History of the U.S. Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) including information about asbestos exposure for workers.
The USS Iowa (BB-61), nicknamed “The Big Stick,” was ordered for the U.S. Navy on July 1, 1939. Her keel was laid down at the New York Naval Yard on June 27, 1940. She was launched on August 27, 1942 and commissioned on February 22, 1943 under the command of Captain John L. McCrea.
USS Iowa set out for Argentia, Newfoundland in August 1943 to deal with the German battleship Tirpitz. Later that year, she transported President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull to Casablanca on the first leg of their journey to the Tehran Conference. During this voyage, the accompanying destroyer USS William D. Porter accidentally dropped a depth charge, causing the battleship and other escort ships to take evasive maneuvers when they believe they were under attack by a German U-boat. On November 14, President Roosevelt requested a demonstration of the battleship’s defenses. During the exercise, the USS William D. Porter discharged a torpedo toward the USS Iowa; the battleship was able to evade the torpedo, and no one got hurt, but some believed the mishap may have been an assassination attempt against the President.
In January 1944, the USS Iowa served as the flagship of Battleship Division 7. She headed to the Marshall Islands to support the strikes against Kwajalein and Eniwetok before moving on to Truk. As a part of the Fast Carrier Task Force – either TF 58 or TF 38 – the battleship helped conduct the first strikes against Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam – sinking the Japanese cruiser Katori along the way.
The USS Iowa bombarded Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands on March 18, 1944. She was struck by two Japanese projectiles but suffered only minor damage. She moved on to support air strikes against Woleai, the Palau Islands, Hollandia, Aitape, Wakde, Tanahmerah Bay, and Humboldt Bay.
The battleship participated in the second strike on Truk the day before bombarding Ponape in the Carolines on May 1, 1944. She supported the carriers during the air strikes on Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Rota, and Pagan Island on June 12-14, destroying a Japanese ammunition dump in the process. The USS Iowa took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, taking down three enemy aircraft during battle and shooting down a torpedo plane as it fled.
During the month of July, USS Iowa supported air strikes on the Palaus and troop landings on Guam. She supported the landings on Peleliu in September and air strikes against the Ryuku Islands, Formosa, and Luzon in October. The battleship continued her support when General Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte on October 20.
The ships of TF 38 were caught in Typhoon Cobra while refueling on December 18, 1944. Three destroyers were lost – USS Hull, USS Monaghan, and USS Spence – and nine other ships maintained serious damage. Nearly 800 officers and men were killed, while another 80 sustained injuries. Over 140 planes were swept overboard or damaged beyond repair, some causing fires aboard the decks of their carriers. No one on the USS Iowa was injured, but she did lose a float plane and sustain some damage to one of her shafts. The battleship had to sail to San Francisco for repairs.
After having her bridge area enclosed and being upgraded with new search radars and fire-control systems, the USS Iowa rejoined the fighting for the bombardment of Japan at Kyushu, Honshu, Mokkaido, Muroran, Hitachi, and Kahoolawe.
The USS Iowa was present in Sagami Bay for the surrender of the Yokosuka naval district on August 27, 1944. She sailed two days later for Tokyo Bay and remained for the surrender ceremony that took place aboard the USS Missouri. She remained in the bay as part of the occupying force until joining Operation Magic Carpet, returning veterans and liberated American POWs to the United States.
After World War II, USS Iowa was involved in a number of training operations and exercises. After undergoing modernization and overhaul, she participated in the live fire exercise against the old battleship USS Nevada. The USS Iowa was decommissioned on March 24, 1949.
The Korean War called for the recommissioning of the USS Iowa on August 25, 1951. She became the flagship for Vice Admiral Robert P. Briscoe, Commander of the Seventh Fleet. She fired against targets at Wonsan-Songjin, Suwon Dan, Kojo, Kosong, Tanchon, Chindong, and Chongjin through the spring of 1952.
USS Iowa continued on to fire upon Mayang-do, Tanchon, Chongjin, Chodo-Sokcho, Hungnam, and Wonsan in June. One of her helicopters rescued a downed pilot from the USS Princeton on June 9. On August 20, she boarded nine wounded men from the USS Thompson when the destroyer was hit at Songjin. During October, the USS Iowa took part in Operation Decoy, which was meant to draw out enemy troops and bring them within firing distance.
After the Korean War, the USS Iowa was involved in training exercises in Northern Europe in July 1953 before participating in Operation Mariner, a major NATO exercise. The following year, she became the flagship of Rear Admiral R. E. Libby, Commander of the Battleship Cruiser Force of the United States Atlantic Fleet.
USS Iowa spent the next few years working on more training before heading to Scotland for NATO’s Operation Strikeback, which simulated an all-out Soviet attack. She was decommissioned again on February 24, 1958.
The USS Iowa was reactivated again in 1982. She was refitted and modernized at Avondale Shipyard and Ingalls Shipbuilding. She was formally recommissioned on April 28, 1984. The battleship aided humanitarian efforts in Costa Rica and Honduras in 1984.
USS Iowa took part in NATO’s Exercise Ocean Safari in August 1985. In March of the following year, she failed her InSurv inspection, and though it was recommended that she should be taken out of service, it was instead decided that her deficiencies should be corrected.
Later on, the USS Iowa sailed around Central America conducting drills and exercises. President Ronald Reagan boarded the battleship for the International Naval Review on July 4, 1986. In September of the same year, she took part in Exercise Northern Wedding before visiting ports in England and Germany.
In December 1986, USS Iowa helped test the RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). In 1987, she returned to Central America before joining the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. She headed to the Persian Gulf in November 1987 for Operation Earnest Will during the Iran-Iraq War, helping to escort Kuwaiti gas and oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
The USS Iowa returned to the United States in time for Fleet Week in April 1988. She was overhauled before resuming training exercises.
On April 19, 1989, the USS Iowa’s No. 2 gun turret exploded, killing 47 crew members. There was some initial controversy as to whether or not the explosion was the result of a suicide attempt by crew member Clayton Hartwig, but the evidence pointed to an accidental powder explosion. Gunpowder had been stored improperly when the battleship’s recommissioning had been rushed, and the accident resulted in changes to the Navy’s powder-handling procedures. It remains the surface Navy’s worst death toll during peace time operations.
USS Iowa was decommissioned again on October 26, 1990 and was removed from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1995. She is currently waiting to be used as a museum ship. The battleship was the only ship of its class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean in World War II, and the only U.S. Battleship to have ever been equipped with a bathtub. She earned nine battle stars for her service in World War II and two battle stars for her service in the Korean War. Like many other ships of its time, it was built using a number of asbestos-containing materials. Anyone who worked on or around the USS Iowa is at risk for developing asbestos-related illnesses like asbestosis, lung cancer, throat cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, or mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer that attacks the protective lining surrounding the lungs and other organs.
USS Iowa workers should monitor their health carefully, and consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms associated with mesothelioma. Anyone who worked on or around the USS Iowa, and is diagnosed with mesothelioma, should also consider contacting a lawyer to discuss their legal rights.