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Why the Navy Sent a Fleet of 4 Iowa-Class Battleships to Fight North Korea

Iowa-Class USS Wisconsin. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Iowa-Class USS Wisconsin Battleship. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Key Points: The Iowa-class battleships, the last and largest battleships built by the U.S. Navy, played a crucial role during the Korean War.

-Reactivated from reserve status, the USS Missouri, Iowa, New Jersey, and Wisconsin provided vital firepower with their 16-inch naval guns, supporting amphibious operations and bombarding enemy positions.

-Highlights included the USS Missouri covering U.S. retreats and the USS Wisconsin obliterating North Korean artillery after sustaining a direct hit.

-These ships proved invaluable, targeting strategic and operational positions while enduring enemy fire. Their success solidified their legacy, with Iowa-class battleships continuing to serve the U.S. for decades.

Iowa-Class Battleships in Korea: How They Proved Their Worth

The massive battlewagons of the Iowa-Class were the last and biggest battleships built by the United States. 

The Navy initially planned to build six big battleships, but only four were built. As World War II showed, the aircraft carrier was the future wave.

However, during the war, the big battleships more than proved their worth, especially during amphibious landings.

Their 16-inch (406 mm) guns could pound coastal defenses and surface ships, and the battleships could launch 2,700-pound projectiles more than 20 miles inland. 

After the war, the big battleships were an afterthought, and the ships were relegated to the ‘mothball fleet.’

But that wasn’t to be for very long. 

When North Korea invaded the South in 1950, the battleships would be called upon once again. 

The Big Iowa-class Battleships Service in the Korean War

The Korean War began in June 1950, as Korean and US troops were pushed south. The Navy reactivated Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin battleships from reserve status and prepared them to go to Korea. 

The battleships were 860 feet long at the waterline and displaced roughly 55,000 tons. They were armed with nine 16-inch 50-caliber Mark 7 naval guns capable of firing high-explosive and armor-piercing shells. Secondary armaments consisted of six 5-inch/38-caliber Mark 12 guns, which could be used for bombardment or in anti-aircraft mode. 

The United States and South Korean forces were pushed to the southern peninsula in June 1950 by vast numbers of North Koreans. But General Douglas MacArthur executed a brilliant amphibious operation at Inchon.

The combined UN forces quickly pushed the North Koreans back to near the border with China.

Iowa-Class

Iowa-class Battleship.

Then, the Chinese entered the fray with the release of more than a quarter million troops, which shocked the Americans and later resulted in a stalemate that continued until the end of the conflict. 

The Iowa-Class battleship USS Missouri was the first battlewagon in action and fired volleys of 16-inch projectiles to cover the retreat of US soldiers from the Chinese border along the coastline. 

Soon after, the USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, and USS Wisconsin joined the war. 

As one report noted, the “battleships used both their sixteen-inch main armament and their five-inch secondary armament to pound Chinese and North Korean positions along the coast. These positions included cave systems, concealed artillery, and command posts. As with the end of the Second World War, the battleships also hit strategic and operational targets, including railways, industrial parks, and transport centers.”

Iowa-Class USS Wisconsin Hit, But Undamaged, Wreaked Havoc

The USS Wisconsin, nicknamed the “Big Wisky,” was off the coast of Songin in March 1952 and was bombarding entrenched North Korean positions ahead of an amphibious landing by the U.S. Marines. Her gunfire collapsed a tunnel through which a North Korean supply train was running.

The major tunnel collapse cut off the resupply and reinforcements of the North Koreans. 

Iowa-Class Battleship

Image of Iowa-class Battleships. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The North Koreans tried to send counter-battery fire with a single 152mm artillery piece. They directly hit the USS Wisconsin, but due to the massive armor of the big battlewagon, the ship was undamaged, and no fatalities were suffered, although three sailors were wounded.

The USS Wisconsin ignored those messages and turned all nine of her 16-inch guns to bear on the North Korean artillery position, which was pinpointed.

The Wisconsin’s nine shells obliterated the North Korean positions. 

The ships offshore accompanying the USS Wisconsin knew the battleship’s legendary reputation as an aggressive warship. 

They sent signals to the ship: “Temper, temper.” 

The moral of the story is don’t mess with “Big Wisky.”

The battleships were returned to the “mothball fleet,” but they would be repeatedly called upon to defend the United States against its adversaries. The big Iowa-class battleships had more than proved their worth. 

The fast, powerful, and heavily armed battleships first envisioned for the upcoming war with Japan had fired their guns in anger up to Desert Storm more than fifty years later, which was a testament to how great these ships were.

Iowa-Class Battleship. Image: Creative Commons.

Iowa-Class Battleship. Image: Creative Commons.

About the Author

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in other military publications.

Written By

Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

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