The Big Stick - USS Iowa, BB61

10/8/15

Michael Harker, son of crewmember James D. Harker, sent me these great shots of the battleship Iowa   –   restored and in residence as a floating WWII warship museum in San Pedro, CA (next to Long Beach, CA)

The USS Iowa participated in the same Task Force 38 and TF 58 operations as the Boston.   While they weren’t in the same Task Groups, they were in the same bombardment groups, especially in the Home Island Raids at the end of the War.   Sailors on both ships could share horror stories of riding out the deadly Typhoon Cobra in December of ’44.

A few distinctions between Battleships and Heavy Cruisers:

The Iowa was 887 feet long.   A city block (varies in length, depending on the city) generally averages 300-325 feet.   The Iowa is more than 2 1/2 city blocks (including the cross street width) long.   The Boston was 673 long: more than 2 city blocks (plus intersection).

The Iowa was built to hold 2,600 men, the Boston 1,200 men.

The Iowa’s biggest guns: 16 inch (see last picture).   The Boston’s biggest guns: 8 inch.

Visiting the Iowa is on my short bucket list.   Thanks, Michael, for sending in these great pictures.