USS IOWA
GENERAL:
The USS IOWA was the very newest American battleship in the Spanish-American War. Like the INDIANA class, IOWA was classified as a "Seagoing Coastline Battleship", but she was a better sea boat than the earlier battleships. She took part in the Battle of Santiago on July 3, 1898.
BACKGROUND:
USS IOWA was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, and was ordered to blockade duty off Santiago de Cuba on May 28, 1898. She was the first US ship to sight the Spanish ships coming out of the channel on July 3, and fired the first shot in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. In a 20-minute duel with Spanish cruisers MARIA TERESA and OQUENDO IOWA's effective fire helped set both ships aflame and drive them upon the beach. Later in the engagement, IOWA joined with INDIANA and GLOUCESTER in destroying the Torpedo Boat Destroyers PLUTON and FUROR. IOWA then turned her attention to the Spanish cruiser VIZCAYA which she pursued until the Spanish ship was run aground and surrendered. After the battle, IOWA received on board many Spanish prisoners, including Admiral Cervera and the officers and crews of the VIZCAYA, FUROR and PLUTON.
USS IOWA arrived in New York from Cuban waters on August 20, 1898. That October, she departed for the Pacific, sailing around Cape Horn, and arriving in San Francisco on February 7,1899. After a refit at Bremerton, Washington, she conducted training cruises, drills, and target practice. IOWA left the Pacific early in February 1902 to become flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. She sailed for New York February 12, 1903 where she decommissioned June 30th. She was recommissioned that December, returned to reserve in July, 1907, and again decommissioned in July, 1908. IOWA was recommissioned for training duties from May, 1910 to May, 1914. She was in limited commission for receiving, training and guardship duties beginning April 28, 1917, and was decommissioned for the last time on March 31, 1919. USS IOWA was stricken in 1920, reinstated as IX 6 that same year, and converted to a radio controlled target ship and sunk March 23, 1923.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The major advantage of USS IOWA over the ships of the INDIANA class was the new battleship's higher freeboard, which made the guns esier to work in heavy seas. She was not, however, a full-fledged first class battleship equal to those of Great Britain and other powers. Also, IOWA was of single-screw design and shipped only 12" main guns, both features were a step backwards from the INDIANAs.
TECHNOTES:
| Classification: |
|
Sea-Going Coast-Line Battleship, BB 4 |
|---|
| Keel Laid: |
|
August 5, 1893 |
|---|
| Launched: |
|
March 28, 1896 |
|---|
| Commissioned: |
|
June 16, 1897 |
|---|
| Rig: |
|
One military mast. |
|---|
| Armament: |
|
Four 12" guns |
|---|
|
|
Eight 8" guns |
|---|
|
|
Six 4" guns |
|---|
|
|
Twenty 6 pounders |
|---|
|
|
Four 1 pounders |
|---|
|
|
Four 14" torpedo tubes |
|---|
| Contractor: |
|
William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, PA. |
|---|
| Length: |
|
362.5 feet |
|---|
| Beam: |
|
72 feet |
|---|
| Mean draft: |
|
24 feet |
|---|
| Normal Displacement: |
|
11,410 tons |
|---|
| Displacement Fully Loaded: |
|
12,647 tons
|
|---|
| Complement: |
|
727 Officers and Enlisted Men, under the |
|---|
|
|
command of Captain Robey D. Evans. |
|---|
| Engine type: |
|
Vertical triple expansion engines, |
|---|
|
|
generating 11,000 hp. Single screw. |
|---|
| Boiler type: |
|
Five 160 psi boilers. |
|---|
| Speed: |
|
17 knots |
|---|
| Armor: |
|
4-14" belt, 2.75-3" deck, 12.5-15" barbettes, 15-17" turrets. |
|---|
Sources used for this information (see Bibliography for full source list)
Clerk of Joint Comittee on Printing, "The Abridgement of Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress", Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899. 4 vols. (all are documents relating to the war)
Gardiner, Robert, Ed., "Conway's History of the Ship: Steam, Steel & Shellfire - The Steam Warship 1815-1905", London: Conway Maritime Press Ltd., 1992.
Naval History Department, Navy Department, "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships", Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1959.
Reynolds, Francis J. "The United States Navy", New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1918
