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Part 1

USS Texas Checklist (Priority)

	USS Iowa (BB-61) fires her 16-inch/50-caliber guns on 15 August 1984 during a firepower demonstration after her 1980s modernization.
History
US
Name	USS Iowa
Ordered	1 July 1939
Laid down	27 June 1940
Launched	27 August 1942
Commissioned	22 February 1943
Decommissioned	26 October 1990
Stricken	17 March 2006
Nickname(s)	"The Big Stick"
Honors and; awards	11 battle stars
Status	Stricken, available for donation as a museum and memorial
Notes	Last lead ship of any class of US battleship
General characteristics
Class and type	Iowa-class battleship
Displacement	45,000 tons
Length	887 ft 3 in (270 m)
Beam	108 ft 2 in (32.9 m)
Draft	37 ft 2 in (11.3 m)
Speed	33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement	151 officers, 2637 enlisted
Armament	list error: <br /> list (help); 1943:; 9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns; 20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns; 80 x 40 mm 56 cal. anti-aircraft guns; 49 x 20 mm 70 cal. anti-aircraft guns; 1982:; 9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns; 12 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns; 32 x BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles; 16 x RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles; 4 x 20 mm/76 cal. Phalanx CIWS
Armor	list error: <br /> list (help); Belt: 12.1 in (307 mm); Bulkheads: 11.3 in (287 mm); Barbettes: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 439 mm); Turrets: 19.7 in (500 mm); Decks: 7.5 in (190 mm)
Aircraft carried	floatplanes, helicopters, UAVs
Aviation facilities	none

I gave a pretty thorough copyediting pass to USS Texas (BB-35). I have some thoughts, observations, and questions.

Note #13 "BATTLESHIP TEXAS (BB-35)" is a dead link. From the web address, I would surmise that it might not have been considered an RS for eventual FA consideration, but it is the cite for several items in the D-Day sections. #26 "The Sand Pebbles" link might be rejected as a non-RS, also.
~~In note #12, the phrase "German Luftwaffe" is redundant (arguably, at least).~~
In the last paragraph of the "World War I" section, is the 40-mile figure nautical miles, as one would expect? The hard-coded conversion previously in the text treated it as statute miles, so I left it as that.
In the "Rehearsal" section and the "D-Day" sections there are two somewhat overlapping lists of ships. I wasn't clear if they were two distinct units with overlapping and/or changing membership (heat-of-battle type shifts) or descriptions of the same unit from, perhaps, two different sources.
- Its the enitre bombardment force, although in the heat of battle the smaller ships shifted from side to side to back up the ground troops.
Also, in the 2nd paragraph of the "D-Day" section, it seems like a similar situation about targets on Omaha beach. Like maybe the same actions are described, again, perhaps, from two different sources.
- I'm not seeing that, to me it looks more like the first paragraph is a description of the bombardment force preparing to shoot, the second paragraph discussing the actually shooting done. TomStar81 (Talk) 05:39, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
doncram (talk · contribs), at my invitation, added the National Historic Landmark (NHL) information to the article. The NHL infobox he added is somewhat compatible with the ship infobox, so depending on how you want to go with it, it could be incorporated into the ship box, as well.
- Its fine the way it is.
For A-class and FAC, the lead section for the article should probably be expanded to four paragraphs. I might structure it as follows: the first paragraph could be fleshed out with some info on builder (who, where, when); a second paragraph to summarize up through WWI; a third for Interwar and WWII; and then keep the current final paragraph as the fourth and final paragraph of a new lead.
~~I linked to a couple of men mentioned in the article, each of whom later had a USN ship named for them (Grant and McDonnell), even though both are redlinked now.~~
I'm not sure of the significance of the "by hull number" in the last sentence. Is Texas merely the lowest numbered battleship that was made a museum ship, or was she the first (and coincidentally the lowest numbered) made a museum ship. If the former, I honestly don't think thats all that significant; if it's the latter—as seems to be currently indicated in the lead—it need to be reworded for clarity.
Unless you have deep-seated reasons for retaining the current reference setup at the end of the article, it would certainly make for a cleaner notes section if the full details of books were listed in a "Reference" section with a citation of something along the lines of "Smith, p. 25." in a "Notes" section. (See USS Siboney (ID-2999), for example, of one way of doing that.)

Any questions – or complaints ;) – just let me know... — Bellhalla (talk) 02:27, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

By the way, I'll leave it to you to strike – or not ;) – from Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Logistics — Bellhalla (talk) 02:50, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

I am sure that I can help you with some of these issues. I'll be back on in a few hours, right now I need a nap (18-hour days are exhausting :) TomStar81 (Talk) 20:54, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

I located the missing cite #13, it can still be accessed through the internet archive. Here is the working link, you can check the info out if you want or simply readd it to the article. The rest I will look more conclusively into tomorrow, time permitting. TomStar81 (Talk) 07:16, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

I added the archive link to the ref, and after poking around the archived site, it would qualify as an RS (for me, at least). — Bellhalla (talk) 10:37, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

I'll be done with school by then, and hopefully will be back in full force (assuming I don't die first). TomStar81 (Talk) 08:03, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Great White Fleet

The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of four squadrons of four battleships each, with their escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military power and blue-water navy capability.

*USS Kansas* sails ahead of the *USS Vermont* as the fleet leaves Hampton Roads, Virginia on December 16, 1907.

Background

In the twilight of Roosevelt's administration, the president dispatched sixteen U.S. Navy battleships of the Atlantic Fleet and their escorts, on a world-wide voyage of circumnavigation from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909. With their hulls painted white except for the gilded scrollwork with a red, white, and blue banner on their bows, these ships would later come to be known as the Great White Fleet

The voyage

As the Panama Canal was not yet complete, the fleet would pass through the Straits of Magellan. The scope of such an operation was unprecedented in U.S. history, as ships had to sail from all points of the compass to rendezvous points and proceed according to a carefully-orchestrated, well-thought out plan. It would involve almost the entire operational capability of the U.S. Navy. Unlike the badly coordinated moves of the Russian fleet from the Baltic to the Pacific that led to its destruction by the Japanese, the U.S. effort would benefit from a peaceful environment which aided the coordination of ship movements. The voyage, itself would eventually set a number of world records including, for example, the sheer number of ships simultaneously circumnavigating the earth. ^{[citation needed]}

The fleet was greeted with excitement around the world. In port after port, citizens in the thousands turned out to see and greet the fleet. In 1908 The Great White Fleet visited Monterey, CA from May 1-4. The posh Hotel Del Monte hosted a grand ball for the officers of the fleet. The Del Monte was later to become the headquarters for the Navy's Post-Graduate School. In Sicily, the sailors helped in recovery operations after a serious earthquake. When the fleet sailed into Yokohama, the Japanese went to extraordinary lengths to show that their country desired peace with the U.S.; thousands of Japanese schoolchildren waved American flags to greet Navy officials as they came ashore.^{[citation needed]} In Australia the arrival of the Great White Fleet was used to encourage support for the forming of Australia's own navy in defiance of the British advice at the time

In February 1909, Roosevelt was in Hampton Roads, Virginia, to witness the triumphant return of the fleet and indicating that he saw the fleet's long voyage as a fitting finish for his administration. To the officers and men of the fleet Roosevelt said, "Other nations may do what you have done, but they'll have to follow you." This parting act of grand strategy by Roosevelt greatly expanded the respect with which the United States was held, as well as her the role in the international arena.^{[citation needed]}

Fleet composition

The fourteen-month long voyage was a grand pageant of American seapower. The squadrons were manned by 14,000 sailors. They covered some 43,000 miles and made twenty port calls on six continents. The fleet was impressive, but already the battleships were technically outdated, as the first battleships of the revolutionary Dreadnought class had just entered service, and the U.S. Navy's first dreadnought, South Carolina, was already fitting out. The two oldest ships in the fleet, USS Kearsarge and USS Kentucky, were already obsolete and unfit for battle; two others, USS Maine and USS Alabama, had to be detached at San Francisco, California because of mechanical troubles. (After repairs, Alabama and Maine completed their "own, more direct, circumnavigation of the globe" via Honolulu, Guam, Manila, Singapore, Colombo, Suez, Naples, Gibraltar, the Azores, and finally back to the United States, arriving on October 20, 1908, long before the remainder the fleet, which had taken a more circuitous route.)

The battleships were accompanied during the first leg of their voyage by a "Torpedo Flotilla" of six early destroyers, as well as by several auxiliary ships. The destroyers and their tender did not actually steam in company with the battleships, but followed their own itinerary from Hampton Roads, Virginia to San Francisco, California. Two battleships were detached from the fleet at San Francisco, and two others substituted.

