U.S.S. IOWA'S HISTORY

 Trademark 2002         

• 1940 * 27 June 1940 keel laid, New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn
• 1942 * 27 August 1942 launched, Sponsor Mrs. Mary A. Wallace, wife of the Vice President
• 1943 * 22 February 1943 commissioned * 24 February 1943 shakedown cruise, Atlantic * 27 August 1943 en route to Atlantic to neutralize threat from German Battleship Tirpitz * 13 November 1943 en route to Mediterranean with President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and other high ranking members of the America delegation to Tehran * 16 December 1943 conclusion of mission with FDR returning to United States
• 1944 * 2 January 1944 en route to Pacific as flagship of Battleship Division 7 with U.S.S. NEW JERSEY * 7 January 1944 transit Panama Canal * 23 January 1944 first Pacific campaign in support of carrier air strikes against Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls * 16 February 1944 first combat action in attack on Japanese naval base at Truk in Caroline, Islands. Sank cruiser Katori * 18 March 1944 first shore bombardment against Mili Atoll in Marshall Island. IOWA hit by two Japanese 4.7 inch projectiles * 30 March 1944 with Task Force Group 58, support air strikes against Palau, Woleai Islands, and later against Hollandia, Aitape and Wake Islands * 22 April 1944 supporting Army landing at Aitape and Tanahmerah and Humbolt Bays * 1 May 1944 bombardment of airfield and wharf at Ponape * 13 June shelled Saipan and Tinian * 19 June 1944 Battle of the Philippine Sea, downed at least three attacking planes * September 1944 a unit of Fleet Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey’s Third Fleet in support of carrier strikes against Philippine and Caroline Islands * 10 October 1944 participating in air strikes against Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Luzon * 23 October 1944 headed for Battle of Leyte Gulf * 25 November 1944 Kamikaze attack on Third Fleet, IOWA claimed two Jills and a Judy * 17 December 1944 at Ulithi for replenishment and maintenance. Lost plane during typhoon. Storm damage to shaft required return to United States for overhaul at Hunters Point Shipyard, San Francisco
• 1945 * 15 January 1945 in dry-dock until 19 March 1945 * 4 April 1945 arrives off Okinawa to relieve U.S.S. NEW JERSEY * 25 May 1945 supported air strikes against Kyushu * 1 July 1945 en route to northern Honshu and Hokkaido * 15 July 1945 IOWA, MISSOURI, WISCONSIN attacked Muroran on Hokkaido inflicting significant damage on Nihon Steel Company and Wanishi Ironworks * 17 July 1945 battleships bombard most of the industrial city of Hitachi Miro. Flagship for Rear Admiral Oscar Badger * 27 August 1945 enter Sagami Bay to effect surrender of Yokosuka naval district * 29 August 1945 IOWA and MISSOURI enter Tokyo Bay * 20 September 1945 underway for United States * 15 October 1945 arrived in Seattle, Washington, engaged in training operations along West Coast
• 1946 * 27 January 1946 arrived in Tokyo Bay, Flagship of 5th Fleet
• 1946 * 25 March 1946 returned to Long Beach for drills, maneuvers and midshipmen training cruises
• 1949 * September 1948 inactivation begun in San Francisco * 24 March 1949 placed out of commission in reserve
• 1951 * 25 August 1951 recommissioned due to escalating hostilities in Korea
• 1952 * 1 April 1952 underway for Far East Flagship of Vice Admiral Robert T. Briscoe, Commander, Seventh Fleet, operating off Korea * 8 April 1952 conducted gun strikes against enemy supply routes in Wonson-Songjin area * 9 April 1952 struck Suwon Dan and Kojo * 13 April 1952 bombardment in support of IROK (S. Korean troops), killing 100 enemy troops, destroying six gun emplacements and seriously damaging divisional headquarters * 14 April 1952 in Wonsan Harbor to bomb warehouses, observation posts and railroad marshaling yards * 20 April 1952 operating north of 38th parallel, IOWA closed four railroad tunnels near Tanchon * 25-26 April 1952 bombardment of Chindong and Kosong * 25 May 1952 bombard North Korean industrial and rail transportation center at Chongjin, just 48 miles from the Russian border. IOWA destroyed Chongjin’s industrial center * 27 May 1952 bombardment of Songjin, closing railroad tunnels and seriously damaging area bridges * 28 May 1952 gun strikes on islands in Wonsan Harbor * June 1952 gun strikes against Mayang-do, Tanchon, Chongjin, Chod-Sokto and ports of Hungnam and Wonsan * 9 June 1952 IOWA’s helicopter rescues 2 downed pilots from U.S.S. PRINCETON * 20 August 1952 went to aid of destroyer THOMPSON off Songjin * 23 September 1952 gun strikes in Wonsan area. Embarked General Mark Clark, USA, Commander-in-Chief of United Nations Forces. IOWA’s gunfire destroys a major ammunition dump * 25 September 1952 gun strikes against railroad and thirty-car train * 14 October 1952 participated in Operation Decoy, an attempt to draw enemy troops under fire at Kojo * 17 October 1952 en route Norfolk, Virginia for overhaul, followed by training operation in the Caribbean
• 1953 * July 1953 serving as flagship of Second Fleet, IOWA was a participant in Operation Mariner
• 1954 * June 1954 midshipmen training cruise, rendezvous with three other IOWA’s in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• 1954 and 1955 visited Mediterranean, becoming first battleship regularly assigned to Commander, Sixth Fleet
• 1955 * December 1955 re-gunned for first time
• 1957 * January 1957 returned to the Mediterranean for duty with the Sixth Fleet * 13 June 1957 participated in international naval review off Hampton Roads, Virginia * September 1957 participated in NATO Operation Strike Back in North Atlantic
• 1958 * 24 February 1958 decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, placed in reserve
• 1982 * 1 September 1982 towed from Philadelphia to New Orleans and Avondale Shipyard, Inc. for modernization and reactivation, later towed to Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi for completion of work
• 1984 * 28 April 1984 recommissioned, ahead of schedule and within budget * 30 April 1984 Underway to Autec Range for Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS) training * May 1984 two weeks refresher training at Guantanamo Bay * 21 May 1984 off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, for NGFS qualifications for IOWA’s 16-inch and 5-inch batteries * 19 June 1984 underway for Caracas, Venezuela conducting a number of systems checks and gunnery exercises en route * 8 August 1984 underway to begin Pacific Coast operations * 14 August 1984 engaged in surveillance 13 miles from Nicaraguan Coast in conjunction with embassy contingency communications exercises * 26 August 1984 Nicaraguan surveillance completed and IOWA returned to Balboa, Panama for trip back through canal * 17 September 1984 arrived back in Norfolk * October 1984 week-long visit to New York * 1-20 November 1984 participated in COMPUTEX 1-84 in Puerto Rican Operations area
• 1985 * January 1985 sea trails * February 1985 underway for deployment in Central America, participated in encounter exercises with Battleship Surface Action Group * March 1985 engaged in battle force integrated training and post-shakedown availability training * April 1985 dry-dock at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth * 31 July 1985 out of dry-dock to load ammunition while at Whiskey Anchorage in Hampton Roads * 22 August 1985 Received Battenburg Cup award as best all-around ship in Atlantic Fleet for 1984 * 27 August 1985 Underway for Ocean Safari as part of Battleship Surface Action Group * 20 September 1985 Operation Ocean Safari completed following rendezvous with U.S.S. AMERICA Battle group. IOWA visited Le Havre, France; Copenhagen and Arahus, Denmark; and Oslo, Norway * 12 October 1985 underway for Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 85 in Baltic Sea * 18 October 1985 visit Kiel, West Germany * 26 October 1985 underway for Norfolk * 5 November 1985 in Norfolk for preparations for INSURV/UMI and final contract trials in Central America as peaceful presence in support of friendly countries
• 1986 * March 1986 continued presence in Central American waters * 4 July 1986 carried President Reagan for Liberty Weekend’s International Naval Review in Hudson River * August 1986 underway along Florida coast and in Gulf of Mexico conducting operational and training exercises * 17 August 1986 underway in North Atlantic * September 1986 participated in operation Northern Wedding off southern coast of Norway. IOWA visited Portsmouth, England and Bremerhaven, West Germany * 2 October 1986 underway for United States * 9 December 1986 underway for sea trails off Virginia Capes. First launch, flight and recovery of Pioneer RPV made * 14 December 1986 IOWA fired 1,000th round of 16-inch ammunition since being recommissioned in 1984
