USS Wisconsin BB-64
American battleship museums or memorials may be found in Utah BB-31, Arizona BB-39 and Missouri BB-63, all in Pearl Harbour; BB35 Texas BB-35 in San Jacinto, TX; Massachusetts BB-59 in Fall River, MA; Alabama BB-60in Mobile, AL; Iowa BB-61 (in California, disposition pending), New Jersey BB-62 in Camden, NJ; and Wisconsin BB-64 in Norfolk VA.
Wisconsin commissioned as a brand new Iowa class battleship in April 1944 and in May 2006 she looks even more sparkling than that day. She saw her first action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in December 1944 and was heavily involved in nearly all the major Pacific Ocean naval actions from then until the end of WW II. She decommissioned in 1948 but recommissioned in 1951, in time to catch the Korean War.
USS Wisconsin, next door to the Nauticus and Hampden Roads Maritime Museums.
Wisconsin is remembered as a lucky ship because in heavy fog, on 6 May 1956, she collided with the Fletcher class destroyer USS Eaton, causing damage that required replacing the first 68 feet of Wisconsin‘s bow. There were only two minor casualties, both aboard Eaton. Wisconsin returned under her own power, but with her forward engine room flooded, Eaton was towed home stern first. After repairs, Eaton served with distinction for many years, including gunline duties off Vietnam.
Wisconsin decommissioned again in 1958 but recommissioned one more time, 30 years later, this time with two Tomahawk batteries in addition to her powerful 16-inch guns. She fired eight Tomahawks in anger for the first time against Iraq, 17 January 1991. She decommissioned again in 1995 and was towed to her present Norfolk home to assume duties as a museum on 7 December 2000.
Wisconsin is also famous for a sortie during Desert Storm when Iraqi soldiers on Faylaka Island surrendered to the battleship’s unmanned Pioneer drone. After a bombardment by USS Missouri using that ship’s UAV, Wisconsin sent her drone over the island at low level. Evidently fearing another bombardment by 2000-pound rounds, the soldiers quickly flashed a number of white sheets and other articles to indicate surrender.
(887 x 108 x 28.9 feet) and displaced about 58,000 tons. Her eight boilers served four turbines
and four shafts that drove the ship at 33 knots. Her main armament included nine 16-inch (40 cm) guns,
12 five-inch (12.7 cm) and four 20 mm Phalanx close-in systems. She carried 32 Tomahawks and
16 Harpoon missiles. There were about 1600 in her crew.
While in the area, visitors might think about a two-hour harbour cruise of the “world’s largest naval base” to see aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and many of the most modern warships afloat. Check out prices and times at www.navalbasecruises.com.
It is pleasing to see so many warships preserved as museums and memorials, but the ship husbandry contrast between the Essex class carrier Yorktown and the battleship Wisconsin sounds a warning bell. It costs money and requires expertise to maintain any kind of ship, even as a museum piece.
It is clear that not every entrepreneurial town or county in the USA has the ability to keep old warships in the condition they deserve, no matter how much they might charge at the gate.
The Nauticus/Wisconsin complex at One Waterside Drive, Norfolk, VA 23510, includes the Hampton Roads Naval Museum that features models and other artefacts illustrating the history of sea power. It pays special attention to the days of sail and the naval battles off nearby Hampton Roads. Helpful docents abound. They all seem very eager to share detailed knowledge with visitors. Like Wisconsin, the naval museum is free of charge, but there was a $9.95 ($8.95 seniors) charge to enter the Nauticus complex. Some areas are closed on Mondays and various holidays, so it’s best to check the website http://www.thenmc.org/information.html for opening times and the latest data.