Fleet's leaders were Civil War era sailors

When the fleet left Hampton Roads there were four senior officers who had served during the Civil War. While, in modern times, only such men as Admiral Hyman Rickover have been allowed to serve more than 40 years on active duty, in 1908 the mandatory retirement age was 62. For the fleet this meant Admiral Robley D. Evans, Rear Admiral Thomas, and Rear Admiral Emory needed to retire before the cruise would end. Admiral Sperry started his naval training in 1862 and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1866. Admiral "Fighting Bob" Evans, was wounded four times on January 15, 1865, when, as a leader of company of Marines, he landed from Admiral David Dixon Porter's squadron attacking Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Evans continued to fight even after his fourth wound, drawing his pistol and threatening to kill any man who attempted to amputate his leg in surgery when he was evacuated.^{[citation needed]}

General fleet itinerary

The Great White Fleet arriving to a crowd at the Port of Los Angeles, 1908

With the USS Connecticut (BB-18) as flagship under the command of Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, the fleet sailed from Hampton Roads on December 16, 1907, for Trinidad, British West Indies, thence to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Punta Arenas, Chile; Callao, Peru; Magdalena Bay, Mexico, and up the West Coast, arriving at San Francisco, May 6, 1908.

After the arrival of the fleet off the west coast, the USS Glacier was detached and later became the supply ship of the Pacific Fleet. At this time also, the USS Nebraska, Captain Reginald F. Nicholson, and the USS Wisconsin, Captain Frank E. Beatty, were substituted for the USS Maine and USS Alabama. In San Francisco, USS Minnesota was brought forward into First Squadron, First Division and USS Louisiana took her place as flagship, Second Squadron.

At San Francisco, Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry assumed command of the Fleet, owing to the poor health of Admiral Evans. Also at San Francisco, the squadrons were slightly rearranged, bringing the newest and best ships in the fleet up to the First Squadron. Leaving that port on July 7, 1908, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet visited Honolulu; Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Manila, Philippines; Yokohama, Japan; Colombo, Ceylon; arriving at Suez, Egypt, on January 3, 1909.

As mentioned earlier, in Egypt, word was received of an earthquake in Sicily, thus affording an opportunity for the United States to show its friendship to Italy by offering aid to the sufferers. Connecticut, Illinois, Culgoa, and Yankton were dispatched to Messina, Italy at once. The crew of Illinois recovered the bodies of the American consul and his wife, entombed in the ruins.

USS Scorpion, the Fleet's station ship at Constantinople, and USS Celtic, a refrigerator ship fitted out in New York, were hurried to Messina, relieving Connecticut and Illinois, so that they could continue on the cruise.

Leaving Messina on January 9, 1909, the Fleet stopped at Naples, Italy, thence to Gibraltar, arriving at Hampton Roads on February 22, 1909. There President Roosevelt reviewed the Fleet as it passed into the roadstead.

The First Leg

from Hampton Roads to San Francisco, 14,556 miles

Itinerary

Port	Arrival	Departure	Distance to Next Port
Hampton Roads, Virginia		1907-12-16	1803 miles
Port of Spain, Trinidad	1907-12-23	1907-12-29	3399 miles
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1908-01-12	1908-01-21	2374 miles
Punta Arenas, Chile	1908-02-01	1908-02-07	2838 miles
Callao, Peru	1908-02-20	1908-02-29	3010 miles
Magdalena Bay, Mexico	1908-03-12	1908-04-11	1132 miles
San Francisco, California	1908-05-06

Ships

The Fleet, First Squadron and First Division, were commanded by Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans. First Division consisted of USS Connecticut (BB-18), the Fleet's flagship, Captain Hugo Osterhaus, USS Kansas (BB-21), Captain Charles E. Vreeland, USS Vermont (BB-20), Captain William P. Potter, and USS Louisiana (BB-19), Captain Richard Wainwright.

Second Division was commanded by Rear Admiral William H. Emory. Second Division consisted of USS Georgia (BB-15), the Division flagship, Captain Henry McCrea, USS New Jersey (BB-16), Captain William H. H. Southerland, USS Rhode Island (BB-17), Captain Joseph B. Murdock, and USS Virginia (BB-13), Captain Seaton Schroeder.

Second Squadron and Third Division were commanded by Rear Admiral Charles M. Thomas. Third Division consisted of USS Minnesota (BB-22), the Squadron flagship, Captain John Hubbard, USS Maine (BB-10), Captain Giles B. Harber, USS Missouri (BB-11), Captain Greenlief A. Merriam, and USS Ohio (BB-12), Captain Charles W. Bartlett.

Fourth Division was commanded by Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry. Fourth Division consisted of USS Alabama (BB-8), the Division flagship, Captain Ten Eyck De Witt Veeder, USS Illinois (BB-7), Captain John M. Bowyer, USS Kearsarge (BB-5), Captain Hamilton Hutchins, and USS Kentucky (BB-6), Captain Walter C. Cowles.

The Fleet Auxiliaries consisted of USS Culgoa (a storeship), Lieutenant Commander John B. Patton, USS Glacier (a storeship), Commander William S. Hogg, USS Panther (a repair ship), Commander Valentine S. Nelson, USS Yankton (a tender), Lieutenant Walter R. Gherardi, and USS Relief (a hospital ship).

The "Torpedo Flotilla" of destroyers consisted of USS Hopkins, Lieutenant Alfred G. Howe, USS Stewart, Lieutenant Julius F. Hellweg, USS Hull, Lieutenant Frank McCommon, USS Truxton, Lieutenant Charles S. Kerrick, USS Lawrence, Lieutenant Ernest Friedrick, USS Whipple, Lieutenant Hutch I. Cone, and USS Arethusa (a tender), Commander Albert W. Grant.

Second Leg

The second leg of the voyage was from San Francisco to Puget Sound and back

The Fleet, First Squadron, and First Division were commanded by Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry. First Division consisted of USS Connecticut (BB-18), the Fleet's flagship, Captain Hugo Osterhaus USS Kansas (BB-21), Captain Charles E. Vreeland USS Minnesota (BB-22), Captain John Hubbard USS Vermont (BB-20), Captain William P. Potter

Second Division was commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright. Second Division consisted of USS Georgia (BB-15), the Division flagship, Captain Edward F. Qualtrough, USS Nebraska (BB-14), Captain Reginald F. Nicholson, USS New Jersey (BB-16), Captain William H.H. Southerland, and USS Rhode Island (BB-17), Captain Joseph B. Murdock.

Second Squadron and Third Division were commanded by Rear Admiral William H. Emory. Third Division consisted of USS Louisiana (BB-19), the Squadron's flagship, Captain Kossuth Niles, USS Virginia (BB-13), Captain Alexander Sharp, USS Missouri (BB-11), Captain Robert M. Doyle, and USS Ohio (BB-12), Captain Thomas B. Howard.

Fourth Division was commanded by Rear Admiral Seaton Schroeder. Fourth Division consisted of USS Wisconsin (BB-9), the Division flagship, Captain Frank E. Beatty, USS Illinois (BB-7), Captain John M. Bowyer, USS Kearsarge (BB-5), Captain Hamilton Hutchins, and USS Kentucky (BB-6), Captain Walter C. Cowles.

The Fleet Auxiliaries were USS Culgoa (a storeship), Lieutenant Commander John B. Patton, USS Yankton (a tender), Lieutenant Commander Charles B. McVay, USS Glacier (a storeship), Commander William S. Hogg, USS Relief (a hospital ship), Surgeon Charles F. Stokes, and USS Panther (a repair ship), Commander Valentine S. Nelson.

Third Leg

from San Francisco to Manila, 16,336 miles

Itinerary

Port	Arrival	Departure	Distance to Next Port
San Francisco, California		1908-07-07	2126 miles
Honolulu, Hawaii	1908-07-16	1908-07-22	3870 miles
Auckland, New Zealand	1908-08-09	1908-08-15	1307 miles
Sydney, Australia	1908-08-20	1908-08-28	601 miles
Melbourne, Australia	1908-08-29	1908-09-05	1368 miles
Albany, Australia	1908-09-11	1908-09-18	3458 miles
Manila, Philippine Islands	1908-10-02	1908-10-09	1795 miles
Yokohama, Japan	1908-10-18	1908-10-25	1811 miles
Amoy, China (Second Squadron)	1908-10-29	1908-11-05
Manila, Philippine Islands (First Squadron)	1908-10-31
Manila, Philippine Islands (Second Squadron)	1908-11-07

Ships

The Fleet, First Squadron, and First Division were commanded by Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry. First Division consisted of USS Connecticut (BB-18), the Fleet's flagship, Captain Hugo Osterhaus, USS Kansas (BB-21), Captain Charles E. Vreeland, USS Minnesota (BB-22), Captain John Hubbard, and USS Vermont (BB-20), Captain William P. Potter.

Second Division consisted of USS Georgia (BB-15), the Division flagship, Captain Edward F. Qualtrough, USS Nebraska (BB-14), Captain Reginald F. Nicholson, USS New Jersey (BB-16), Captain William H.H. Southerland, and USS Rhode Island (BB-17), Captain Joseph B. Murdock.

The Second Squadron and Third Division were commanded by Rear Admiral William H. Emory. Third Division consisted of USS Louisiana (BB-19), the Squadron flagship, Captain Kossuth Niles, USS Virginia (BB-13), Captain Alexander Sharp, USS Missouri (BB-11), Captain Robert M. Doyle, and USS Ohio (BB-12), Captain Thomas B. Howard.

Fourth Division was commanded by Rear Admiral Seaton Schroeder. Fourth Division consisted of USS Wisconsin (BB-9), the Division flagship, Captain Frank E. Beatty, USS Illinois (BB-7), Captain John M. Bowyer, USS Kearsarge (BB-5), Captain Hamilton Hutchins, and USS Kentucky (BB-6), Captain Walter C. Cowles.

