In the 1980s, the Americans, quite unexpectedly for the rest of the world, awakened four sea giants of a bygone era from hibernation. These are Iowa-class battleships. These warships from the Second World War were modernized and put back into service. The author of the blog naval-manual.livejournal.com discusses what prompted the American command to take this step. It is worth noting that there is simply no definite answer to this question, but you can try to find versions of such a revival for ships whose golden age has long been in the past.
"Iowa" - a type of battleship of the US Navy during the Second World War. In total, 4 ships were built in the USA: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri and Wisconsin. Two more battleships of this type were planned for construction - Illinois and Kentucky, but their construction was canceled due to the end of World War II. The lead ship of the series, the battleship Iowa, was launched on August 27, 1942 and entered service on February 22, 1943.
The Iowa-class battleships were created as a high-speed version of the South Dakota-class battleships. However, their booking has not changed. To achieve the design speed of 32.5 knots, it was necessary to increase the power of the power plant, this caused an increase in the displacement of ships by 10 thousand tons. This increase was rightly considered an inadequate price only for an additional 6 knots of travel speed, so the designers placed 9 new 406-mm guns with a barrel length of 50 calibers on the ship. With a speed of 32.5 knots, the Iowa were considered the fastest battleships in the world. At the same time, at a speed of 15 knots, their cruising range reached 17,000 miles (an excellent indicator). The seaworthiness was also good, surpassing its predecessors in this indicator. In general, American engineers managed to create an excellent series of warships with a balanced set of characteristics that remained in service (intermittently) for more than 50 years.
One of the controversial points in the design of the Iowa-class battleships was the refusal of the Americans from the anti-mine caliber. Most of the battleships of that time period, without fail, received at least a dozen 152-mm guns and another battery of 12-16 large-caliber anti-aircraft guns. In this regard, the Americans showed unprecedented audacity, equipping the Iowa with 20 universal five-inch (127-mm) artillery pieces, which were located in 10 paired installations. This gun turned out to be an excellent air defense weapon, while this caliber was enough to fight enemy destroyers. As practice has shown, half the warhead and the mass of projectiles were successfully compensated for by the huge rate of fire of universal guns (12-15 rounds per minute) and phenomenal accuracy of fire, due to the use of the Mk.37 FCS that was perfect at that time, which was used for firing both at air and at surface targets.
It is no coincidence that during the Second World War, thanks to powerful weapons, which were supplemented by 19 quad 40-mm Bofors and 52 twin and single 20-mm Oerlikons, the Iowa battleships were part of high-speed aircraft carrier formations, playing the role of the core of the air defense order. If we talk about the technical side of the issue, there was a real technological gap between the Bismarck, which was commissioned in 1940, and the Iowami (1943-1944). In this short time, technologies such as radar and fire control systems (FCS) have made a tremendous step forward.
The implemented technical solutions and the potential inherent in the ships made the American Iowa-class battleships truly long-playing ships. They took part not only in the second half of World War II, but also in the Korean War. And two battleships - "Missouri" and "Wisconsin" took part in the hostilities against Iraq from January to February 1991 during the famous Operation Desert Storm.
Battleship "Iowa", 1944
At the same time, back in 1945, it seemed that the Second World War forever changed the military's idea of battleships, putting an end to the almost 100-year history of armored ships. The Japanese super-battleship Yamato, as well as its sister ship Musashi, which could sink any enemy ship in an artillery battle, were the victims of American air raids. Each of these battleships received about 10 torpedo hits and about 20 aerial bomb hits during massive attacks. Earlier, back in 1941, during an attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Japanese torpedo bombers managed to sink 5 American battleships and seriously damaged three more. All this gave military theorists a reason to say that aircraft carriers, which, as part of battle groups, are able to destroy any ship of the enemy fleet, are now becoming the main striking force at sea.
And the advantages of the new battleships turned into their Achilles' heel. Of decisive importance was not the power of the main caliber artillery, but the accuracy of its firing, which was ensured by the use of complex rangefinders and radar installations. These systems were very vulnerable to enemy artillery fire, as well as air attacks. Having lost their "eyes", battleships with their main caliber artillery could do little in battle, it was almost impossible to conduct accurate fire. The development of missile weapons also played a role.
Throughout the post-war years, the United States and other states have gradually withdrawn their battleships from the fleet, dismantling formidable warships and sending them for scrap. However, such a fate passed the battleships of the "Iowa" class. In 1949, the ships put into reserve were returned to service. They were used during the Korean War, all four battleships took part in it. Battleships were used to suppress "point" targets with artillery fire.
