was further modified for
21616-422: The empty compartment behind it absorb any remaining energy. However, the Navy discovered in caisson tests in 1939 that the initial design for this torpedo defense system was actually less effective than the previous design used on the North Carolina s due to the rigidity of the lower armor belt causing the explosion to significantly displace the final holding bulkhead inwards despite remaining watertight. To mitigate
21809-402: The end of the war in 1945. Missouri ' s crew at that time numbered 189 officers and 2,978 sailors. The main battery of the Iowa -class ships consisted of nine 16 in (406 mm)/50 caliber Mark 7 guns in three triple- gun turrets on the centerline , two of which were placed in a superfiring pair forward of the superstructure , with the third aft. Going from bow to stern ,
22002-535: The escorting of reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf . These smaller-caliber weapons were installed due to the threat of Iranian -manned, Swedish -made Boghammar cigarette boats operating in the Persian Gulf at the time. On 25 July, the ship departed on a six-month deployment to the Indian Ocean and North Arabian Sea . She spent more than 100 continuous days at sea in a hot, tense environment. As
22195-642: The event that any member nation refused to sign the treaty, which Japan refused to do. Missouri is 887 feet 3 inches (270.4 m) long overall and is 860 feet (262.1 m) long at the waterline . The ship has a beam of 108 ft 2 in (33 m) and a draft of 37 ft 9 in (11.5 m) at her full combat load of 57,540 long tons (58,460 t). The Iowa -class ships are powered by four General Electric geared steam turbines , each driving one screw propeller using steam provided by eight oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox boilers . Rated at 212,000 shaft horsepower (158,000 kW ),
22388-571: The facility in Bangor . The ship was decommissioned on 26 February 1955 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard where she was assigned to the Bremerton group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Missouri retained her Mark 27 radar until the mid-1950s. Missouri was moored at the last pier of the reserve fleet berthing. She served as a tourist attraction, logging about 250,000 visitors per year, who came to view
22581-485: The following day for a welcome by Greek government officials and anti-communist citizens. Greece had become the scene of a civil war between the pro-communist -dominated left-wing resistance organization EAM - ELAS and the returning Greek government-in-exile. The United States saw this as an important test case for its new doctrine of containment of the Soviet Union. The Soviets were also pushing for concessions in
22774-553: The four largest battleships the US Navy produced were not much more than 33-knot versions of the 27-knot, 35,000 tonners that had preceded them. The Iowa s showed no advance at all in protection over the South Dakota s. The principal armament improvement was a more powerful 16-inch gun, 5 calibers longer. Ten thousand tons was a very great deal to pay for 6 knots. Norman Friedman , U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History , p. 307. The Iowa -class battleships are 860 ft 0 in (262.13 m) long at
22967-501: The full length of a sailing ship. Often used to distinguish between the length of a vessel including projections (e.g. bow sprits, etc.) from the length of the hull itself, the Length on Deck or LOD is often reported. This is especially useful for smaller sailing vessels, as their LOA can be significantly different from their LOD. In ISO 8666 for small boats, there is a definition of LOH , or length of hull . This may be shorter than
23160-420: The gun house. Each gun weighs about 239,000 pounds (108,000 kg) without the breech, or 267,900 pounds (121,500 kg) with the breech. They fired 2,700-pound (1,225 kg) armor-piercing projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,500 ft/s (762 m/s ), or 1,900-pound (862 kg) high-capacity projectiles at 2,690 ft/s (820 m/s), up to 24 miles (21 nmi; 39 km). At maximum range,
23353-459: The gun lost some of its effectiveness in the anti-aircraft role; however, toward the end of the war, its usefulness as an anti-aircraft weapon increased again because of an upgrade to the Mark ;37 Fire Control System, Mark 1A computer, and proximity-fused shells. The 5-inch/38 gun would remain on the battleships for the ships' entire service life; however, the total number of guns and gun mounts