The Fleet Auxiliaries were USS Culgoa (a storeship), Lieutenant Commander John B. Patton, USS Yankton (a tender), Lieutenant Commander Charles B. McVay, USS Glacier (a storeship), Commander William S. Hogg, USS Relief (a hospital ship), Surgeon Charles F. Stokes, and USS Panther (a repair ship), Commander Valentine S. Nelson.

Final Leg

from Manila to Hampton Roads, 12,455 miles

Itinerary

Port	Arrival	Departure	Distance to Next Port
Manila, Philippine Islands		1908-12-01	2985 miles
Colombo, Ceylon	1908-12-13	1908-12-20	3448 miles
Suez, Egypt	1909-01-03	1909-01-04 – 1909-01-06	2443 miles
Gibraltar	1909-01-31 – 1909-02-01	1909-02-06	3579 miles
Hampton Roads, Virginia	1909-02-22

References

Corbett, Julian, Sir. Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905. (1994). Originally classified Secret/Confidential until the 1950's; published in two volumnes. ISBN

1557501297

Nolte, Carl, "Great White Fleet Visited S.F. 100 Years Ago", San Francisco Chronicle, May 6, 2008, pg. B3.
Pleshakov, Constantine. The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima. (2002). ISBN 0465057926
Semenov, Vladimir, Capt. The Battle of Tsushima. (1912). E.P. Dutton & Co.

External links

http://www.greatwhitefleet.info Great White Fleet Website
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/gwf_cruise.htm US Navy Historical Center Site

[[Category:1900s]] [[Category:Fleets of the United States Navy]] [[Category:Fleets|US Great White Fleet]] [[Category:Theodore Roosevelt]] [[de:Große Weiße Flotte]] [[fr:Grande flotte blanche]] [[ja:グレート・ホワイト・フリート]]

USS Iowa Turret Explosion

Template:Infobox generic The USS Iowa turret explosion occured on 19 April 1989, when gunpowder packs used to propel 16&nsbp;inch shells from the barrels of the 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns mounted aboard the U.S. Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded within the turret for undetermined reasons, killing 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The incident is infamous for the resulting scandal in which NCIS investigators attempted to place the blame for the explosion on Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Clayton Hartwig, alleging that he had detonated an improvised explosive device within the turret.

This initial explination set off a firestorm of protests across the United States, culminating with a descion by the United States Congress to force the U.S. Navy to reopen the investigation into the cause of the blast. This second investigation focused on the turret as a whole rather than Clayton Hartwig as an individual, and ultimetely yielded two probable causes for the explosion in the turret: Overramming of the powder bags used to launch the 16 inch shells, or static electricity within the turret igniting loose gunpowder.

Owing to the explosion and the subsequent damage in Turret 2 the Navy elected to decommission Iowa earlier, placing her in the mothball fleet ahaed of her sister ships. In 1999 she was reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register, where she remained until being removed in March of 2006. At present the battleship rests in Suisin Bay (outside San Fransisco) while awaiting transfer to a non-for-profit organization for use as a museum ship.

Background

Ronald Reagan and the 600-ship Navy

At the conclusion of the Korean War the United States decomissioned all four reactivated Iowa-class battleships and placed them into the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet". With one exception all four battleships would remain in the reserve fleet until the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.^[1] As part of his election campaign Reagan had put forth plans for a 600-ship Navy. Among other things, this planned called for older U.S. Navy ships to undergo Service Life Extension Programs (SLEPs) which would enable the ships to stay in service longer.

Reagan's 600-ship Navy plan also called for the reacivation of the Iowa-class battleships for a number of reasons, chief among them the fact that the Des Moines-class heavy cruisers were worn out, while the Iowas had a relatively low mileage count and thus were well suited to fill the offshore bombardment role."^[2] The Iowas also provided a counter to the new Soviet Orlan-class large missile cruisers, better known in the West as the Kirov-class battlecruisers.

Shortly after the commisioning of New Jersey in 1982 Iowa was reactivated and moved under tow to the Avondale Shipyards near New Orleans, Louisiana, for modernization. During the modernization Iowa had all of her remaining Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns removed, due to their ineffectiveness against modern jet fighters and enemy anti-ship missiles; additionally, the two 5 in gun mounts located at mid-ship and in the aft on the port and starboard side of the battleship were removed.^[3]

Over the next several months the ship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available; among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141 quad cell launchers for 16 AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, eight Armored Box Launcher (ABL) mounts for 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, and a quartet of Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS) gatling guns for defense against enemy anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft.^[3] Missouri also received eight RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, which are remotely controlled drones that replaced the helicopters previously used to spot for her nine 16 in/50 Mark 7 guns.^[4] Also included in her modernization were upgrades to radar and fire control systems for her guns and missiles, and improved electronic warfare capabilities.^[3] Armed as such, Iowa was formally recommissioned 28 April 1984.

Personel

This is for the discussion of the commanding officeres of the battleship, Fred Moosally and the other guy.

The Incident

On 19 April 1989, an explosion ripped through the Number Two 16 inch gun turret, killing 47 crewmen. Sailors quickly flooded the #2 powder magazine, likely preventing catastrophic damage to the ship.

First Investigation and Theory

At first, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigators theorized that one of the dead crewmen, Clayton Hartwig, who died in the explosion, had placed an explosive device in the breech in a suicide attempt after the end of an alleged homosexual affair with another sailor. Hartwig had named Kendall Truitt, a fellow shipmate, as the sole beneficiary on a $50,000 life insurance policy, with double indemnity for accidental death. That policy kicked off a Naval criminal investigation that eventually concluded Hartwig was angry at Truitt over a cooling of their relationship, crafted a detonator and set off the blast. This conclusion was strongly disputed by others and this theory was later abandoned and Hartwig cleared.

Second Investigation and Theories

Japanese battleship Kawachi

Extensive tests were later conducted by Sandia National Laboratories and the explosion is thought to have been caused by an "overram" of the ram that moves the shells and propellent into the breech. The use of D846 fast burn propellent in place of normal D845 propellent while firing the larger 2,700 pound projectiles, plus inadequate crew training including a new turret captain were also held to blame, although no official cause has ever been determined.

The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Frank B. Kelso II, publicly apologized to the Hartwig family stating that there was no proof that Hartwig had deliberately detonated the powder bags.^[5] As Hartwig was only a last-minute replacement for his duty station the day of the accident, it was deemed that premeditation for causing an explosion was impossible. Independent psychiatrists who analyzed Hartwig's background found no signs of psychosis, paranoia, or clinical depression, concluding that Hartwig was content with his job, anticipating his next assignment in a security role in London, and that the great weight of the evidence ran counter to suicide. ^[6]

Aftermath

The #2 Turret was trained forward with its own mechanism after the explosion and superficial repairs were conducted. All the related repair pieces are stored inside the turret, but the turret has never been completely repaired.

Iowa deployed to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea in mid-year. Iowa decommissioned in Norfolk, 26 October 1990. Iowa, as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, was berthed at the Naval Education and Training Center in Newport, from 24 September 1998 to 8 March 2001 when the ship began her journey, under tow, to California. The ship arrived in Suisun Bay near San Francisco on 21 April 2001 and is part of the Reserve Fleet there.

Section 1011 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996 required the United States Navy to reinstate to the Naval Vessel Register two of the Iowa-class battleships that had been struck by the Navy in 1995; these ships were to be maintained in the United States Navy reserve fleets (or "mothball fleet"). The Navy was to ensure that both of the reinstated battleships were in good condition and could be reactivated for use in the Marine Corp's amphibious operations.^[7] Due to Iowa’s damaged Turret 2 the Navy selected New Jersey for placement into the mothball fleet, even though the training mechanisms on New Jersey’s 16 in guns had been welded down. The cost to fix New Jersey was considered less than the cost to fix Iowa;^[3] as a result, New Jersey and Wisconsin were reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register and placed back in the reserve fleet.^[7]

New Jersey remained in mothball fleet until the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 passed through the United States Congress 18 October 1998. Section 1011 required the United States Secretary of the Navy to list and maintain Iowa and Wisconsin on the Naval Vessel Register, while Section 1012 required the Secretary of the Navy to strike New Jersey from the Naval Vessel Register and transfer the battleship to a non-for-profit entity in accordance with section 7306 of Title 10, United States Code. Section 1012 also required the transfree to locate the battleship in the State of New Jersey.^[8] The Navy made the switch in January 1999, reinstating Iowa to the naval vessel register in accordance with the National Defense Authoization Act of 1996. Iowa remained in the reserve fleet until her removal on 17 March 2006. She is currently awaiting transfer for use as a museum ship. ^[9]

Notes

^ The exception was the battleship New Jersey, which was recalled for action in 1968 to back up the naval fire support group fighting in Vietnam.
^ "The 10 Greatest Fighting Ships in Military History". The Discovery Channel. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)Web page: Top Ten Fighting Ships Retrieved 23 April 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "BB-61 IOWA-class (Specifications)". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
^ "The Warfighter's Encyclopedia: Aircraft - RQ-2 Pioneer".
^ Ten years after Iowa tragedy, only evidence left is memories
^ The Navy's Scapegoats, Gerald Posner, Penthouse, January 1990
^ ^a ^b "National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1996(Subtitle B-Naval Vessels and Shipyards" (pdf). National Institute of Standards and Technology. 1996-02-10. p. 422. Retrieved 2005-05-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ "Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 (Subtitle B-Naval Vessels and Shipyards)" (pdf). 105th Congress, United States Senate and House of Representatives. pp. pp. 200–201. Retrieved 2007-03-12. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
^ This citiation was included to split the citations up so that those belonging to sperate section below this one would not be included with the count for the article above this one. This is not an actual reference.

