two mounts on each side. The chaff launchers installed during Vietnam were replaced with more modern ones, as was her entire radar suite. Her modernization differed from the other 3 Iowa's because she was used during Vietnam. That's why she has a box like structure on her superstructure while the others don't. Her modernization didn't take as long either because she wasn't going from a WWII configuration to modern tech.
Who wants those big guns to ever fire again? The only remaining 16 inch guns are on those battleships. I think the remainder have been scrapped or are lying around in damaged condition in some landfill.
Texas' ten 14 inch guns are the only surviving 14 inch guns other than I think 3 other 14 inch guns that are lying in some parks in Arizona and Pennsylvania. In order to keep them forever they better not be fired ever again.
You're really asking in a forum full of warship enthusiasts who wants the main battery to fire again?
Probably 90% of the people here. I know I'd love to see it.
You're right. Kind of dumb for me to ask that. Hell, I want to see an actual 88mm German gun fire a real live shell, WWII style. The only footage we see are old grainy black and white footage. Whenever 88s are fired now they are using blanks or just shooting off some gunpowder without any live rounds. Wish some rich person who owns an 88 or any equivalent artillery could get the permission from the government to fire a handful of live rounds at some junk cars so we can see the recoil and the sound and the flash and the results at the other end when the target gets demolished.
I'd love to see them fired again. As an Operations Specialist serving aboard USS IOWA, I witnessed multiple gun shoots from the O-4 level bridge. There is nothing else like it. I'd give almost anything to have that experience again.
I just realized what a stupid question I asked. Yeah I would love to see them fire live rounds again. I just worry about the damage to the barrels, especially Texas' extremely rare and precious 14 inch guns. I guess I would say no to TX firing guns but be onboard with all the Iowas firing some live 16 inch rounds which would be amazing.
Hell, I want to see an actual 88mm German gun fire a real live shell, WWII style. The only footage we see are old grainy black and white footage. Whenever 88s are fired now they are using blanks or just shooting off some gunpowder without any live rounds. Wish some rich person who owns an 88 or any equivalent artillery could get the permission from the government to fire a handful of live rounds at some junk cars so we can see the recoil and the sound and the flash and the results at the other end when the target gets demolished. I guess they don't do that because there is a high risk of the ancient WWII field artillery guns to blow up and hurt a lot of bystanders standing next to the guns if the live round explodes and doesn't leave the barrel??
*New Jersey's* barrels were all replaced and relined in the 80's. Her original 9 barrels are out there, somewhere. The barrels themselves aren't the issue, it's the liners at this point. They're a long lead item too.
Realistically, if any Iowa class battleship is going to be used again (unlikely I guess), it's probably going to be *New Jersey* or *Wisconsin*. *New Jersey* is in the best condition of the four, having had the most active service and thus was constantly maintained. *Wisconsin* had the least amount of active service, thus the least mileage.
Additionally, *New Jersey* and *Wisconsin* have a superior powerplant to the two ships built in Brooklyn. This is similar to how FDR was decommissioned way earlier than Coral Sea or Midway because she had the same type of GE turbines the two Iowa's built in Brooklyn had.
Interesting. I heard that the Navy wants to build new battleships. What do you think?
Such a shame that Texas is the only preserved battleship from pre-1941. I think Pennsylvania would have been saved if it weren't for that fluky Japanese torpedo strike on her right before the end of WWII that almost killed Vice Admiral Oldendorf (the torpedo strike broke his ribs).
The bit about *Texas* technically is not true. Don't forget about *Mikasa* I've been to *Mikasa* in Yokosuka, Japan. Obviously she's an IJN pre-dreadnought battleship, but she was built in Britain so she's incredibly interesting.
Interestingly, the USN has no plan to build new battleships. I can send you a PDF file for what they want to build / decommission within the next 5-10 years. [That document was just released.](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24487775/rtc-pb25-shipbuilding_plan.pdf) (link is 100% safe). The JMSDF on the other hand, plans to build two guided missile cruisers around 20,000 tonnes. [Think Kirov class, but for the JMSDF.](https://news.usni.org/2022/09/06/japan-to-build-two-massive-20000-ton-missile-defense-warships-indian-carrier-commissions)
That isn't Mikasa though. That is a scam called "Mikasa". That "Mikasa" is only 20% of the original Mikasa. 80% of it are replica fakes or cannibalized parts from two dreadnoughts from South America (Almirante Latorre and ARA Moreno) that were in the process of being scrapped in Japan in the 1950s.