23546-401: The inboard pair consisting of five-bladed propellers 17 ft (5.18 m) in diameter. The propeller designs were adopted after earlier testing had determined that propeller cavitation caused a drop in efficiency at speeds over 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph). The two inner shafts were housed in skegs to smooth the flow of water to the propellers and improve the structural strength of
23739-462: The last battleships commissioned in the U.S. Navy. All older U.S. battleships were decommissioned by 1947 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register (NVR) by 1963. Between the mid-1940s and the early 1990s, the Iowa -class battleships fought in four major U.S. wars. In the Pacific Theater of World War II, they served primarily as fast escorts for Essex -class aircraft carriers of
23932-484: The last little bit of energy from the steam. After leaving the LP turbine, the exhaust steam passes into a condenser and is then returned as feed water to the boilers. Water lost in the process is replaced by three evaporators, which can make a total of 60,000 US gallons per day (3 liters per second) of fresh water. After the boilers have had their fill, the remaining fresh water is fed to the ship's potable water systems for drinking, showers, hand washing, cooking, etc. All of
24125-421: The last two ships of the class, Illinois and Kentucky , by eliminating knuckles along certain bulkheads; this was estimated to improve the strength of the system by as much as 20%. Based on costly lessons in the Pacific theater, concerns were raised about the ability of the armor on these battleships to withstand aerial bombing, particularly high-altitude bombing using armor-piercing bombs. Developments such as
24318-416: The latter requiring an additional foot of armored freeboard. Along with this came the associated weight in supporting these new strains: the structure of the ship had to be reinforced and the power plant enlarged to avoid a drop in speed. In all, about 2,400 long tons (2,440 t) had to be added, and the large margin the navy designers had previously thought they had – roughly 5,000 long tons (5,080 t) –
24511-577: The launching ceremony, the ship was christened by Margaret Truman , the ship sponsor and daughter of Harry S. Truman , then one of the senators from the ship's namesake state; Truman himself gave a speech at the ceremony. Fitting-out work proceeded quickly, and the ship was commissioned on 11 June; Captain William Callaghan served as her first commander. Missouri conducted her initial sea trials off New York, beginning on 10 July, and then steamed south to Chesapeake Bay , where she embarked on
24704-424: The long fine bow and sudden widening of the hull just in front of the foremost turret contributed to the ships being rather wet for their size. This hull form also resulted in very intense spray formations, which led to some difficulty refueling escorting destroyers. The primary guns used on these battleships are the nine 16-inch (406 mm)/50-caliber Mark 7 naval guns, a compromise design developed to fit inside
24897-463: The main-gun barbettes , forming the armored citadel . Part of the lower armor belt extends aft from the rear bulkhead to protect the ships' steering gear. Its maximum thickness ranges from 13 to 13.5 in (330 to 343 mm) at the top and the plates taper to 5 inches at the bottom. Unlike the Iowa and New Jersey , the armor plates in the forward transverse bulkhead in Missouri and Wisconsin have
25090-413: The most heavily produced anti-aircraft guns of the Second World War, entered service in 1941 and replaced the 0.50-inch (12.7 mm) M2 Browning MG on a one-for-one basis. Between December 1941 and September 1944, 32% of all Japanese aircraft downed were credited to this weapon, with the high point being 48.3% for the second half of 1942; however, the 20 mm guns were found to be ineffective against
25283-412: The new battleships. As the bureaus were independent of one another, they did not realize that the two plans could not go together until November 1938, when the contract design was in the final stages of refinement. By this time, the ships could not use the larger barbette, as it would require extensive alterations to the design and would result in substantial weight penalties. Reverting to the 45-caliber gun
25476-733: The next several months, the ship had her obsolete armament removed: 20 mm and 40 mm AA guns, their directors, and four of her ten 5-inch gun mounts. Installed in their place on the superstructure were four Mk 141 quad cell launchers for 16 RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles , eight Mk 143 Armored Box Launcher mounts for 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles , and a quartet of 20 mm Phalanx CIWS rotary cannon for defense against enemy anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft. She also received upgrades to radar and fire-control systems for her guns and missiles, and improved electronic warfare capabilities. Additions included an AN/SPS-49 early-warning radar and an AN/SPS-67 surface-search radar while