Printed media

Conahan, Frank C. (1990). Battleships, issues arising from the explosion aboard the USS Iowa. The Office of the Distributor. ASIN B00010DRDG. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Diehl, Alan E. (2003-01-27). Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups. Potomac Books. ISBN 1574885448. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Milligan, Richard D. (1989). Investigation to inquire into the explosion in number two turret on board USS Iowa (BB 61) which occurred in the vicinity of the Puerto Rico operating area on or about 19 April 1989. Secretary of the Navy. ASIN B00071T0DU. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Schwoebel, Richard L. (2001). Explosion Aboard the Iowa. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 0756765838. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Shilts, Randy (2005). Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0312342640. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Thompson II, Charles C. (1999). A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the USS Iowa and Its Cover-Up. W. W. Norton. ISBN 0393047148. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Garzke Jr., William H. (1995). Battleships: United States Battleships, 1935-1992. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557501742. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

Web

"Defamation suit over USS Iowa book settled". Associated Press via WAVY. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
Buzka, James. "Turret #2". USSIowa.org. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
Dorsey, Jack (1999-04-17). "Ten years after Iowa tragedy, only evidence left is memories". Virginian-Pilot via USSIowa.org. Retrieved 2007-05-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Posner, Gerald (1990). "The Navy's Scapegoats". Penthouse via Posner.com. Retrieved 2007-05-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
Stein, Jeff (1999-08-18). "Uncle Sam wants you -- in the dark". Salon.com. Retrieved 2007-05-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
"Navy Punishes Four for Iowa's Deficiencies". New York Times. 1989-10-05. Retrieved 2007-05-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Trainor, Bernard E. (1989-05-25). "Iowa Blast Inquiry Turns to Possibility of Foul Play". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-05-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Trippett, Frank (1989-06-05). "Mystery Aboard the Iowa". Time. Retrieved 2007-05-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Vogel, Steve (2001-03-25). "I knew it was horrible". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The, via Find Articles. Retrieved 2007-06-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Other media

History Undercover: USS Iowa Explosion. A & E Home Video. 2001.
Salomon, Mikael (Director) (2001). A Glimpse of Hell (Television production). 20th Century Fox Television.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iowa turret explosion}} [[Category:1989 disasters]] [[Category:1989 in the United States]] [[Category:Accidental explosion disasters in the United States]] [[Category:Maritime incidents in 1989]] [[Category:Military history of the United States 1900-1999]] [[Category:Non-combat accidents involving military]] [[Category:Ship fires]] [[Category:United States Navy]]

USS Iowa (BB-61)

Todo (not nessicarly in this order):
- Find WWII material
- Find Korean War material
- synk the table with other Iowa class battleships
- Build the awards image

USS Iowa (BB-61) ("The Big Stick") was the lead ship of her class of battleship, and was the fourth ship of in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state. Among the Iowa-class battleships, Iowa is notable for being the only ship of the class to have served a combat tour in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, and for the notourious circumstances surrounding the explosion inside her #2 gun turret in April of 1989.

During World War II Iowa served in Atlantic fleet as countermeasure against the German battleship Tirpitz. When transfered to the Pacific fleet in 1944 Iowa shelled beacheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carriers operating in the Marshall Islands. During the Korean War Iowa was involved in raids up and down the North Korean coast, after which she was decomissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet". She was reactivated in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan, and operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets to counter the recently expanded Soviet Navy. In April of 1989 an explosion of undetermined origin wrecked her #2 gun turret, killing 47 sailors.

Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in 1990, and was initially struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1995; however, she was reinstated to the NVR in 1999 to allow her sister ship New Jersey to be donated to her namesake state for use as a museum. Iowa is currently berthed with the Suisun Bay reserve fleet near San Fransisco, California, and is awaiting donation to a non-for-profit entity for use as a museum ship. At present Iowa is the only member of her class not open to the public.

Construction

Iowa was the lead ship of her class of "fast battleship" designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair. She was launched on 27 August 1942 sponsored by Ilo Wallace (wife of Vice President Henry Wallace), and commissioned on 22 February 1943 with Captain John L. McCrea in command.^[1] She was the first ship of her class of battleship to be commissioned by the United States.^[2]

Iowa’s main battery consisted of nine 16 inch (406 mm)/50 caliber Mark 7 naval guns, which could hurl 2,700 lb armor piercing shells some 24 nautical miles (44 km). Her secondary battery consisted of twenty 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns in twin turrets, which could fire at targets up to 9 miles (14 km) away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of allied aircraft carriers; to this end, Iowa was fitted with an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns to defend allied carriers from enemy airstrikes. When reactivated in 1984 Iowa had her 20 mm and 40 mm AA guns removed, and was outfitted with Phalanx CIWS mounts for protection against enemy missiles and aircraft, and Armored Box Launchers and Quad Cell Launchers designed to fire Tomahawk missiles and Harpoon missiles, respectively.^[3]

World War II

Shakedown and service with the Atlantic Fleet

On 24 February 1943, Iowa put to sea for shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast. She got underway on 27 August for Argentia, Newfoundland to neutralise the threat of German battleship Tirpitz which was reportedly operating in Norwegian waters before returning to the United States 25 October for two weeks of maintence at the Norfolk Navy Yard.^[4]

In mid-November 1943, Iowa carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and other World War II military brass to Casablanca, French Morocco on the first leg of the journey to the Tehran Conference. Among the vessles escorting Iowa on the journey was the Fletcher-class destoyer USS William D. Porter (DD-579). William D. Porter had already been involved in a major mishap when she wrecked a sister destoyer resting at anchor while backing up the night before being assigned to escort Iowa, and Porter extended her bad luck streak the next day when a depth charge on her deck fell into the rough sea and exploded, causing Iowa and the other escort ships to take evasive manuvers under the assumption that the task force had come under torpedo attack by a German U-boat. On 14 November, at Roosevelt's request, Iowa conducted an anti-aircraft drill to demonstrate her ability to defend herself from enemy aircraft. The drill began with the release of a number of balloons for use an AA-targets, most of which were shot by AA gunners aboard Iowa, however a few of the balloons had drifted toward William D. Porter. Porter went to battlestations and began shooting down the balloons Iowa had missed while conducting other drills, including a torpedo drill; however the drill abruptly turned serious when the #3 torpedo aboard William D. Porter discharged from its tube and headed toward Iowa.^[5]

William D. Porter attempted to Signal Iowa about the incoming torpedo, but owing to radio silence was forced to use a blinker light, and while relaying the message to Iowa the detroyer misidentified the direction of the torpedo and then relaying the wrong message. In deperation the destoyer finally broke radio silence and, using codewords, relayed a warning message to Iowa regarding the incoming torpedo. After confirming the identity of the destoyer Iowa turned to aviod being hit by the torpedo. Roosevelt, meanwhile, had learned of the incoming torpedo threat and asked his secret service attendee to move his wheel chair to the side of the battleship. Not long afterward the torpedo detontated in wake of the battleship, however Iowa was unhurt, and after avoiding the accidental torpedo attack trained her main guns on William D. Porter out of concern that the ship may have been involved in some sort of assassination plot. This was later proved false, bu as a result of this incident, ships would routinely greet the destroyer with the hail "Don't shoot! We're Republicans!"^[5]

Service with Battleship Division 7, Admiral Lee

As flagship of Battleship Division 7, Iowa departed the United States 2 January 1944 for the Pacific Theatre and her combat debut in the campaign for the Marshall Islands. From 29 January to 3 February, she supported carrier air strikes made by Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman's task group against Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls. Her next assignment was to support air strikes against the Japanese Naval base at Truk, Caroline Islands. Iowa, in company with other ships was detached from the support group 16 February 1944 to conduct an anti-shipping sweep around Truk to destroy enemy naval vessels escaping to the north. On 21 February, she was underway with the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 58 or TF 38, depending on whether it was part of 5th Fleet or 3rd Fleet) while it conducted the first strikes against Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam in the Mariana Islands.

On 18 March, Iowa, flying the flag of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee, Commander Battleships, Pacific, joined in the bombardment of Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Although struck by two Japanese 4.7 inch projectiles during the action, Iowa suffered negligible damage. She then rejoined Task Force 58 on 30 March, and supported air strikes against the Palau Islands and Woleai of the Carolines which continued for several days.

From 22 April to 28 April 1944, Iowa supported air raids on Hollandia (now known as Jayapura), Aitape, and Wakde Islands to support Army forces on Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay, and Humboldt Bay in New Guinea. She then joined the Task Force's second strike on Truk, 29 April and 30 April, and bombarded Japanese facilities on Ponape in the Carolines on 1 May.