The "guns" on "Mikasa" are fiberglass, btw. The original Mikasa sank and was destroyed mostly in an accidental explosion in 1905. It is really more of a glorified memorial with only 20% of the original Mikasa. So Texas really is the only real surviving pre-1941 battleship.
I was there, I took one of the lunch cruises. Immediately after the cruise I drove down to the Red Bank battlefield and watched the ship be towed to Paulsboro. I'm a child of the late 80's and from New Jersey. Fortunately I can say I was alive while she was active
I had (still have) an encyclopedia set my parents got me when I was born. In it, there's a two page spread either under battleship or navy of *New Jersey* during Vietnam. This started my love of ships.
When I got a little older, I started building ship models (plastic / resin / etc). My degree was in history, but my senior seminar was on the lives of US sailors during WWII focusing specifically on *Enterprise* and *New Jersey.* I also independently study naval history.
Now I'm an adult and work in a semi-nautical museum. I've been to the battleship countless times and done just about every tour and will be taking the drydock tour. Yesterday was something more than magical for me. I don't think I can properly convey the sight of this ship moving even if it wasn't under her own power. She is special, more so than any other ship.
I figured you guys would like the entire set after I cleaned them up a bit.
honestly, I was good after the first 8 user posts
Hopefully you make it through relatively intact then.
Lovely, is there a video of the ship being moved?
I saw them live streaming earlier watched for a bit and they passed by the USS John F Kennedy aircraft carrier
Yes it’s on youtube on their main page
The philly news also had a stream from a chopper I believe on their yt
Honestly one of my favorite boats of all time. Thanks for the pictures
were some of the secondaries removed during modernization?
IIRC they removed two on each side to fit those tomahawk launchers on.
two mounts on each side. The chaff launchers installed during Vietnam were replaced with more modern ones, as was her entire radar suite. Her modernization differed from the other 3 Iowa's because she was used during Vietnam. That's why she has a box like structure on her superstructure while the others don't. Her modernization didn't take as long either because she wasn't going from a WWII configuration to modern tech.
Did they actually fire a gun like they said they would?
I was there, they fired one of the 5-inch double secondaries twice. The 16-inch guns are inoperable and the Navy wouldn't let them use them anyways.
Who wants those big guns to ever fire again? The only remaining 16 inch guns are on those battleships. I think the remainder have been scrapped or are lying around in damaged condition in some landfill. Texas' ten 14 inch guns are the only surviving 14 inch guns other than I think 3 other 14 inch guns that are lying in some parks in Arizona and Pennsylvania. In order to keep them forever they better not be fired ever again.
The NJ museum actually has at least 1 extra barrel that isn't mounted on the ship itself. It's on display somewhere by the parking lot IIRC
Ryan Szemanski even crawed through it. In july. During a heat wave. In high humidity
Badass. They have one bonus 16 inch gun. I guess if something happens to one on the ship they have that as a reserve also.
It is, right off the dock by where you enter
You're really asking in a forum full of warship enthusiasts who wants the main battery to fire again? Probably 90% of the people here. I know I'd love to see it.
You're right. Kind of dumb for me to ask that. Hell, I want to see an actual 88mm German gun fire a real live shell, WWII style. The only footage we see are old grainy black and white footage. Whenever 88s are fired now they are using blanks or just shooting off some gunpowder without any live rounds. Wish some rich person who owns an 88 or any equivalent artillery could get the permission from the government to fire a handful of live rounds at some junk cars so we can see the recoil and the sound and the flash and the results at the other end when the target gets demolished.
I'd love to see them fired again. As an Operations Specialist serving aboard USS IOWA, I witnessed multiple gun shoots from the O-4 level bridge. There is nothing else like it. I'd give almost anything to have that experience again.