25669-773: The night of 5–6 June, which caused extensive damage to many ships of the fleet, though Missouri suffered only minor damage. Another round of air strikes against targets on Kyūshū took place on 8 June. The fleet then withdrew to Leyte Gulf to replenish fuel and ammunition, arriving there on 13 June. Third Fleet got underway again on 1 July to launch another series of attacks on the Japanese Home Islands . During this period, Missouri operated with TG 38.4. The carrier aircraft struck targets around Tokyo on 10 July, and then further north between Honshū and Hokkaidō from 13 to 14 July. The following day, Missouri and several other vessels were detached to form TG 38.4.2 which
25862-526: The ongoing Operation Magic Carpet she received homeward-bound passengers at Guam, then sailed unescorted for Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 20 September and flew Admiral Nimitz's flag on the afternoon of 28 September for a reception. The next day, Missouri departed Pearl Harbor bound for the East Coast of the United States . She reached New York City on 23 October and hoisted the flag of Atlantic Fleet commander Admiral Jonas Ingram . Four days later,
26055-470: The only battleships with the speed required for post-war operations based around fast aircraft carrier task forces. There were several proposals in the early Cold War to convert the class to take into account changes in technology and doctrine. These included plans to equip the class with nuclear missiles, add aircraft capability, and – in the case of Illinois and Kentucky – a proposal to rebuild both as aircraft carriers instead of battleships. Initially,
26248-417: The outer hull plating with a system depth of 17.9 feet (5.46 m) to absorb the energy of a torpedo warhead. The extension of the armor belt to the triple bottom, where it tapers to a thickness of 1.62 inches (41 mm), serves as one of the torpedo bulkheads and was hoped to add to protection; the belt's lower edge was welded to the triple bottom structure and the joint was reinforced with buttstraps due to
26441-442: The planned operation against Iwo Jima . Missouri served as part of the anti-aircraft screen for Task Group 58.2, centered on the carriers Lexington , Hancock , and San Jacinto , during the raid on Tokyo. In addition to guarding the carriers, Missouri and the other battleships acted as oilers for the escorting destroyers, since the fleet's logistics train could not accompany the strike force during raids. By 16 February,
26634-566: The port four days later for the United States, having fired 2,895 sixteen-inch rounds and 8,043 five-inch shells during her deployment. Upon her arrival at Norfolk on 27 April the ship became the flagship of Rear Admiral James L. Holloway, Jr. , commander, Cruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet. From May to August, she engaged in two midshipman training cruises. Missouri entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard 18 October for an overhaul which lasted until 30 January 1952. Captain John Sylvester assumed command of
26827-428: The powder bags used to fire them. Each turret required a crew of between 85 and 110 men to operate. The original cost for each turret was US$ 1.4 million, but this figure does not take into account the cost of the guns themselves. The turrets are "three-gun", not "triple", because each barrel is individually sleeved and can be elevated and fired independently. The ship could fire any combination of its guns, including
27020-401: The preliminary design displacement to 44,560 long tons (45,280 t) standard, though the margin remained tight. This breakthrough was shown to the General Board as part of a series of designs on 2 June 1938. However, the Bureau of Ordnance continued working on the turret with the larger barbette, while the Bureau of Construction and Repair used the smaller barbettes in the contract design of
27213-461: The process of demilitarizing Japan. Two days later, Murray was informed that Missouri would host the surrender ceremony, with the date scheduled for 31 August. The ship's crew immediately began preparations for the event, including cleaning and painting the vessel. Missouri began the approach to Tokyo Bay on 27 August, guided by the Hatsuzakura . That night, the ships stopped at Kamakura , where