Salvo of the main caliber of the battleship "Iowa", 1984
After the end of the war in 1953, the ships were again sent to rest, but not for long. The war in Vietnam began and it was decided to return to the "services" of the Iowa-class battleships again. True, now only New Jersey went to the war. And this time, the battleship was used for artillery strikes on areas, supporting the operations of the US Marine Corps in the coastal regions of Vietnam. According to military experts, one such battleship during the Vietnam War replaced at least 50 fighter-bombers. However, unlike aviation, his tasks did not interfere with the implementation of enemy air defense systems, as well as bad weather. The battleship New Jersey was always ready to support the troops fighting on the shore with artillery fire.
It is worth noting that the main shell of the Iowa battleships was considered the "heavy" armor-piercing projectile Mk.8 weighing 1225 kg with an explosive charge of 1.5 percent of the mass. This projectile was specially designed for long-range combat, it was optimized for penetrating the decks of enemy ships. To provide the projectile with a more hinged trajectory, like that of the South Dakota battleships, a reduced charge was used, which provided the projectile with an initial velocity of 701 m / s. At the same time, a full charge of gunpowder - 297 kg provided an initial flight speed - 762 m / s.
However, by the end of World War II, these battleships were used mainly for striking coastal targets, so their ammunition included Mk.13 high-explosive shells. Such a projectile weighed 862 kg, and the relative mass of the explosive was already 8.1 percent. To increase the survivability of gun barrels when firing high-explosive projectiles, a reduced charge of gunpowder weighing 147.4 kg was used, which provided the projectile with an initial velocity of 580 m / s.
Launch of the BGM-109 "Tomahawk" rocket from the Iowa-class battleship
In the 1950s and 1960s, battleships underwent only minor upgrades. They dismantled 20-mm, and then 40-mm automatic cannons, and also changed the composition of the radar weapons, changed the fire control systems. At the same time, the value of battleships in the era of rocket ships became quite low. By 1963, the Americans had excluded from the fleet the 11 battleships of other types that were in reserve, and 4 Iowa remained the last battleships of the US Navy.
It was decided to return these battleships from the reserve in the late 1970s; the ships were modernized in the 1980s. There are several reasons why this was done. The simplest and most obvious reason is the powerful artillery armament of battleships, which could still be used, given the huge stocks of shells for 406-mm guns. Already in the 1970s, in the midst of the Cold War, some experts raised the issue of reactivating the Iowa-class battleships. As a justification for this decision, the calculation of the cost of delivering ammunition to the target was given. The Americans showed practicality and considered that 406-mm guns of "Iowa" in 30 minutes could release 270 high-explosive 862-kg shells with a total weight of 232.7 tons at the target. At the same time, the wing of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Nimitz", provided that each aircraft made three sorties, it could drop 228.6 tons of bombs on the enemy per day. At the same time, the cost of delivering a ton of "ammunition" for the Nimitz was 12 thousand dollars, and for the battleship Iowa - 1.6 thousand dollars.
It is clear that the comparison of the delivered mass of ammunition is not entirely correct, since the aviation is able to strike at a much greater distance than the battleship. Also, due to the greater mass of the explosive, the bombs have a larger area of destruction. Despite this, at the end of World War II, during the wars in Korea and Vietnam, a sufficient number of tasks arose that could be solved by heavy naval artillery, and with the greatest efficiency and lower costs. The fact that in the American arsenals about 20 thousand 406-mm shells, as well as 34 spare barrels for the guns of battleships, also played a role. In the 1980s, it was even planned to create ultra-long-range projectiles. Weighing 454 kg, they were supposed to have an initial flight speed of 1098 m / s and a range of 64 km, but things did not go further than experimental samples.
Launchers anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" and ZAK "Falanx" on the battleship "New Jersey"
During the modernization of the Iowa-class battleships in the 1980s, 4 out of 10 paired 127-mm artillery mounts were dismantled from them. In their place were eight armored quadruple launchers Mk.143 for launching BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles for firing at ground targets with 32 missiles ammunition. Additionally, the ships were equipped with 4 Mk.141 installations, 4 containers each for 16 RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Close air and missile defense were to be provided by 4 anti-aircraft artillery complexes Mk.15 "Vulcan-Falanx". Each of them consisted of a six-barreled 20-mm cannon M61 "Vulcan", which was stabilized in two planes and had an autonomous radar fire control system. In addition, 5 stationary positions for the Stinger MANPADS were located on the superstructures of the battleships. The ships' radar equipment was completely renewed. A helipad appeared in the aft part of the battleships. And in December 1986, an additional device for the launch and landing of the Pioner UAV was installed on the Iowa. At the same time, the crew of battleships was significantly reduced, in 1988, 1,510 people served on the Iowa, and in 1945 the ship's crew consisted of 2,788 people, including 151 officers.
