The Ships of Battlegroup: United States Wisconsin (BB-64)

Displacement	48,425 tons	Belt Armor	12 inches
Overall Length	860 feet	Deck Armor	8.75 inches
Beam	108.25 feet	Main Turret Armor	18 inches
Speed	33 knots	Main Guns	9 × 16/50″

Prior to building BB-64, there was an earlier battleship named Wisconsin, BB-9, a pre-dreadnought commissioned in 1901. All United States dreadnought battleships were named after states, a custom that went back to the naming of wooden ships of the line during the age of sail and all battleships were assigned a hull number from 1920 that was normally displayed on the hull. The first modern United States battleships built since the 1920s were the two North Carolinas and the four South Dakotas (includng Alabama and Massacusetts ), all of which could manage at least 27 knots and were among the most powerful battleships in the world.

Next, the U. S. Navy wanted a class of battleships capable of more than 32 knots for independent operations or for accompanying the fast aircraft carriers. The Iowa was the name ship of this “fast” battleship class; of which four ships were completed (in addition to Wisconsin, the others were Missouri and New Jersey). Compared to Wisconsin and her sisters, only the two larger Japanese Yamato class battleships, with their 18-inch guns and thicker armor could claim to match or excel them, although the Japanese vessels were much slower, had much inferior radar and would probably have fared poorly in a gun duel with their American counterparts. The Wisconsin was laid down on January 25, 1941; launched on December 7, 1943 and commissioned on April 16, 1944. After commissioning, the Wisconsin trained in the Atlantic and joined the Pacific Fleet on December 9, 1944 and participated in all the final Pacific operations, including the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns and raids on the Japanese home islands.

After routine postwar duties, BB-64 was decommissioned on July 1, 1948. Re-commissioned on March 3, 1951, the Wisconsin served as a Seventh Fleet flagship and as a bombardment ship in the Korean War from November 1951 though March 1953. On March 15, 1952, off Songjin, a hit from a 152mm shore gun wounded three crewmen. After another tour as flagship of the Seventh Fleet, Wisconsin was transferred back to the Atlantic. On May 6, 1956, Wisconsin collided with the escort destroyer Eaton, damaging the Wisconsin’s bow and nearly sinking the Eaton. During subsequent repairs, the damaged bow was replaced by the bow of her never-completed sister ship Kentucky. The Wisconsin was decommissioned and placed in reserve on March 8, 1958. As the last battleship to be taken out of service, there was much press comment at the time that this was the end of the battleship era. The Reagan administration’s naval defense buildup saw all four of the Iowas roused from their long sleep and once again at sea, this time with major modernizations and long-range cruise missiles added to the muscle of their big guns. The Wisconsin, after 30 years in mothballs required major dockyard work and modernization. She was recommissioned in October 1988. Assigned to the Persian Gulf after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, she participated in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991, firing both cruise missiles into Iraq and her big guns at the Kuwait coast. BB-64 was decommissioned for the third and last time in September 1991. The U. S. S. Wisconsin , BB-64, was transferred to Norfolk, Virginia in December 2000 to become the present museum and memorial.

The Wisconsin usually accompanied the fast carriers, including: Enterprise, Hornet, Intrepid, Lexington and Yorktown .

Where did we get all these fascinating historical tidbits and factoids? See the Bibliography for the culprits.