27406-401: The projectile spends almost 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes in flight. The maximum firing rate for each gun is two rounds per minute. Each gun rests within an armored turret, but only the top of the turret protrudes above the main deck. The turret extends either four decks (Turrets 1 and 3) or five decks (Turret 2) down. The lower spaces contain rooms for handling the projectiles and storing
27599-482: The recommendations of the Battleship Design Advisory Board, which was composed of the naval architect William Francis Gibbs , William Hovgaard (then president of New York Shipbuilding ), John Metten, Joseph W. Powell, and the long-retired Admiral and former Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance Joseph Strauss . The board requested an entirely new design study, again focusing on increasing the size of
27792-539: The remains of the Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Munir Ertegun . She departed on 22 March for Gibraltar , and on 5 April anchored in the Bosphorus off Istanbul . She rendered full honors, including the firing of 19-gun salutes during the transfer of the remains of the late ambassador and again during the funeral ashore. Missouri departed Istanbul on 9 April and entered Phaleron Bay , Piraeus, Greece ,
27985-487: The roofs of Turrets II and III. Forty-nine 20-millimeter (0.8 in) Oerlikon light AA auto-cannon in single mounts were distributed almost the length of the ships. The primary means of controlling the main armament are two Mark 38 directors for the Mark 38 fire-control system mounted at the tops of the fore and aft fire-control towers in the superstructure. These directors were equipped with 25-foot-6-inch-long (7.8 m) rangefinders , although their primary sensor
28178-406: The sailors that used the 20 mm gun used a Mark 14 sight to track their targets. A SK-2 early-warning radar was fitted on the ship's foremast ; above it was a SG surface-search radar . The other SG radar was mounted at the top of the mainmast positioned on the rear funnel . The Iowa s were built with two rotating aircraft catapults on their stern for floatplanes and a large crane
28371-471: The same day as the atomic bombing of Nagasaki . The following day, rumors circulated that Japan would surrender, which was formally announced on the morning of 15 August. Over the course of the following two weeks, Allied forces made preparations to begin the occupation of Japan . On 21 August, Missouri sent a contingent of 200 officers and men to Iowa , which was to debark a landing party in Tokyo to begin
28564-447: The ship have a Casualty Power System whose large 3-wire cables and wall outlets called "biscuits" can be used to reroute power. The earliest search radars installed were the SK air-search radar and SG surface-search radar during World War II. They were located on the mainmast and forward fire-control tower of the battleships, respectively. As the war drew to a close, the United States introduced
28757-569: The ship the same day her overhaul began. Missouri spent the next six months training out of Guantanamo Bay and Norfolk and made a port visit to New York in May where she participated in Navy Day celebrations, hosting nearly 11,000 visitors. She returned to Norfolk on 4 August and entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard to prepare for a second tour in the Korean combat zone. Captain Warner Edsall relieved Sylvester at
28950-862: The ship up to a maximum speed of 32.5 kn (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) at full load displacement and 33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph) at normal displacement. The ships carried 8,841 long tons (8,983 t) of fuel oil which gave a range of 15,900 nmi (29,400 km; 18,300 mi) at 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph). Two semi-balanced rudders gave the ships a tactical turning diameter of 814 yards (744 m) at 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) and 760 yards (695 m) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph). The machinery spaces were longitudinally divided into eight compartments with alternating fire and engine rooms to ensure adequate isolation of machinery components. Four fire rooms each contained two M-Type boilers operating at 600 pounds per square inch (4,137 kPa ; 42 kgf/cm ) with
29143-560: The ship's helicopters crashed on 21 December while trying to assess the damage from a bombardment; all three men aboard were killed. Missouri put into Incheon on 5 January and then sailed to Sasebo. General Mark W. Clark , Commander in Chief, UN Command, and Admiral Sir Guy Russell , the British Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet , visited the battleship on 23 January. In the following weeks, Missouri resumed "Cobra" missions along