In the opening phases of the Marianas campaign, Iowa protected the flattops during air strikes on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Rota, and Pagan on 12 June. Iowa was then detached to bombard enemy installations on Saipan and Tinian on 13 June and 14 June. On 19 June, in an engagement known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Iowa, as part of the battle line of TF 58, helped repel four massive air raids launched by the Japanese Middle Fleet. This resulted in the almost complete destruction of Japanese carrier-based aircraft. Iowa then joined in the pursuit of the fleeing enemy Fleet, shooting down one torpedo plane and assisting in splashing another.

Throughout July, Iowa remained off the Marianas supporting air strikes on the Palaus and landings on Guam. After a month's rest, Iowa sortied from Eniwetok as part of the Third Fleet, and helped support the landings on Peleliu on 17 September. She then protected the carriers during air strikes against the Central Philippines to neutralize enemy air power for the long awaited invasion of the Philippines. On 10 October, Iowa arrived off Okinawa for a series of air strikes on the Ryukyu Islands and Formosa. She then supported air strikes against Luzon on 18 October and continued this vital duty during General Douglas MacArthur's landing on Leyte on 20 October.

In a last-ditch attempt to halt the United States campaign to recapture the Philippines, the Japanese Navy struck back with a three-pronged attack aimed at the destruction of American amphibious forces in Leyte Gulf. Iowa accompanied TF 38 during attacks against the Japanese Central Force as it steamed through the Sibuyan Sea toward San Bernardino Strait. The reported results of these attacks and the apparent retreat of the Japanese Central Force led Admiral William "Bull" Halsey to believe that this force had been ruined as an effective fighting group. Iowa, with TF 38, steamed after the Japanese Northern Force off Cape Engaño, Luzon. On 25 October 1944, when the ships of the Northern Force were almost within range of Iowa's guns, word arrived that the Japanese Central Force was attacking a group of American escort carriers off Samar. This threat to the American beachheads forced her to reverse course and steam to support the vulnerable "baby carriers". However, the valiant fight put up by the escort carriers and their screen in the Battle off Samar had already caused the Japanese to retire and Iowa was denied a surface action. Following the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Iowa remained in the waters off the Philippines screening carriers during strikes against Luzon and Formosa. She sailed for the West Coast late in December 1944.

Iowa arrived San Francisco, California, on 15 January 1945, for overhaul. She sailed 19 March for Okinawa, arriving 15 April. Commencing 24 April, Iowa supported carrier operations which assured American troops vital air superiority during their struggle for that bitterly contested island. She then supported air strikes off southern Kyūshū from 25 May to 13 June. Iowa participated in strikes on the Japanese homeland 14 July and 15 July and bombarded Muroran, Hokkaidō, destroying steel mills and other targets. The city of Hitachi on Honshū was given the same treatment on the night of 17 July to 18 July. Iowa continued to support fast carrier strikes until the cessation of hostilities on 15 August.

Iowa entered Tokyo Bay with the occupation forces on 29 August. After serving as Admiral Halsey's flagship for the surrender ceremony on 2 September, Iowa departed Tokyo Bay 20 September for the United States.

Arriving Seattle, Washington on 15 October, Iowa returned to Japanese waters in January 1946 and became flagship of the Fifth Fleet. She continued this role until she sailed for the United States on 25 March 1946. From that time on, until September 1948, Iowa operated from West Coast ports, on Naval Reserve and at sea training and drills and maneuvers with the Fleet. Iowa decommissioned 24 March 1949.

The Korean War

When the Korean War necessitated an expansion of the active fleet, Iowa was recommissioned on 25 August 1951 with Captain William R. Smedberg III in command. She operated off the West Coast until March 1952, when she sailed for the Far East. On 1 April 1952, Iowa became the flagship of Vice Admiral Robert P. Briscoe, Commander, Seventh Fleet, and departed Yokosuka, Japan to support United Nations Forces in Korea. From 8 April to 16 October 1952, Iowa was involved in combat operations off the East Coast of Korea. Her primary mission was to aid ground troops, by bombarding enemy targets at Songjin, Hungnam, and Kojo, North Korea. During this time, Admiral Briscoe was relieved as Commander, Seventh Fleet. Vice Admiral Joseph J. Clark, the new commander, continued to use Iowa as his flagship until 17 October 1952. Iowa departed Yokosuka, Japan on 19 October 1952 for overhaul at Norfolk, Virginia, and training operations in the Caribbean Sea.

1953 to 1958

Iowa embarked midshipmen for at sea training to Northern Europe, July 1953, and immediately after took part in Operation "Mariner," a major NATO exercise, serving as flagship of Vice Admiral Edmund T. Wooldridge, commanding the Second Fleet. Upon completion of this exercise, until the fall of 1954, Iowa operated in the Virginia Capes area. In September 1954, she became the flagship of Rear Admiral R. E. Libby, Commander, Battleship Cruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet.

From January to April 1955, Iowa made an extended cruise to the Mediterranean Sea as the first battleship regularly assigned to Commander, Sixth Fleet. Iowa departed on a midshipman training cruise 1 June 1955 and upon her return, she entered Norfolk for a four-month overhaul. Following refit, Iowa continued intermittent training cruises and operational exercises, until 4 January 1957 when she departed Norfolk for duty with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Upon completion of this deployment, Iowa embarked midshipmen for a South American training cruise and joined in the International Naval Review off Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 13 June 1957.

On 3 September 1957, Iowa sailed for Scotland for NATO Operation "Strikeback". She returned to Norfolk, 28 September 1957 and departed Hampton Roads for the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 22 October 1957. She was decommissioned 24 February 1958 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia.

Reactivation

As part of President Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman’s effort to create a 600-ship Navy, Iowa was reactivated and moved under tow to Avondale Shipyards near New Orleans, Louisiana for modernization in advance of her planned recomissioning.^[6] During the modernization Iowa had all of her remaining Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns removed, due to their ineffectiveness against modern jet fighters and enemy anti-ship missiles; additionally, the two 5 in gun mounts located at mid-ship and in the aft on the port and starboard side of the battleship were removed.^[7]

Over the next several months the battleship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available; among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141 quad cell launchers for 16 AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, eight Armored Box Launcher (ABL) mounts for 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, and a quartet of Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS) gatling guns for defense against enemy anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft.^[7] Iowa was the first battleship to receive the RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, a remotely controlled drone that replaced the helicopters previously used to spot for her nine 16 in/50 Mark 7 guns,^[8]^[9] and Iowa could carry up to eight of the UAVs at a time.^[10] Also included in her modernization were upgrades to radar and fire control systems for her guns and missiles, and improved electronic warfare capabilities.^[7] Armed as such, Iowa was formally recommissioned on 28 April 1984.

Early 1985- Port visit NYC (All Hands, April 1985, pg 30)
Late 1985 one month tour in off honduaras and costa rice. Medical Personel attached to Iowa were airlefted by helicopter to a spot inside costa rica where the team checked several Cabecar Indians and inoculated he indian children against tetanus and diptheria and an oral polio vaccine. Dental experts also extracted several bad teeth. Iowas sailors also help rebuild two schools and repair and orphanage in Limon, Costa Rica, and help refurbish a hospital in La Ceiba, Honduras, with running water, washing machines, dryrers, safe electrical wiring and an emergancy generator. (All Hands, Ocotber 1985, pg 40)
USS Iowa recently recieved the Battenberg Cup as best all around ship in the Atlnatic Fleet for Fiscal Year 1984. Iowa claims the battle efficeincy along with 9 departmental efficeincy awards and has been nominated for the Anti surface warfare mission area award and the Navy Safety Award. In 1984 Iowa was deployed in the Atlantic, Carribean, and Pacific, steaming 15,411 miles and visiting 10 countries. (All Hands, December 1985, pg 45 [taken near verbatum, alter prior to publication])
NATO EXERCISE OCEAN SAFARI '85 Iowa was a part of this exercise. The exercise was aimed at testing NATO's ability to control sea lanes and maintian free passage of shipping. Vice Admiral Mustin, commenting on the use of Iowa in he exercise, said "the battleship is the most powerful, 'survivable' surface warship ever constucted. In my planning the battleship is going to be used wherever we want to take the war to the enemy. in total 160 ships participated. Iowa rode out a bad storm in the North Atlantic and practice using the enviroment (the storm) to hide herself from enemy forces. During the course of the exercise Iowa crossed the artic circle.(All Hands, January 1986, pg.20)
Baltops: Iowa conducted a gunnery exercise Oct 17 (1985), firing the Phalanx gun, a 5incher, and the forward 16 in turret, then a full broadside. Capt Gerald E. Gneckow command Iowa at the time. (All Hands, May 1986, pg 30)
Iowa was the official naval reviewing vessal of the 1986 Internation Naval Review. President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan Boarded Iowa on the mornig of July 4th and personally inspected 33 warships represrnting 23 nations from a special platform attop turret 1. For the inspection Iowa sailed slow downthe Hidson River and out in to new york harbor. (ALL HANDS, Spetember 1986)
AS part of Exercise Norther Wedding 1986 USS Iowa fired her guns in support of the simulaed amphibious assualt exercise at the Cape Wrath range in Scotland September 5 and 6. Iowa expended a total of 19 sixteen inch shells and 32 5-inch shells over the course of 10 hours in adverse weather conditions. Five marines and one naval officer from Iowa were ashore to call in corrections for the battleship during the exercise. During the exercise Iowa ferried US Marine gunnery spotters to the exercise area and assisted helicopter gunships participating in the exercise.(ALL HAnds, January 1987)
Iowa sees first action in WWII at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in the Marshalls. Entered Tokyo Bay 29 August. THree weeks later left tokyo for seatlle carring freed POWs and GIs (operation magic carpet). Served as 5th fleet flagship before returning to US waters. Placed in reserve in 1949. Reactivated in San Fransisco and recommissioned 1 April as flagship for US 7th fleet. Deployed to Korea for apx 7 monthes in 1952, expending over 4,500 16-in shells ar communist targets. This was double the ordinace that she fired in WWII. Decomissioned 1958, placed in mothballs at philly naval yard. (ALL HAnds, April 1987)
The cost to reactive the battleship in 1980s was 455 million per ship, over the original estimated cost of 110 million

