In 1983 I was fortunate enough to visit the USS New Jersey in San DiegaThe juxtaposition of this battleship behemoth berthed with the latest USN aircraft carriers showed how the capital ship had changed in 40 years. Refitted for service as part of President Reagan's build up to a 600-ship navy, armed with Tomhawk cruise missiles and Harpoon for a cost of US$400M (or the cost of an FFG-7) this was the fourth re-awakening for the New Jersey, one of the 4 ships of the Iowa Class -"the ultimate American battleship".The Iowa Class, designed in early 1938, were 45,000 ton ships, with speed of over 30kts, 9× 16" guns with a range of some 47,000 yards, and capable of meeting any battleship of the day in single combat. They were heavily armoured - for example the bridge conning position was protected by armour over 16" thick. First entering service in 1943/44, they were finally withdrawn from operational service in the 1990s.The book traces their design and evolving equipment fits, followed by chapters on each ship's operational service. All 4 ships saw service in WWII in the Pacific, but were never involved in any battleship confrontations, and were also reactivated for service in the Korean and GulfWars.A gunnery Officer of the New Jersey said that their WWII Pacific service consisted of shore bombardments, AA cover, replenishing escorts and acting as a hospital ship - "everything except be a battleship". During their long service life, the ships had their fair share of excitement. Iowa ("the Mighty I") was nearly torpedoed by one of her escorts with President Roosevelt embarked and in 1989 she had a tragic turret explosion killing 47 crew but luckily no further damage. Missouri ("Big Mo") achieved everlasting fame, hosting the signing of the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, but achieved less welcome fame in 1950 when, fully loaded, she grounded at high tide on Thimble Shoal off Norfolk. New Jersey (the Big J), known as a happy ship, was the only one of the class reactivated for the Vietnam War; she also starred in the film Under Siege. Wisconsin, ("Wisky") collided with one of her escorts in 1956 and her damaged bow was replaced by the bow of uncompleted sister ship Kentucky, resulting in her being christened Wistucky! All 4 have now been preserved as museums. This is no mean undertaking; it cost some US$ 18m to prepare Missouri for her museum berth. It is fitting that a book covering the design and operational history of these super dreadnoughts is equally impressive. It is not a cheap book but the quality of publishing, graphics and stunning collection of photos, covering everything from in-depth technical detail to life on board, justify the price. Highly recommended.
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