29336-419: The ships were still "on the way" rather than after the ships had been launched. The Iowa s had heavily protected main battery turrets, with 19.5-inch (495 mm) Class B and STS face, 9.5-inch (241 mm) Class A sides, 12-inch (305 mm) Class A rear, and 7.25-inch (184 mm) Class B roof. The turret barbettes' armor is Class A with 17.3 inches (439 mm) abeam and 11.6 inches (295 mm) facing
29529-413: The slight knuckle causing a structural discontinuity. The torpedo bulkheads were designed to elastically deform to absorb energy and the two outer compartments were liquid loaded in order to disrupt the gas bubble and slow fragments. The outer hull was intended to detonate a torpedo, with the outer two liquid compartments absorbing the shock and slowing any splinters or debris while the lower armored belt and
29722-410: The splinter deck is replaced by a 1-inch (25 mm) STS third deck that separates the magazine from the main armored deck. The powder magazine rooms are separated from the turret platforms by a pair of 1.5-inch STS annular bulkheads under the barbettes for flashback protection. The installation of armor on the Iowa s also differed from those of earlier battleships in that the armor was installed while
29915-403: The stern. Each of the four engine rooms has a pair of 1,250 kW Ship's Service Turbine Generators (SSTGs), providing the ship with a total non-emergency electrical power of 10,000 kW at 450 volts alternating current. Additionally, the vessels have a pair of 250 kW emergency diesel generators. To allow battle-damaged electrical circuits to be repaired or bypassed, the lower decks of
30108-442: The surrender of the Empire of Japan , construction on Illinois and Kentucky stopped. Illinois was eventually scrapped, but Kentucky ' s construction had advanced enough that several plans were proposed to complete Kentucky as a guided missile battleship (BBG) by removing the aft turret and installing a missile system. A similar conversion had already been performed on the battleship Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128) to test
30301-415: The task force had arrived off the coast of Japan to begin a series of airstrikes . The fleet then proceeded to Iwo Jima, which was invaded by American ground forces on 19 February. That evening, while patrolling with the carriers, Missouri shot down a Japanese aircraft, probably a Nakajima Ki-49 bomber. Task Force 58 departed in early March and returned to Ulithi to replenish fuel and ammunition. Missouri
30494-443: The thickest plates on the sides and the thinnest ones on the front and back. The sides of the conning tower are 17.3 in (440 mm) thick. The main deck of the Iowa s consists of 1.5 in (38 mm) of STS. Below this deck, the roof of the armored citadel is formed by 6 in (152 mm) of armor in two layers. Below this is a deck of 0.625-inch (16 mm) STS plates intended to stop splinters from shells that pierced
30687-671: The third deck greatly reduced." Although the changes meant extra weight and increasing the beam by 1 foot (0.30 m) to 108 feet 2 inches (32.97 m), this was no longer a major issue; Britain and France had renounced the Second London Naval Treaty soon after the beginning of the Second World War . The design displacement was 45,873 long tons (46,609 t) standard, approximately 2% overweight, when Iowa and New Jersey were laid down in June and September 1940. By
30880-570: The three designs. "A" was the largest, at 59,060 long tons (60,010 t) standard, and was the only one to still carry the twelve 16-inch guns in four triple turrets (3-gun turrets according to US Navy). It required 277,000 shp (207,000 kW ) to make 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). "B" was the smallest at 52,707 long tons (53,553 t) standard; like "A" it had a top speed of 32.5 knots, but "B" only required 225,000 shp (168,000 kW) to make this speed. It also carried only nine 16-inch guns, in three triple turrets. "C"
31073-442: The time the Iowa s were completed and commissioned in 1943–44, the considerable increase in anti-aircraft armament – along with their associated splinter protection and crew accommodations – and additional electronics had increased standard displacement to some 47,825 long tons (48,592 t), while full load displacement became 57,540 long tons (58,460 t). For half a century prior to laying [the Iowa class] down,
31266-448: The time these two battleships were to be built a proposal was put forth to have them constructed as aircraft carriers rather than fast battleships. The plan called for the ships to be rebuilt to include a flight deck and an armament suite similar to that placed aboard the Essex -class aircraft carriers that were at the time under construction in the United States. Ultimately, nothing came of
