XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc, ca.politics

from https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia-freaked-why-navy-unretired-iowa-class-battleships-211546

July 18, 2024 Topic: Security Region: Americas Blog Brand: The Buzz
Tags: Kirov-ClassU.S. NavyNavyMilitaryDefenseBattleshipsIowa-ClassRussia

Russia Freaked : Why the Navy 'Unretired' the Iowa-Class Battleships
The U.S. Navy's Iowa-class battleships, built during World War II, were reactivated in the 1980s under the Reagan administration to counter the
Soviet Kirov-class battlecruisers and enhance Naval Surface Fire Support
(NSFS) capabilities.

by Maya Carlin Follow Mayarcarlin on TwitterL

Summary and Key Points You Need to Know: The U.S. Navy's Iowa-class battleships, built during World War II, were reactivated in the 1980s
under the Reagan administration to counter the Soviet Kirov-class battlecruisers and enhance Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) capabilities.

Kirov-Class

-This reactivation was seen as a cost-effective measure compared to
building new ships. The Iowa-class received upgrades in electronics,
radar, and fire controls, along with Tomahawk and Harpoon missile launchers.

-Their reactivation was aimed at addressing the Soviet threat, but the
end of the Cold War and high operational costs led to their final
retirement in the early 1990s.

Before the aircraft carrier became the most powerful ship afloat,
hulking battleships ruled the waves. The last U.S. battleships, the Iowa
class, were built for the Second World War and saw sporadic service in
the decades that followed. Somewhat incredibly, they were retired for
the final time in the early 1990s following a reactivation in the early
1980s.

Their return to service was hard-fought and is often questioned, but why
did the Reagan administration push so hard to reactivate the Iowas?

Typically cited is their ability to handle the Soviet Kirov-class battlecruisers that were first launched in the early 1980s. Their role
as Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) vessels also played a part in their
return to service. Additionally, refitting and crewing the four Iowas
was deemed more cost-effective than ramping up production of new ships – Congress and the U.S. Navy at the time assessed they would get more bang
for their buck by activating the old battleships in their effort to
match the Soviet Navy’s growth.

The Iowas’ History
The Iowa class was designed as a fast battleship to escort aircraft
carriers and bring fast enemy capital ships to battle. Six were
initially ordered in 1939, but only four were completed before the end
of the Second World War.

Iowa-Class

All four warships saw extensive service in the 1940s and 1950s in the
Second World War and the Korean War. They were decommissioned in the
late ‘50s, as they were costly to maintain and required a much larger
crew than newer vessels. USS New Jersey was reactivated to serve in the
NSFS role in Vietnam but only sortied once before being retired.

How the Soviets’ Capabilities Compared
The late 1970s saw a major Soviet military buildup in Eastern Europe.
The Soviet Navy also undertook a modernization and expansion program,
adding several new classes of vessels with brand new technologies and armaments.

One ship in particular, the Kirov-class battlecruiser, worried Western
planners and analysts. A nuclear-powered ship, she was capable of
staying at sea for as long as she remained provisioned. The cruiser
carried an impressive armament, including twenty P-700 Shipwreck
anti-ship missiles. These missiles have an estimated range of over 300
miles and were a major concern for U.S. carrier strike groups. The
Kirovs’ impressive anti-air armament of 96 S-300 SAM missiles made them
hard targets for the Carrier Air Wing.

A Quick and Cheaper Alternative
To counter the growing Soviet threat, the Reagan administration
conducted a force build-up across the U.S. service branches. When it
came to the Navy, leadership had the choice between increasing
shipbuilding or reconstituting the Iowas. With a $326 million price tag
to refit and crew the battleships, this plan won out.

The actual refit was more modest than some that were proposed. One
retired captain suggested putting angled launch ramps at the stern of
the ships for AV-8 Harrier jump jets. Additionally, the 5 inch gun
turrets would be replaced by 155 mm howitzers. This configuration would
be designed to support an assault by Marines, with the Harriers
escorting a helicopter assault force while the 16 inch guns pounded
enemy positions.

Ultimately, the ships received improvements to electronics, radar, and
fire controls. Offensively, they were mounted with launch tubes for
Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The strategy envisioned ships with the speed to sail alongside carrier strike groups
and the ability to engage the Kirov battlecruisers first with Tomahawks,
then with Harpoons, and finally with the big guns as they closed within
range.

Iowa-Class

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the need for large capital ships
to protect carriers disappeared. Furthermore, the Iowas required a much
larger crew complement than cruisers and destroyers. The addition of
Vertical Launch System tubes to those platforms allowed them to pack
Tomahawks as well, and made them much more efficient than the outdated battleships, which were retired in the early 1990s.

About the Author: Defense Expert Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an
analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy
Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.
You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

All images are Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.


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