In a surprise turn of maritime events, staunch supporters of the mighty dreadnoughts have convinced the United States Navy to return two legendary battleships, the Iowa (BB-61) and Wisconsin (BB-64), to the Naval Vessel Register (NVR). The re-commissioning of these historic vessels, despite their being decidedly obsolete and at an expense far greater than that of new destroyers, has remained a source of both fascination and controversy for the military.
This decision was catalyzed by a concerted campaign of press coverage and persuasive letters to Congress, culminating in a 17 to 3 vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee on 29 June 1995 to retain these ships in mothballs. These advocates maintained that the Iowa-class battleships remained the Navy’s “only remaining potential source of around-the-clock accurate, high-volume, heavy fire support,” according to the Senate report. The Navy had delayed their reinstatement until a memo was signed on 21 January 1998 by Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jay Johnson, and later by Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton on 12 February 1998.
Yet, the two battleships were brought back into the fold on 30 December 1997, raising questions about their relevance in an era where naval warfare has evolved drastically. With the advent of over-the-horizon amphibious assaults using MV-22 Ospreys, helicopters, and air-cushioned landing crafts, the 16-inch guns of the Iowa class with a maximum range of 27 miles fall short of the required capabilities.
Fully replacing the 16-inch guns with modern firepower are the 5-inch/62-caliber gun on the destroyer Winston Churchill (DDG-81), which features an impressive 63 nautical-mile range, and the vertical gun for advanced ships (VGAS), which would enter service by 2008 and would boast a range of around 100 nautical miles. Missiles such as the Army Tactical Missile System and Tomahawk variants can be launched by cruisers and destroyers post-2000 with even greater flexibility and range. Yet another concern pertains to the financial burden of reactivating these two battleships. Whereas the total cost for the reactivation during the Reagan administration’s four-ship fleet build-up was approximately $1.66 billion, the projected expense to bring back just two could easily exceed $1 billion. That’s more than the cost of an Aegis destroyer outfitted with 90 missiles. There are also logistical problems associated with upgrading the battleships with compatible modern equipment, sourcing the massive 1,600-person crew per ship, and providing up to six months of at-sea training before these ships could be combat-ready, extending the timeframe to 18 months from order to operational status.
