Changes

The first two ships, ''Iowa'' (BB-61) and ''New Jersey'' (BB-62), were completed in the first part of 1943, and served through the rest of the Pacific war in the roles that had become normal for battleships by then: screening fast carrier task forces against air and surface threats, occasional shore bombardment, standing ready to haul into line of battle if the Japanese battle fleet should present itself, and providing flagships for tactical commanders. The second pair, ''Missouri'' (BB-63) and ''Wisconsin'' (BB-64), whose construction was somewhat delayed by other wartime priorities, came out to the Pacific during the war's last year. The conflict formally ended on ''Missouri's'' broad decks.

The first two ships, ''Iowa'' (BB-61) and ''New Jersey'' (BB-62), were completed in the first part of 1943, and served through the rest of the Pacific war in the roles that had become normal for battleships by then: screening fast carrier task forces against air and surface threats, occasional shore bombardment, standing ready to haul into line of battle if the Japanese battle fleet should present itself, and providing flagships for tactical commanders. The second pair, ''Missouri'' (BB-63) and ''Wisconsin'' (BB-64), whose construction was somewhat delayed by other wartime priorities, came out to the Pacific during the war's last year. The conflict formally ended on ''Missouri's'' broad decks.

Construction of the last pair, ''Illinois'' (BB-65) and ''Kentucky'' (BB-66) stopped at or soon after the war's end, and three of the four completed ships were "mothballed" during the later 1940s. During the early 1950s, all four employed their sixteen-inch guns against enemy targets in the [[Korean War]], but they were placed in reserve later in the decade. Thinking they were obsolete, the Navy played with various schemes to convert these fast, spacious and still relatively-new ships to more modern configurations, but nothing came of those ideas. ''New Jersey'' was briefly reactivated for [[Vietnam War]] bombardment duty, and the entire quartet was modernized and placed back in service during the 1980s' defense buildup. Though their active days were numbered, ''Missouri'' and ''Wisconsin'' provided heavy gunfire support for the 1991 war with [[Iraq]], but soon rejoined their sisters in the reserve fleet. At present, all four are either serving as museums or probably soon will be, though ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' technically remain subject to a future call to seagoing duty.

Construction of the last pair, ''Illinois'' (BB-65) and ''Kentucky'' (BB-66) stopped at or soon after the war's end, and three of the four completed ships were "mothballed" during the later 1940s. During the early 1950s, all four employed their sixteen-inch guns against enemy targets in the [[Korean War]], but they were placed in reserve later in the decade. Thinking they were obsolete, the Navy played with various schemes to convert these fast, spacious and still relatively-new ships to more modern configurations, but nothing came of those ideas. ''New Jersey'' was briefly reactivated for [[Vietnam War]] bombardment duty, and the entire quartet was modernized and placed back in service during the 1980s' defense buildup, partly as a response to the commissioning of the [[Kirov class cruiser]]s for the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] Navy. Though their active days were numbered, ''Missouri'' and ''Wisconsin'' provided heavy gunfire support for the 1991 war with [[Iraq]], but soon rejoined their sisters in the reserve fleet. At present, all four are either serving as museums or probably soon will be, though ''Iowa'' and ''Wisconsin'' technically remain subject to a future call to seagoing duty.

The ''Iowa'' class consisted of six ships, four of which were completed. Construction of all was assigned to east coast Navy Yards.

The ''Iowa'' class consisted of six ships, four of which were completed. Construction of all was assigned to east coast Navy Yards.