• 1987 * 9 January 1987 departed Norfolk en route to Caribbean * 10 January 1987 participated in exercise BLASTEX 1-87 * 18 January 1987 Port visits in Honduras, Columbia and Virgin Islands * 11 February 1987 arrived Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for ORI (Operational Readiness Inspection) * 13 February 1987 departed Guantanamo Bay for gunnery exercises at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico * 26 February 1987 arrived Norfolk * 27 February 1987 in restricted availability at Norfolk * March 1987 independent ship exercises * 30 March 1987 in service restricted availability at Norfolk * 25 April departed Norfolk en route to Caribbean * 4 May 1987 Conducted SACEX in Puerto Rican operations area * 8 July 1987 participated in FLEETEX 3-87 in Western Atlantic * 10 September 1987 departed Norfolk en route to Mediterranean * 20 September 1987 INCHOP Sixth Fleet * 22 September 1987 participated in exercise Display Determination * 8 October 1987 port visit Istanbul * 22 October 1987 OUTCHOP Sixth Fleet * 26 October 1987 began North Sea Operations * 30 October arrived Trondheim, Norway * 25 November transited Suez Canal * 4 December 1987 arrived Diego Garcia to commence Persian Gulf Presence Operations * 7 December 1987 depart Diego Garcia for operations in the Indian Ocean and the North Arabian Sea
• 1988 * 1 January 1988 Gulf of Oman, operations included escorting convoys through the Strait of Hormuz and protecting convoy assembly areas off Masirah Island and Muscat, Oman * 20 February 1988 transited Suez Canal * 10 March 1988 arrived Norfolk * 20 April departed Norfolk en route to New York to celebrate "Fleet Week" 21-25 April * 24 August 1988 sea trials, Virginia Capes Operating Area * 7 October 1988 en route to Port Everglades, Florida for port visit (9-11 October) * 13 October 1988 arrived Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for refresher training * 22 November 1988 St. Thomas port visit * 28 November 1988 gunnery exercises at Vieques Island * 7 December 1988 arrive Norfolk * 20 January 1989 en route St. Martin, operating with units of the Standing Naval Forces, Atlantic
• 1989 * 26 January 1989 IOWA fired the longest 16-inch round in history. The projectile traveled 24 NM for a first round hit on target * 1 February 1989 en route to New Orleans for port visit (5-9 February) * 10 April 1989 embark commander, Second Fleet * 13 April 1989 underway, FLEETEX 3-89 * 19 April 1989 explosion in Gun Turret   No. 2 two kills 47 crewmen off the coast of Puerto Rico * 22 April 1989 arrive Norfolk * 30 May-June 1989 ammunition loaded at Whisky Anchorage * 7 June 1989 underway for Northern Europe and Mediterranean. During this deployment IOWA traveled 30,983 NM and crossed eight time zones. Port visits included Kiel, West Germany; Portsmouth, England; Rota, Spain; Casablanca, Morocco; Gibraltar; Marseille, France; Antalya, Turkey; Gaeta, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; Haifa, Israel; Alexandria, Egypt; Ajaccio, Corsica; Augusta Bay, Sicily; Naples, Italy; Palma, Mallorca * 24 July-1 August 1989 restricted availability, Marseille, France, cut one week due to contingency operations in eastern Mediterranean * 15 August 1989 Embark Commander, United States Sixth Fleet * 16 September 1989 exercise Display Determination, 1989 * 17 November 1989 Sixth Fleet departs IOWA, flag returned to U.S.S. BELKNAP * 26 November 1989 en route Norfolk. During this transit, last 16-inch round fired, giving IOWA a total of 2,873 rounds fired since 1984 recommissioning. Since IOWA’s original commissioning date in 1943, a total of 11,834 16-inch rounds fired * 7 December 1989 arrive Norfolk
• 1990 * 16 January 1990 SRA at Norfolk Naval Shipyard * 19 April 1990 Gun Turret No. 2 Memorial Service. Memorial plaque dedicated * 25 May 1990 Marine Detachment deactivates * 26 October 1990 IOWA decommissioned
• 1998 * 24 September IOWA relocated from Philadelphia Naval Yard to Newport, Rhode Island
• 2001*  IOWA is towed from Rhode Island through the Panama Canal to her new homeport in the San Francisco Bay Area

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