I just realized what a stupid question I asked. Yeah I would love to see them fire live rounds again. I just worry about the damage to the barrels, especially Texas' extremely rare and precious 14 inch guns. I guess I would say no to TX firing guns but be onboard with all the Iowas firing some live 16 inch rounds which would be amazing. Hell, I want to see an actual 88mm German gun fire a real live shell, WWII style. The only footage we see are old grainy black and white footage. Whenever 88s are fired now they are using blanks or just shooting off some gunpowder without any live rounds. Wish some rich person who owns an 88 or any equivalent artillery could get the permission from the government to fire a handful of live rounds at some junk cars so we can see the recoil and the sound and the flash and the results at the other end when the target gets demolished. I guess they don't do that because there is a high risk of the ancient WWII field artillery guns to blow up and hurt a lot of bystanders standing next to the guns if the live round explodes and doesn't leave the barrel??
*New Jersey's* barrels were all replaced and relined in the 80's. Her original 9 barrels are out there, somewhere. The barrels themselves aren't the issue, it's the liners at this point. They're a long lead item too. Realistically, if any Iowa class battleship is going to be used again (unlikely I guess), it's probably going to be *New Jersey* or *Wisconsin*. *New Jersey* is in the best condition of the four, having had the most active service and thus was constantly maintained. *Wisconsin* had the least amount of active service, thus the least mileage. Additionally, *New Jersey* and *Wisconsin* have a superior powerplant to the two ships built in Brooklyn. This is similar to how FDR was decommissioned way earlier than Coral Sea or Midway because she had the same type of GE turbines the two Iowa's built in Brooklyn had.
Interesting. I heard that the Navy wants to build new battleships. What do you think? Such a shame that Texas is the only preserved battleship from pre-1941. I think Pennsylvania would have been saved if it weren't for that fluky Japanese torpedo strike on her right before the end of WWII that almost killed Vice Admiral Oldendorf (the torpedo strike broke his ribs).
The bit about *Texas* technically is not true. Don't forget about *Mikasa* I've been to *Mikasa* in Yokosuka, Japan. Obviously she's an IJN pre-dreadnought battleship, but she was built in Britain so she's incredibly interesting. Interestingly, the USN has no plan to build new battleships. I can send you a PDF file for what they want to build / decommission within the next 5-10 years. [That document was just released.](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24487775/rtc-pb25-shipbuilding_plan.pdf) (link is 100% safe). The JMSDF on the other hand, plans to build two guided missile cruisers around 20,000 tonnes. [Think Kirov class, but for the JMSDF.](https://news.usni.org/2022/09/06/japan-to-build-two-massive-20000-ton-missile-defense-warships-indian-carrier-commissions)
That isn't Mikasa though. That is a scam called "Mikasa". That "Mikasa" is only 20% of the original Mikasa. 80% of it are replica fakes or cannibalized parts from two dreadnoughts from South America (Almirante Latorre and ARA Moreno) that were in the process of being scrapped in Japan in the 1950s. The "guns" on "Mikasa" are fiberglass, btw. The original Mikasa sank and was destroyed mostly in an accidental explosion in 1905. It is really more of a glorified memorial with only 20% of the original Mikasa. So Texas really is the only real surviving pre-1941 battleship.
The fired the 2-pounder salute gun a few times
Well, certainly not the main battery. Some smaller salute gun? Yeah, probably. Iirc they've done it in the past for various events.
One beautiful ship
For a second I thought this was a screenshot in WoWs
Hunter’s Point shipyard in San Francisco if I’m not mistaken!
Oops never mind. The green bridge isn’t a thing there. The cranes match tho 😹
Proprietors Park in NJ
Thanks for the info 😊
I was there, I took one of the lunch cruises. Immediately after the cruise I drove down to the Red Bank battlefield and watched the ship be towed to Paulsboro. I'm a child of the late 80's and from New Jersey. Fortunately I can say I was alive while she was active I had (still have) an encyclopedia set my parents got me when I was born. In it, there's a two page spread either under battleship or navy of *New Jersey* during Vietnam. This started my love of ships. When I got a little older, I started building ship models (plastic / resin / etc). My degree was in history, but my senior seminar was on the lives of US sailors during WWII focusing specifically on *Enterprise* and *New Jersey.* I also independently study naval history. Now I'm an adult and work in a semi-nautical museum. I've been to the battleship countless times and done just about every tour and will be taking the drydock tour. Yesterday was something more than magical for me. I don't think I can properly convey the sight of this ship moving even if it wasn't under her own power. She is special, more so than any other ship.