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June 1940 - Feb. 1943 / Construction & Commissioning
1944 - 1945
Post World War II - 1950
1951 - 1953 Korea
1954 - 1982
1983 - 1984
1985 - 1986
1987 - 1990
1991 - Present
| Click On Image For Full Size Image | Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 76k | The 20mm gun crew in action on the forecastle of the Iowa (BB-61), probably during her shakedown period in the late winter and spring of 1943. Note the gunner using Mark 14 lead-computing gun sight mounted on the 20mm gun at right. | Official U.S. Navy photo # 80-G-K-116469, from the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 115k | Newly completed, the Iowa (BB-61) is inclined at the New York Navy Yard, 28 March 1943. Her three conning tower levels, the lowest for the fleet commander, are visible. As in other U.S. battleships of this period, the upper level was a fire control station, with periscopes and radars protruding from it. The large platform above was the primary conn. By this time it was clear that the constricted walk way around the conning tower would not suffice. Moreover, an open bridge was useful (even essential) in air action. The mast structure accommodated a small chart room, which supplimented the chart house at the navigating bridge level further down. Surface lookouts occupied the next level, with its slits. The upper platform was the forward air defense station, with a 24-inch searchlight at its after side. It carried two sky lookout positions and two target designators. | Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. | |
 | 463k | Newly completed, the Iowa (BB-61) is inclined at the New York Navy Yard, 28 March 1943. Her three conning tower levels, the lowest for the fleet commander, are visible. As in other U.S. battleships of this period, the upper level was a fire control station, with periscopes and radars protruding from it. The large platform above was the primary conn. By this time it was clear that the constricted walk way around the conning tower would not suffice. Moreover, an open bridge was useful (even essential) in air action. The mast structure accommodated a small chart room, which supplimented the chart house at the navigating bridge level further down. Surface lookouts occupied the next level, with its slits. The upper platform was the forward air defense station, with a 24-inch searchlight at its after side. It carried two sky lookout positions and two target designators. | USN Photo # F1111C341, courtesy of David Buell. Text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. | |
 | 86k | Bow, stern, starboard upper view drawings of the Iowa (BB-61) as completed in 1943, with an open walk way surrounding her conning tower. Line drawing by A.D. Baker III. | Photo and text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. | |
 | 60k | Photographed during her shakedown period off Bayone N.J., 29 March 1943. | USNHC photo # NH 53264, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 134k | Iowa (BB-61) photographed during her shakedown period, 4 April 1943. | Official US Navy Photograph # USN-63686. Photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 149k | Line art drawing of the Iowa (BB-61), April, 1943 as completed. | Drawing courtesy of Jean Secardin. (Please contact him for permission to use any of his drawings @perso.wanadoo.fr/ww2 | |
 | 61k | Seen on shakedown cruise blowing out soot out of the large rear stack. Note the top of one of the 5in/38cal mounts in the foreground at left and part of two of the six 40mm Bofors mounts located between the stacks, May 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 50k | Performing anti-aircraft practice. Visible are a 20mm Oerlikon gun tub and 5in/38cal gun mounts, May 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 237k | Main real estate aboard the Iowa (BB-61) while anchored off New York Navy Yard after post-shakedown refit 9 July 1943. First of ten photos from that date & location. Note the "bloomers" aboard the Mk.37 director & it's radar equipment . | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 205k | Looking down at the business end of the Iowa (BB-61). Note the unidentified CVA in the background. | USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 340k | 20MM mounts near main turret #2 of the Iowa (BB-61). Side view looking to port. | USN photo # F1111C467 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 219k | Side view of 40MM clusters on the Iowa (BB-61). | USN photo # F1111C469 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 187k | 20MM mounts on the Iowa's (BB-61) bow. | USN photo # F1111C474 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 250k | 40MM mounts main deck forward on the Iowa (BB-61). | USN photo # F1111C465 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 212k | 40MM mount on turret # 3, side view. | USN photo # F1111C466 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 296k | Top view of main deck forward from top of MT. #2 frame 73 looking forward. | USN photo # F1111C464 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. | |
 | 68k | One of the (many) 20mm Oerlikon gun tubs, this one with three single mounts (seen covered here.) This tub is located alongside the forward superstructure. The pairs of boxes between the mounts contain ready service magazines, 9 July 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 52k | Like the photo above, one of the (many) 20mm Oerlikon gun tubs, this one with three single mounts. This tub is located alongside the forward superstructure. The pairs of boxes between the mounts contain ready service magazines, except taken from a different angle with the guns now uncovered, 9 July 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 207k | Triple 20mm mounts on turret # 2. Top view looking forward. | USN photo courtesy of David Buell. Photo added 02/08/08. | |
 | 74k | Anchored off New York Navy Yard after the post-shakedown refit. Note the aft pair of quad 40mm Bofors gun tubs mounted on the immediate stern. Also note the gentle upsweep of the bow, 9 July 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 284k | A tug and several small boats are tied up along side while the Iowa (BB-61) is anchored off New York Navy Yard after post-shakedown refit 9 July 1943. | USN photo courtesy of David Buell. | |
 | 74k | Iowa (BB-61), broadside view amidships, 9 July 1943. | USN photo courtesy of David Buell. Photo added 02/08/08. | |
 | 56k | Iowa class line drawing. | Courtesy of Joe Radigan. | |
 | 58k | One of the (many also) splinter shield equipped quad 40mm Bofors guns. Note the inside of the tub contains racks for 40mm clips (four rounds per clip.) Also note the curved deflectors at the rear of the guns which deflects the spent cases in front of the mount. | USN photo. | |
 | 295k | King Neptune makes his appearance at Iowa's (BB-61) first equator crossing, 27 November 1943. | Photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. | |
 | 23k | Oil on canvas painting by the artist Anthony Saunders entitled "Iowa (BB-61) leaving New York." Iowa was commissioned in February 1943 at the New York Navy Yard. Her first mission was to the North Atlantic in August 1943 to neutralise the threat of the German Battleship Tirpitz. | Text and drawing courtesy of naval-art.com | |
 | 128k | The conning tower section seen at Boston Navy Yard after some minor refit (inlcuding the vertical strakes on the sides for wind deflection.) At the center of the image is one of the four 5in/38cal gun directors. Note the armor thickness visble at the hatch and also the direct vision slots. Note also one of the ship's bells is visible, November 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 89k | The conning tower section seen at Boston Navy Yard after some minor refit (inlcuding the vertical strakes on the sides for wind deflection.) Note that all the types of weapons are visible here - 20mm, 40mm, 5in/38cal, and the rear of one of the 16in/50cal turrets (note the 20mm gun tub on top of this turret and the floater nets mounted there too.) November 1943. | USN photo. | |
 | 99k | Looking aft from the forward fire control tower, during the Iowa's (BB-61) shakedown period, 1943. Carrier in the distance may be Lexington (CV-16). | USN / USNI photo. | |
 | 442k | The bathtub on the battleship Iowa (BB-61) & it's miniature self. This is the only bathtub on a United States Navy warship. It was installed as a convenience for President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Secretary General Joseph Stalin at Casablanca, Morocco on the first leg of the journey to the Teheran Conference in November 1943. After the conference she returned the President to the United States. | USN photo # DN-ST-86-02543, by PH1 Jeff Hilton, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.& commons.wikimedia.org. Partial text courtesy of DANFS. | |
The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
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