31459-433: The top to 1.62 in (41 mm) at the bottom and is 28 ft (8.5 m) high. The two strakes of armor are inclined outwards at the top 19 degrees to improve the armor's resistance to horizontal fire. In general the vertical armor plates are made from Class A cemented armor and the horizontal armor from Class B or special treatment steel (STS). The belt armor extends to the two transverse bulkheads fore and aft of
31652-423: The torpedo warhead 's detonation and slow the resulting splinters so they can be stopped by the lower armor belt. Behind the belt is a holding bulkhead intended to protect the ships' inner spaces from any splinters that might penetrate and the subsequent flooding. For protection against naval mines , the Iowa s have a double bottom that runs the full length of the ships and increases to a triple bottom except at
31845-428: The treaty and in particular refused to accept the 14-inch gun caliber limit or the 5:5:3 ratio of warship tonnage limits for Britain, the United States, and Japan, respectively. This resulted in the three treaty powers, the United States, Britain, and France, invoking the caliber escalator clause after April 1937. Circulation of intelligence evidence in November 1937 of Japanese capital ships violating naval treaties caused
32038-477: The treaty powers to expand the escalator clause in June 1938, which amended the standard displacement limit of battleships from 35,000 long tons (35,600 t) to 45,000 long tons (45,700 t). Work on what would eventually become the Iowa -class battleship began on the first studies in early 1938, at the direction of Admiral Thomas C. Hart , head of the General Board , following the planned invocation of
32231-429: The turbines were designed to give a top speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph), but were built to handle a 20 percent overload. None of the Iowa s ever ran speed trials in deep water, but the Bureau of Ships estimated that they could reach a speed of about 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) from 225,000 shp (168,000 kW) at a light displacement of 51,209 long tons (52,031 t). The ships had
32424-522: The turrets were designated I, II, and III. Their secondary battery consisted of twenty 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose guns mounted in twin-gun turrets clustered amidships , five turrets on each broadside . Unlike their sister ships Iowa and New Jersey that were the first pair of ships built, Missouri and Wisconsin were completed with an anti-aircraft suite of twenty quadruple mounts for 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors AA guns , nine mounts on each broadside and one each on
32617-475: The urinals and all but one of the toilets on the Iowa class flush with salt water in order to conserve fresh water. The turbines, especially the HP turbine, can turn at 2,000 rpm; their shafts drive through reduction gearing that turns the propeller shafts at speeds up to 225 rpm, depending upon the desired speed of the ship. The Iowa s were outfitted with four screws: the outboard pair consisting of four-bladed propellers 18.25 ft (5.56 m) in diameter and
32810-441: The waterline and 887 ft 3 in (270.43 m) long overall with a beam of 108 ft 2 in (32.97 m). During World War II, the draft was 37 ft 2 in (11.33 m) at full load displacement of 57,540 long tons (58,460 t) and 34 ft 9 + 1 ⁄ 4 in (10.60 m) at design combat displacement of 54,889 long tons (55,770 t). Like the two previous classes of American fast battleships,
33003-426: The world's largest nuclear artillery and made these four battleships the only US Navy ships ever to have nuclear shells for naval guns. Although developed for exclusive use by the battleship's guns it is not known if any of the Iowa s actually carried these shells while in active service due to the United States Navy's policy of refusing to confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weaponry aboard its ships. In 1991,
33196-828: Was a class of six fast battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940. They were initially intended to intercept fast capital ships such as the Japanese Kongō class and serve as the "fast wing" of the U.S. battle line . The Iowa class was designed to meet the Second London Naval Treaty 's "escalator clause" limit of 45,000-long-ton (45,700 t) standard displacement. Beginning in August 1942, four vessels, Iowa , New Jersey , Missouri , and Wisconsin , were completed; two more, Illinois and Kentucky , were laid down but canceled in 1945 and 1958, respectively, before completion, and both hulls were scrapped in 1958–1959. The four Iowa -class ships were