The ship went to European waters in 1985, 1986 and 1987 through 1988, with the latter cruise continuing into the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. During that cruise, the Iowa participated in Operation Earnest Will, escorting Kuwaiti gas and oil tankers "reflagged" as US merchant ships from the Persian Gulf through the Straits of Hormuz. During the 1980s, the Navy proposed to create a "homeport" at Stapleton, Staten Island in New York City, which would be the base for Iowa and several other ships, but the project was canceled before its completion.

"A Glimpse of Hell"

On 19 April 1989, an explosion ripped through the Number Two 16 inch gun turret, killing 47 crewmen. Sailors quickly flooded the #2 powder magazine, likely preventing catastrophic damage to the ship. At first, the NCIS investigators theorized that one of the dead crewman, Clayton Hartwig, had detonated an explosive device in a suicide attempt after the end of an alleged homosexual affair with another sailor. This theory was later abandoned and Hartwig cleared. The cause of the explosion, though never determined with certainty, is generally believed to have been static electricity igniting loose powder.

Testing at Dalhgren, Virginia Naval Surface Warfare Center of powder in the same lot was able to reproduce spontaneous combustion of the powder, which had been originally milled in the 1930's and stored during a 1988 dry-docking of the Iowa in a barge at the Navy's Yorktown, Virginia Naval Weapons Station. Gun powder gives off ether gas as it degrades; the ether is highly flammable, and could be ignited by a spark.

The captain of the Iowa, Fred Moosally, was severely criticized for his handling of the matter, and the Navy changed the powder-handling procedures. Iowa deployed to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea in mid-year. Turret Two remained unrepaired when she decommissioned in Norfolk for the last time, 26 October 1990.

Iowa, as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, was berthed at the Naval Education and Training Center in Newport, from 24 September 1998 to 8 March 2001 when the ship began her journey, under tow, to California. The ship arrived in Suisun Bay near San Francisco on 21 April 2001 and is part of the Reserve Fleet there.

Due to the damage in Turret 2, the Navy put New Jersey into the mothball fleet, even though the training mechanisms on New Jersey’s 16 inch guns had been welded down. The cost to fix New Jersey was considered less than the cost to fix Iowa; however, the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 demanded that the Navy substitute Iowa for New Jersey; additionally, the Navy was to arrange for New Jersey’s donation for use as a museum ship. The Navy made the switch in January 1999, paving the way for Camden, New Jersey, to acquire USS New Jersey.

Iowa was maintained in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996 until 2006, when the Secretary of the Navy struck Iowa and placed the ship on donation hold to allow transfer for use as a museum ship. But that plan has encountered resistance from those who believe that there is still a place for battleships in a modern Navy.

Reserve Fleet and Museum Ship preparations (1990-present)

News Story w/ Iowa info

The USS *Iowa*, laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet

For several years plans had been under way to berth the Iowa in San Francisco, California, opening the battleship there as a museum; however, in 2005 San Francisco’s city council, citing opposition to the Iraq War and the military's policies regarding homosexuals, voted 8-3 against maintaining Iowa in the city, paving the way for other California communities to bid for the battleship. Vallejo, site of the former Mare Island Navy Shipyard and Stockton are competing for the vessel. The organization, Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square (HSMPS), that attempted to place the ship in San Francisco is now working with the Mare Island, Vallejo, site. Both communities have identified berthing piers and have submitted proposals to the Department of the Navy to open the vessel to tourists and educational groups as a memorial and museum. Prior to her arrival in California, Iowa was temporarily docked at Naval Station Newport, Newport, RI as she awaited her fate as a Naval Museum. She was docked for some time, in Newport, next to the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.

The 2006 Defense Appropriations Act authorized the Secretary of the Navy to strike Iowa and Wisconsin from the NVR, clearing the way for them to be donated as museum ships. Acting on this authority the navy officially struck USS Iowa from the Naval Vessel Register (NVR) 17 March 2006. This is likely the first step in preparing Iowa for her ultimate transfer for use as a museum ship. Although Iowa has been struck from the NVR she has yet to be transferred to any memorial association, although that will likely change when the navy completes its evaluation of the two leading proposals. Currently, Iowa is the only ship of her class not open to the public as a museum.

The 2007 House Defense Bill (Battleship transfer) conference report (H. Rept. 109–360) accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006, the committee included instructions regarding the transfer of the battleships USS Wisconsin and USS Iowa to the Commonwealth of Virginia and State of California, respectively, and the President’s reversion authority pursuant to a national emergency. The committee seeks to clarify that the battleships USS Wisconsin and USS Iowa must be regarded as potential mobilization assets and both the recipients and the U.S. Navy are instructed to treat them as such. The committee notes that the following measures should be taken:

The ships must not be altered in any way that would impair their military utility;
The ships must be preserved in their present condition through the continued use of cathodic protection and dehumidification systems and any other preservation methods as needed;
Spare parts and unique equipment such as 16 inch gun barrels and projectiles, be preserved in adequate numbers to support the two ships, if reactivated; and
The Navy must prepare plans for the rapid reactivation of the two battleships should they be returned to the Navy in the event of a national emergency.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the absence of a perceived threat to the United States came drastic cuts in the defense budget. The high cost of maintaining and operating battleships as part of the United States Navy's active fleet became uneconomical; as a result, Iowa was decommissioned on and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register (NVR) on 12 January 1995^{[citation needed]}.

Iowa was named as one of two US Navy battleships that were to be maintained in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996 (the other was Iowa).^[11] Both battleships were maintained in the United States Navy reserve fleets for use as shore bombardment vessels since their 16-inch (405 mm) guns are capable of firing 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) projectiles approximately 24 nautical miles (44 km) inland; However, Iowa is now over 60 years old and would require extensive modernization to return to the fleet since most of her technology dates back to World War II, and the missile and electronic warfare equipment added to the battleship during her 1980s modernization are now considered obsolete.^[7] In addition, the cost of modernizing Iowa and Wisconsin is estimated to be somewhere around $500 million for reactivation and $1.5 billion for a full modernization program.^[12]

On 17 March 2006 the Secretary of the Navy exercised his authority to strike Iowa and Wisconsin from the NVR, which has cleared the way for both ships to be donated for use as museums; however, the United States Congress remains "deeply concerned" over the loss of naval surface gunfire support that the battleships provided, and has noted that "...navy efforts to improve upon, much less replace, this capability have been highly problematic."^[13] Partially as a consequence the US House of Representatives has asked that the battleships be kept in a state of readiness should they ever be needed again.^[14] Congress has asked that the following measures be implemented to ensure that, if need be, Iowa can be returned to active duty:

Iowa must not be altered in any way that would impair her military utility;
The battleship must be preserved in her present condition through the continued use of cathodic protection, dehumidification systems, and any other preservation methods as needed;
Spare parts and unique equipment such as the 16-inch (406 mm) gun barrels and projectiles be preserved in adequate numbers to support Iowa, if reactivated;
The Navy must prepare plans for the rapid reactivation of Iowa should she be returned to the Navy in the event of a national emergency.^[14]

These four conditions closely mirror the original three conditions that the Nation Defense Authorization Act of 1996 laid out for the maintenance of Iowa while she was in the Mothball Fleet.^[7]^[11] It is unlikely that these conditions will impede the current plan to turn Iowa into a permanent museum ship.

