{"product_id":"battleship-iowa-naval-history-special-edition-9781591149101","title":"Battleship Iowa: Naval History Special Edition","description":"Building on the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press, the Naval History Special Editions are designed to offer studies of the key vessels, battles, and events of armed conflict. Using an image-heavy format, these special editions should appeal to scholars, enthusiasts, and general readers alike. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e USS\u003ci\u003e Iowa \u003c\/i\u003eBB-61, the first of four \u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e-class battleships built for the U.S. Navy, was launched in 1942. Capable of thirty-three knots and armed with nine new fifty-caliber sixteen-inch guns, she was the pinnacle of battleship design for the U.S. Navy during World War II. The \u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e class perfectly merged the heavy armor of battleships with the speed of battlecruisers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e's speed and heavy armament positioned her to accompany and protect U.S. Fast Carrier task forces through the Pacific War by participating in multiple actions from Truck, the Philippine Sea, Leyte, and ending in Tokyo Bay. Deactivated in 1948, the outbreak of the Korean War saw \u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e recommissioned in 1951 for shore bombardment duty in support of United Nation troops against the North Korean army invasion.\u003ci\u003e Iowa\u003c\/i\u003e returned to the U.S. in 1952, and then participated in NATO exercises until she was decommissioned in 1958. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Soviet expansion and rearmament programs in the 1970's saw \u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e recommissioned in 1984 following a two-year modernization program. This program saw the addition of nuclear capable Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles and modern computer-based communication technology. Extensive exercises with NATO forces and goodwill visits carried through until April 1989, when tragedy struck the ship with an explosion in gun turret two killing 47 crew members. The soundness of \u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e's design and her armored strength prevented the explosion from reaching her magazines and the potential loss of the ship. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Decommissioned in October 1990 and placed in reserve, she would eventually be stricken from the Navy record in 2006. Transferred to the Port of Los Angeles in 2012, \u003ci\u003eIowa\u003c\/i\u003e now serves as the National Museum of the Surface Navy located at San Pedro, California.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lawrence W. Burr\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Naval Institute Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/11\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Naval History Special Editions #10\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 108\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.55h x 7.95w x 0.39d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781591149101","brand":"Naval Institute Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43424184008841,"sku":"9781591149101","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_30c81f71-1b90-4f4c-b31b-c317612c097e.jpg?v=1741076522","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/battleship-iowa-naval-history-special-edition-9781591149101","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}