USS Iowa - Post 1989 explosion reconstruction and refurbishment.

[Old Wombat]

Awesome results for a What If build in a general modelling contest!

[zenrat]

Well done mate.  It's not about winning or losing (although second is awesome), it's about messing with people's heads.   

[Dizzyfugu]

Very nice work! 

[seadude]

P.S. - Here's some historical notes I wrote up weeks ago for my ship too if anybody is interested.

USS Iowa Historical Notes

What would the USS Iowa have looked like had it returned to service after the tragic April 1989 Turret # 2 explosion? Could the turret have been saved and rebuilt with replacement parts? Or would it have been removed and some other weapon system put in it's place? Would the rest of the ship have been further modernized as well?

During the early 1980's, the IOWA class battleships were modernized with what was then known as a Phase 1 design. This was intended to be a quick conversion at a limited cost to get the ships active and operational as soon as possible. This design phase upgraded the battleships with Tomahawk cruise missile armored box launchers, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Phalanx CIWS gun systems, new radar systems, and many more changes both inside and outside the ships. This is the design most people are familiar with when they see pictures of the battleships from the 1980's or when visiting the battleships as they now sit as museum attractions at various ports in the U.S..

After Phase 1, the US Navy went further and planned for Phase 2 which included at least 10 (or more?) design studies. These studies were initiated to determine a conversion configuration that was to commence when one of these ships began her first regularly scheduled overhaul. Various Phase 2 designs were more "extreme" as some of them were to propose the following:
a) Removing Turret # 3 and placing a large flight deck and ski jumps at the rear of the ship (plus hangar space) for AV-8A/B Harriers or other helicopters and aircraft,
b) Removal of all three main gun turrets,
c) Adding massive amounts (300-400+) of VLS (Vertical Launch System) missile cells,
d) Addition of the AEGIS anti-air radar system.

But after much deliberations and design changes, all Phase 2 studies were cancelled due to extremely high costs as well as opposition from figures in the military (particuarly the U.S. Marine Corps) and from Congress. But the proposals didn't stop there. Around 1990, more modest and "conservative" updates were planned. All four ships were to have received the following changes as funding became available. These were to include, but not limited to:
a) A smaller VLS missile cell size of 96-128,
b) Adding two or more NATO Sea Sparrow missile launchers,
c) Addition of Mk.23 TAS (Target Acquisition System) radar,
d) Replace 5"/38 guns with 5"/54 guns,
e) Extended range EX-148 13" inch saboted rounds for the 16" guns.

The updates would depend on the ship, cost, and time of availability. But sadly, none of these modest updates were added as all four IOWA class battleships were decommissioned around the time of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War.
The model shown here is based on a 1994-1996 timeframe if some of the later "conservative" updates to the IOWA class were added.

[NARSES2]

Like the notes 

[Captain Canada]

Nice work and congrats on the 2 silvers ! As always great to looks and and read about all of your additions. Great work and somat I'd love to do !

[kerick]

I saw your ship at Indy show and it was awesome in person! And your other ship with the blue hull too!