Awards

Iowa earned nine battle stars for World War II service and two for Korean War service. ^[15]

External links

Information on the investigations into the turret explosion
Satellite image from Google Maps
Maritimequest USS Iowa BB-61 Photo Gallery
cnn.com Losing the Battleships
Navy League/Stockton Council photo of USS Iowa
Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square - Non-profit organization established to acquire the Iowa for use as a museum and memorial on Mare Island
Official Stockton, California Visitors Bureau - USS Iowa Page

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

{{Iowa_class_battleship}} {{coor title dms|38|04|04|N|122|05|52|W|region:US_type:landmark}} [[Category:Iowa class battleships|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[Category:Battleships of the United States|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[Category:World War II battleships of the United States|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[Category:Cold War battleships of the United States|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[Category:Korean War battleships of the United States|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[Category:Ships at the Japanese Instrument of Surrender|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[Category:United States Navy Iowa-related ships|Iowa (BB-61)]] [[de:USS Iowa (BB-61)]] [[ms:USS Iowa (BB-61)]] [[ja:アイオワ (戦艦)]] [[pl:USS Iowa (pancernik 1943)]] [[sv:USS Iowa (BB-61)]]

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Replaceable?	Cannot be replaced with a free image, as source image is from a work copyrighted by Hiromu Arakawa (the creator of the manga Fullmetal Alchemist) and by Aniplex and Bones (the anime production/distrobution companies).
Other information	Image is for illustrative purposes only to help enhance the article(s) and is not financially harming the artist in question, as Wikipedia is not receiving any money in the usage of this image for profit.

Ghost in the Shell

Non-free / fair use media rationale - NEEDS ARTICLE NAME
Description	Major Motoko Kusanagi of Public Security, Section 9
Source	Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, episode 6, The Copycat will Dance. Image obtained from the official Ghost in the Shell website, specifically.
Article	[[{{{Article}}}]]
Portion used	Screen capture of one cel of animation
Low resolution?	Unmodified
Purpose of use	To display the shoulder pads on Kusangi's tan military uniform so as to determine her rank
Replaceable?	Cannot be replaced with a free image, as source image is from a copyrighted work
Other information	Image is for illustrative purposes only to help enhance the article(s) and is not financially harming the artist in question, as Wikipedia is not receiving any money in the usage of this image for profit.

Gundam

Non-free / fair use media rationale - NEEDS ARTICLE NAME
Description	A Gwanvan-class battleship.
Source	The original source of the image is Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam an anime television series. This image was obtained from the website Mecha Anime HQ (Specifically) which has screenshots and artwork of various Mobile Suits and Space Ships from Mobile Suit Gundam universe. The same image can also be found at The World-Wide Gundam Informational Network (Specifically), which also contains screenshots and artwork of various Mobile Suits and Space Ships from Mobile Suit Gundam universe.
Article	[[{{{Article}}}]]
Portion used	Screen capture of Gwanvan-class battleship
Low resolution?	Unmodified
Purpose of use	For identification and critical commentary on the ship in question and to illustrate the Wikipedia article(s) listed under File Links (below)
Replaceable?	Cannot be replaced with a free image, as source image is from a work copyrighted by Yoshiyuki Tomino (the creator of the Universal Century Mobile Suit Gundam story arc) and Kazumi Fujita (credited as the mechanical designers for the battleship pictured here). Copyrights to the series (in the United States) are held by Bandai Entertainment. A complete list of credits for Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam can be found on the Anime News Network.
Other information	Image is for illustrative purposes only to help enhance the article(s) and is not financially harming the artist(s) in question, as Wikipedia is not receiving any money in the usage of this image for profit.

That "Thing"

Table

^ Naval Historical Center. "Iowa". DANFS.
^ "Naval Vessel Register". United States Navy. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ Johnston, Ian (2002). The Battleships. London: Channel 4. pp. p. 120. ISBN 0752261886. OCLC 59495980. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ "USS IOWA(BB-61) Detailed History". USS Iowa Veterans Association. The Veteran's Association of the USS IOWA (BB-61). Retrieved 2008-08-09.
^ ^a ^b "The Ill-Fated USS William D. Porter". Kit Bonner, The Retired Officer Magazine, March 1994. The Veteran's Association of the USS IOWA (BB-61). Retrieved 2008-08-09.
^ Cite error: The named reference DANFS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "BB-61 IOWA-class" (specifications). Federation of American Scientists. 2000-10-21. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ "The Warfighter's Encyclopedia: Aircraft - RQ-2 Pioneer".
^ Pike, John (2000-03-05). "Pioneer Short Range (SR) UAV". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
^ FactPlace.com "USS Missouri (BB-63) Frequently Asked Questions". USS Missouri (BB-63) Frequently Asked Questions. Ben M. Schorr. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ ^a ^b 104th Congress, House of Representatives. National Defense Authorization Act of 1996. Page 237. Accessed December 17, 2006.
^ Novak, Robert. Losing the battleships. CNN.com December 6, 2005.
^ 109th Congress, House of Representatives. Report 109–452. National Defense Authorization Act of 2007. Page 193. Accessed November 26, 2006.
^ ^a ^b 109th Congress, House of Representatives. Report 109–452. National Defense Authorization Act of 2007. Page 68. Accessed November 26, 2006
^ This citiation was included to split the citations up so that those belonging to seperate sections below this one would not be included with the count for the article(s) above this one. This is not an actual reference.

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Wikibreak

{wikibreak|TomStar81|when the Confederacy of Collage Finals is supressed by the United Student Resistance Faction.}

External links (for reference)

http://users3.ev1.net/~cfmoore/history/1944normandy.html

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:WSigs2jXFCgJ:www.sinodefenceforum.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D1547%26page%3D6+CVN+78+and+Enterprise&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=47

USS William D. Porter (DD-579)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/nation/111001-1v.htm

http://web.umr.edu/~rogersda/american&military_history/World%27s%20Fastest%20Battleships.pdf

http://www.eugeneleeslover.com/AMMUNITION/NAVORD-OP-769-APPENDIX-1-GENERAL-TURRET-DATA.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-08-san-francisco-battleship_x.htm

http://www.bb62museum.org/photos.html

USS New Jersey Link regarding Marines and the Iowas: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/6747/21centbattleships.htm

Iowa related material

Second Vinson Act Material (Maybe)

DYK Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=129758756

Reference change

Armament of the Iowa class battleship

FA

These are some of the featured works I have contributed to

Wikipedia:List of Wikipedians by featured article nominations

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Table II

Insignia		Description
	Rear Admiral (lower half) (RDLH)	Formally known as the rank of Commodore, .
	Rear Admiral (upper half) (RADM)
	Vice Admiral (VADM)	Vice Admirals generally command the numbered fleets around the world that make up the naval components of each of the regional unified commands. Of the five numbered US fleets, four have command ships which act as the Vice Admiral's flagship. Vice Admirals fly a blue flag with three white stars as a command flag. In the United States Coast Guard, the Vice Commandant, the Chief of Staff, and the Atlantic and Pacific Area commanders hold the rank of Vice Admiral.
	Admiral (ADM)	Commands all operations that fall within his geographical area. The Chief of Staff of the Army and the Commandant of the Marine Corps are four-star Generals. See also: List of United States Navy four-star admirals
	Fleet Admiral	This rank is only used in time of war where the commanding officer must be equal or of higher rank than those commanding naval forces from other nations. The last officers to hold this rank served during and immediately following World War II. The United States Coast Guard currently does not have this rank.
File:6star.PNG	Admiral of the Navy (Conjectured Insignia)	The highest possible general rank in the U.S. Navy, it has only been held by one persons in history, George Dewey. The Air Force and Marines have no equivalent to this rank while the United States Army maintains a similar rank known as General of the Armies. No insignia for Admiral of the Navy has ever been authorized, although a conjectural design was created in 1945.

The Philosopher’s Stone. Those who possess it, no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice, create with equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.

You under arrest for child cruelty, child endangerment, depriving children of food, selling children as food, and misrepresenting the weight of livestock.

http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/ns99033.pdf

Wikipedia:Recent additions 214 -- Montana class DYK mention

The Yamato class battleships (大和型戦艦, Yamatogatasenkan) of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) were a planned class of five large battleships intended to serve as the flagships for the IJN. Two of these battleship were completed in the 1930s, with a third reorder and completed as an aircraft carrier during World War II.

Designed to be supior to any vessel the United States would be able to fit through the Panama Canal, the Yamato-class battleship were unquestionably the largest naval vessels of World War II and the largest, heaviest battleships ever constructed to this day, displacing 72,800 metric tons (at full load). The class carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to any warship - 460 mm (18.1 in) guns which fired 1.36 tonne shells.

Both completed battleships were sunk during combat operations in World War II by enemy aircraft, while the aircraft carrier was lost to an Allied submarine attack. The loss of the worlds largest battleships to air attack alone help to cement the shift in naval combat from naval guns to air supremacy and thus the shift from battleships to aircraft carriers.