33389-716: Was against the Kojo area on 25 March; she had fired 2,895 sixteen-inch and 8,043 five-inch shells during the deployment. The following day, Edsall suffered a fatal heart attack while conning her through the anti-submarine nets defending Sasebo Harbor. Captain Robert Brodie assumed command on 4 April. Missouri was relieved as the Seventh Fleet flagship on 6 April by New Jersey and departed Yokosuka on 7 April. Missouri arrived at Norfolk on 4 May; Rear Admiral E. T. Woolridge, commander, Battleships-Cruisers, Atlantic Fleet, hoisted his flag aboard her 10 days later. She departed on 8 June on
33582-405: Was also deemed unacceptable. The General Board was astounded; one member asked the head of the Bureau of Ordnance if it had occurred to him that Construction and Repair would have wanted to know what turret his subordinates were working on "as a matter of common sense". A complete scrapping of plans was avoided only when designers within the Bureau of Ordnance were able to design a new 50-caliber gun,
33775-458: Was also suggested to serve in part as ballast for the battleships and for use in refueling destroyers and cruisers. Due to the estimated cost of the overhaul ($ 178–193 million) this proposal was rejected as too expensive; instead, the SCB suggested a design with one Talos, one Tartar, one ASROC, and two Regulus launchers and changes to the superstructure, at a cost of up to $ 85 million. This design
33968-470: Was badly damaged and Missouri ' s task group was detached to cover her withdrawal. By 22 March, Franklin had left the area of operations and the group returned to the fleet to join the preparatory bombardment for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa . Missouri was temporarily transferred to TF 59, along with her sisters New Jersey and Wisconsin , to bombard the southern coast of Okinawa on 24 March, part of an effort to draw Japanese attention from
34161-448: Was being envisaged; such a force could operate independently in advance areas and act as scouts. This concept eventually evolved into the Fast Carrier Task Force , though initially the carriers were believed to be subordinate to the battleship. Another factor was the "escalator clause" of the Second London Naval Treaty , which reverted the gun caliber limit from 14 inches (356 mm) to 16 inches (406 mm). Japan had refused to sign
34354-476: Was being overhauled. Then the only US battleship in commission, Missouri was proceeding from Hampton Roads on her first training exercise at sea since the overhaul, early on 17 January 1950 when she ran aground 1.6 mi (2.6 km) from Thimble Shoal Light , near Old Point Comfort . She hit shoal water a distance of three ship-lengths from the main channel. The error resulted from a combination of many factors, including Brown's inexperience maneuvering such
34547-516: Was carried out at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard to prepare the vessel for use as a fleet flagship . On 14 December, Missouri departed San Francisco and sailed for Ulithi in the Caroline Islands , where she joined the rest of the fleet on 13 January 1945. She became a temporary headquarters ship for Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher . She then joined Task Force 58 , which sortied on 27 January to launch an air attack on Tokyo in support of
34740-414: Was fitted to recover them. Initially a trio of Vought OS2U Kingfishers were carried, but these were replaced by Curtiss SC Seahawks in December 1944. The internal waterline armor belt of the Iowa -class ships is 12.1 in (307 mm) thick and has a height of 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m). Below it is a strake of Class B homogeneous armor plate that tapers in thickness from 12.1 inches at
34933-575: Was formally recommissioned in San Francisco on 10 May 1986 with Captain Albert Kaiss in command. "This is a day to celebrate the rebirth of American sea power", Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger told an audience of 10,000 at the recommissioning ceremony, instructing the crew to "listen for the footsteps of those who have gone before you. They speak to you of honor and the importance of duty. They remind you of your own traditions." Margaret Truman gave
35126-403: Was increased to 14.5 inches (368 mm); this extra armor provided protection from raking fire directly ahead, which was considered more likely given the high speed of the Iowa s. The deck armor consists of a 1.5-inch-thick (38 mm) STS weather deck, a combined 6-inch-thick (152 mm) Class B and STS main armor deck, and a 0.63-inch-thick (16 mm) STS splinter deck. Over the magazines,