As noted in the blog naval-manual.livejournal.com, the US needed battleships not only as large artillery ships capable of effectively fighting coastal targets. The idea of restoring existing battleships emerged in the second half of the 1970s and was put into practice as part of the Reagan administration's 600 ships program. In the mid-1970s, leaders, among whom were Admiral James Holloway, Secretary of the Navy W. Graham Clator (Jr.), Assistant Secretary James Woolsey, achieved a consensus in the Washington Naval District - the American fleet had to fight for supremacy at sea against the USSR … Offensive operations were considered the most effective option for action against the Soviet fleet.
At the technical and operational levels, the US Navy faced two relatively new problems during this period: a significant increase in the number of Soviet surface ships equipped with anti-ship missiles; and an increase in areas that could become the arena of hostilities - now the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean have been added to the number of potential hot spots on the planet. In accordance with the idea that the American Pacific Fleet should actively operate at the place of its registration (earlier plans allowed for the transfer of the main forces of the fleet to the Atlantic), all this required an increase in the number of ships in the American fleet. If necessary, the US Navy was supposed to conduct active hostilities in five directions at once (North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Soviet Far East, Caribbean and Indian Ocean).
Surface battle group with the battleship "Iowa"
The Navy also planned to form 4 Surface Battle Groups (SBGs), which were smaller battle groups that did not include aircraft carriers. The obvious role of the four Iowa-class battleships became the central element of these groups. The Americans planned that such groups would include a battleship, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Armed with cruise missiles, such NBGs will be equivalent to Soviet combat groups and will be able to act independently as active strike groups in areas of moderate threat. They could be especially effective when carrying out operations against coastal targets and supporting amphibious operations, thanks to powerful artillery and cruise missiles.
According to the plans of American strategists, such surface combat groups led by a battleship could operate both independently and in conjunction with aircraft carrier strike groups. Acting independently of aircraft carriers, the NBG could provide the possibility of "surface war" in areas with a reduced submarine and air threat (such areas included the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean). At the same time, battleships remained dependent on their escort, which provided their anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defense. In high-threat areas, battleships could act as part of a larger carrier strike group. At the same time, three roles were recorded for the battleships at once - the attack of surface and ground targets, the support of the landing.
At the same time, fire support for the landing (fighting ground targets) was one of the main tasks of the Iowa-class battleships in the 1980s, but it was not, apparently, the main reason for their reactivation. In those years, the thoughts of the American military command were concentrated not off the coast, but on the high seas. The idea of a battle with the Soviet fleet, rather than a projection of power in various regions of the World Ocean, became dominant. This is confirmed by the fact that the battleships were modernized and returned to service at the peak of the struggle against the Soviet Navy - and dismissed just after this peak was passed (an indicative fact). The battleship Iowa was put into reserve on January 26, 1990, New Jersey on February 2, 1991, Wisconsin on September 30, 1991, and Missouri on March 31, 1992. The latter two even took part in the hostilities against Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
The battleship "Missouri" as part of the AUG, led by the aircraft carrier "Ranger"
Returning ships to service in the 1980s, the leadership of the American fleet viewed the NBGs built around Iowa-class battleships as an independent means of fighting Soviet surface ships - at least in those areas where there was no threat of massive use of Soviet aviation. Among other things, the battleships, apparently, had to solve the problem of fighting the surface ships of the Soviet Navy, which were hanging "on the tail" of American aircraft carriers. For this, they could be included in the AUG. At the same time, the question of what would be their main weapons - "Tomahawks", "Harpoons" or 406-mm guns - remains open. The close contact of American and Soviet warships in those years allowed the use of artillery on both sides. In this situation, the high firepower of battleships, supplemented by their armor and survivability, became quite valuable advantages. It is no coincidence that in the 1980s, American battleships that underwent modernization and received missile weapons were regularly involved in training artillery firing at surface targets. In this sense, the giants of the end of World War II returned to the American fleet in the 1980s as battleships.