War breeds innovation and it seems that only through conflict can we rapidly advance our military technology. --GDI Briefing 26-8/A: The Technological Advancements of the Second Tiberium War (TWII), Presented by First Lieutenant Chandra

"Another consideration is that the Navy's aircraft carriers have been spread thin responding to the many crises around the world today. The concpet of battleship battlegroups is seen by many as a possible solution to the problem of maintating a continuious naval presence in these areas without extending deployments and the resulting harmful effects on crew moral. <next paragrapgh> Battleship are particularly suited for operations in the middle east, northwestern pacifc and indian ocean where they can assume some of the responsibilities currently held by aircraft carriers, thereby providing those vessels and there crews with much needed relief." (ALl hands, april 1987)

"General Ship Supervisor Gary Petty said that when Ingalls workers opened long sealed tanks and viod aboard the battleshp they found that many of the mostly women shipyard workers who had built the ships in the 1940s had scratched personal messages and best wishes into the steel plate they were welding togather." (All Hands, June 1987)

Cher story on Missouri, All hands, October 1989.

navsource.com resolution

Hiya. I have an article up at FAC at the moment and have encountered an unexpected setback: navweaps.com, a site I use because I feel it to be reliable, has been called questionable by a participant in the FAC. I asked on the coordinator page for the MILHIST project, and my and one other coordinator are of the opinion that the website is a reliable source becuase of the sources section sited on the individual weapon pages used in the inline citations, such as this one on the main guns of the Iowa and Montana class of battleships (scroll all the way to the bottom and you will see what I mean). I bear the editor (Wackymacs, I believe, is his screen name) no malice for his repeated questioning of the sources, but I need an honest, outside opinion on the website's suitability as a source from a group that is independent of the entire review, and from where I stand that would be this venue since no one here has (to my knowledge) commented on the FAC, nor do I believe anyone here has any plans to. That makes this the most neutral place I can ask this question. All I need to know for sure is whether the site qualifies as reliable by Wikipedia standards, or whether I need to go deeper into the sourcing. TomStar81 (Talk) 05:22, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Let's start with asking you why you think it is reliable. It's a personal web page, and normally those aren't considered reliable for a purpose like this. There are of course exceptions. A web page on cosmology by Stephen Hawking would be considered reliable, but if he wrote a web page on naval weapons we'd probably call in unreliable in Wikipedia terms. Reliability is not the default. Doug Weller (talk) 06:39, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Two big reasons: one, it agrees with everything I have heard from a volenteer crewman working with the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and two because Tony has cited his sources on all of the pages. For me, that makes the source reliable, but I admit to being bias insofar as having the site ruled reliable works in favor, which is why I have come here for an outside opinion rather then judge for myself or asking MILHIST.

My opinion isn't very weighty, but I believe it to be neutral in relation to this particular case and I'm happy to offer it.

WP:RS says early on that reliable sources are credible published materials with a reliable publication process; their authors are generally regarded as trustworthy or authoritative in relation to the subject at hand. I see that your source describes its publication process here and the process described looks to be to be a careful one with the author/publisher of your source being knowledgeable, experienced, and concerned with fact-checking and accuracy. He lists his on-hand reference sources for vetting new material here. He doesn't seem to be very heavily cited in WP (the query "site:en.wikipedia.org navweaps.com" produces 95 hits with google, 226 with yahoo), but perhaps that is because of the specialized subject matter. Removing the site: qualifier boosts those numbers to 11,100 and 1,010 respectively.

It is a self-published source, however. WP:SPS says that self-published material may, in some circumstances, be acceptable when produced by an established expert on the topic of the article whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable third-party publications. The example item from that source provides cites of "data from" sources as supporting sources for the material in that item. Your source is owned and operated by Tony DiGiulian , and I see him cited as an expert in books published in the relevant field here and here

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with your source. I wouldn't remove a cite and wouldn't hesitate to cite it myself. One of the Wikipedia:Featured article criteria requires that FACs must be "factually accurate: claims are verifiable against reliable sources, accurately represent the relevant body of published knowledge, and are supported with specific evidence and external citations". That doesn't impose any additional criteria beyond what is expected of all WP, articles — it just says that FACs must meet WP's V and RS criteria. FWIW, my opinion is that this source meets WP's V and RS criteria. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 07:52, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with Boracay Bill's analysis. Additional support is lent by other high quality book citations to the site: Australian Cruiser: Perth 1939-1942, Exploitation of a Ship's Magnetic Field Signatures, Vietnam Ironclads: A Pictorial History of U. S. Navy River Assault Craft and The History Highway: A 21st Century Guide to Internet Resources. John Z (talk) 09:26, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

I also agree, it is clear that although this is a personal website it meets the qualifications required for a source. (sorry, forgot to sign) Doug Weller (talk) 16:22, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the help. I apreciate it. From here I should be able to handle the rest of the issues with the article's FAC on mine own. Keep up the good work, and thank you for the timely response. TomStar81 (Talk) 19:51, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Finding a U.S. Congressional Report

I was wondering if anyone would know where to go to locate a US Congressional issued report. The name is "U.S.S. Iowa tragedy : an investigative failure : report of the Investigations Subcommittee and Defense Policy Panel of the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, One Hundred First Congress, second session, March 5, 1990", if that helps. 129.108.97.112 (talk) 00:14, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Designated Federal depository libraries have all those publications... AnonMoos (talk) 00:37, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

If you (or someone else) has LexisNexis access, it is available online through LexisNexis Congressional. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 00:56, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Proposed addition to the pop culture section

I would like to propose adding (your example here) because... -- TomStar81 (Talk) 03:49, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

Support

Oppose

Neutral

IF YOU EDIT THIS PAGE PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE ON MY TALK PAGE INFORMING ME OF THE CHANGES MADE. I require this because my sandbox is my part of my user space, therefore if something changes in here I want to know about it ASAP. Thank You.

[1] The exception was the battleship New Jersey, which was recalled for action in 1968 to back up the naval fire support group fighting in Vietnam.

[Discovery-2] "The 10 Greatest Fighting Ships in Military History". The Discovery Channel. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)Web page: Top Ten Fighting Ships Retrieved 23 April 2007.

[FAS_Iowa-3] "BB-61 IOWA-class (Specifications)". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2006-11-26.

[Drone-4] "The Warfighter's Encyclopedia: Aircraft - RQ-2 Pioneer".

[5] Ten years after Iowa tragedy, only evidence left is memories

[6] The Navy's Scapegoats, Gerald Posner, Penthouse, January 1990

[NDAA1996-7] "National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1996(Subtitle B-Naval Vessels and Shipyards" (pdf). National Institute of Standards and Technology. 1996-02-10. p. 422. Retrieved 2005-05-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[8] "Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 (Subtitle B-Naval Vessels and Shipyards)" (pdf). 105th Congress, United States Senate and House of Representatives. pp. pp. 200–201. Retrieved 2007-03-12. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)

[9] This citiation was included to split the citations up so that those belonging to sperate section below this one would not be included with the count for the article above this one. This is not an actual reference.

[Iowa-DANFS-10] Naval Historical Center. "Iowa". DANFS.

[Order-11] "Naval Vessel Register". United States Navy. Retrieved 2007-03-16.

[The_Battleships_I-12] Johnston, Ian (2002). The Battleships. London: Channel 4. pp. p. 120. ISBN 0752261886. OCLC 59495980. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[Iowa_I-13] "USS IOWA(BB-61) Detailed History". USS Iowa Veterans Association. The Veteran's Association of the USS IOWA (BB-61). Retrieved 2008-08-09.

[Iowa_II-14] "The Ill-Fated USS William D. Porter". Kit Bonner, The Retired Officer Magazine, March 1994. The Veteran's Association of the USS IOWA (BB-61). Retrieved 2008-08-09.

[DANFS-15] Cite error: The named reference DANFS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FAS_Iowa-16] "BB-61 IOWA-class" (specifications). Federation of American Scientists. 2000-10-21. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[Drone-17] "The Warfighter's Encyclopedia: Aircraft - RQ-2 Pioneer".

[fas_drone-18] Pike, John (2000-03-05). "Pioneer Short Range (SR) UAV". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2007-03-02.

[FAQ-19] FactPlace.com "USS Missouri (BB-63) Frequently Asked Questions". USS Missouri (BB-63) Frequently Asked Questions. Ben M. Schorr. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[Congress_104-20] 104th Congress, House of Representatives. National Defense Authorization Act of 1996. Page 237. Accessed December 17, 2006.

[21] Novak, Robert. Losing the battleships. CNN.com December 6, 2005.

[Congress_193-22] 109th Congress, House of Representatives. Report 109–452. National Defense Authorization Act of 2007. Page 193. Accessed November 26, 2006.

[Congress_68-23] 109th Congress, House of Representatives. Report 109–452. National Defense Authorization Act of 2007. Page 68. Accessed November 26, 2006

[24] This citiation was included to split the citations up so that those belonging to seperate sections below this one would not be included with the count for the article(s) above this one. This is not an actual reference.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

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USS Texas Checklist (Priority)

Great White Fleet

Background

The voyage

Fleet composition

Fleet's leaders were Civil War era sailors

General fleet itinerary

The First Leg

Itinerary

Ships

Second Leg

Third Leg

Itinerary

Ships

Final Leg

Itinerary

See also

References

External links

USS Iowa Turret Explosion

Background

Ronald Reagan and the 600-ship Navy

Personel

The Incident

First Investigation and Theory

Second Investigation and Theories

Aftermath

Notes

Printed media

Web

Other media

USS Iowa (BB-61)

Construction

World War II

Shakedown and service with the Atlantic Fleet

Service with Battleship Division 7, Admiral Lee

The Korean War

1953 to 1958

Reactivation

"A Glimpse of Hell"

Reserve Fleet and Museum Ship preparations (1990-present)

Awards

See also

External links

Fair use compliance template

Fullmetal Alchemist

Ghost in the Shell

Gundam

That "Thing"

Table

Image Gallery

Wikibreak

External links (for reference)

DYK Link

Reference change

FA

Navigation Template

Table II

navsource.com resolution

Finding a U.S. Congressional Report

Proposed addition to the pop culture section