35319-528: Was joined by the other three battleships of her class, the only time the four ships sailed together. She returned to Norfolk on 3 August and departed on 23 August to be placed in reserve on the West Coast. The ship hosted 16,900 people at Long Beach , but more than 20,100 visited in San Francisco. Missouri arrived in Seattle on 15 September where she again hosted visitors and subsequently off-loaded her ammunition at
35512-540: Was later revised to accommodate the Polaris Fleet Ballistic Missile, which in turn resulted in a study of two schemes by the SCB. In the end, none of these proposed conversions for the battleships were ever authorized. Interest in converting the Iowa s into guided-missile battleships began to deteriorate in 1960 because the hulls were considered too old and the conversion costs too high. Nonetheless, additional conversion proposals – including one to install
35705-439: Was reduced from twenty guns in ten mounts to twelve guns in six mounts during the 1980s' modernization of the four Iowa s. The removal of four of the gun mounts was required for the battleships to be outfitted with the armored box launchers needed to carry and fire Tomahawk missiles. At the time of the 1991 Persian Gulf War , these guns had been largely relegated to littoral defense for the battleships. Since each battleship carried
35898-527: Was relieved of command and his subordinates were reprimanded. Captain Harold Page Smith assumed command on 7 February as the Missouri ' s repairs were being completed. Having repaired morale aboard during his tenure as the ship was relegated to training duties in an effort to cut costs by Johnson, Page Smith was replaced by Captain Irving Duke on 19 April. In 1950, the Korean War started, prompting
36091-410: Was similar but added 75,000 shp (56,000 kW) (for a total of 300,000 shp (220,000 kW)) to meet the original requirement of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). The weight required for this and a longer belt – 512 feet (156 m), compared with 496 feet (151 m) for "B" – meant that the ship was 55,771 long tons (56,666 t) standard. In March 1938, the General Board followed
36284-433: Was suddenly vanishing. The draft of the ships was also allowed to increase, which enabled the beam to narrow and thus reduced the required power (since a lower beam-to-draft ratio reduces wave-making resistance ). This also allowed the ships to be shortened, which reduced weight. With the additional displacement, the General Board was incredulous that a tonnage increase of 10,000 long tons (10,200 t) would allow only
36477-604: Was tasked with bombarding industrial facilities in Muroran, Hokkaido . A second bombardment mission followed on the night of 17–18 July, by which time the British battleship HMS King George V had joined the formation. The battleships then returned to screen the carriers during strikes against targets around the Inland Sea and then Tokyo later in the month. After a brief pause, the carriers resumed attacks on northern Japan on 9 August,
36670-428: Was the Mark 8 fire-control radar mounted on their roofs. A secondary Mark 40 fire-control director was installed inside the armored conning tower at the front of the superstructure that used the Mark 27 fire-control radar positioned on the top of the conning tower. Each turret is fitted with a rangefinder 46 feet (14 m) long and can act as a director for the other turrets. Four Mark 37 gunnery directors, two on
36863-424: Was the first American battleship to arrive in Korean waters and served as the flagship for several admirals . The battleship took part in numerous shore bombardment operations and also served in a screening role for aircraft carriers . Missouri was decommissioned in 1955 and transferred to the reserve fleet (also known as the "Mothball Fleet"). Missouri was reactivated and modernized in 1984 as part of
37056-515: Was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan , which ended World War II. After World War II, Missouri served in various diplomatic, show of force and training missions. On 17 January 1950 the ship ran aground during high tide in Chesapeake Bay and after great effort was re-floated several weeks later. She later fought in the Korean War during two tours between 1950 and 1953. Missouri
37249-540: Was transferred to the Yorktown task group, TG 58.4 at that time. The ships departed again on 14 March for another round of air strikes on Japan. Four days later, Missouri ' s anti-aircraft guns assisted in the destruction of four Japanese aircraft. American carrier aircraft struck a variety of targets around the Inland Sea , which prompted a Japanese counter-attack that struck several carriers. The carrier Franklin
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