USS Wisconsin (BB-64)

USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
Country	USA
Class and type	Iowa-class battleship
Launched	7 December 1943
Homeport	Norfolk Virginia

USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-class battleship, the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. She was built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and launched on 7 December 1943 (the second anniversary of the Pearl Harbor raid), sponsored by the wife of Governor Walter Goodland of Wisconsin. During her career, Wisconsin served in the Pacific Theater of World War II, where she shelled Japanese fortifications and screened United States aircraft carriers as they conducted air raids against enemy positions. During the Korean War, Wisconsin shelled North Korean targets in support of United Nations and South Korean ground operations, after which she was decommissioned. She was reactivated on 1 August 1986; after a modernization program, she participated in Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991.

Source: USS Wisconsin (BB-64) on Wikipedia

USS Wisconsin BB-64 Walk Around
Photographer	Vladimir Yakubov
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	200

USS Wisconsin BB-64 1

USS Wisconsin BB-64 2

USS Wisconsin BB-64 3

USS Wisconsin BB-64 4

USS Wisconsin BB-64 5

USS Wisconsin BB-64 6

USS Wisconsin BB-64 7

USS Wisconsin BB-64 8

USS Wisconsin BB-64 9

Click on a photo and use the mouse scroll to view all photos

Wait, Searching USS Wisconsin for you…

The Peak of American Dreadnoughts

The USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-class battleship, designed for the “Fast Carrier Task Forces” of WWII. These ships were unique because they combined heavy armor and massive 16-inch guns with a top speed exceeding 30 knots—allowing them to keep pace with modern aircraft carriers. Built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, she was the last battleship to be commissioned by the United States, marking the end of the “Big Gun” era.

Attribute	Technical Specification (1991 Modernized)
Class	Iowa-class Fast Battleship
Length	887 ft 3 in (270.4 m)
Main Armament	9 × 16-inch (406 mm) / 50 cal Mark 7 guns
Secondary Armament	12 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 38 cal dual-purpose guns
Modern Missiles	32 × Tomahawk Cruise Missiles; 16 × Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles
Armor (Belt)	12.1 inches (307 mm) Class A armor
Max Speed	33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Complement	Approx. 1,800 (1980s configuration)

Engineering Marvels: Speed and Firepower

The 16-inch/50 Cal Mark 7: These guns could fire 2,700-pound “super-heavy” armor-piercing shells over a range of 23 miles (37 km). At the peak of their trajectory, these shells reached higher than Mt. Everest.
“Panamax” Design: Despite her massive length, the Wisconsin was built with a beam (width) of exactly 108 feet, allowing her to fit through the Panama Canal with only 12 inches to spare on either side.
The 1980s Modernization: To counter the Soviet threat, she was reactivated and fitted with Phalanx CIWS for anti-missile defense and armored box launchers for Tomahawk missiles, making her a formidable power-projection tool in the missile age.
Citadel Armor: The ship utilized an “All or Nothing” armor scheme, concentrating massive protection around the “citadel” (engines and magazines) while leaving non-essential areas lightly armored to save weight for speed.

Historical Legacy: “Temper, Temper”

Korean War Duel: In 1952, a North Korean 155mm battery hit the Wisconsin. She responded by firing all nine 16-inch guns at the battery’s location, completely erasing it. Her escorting destroyer, the USS Buck, famously signaled “Temper, Temper” to the battleship.
The Big Collision: In 1956, she collided with the destroyer USS Eaton in heavy fog. To repair her bow quickly, the unfinished bow of her sister ship, the USS Kentucky (BB-66), was grafted onto her—making the Wisconsin technically part of two different ships.
Operation Desert Storm: In 1991, the Wisconsin fired the first Tomahawk missiles of the war and served as the “Master of the Gulf,” using her drones to direct 16-inch fire against Iraqi shore defenses.
Museum Ship: Today, she is preserved at Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia, where visitors can walk her teak decks and tour the “City at Sea” inside her hull.