The Iowa-class USS Missouri Battleship Brought Carnage to Japan

USS Missouri and the Iowa-class battleships were larger and more lethal than their predecessors.

When it comes to legendary American battleships, the USS Missouri (BB-63) perhaps takes the cake as the most battle-tested. The Iowa-class warship was built for the U.S. Navy in the 1940s and served in multiple threat theatres over its years in service. Serving in World War II, the Korean War, and the Gulf War, the USS Missouri earned numerous battle stars as well as Combat Action Ribbons and other commendations and medals throughout its service life. Nicknamed the “Mighty Mo” back in its day, the USS Missouri has rested in the same spot in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, since 1999 and is open for public viewing. The honorable battleship was notably the location where Japan’s final surrender took place.

The Iowa-class

As tensions between the United States and Japan were elevating pre-World War II, the U.S. Navy conceptualized War Plan Orange in order to prepare for potential conflict. American officials were particularly concerned with Imperial Japan’s sophisticated and high-speed cruisers and capital ships. Since the U.S. Navy’s traditional battleships were slower than their Japanese Kongo-class counterparts, envisioning a superior warship platform became a priority. Since Japan had refused to sign the Second London Naval Treaty, which limited the warship tonnage for the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, the U.S. Navy was able to amend its standard displacement limit of battleships from 35,000 to 45,000 tons. The resulting Iowa-class battleships were larger and more lethal than their predecessors. In terms of armament, nine 16-inch Mark 7 naval guns were fitted onto each ship. Additionally, twenty-five-inch guns, eighty 40mm anti-aircraft guns, and forty-nine 20mm anti-aircraft guns were incorporated.

Introducing the USS Missouri

When the USS Missouri was laid down in 1941, tensions in the Pacific were nearly about to peak. Notably, the Mighty Mo was the final battleship to be commissioned by the U.S. Navy. During its tenure in WWII, the Iowa-class battleship was assigned to the Pacific Theatre, where it participated in the Battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima, in addition to the shelling of the Japanese home islands. In April 1945, a Japanese A6M Zero jet launched a suicide mission targeting Missouri. Though the pilot was killed, and a fire was ignited following the kamikaze attack, only superficial damage to the battleship was inflicted.

Following WWII, Missouri underwent a hefty modernization overhaul in order to remain relevant in a new threat climate. New Mark 13 fire-control radars and other enhancements were incorporated into the battleship, helping Missouri retain an edge as the Korean War surfaced. After becoming the first U.S. battleship to reach Korean waters in 1950, Missouri carried out bombardment missions in the Tanchon and Chongjin regions. Decades later and following yet another refit, Missouri would see combat again in the Gulf War.

After serving for nearly fifty years in the Navy, Missouri was relegated to retirement in the late 1990s. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR contributed to the battleship’s decommissioning. But Missouri remains available for public tours in Pearl Harbor, HI today.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.

Image: Wikipedia.