The U.S. Navy has commonly used states to name battleships, and three of these large, distinctive vessels have honored Iowa as their namesake. Since sailors traditionally have coveted service assignments on battleships, and Iowans have held special affection for their namesake battleship, Medal of Honor actions by non-Iowans deserve special acknowledgment.

The Navy deemed the first Iowa, built in the 1870s, as unfit for sea duty. Struck from the Navy Register, it was sold in 1883. The second battleship Iowa, the vessel on which our Medal of Honor awardees served, joined the fleet in 1897. Called the “queen of warships,” it represented the best in American design and construction. It was the United States’ first sea-going battleship, able to move beyond coastal patrol status. The 360-foot Iowa displaced 11,346 tons of water and reached a speed of 17 knots. Armament consisted of four 12-pound guns and six-pound guns, along with a complement of lighter cannon and torpedo capability. The Iowa legislature appropriated money for a unique silver serving set on this battleship, the same set now held and on display at the Iowa Historical Building.

The Iowa participated in only one engagement, at Santiago Bay during the Spanish-American War in July 1898. Captained by Robley D. Evans, the Iowa crippled the Maria Teresa and helped disable or defeat four other Spanish warships. Shortly after this victory, as the Iowa steamed back to U.S. waters, a dangerous fire room explosion blew off a manhole gasket, endangering the ship. Two crew members received Medals of Honor for their quick thinking and bravery.

Following the war, the Iowa joined the Pacific Squadron, and in 1902 became the flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. In 1905 this ship participated in the John Paul Jones Commemoration ceremony.

An event recalling the 1898 Iowa incident occurred in 1905, a painfully common peril for those laboring on coal-burning steamships. Crews shoveled coal into the boilers to keep the engines powered, and constant monitoring was required to prevent the build-up of excessive steam. If boilers were carelessly attended, an intense increase in heat could blow up the engine, kill the crew, possibly ignite gunpowder and sink the entire ship. On January 25, 1905, an overheated boiler blew open a manhole, and scalding hot steam and water poured out into the engine rooms. Heroic action was needed to save lives. According to the ship’s logbook, the surgeon reported serious but not critical burns on the feet and ankles of the MOH recipients. The engineer reported that the boiler plate explosion flooded fire room #7 and a “fire was deadened with water.” The crew then disengaged the afflicted boiler and switched power to a back-up boiler. Since their precise actions of over a century ago were not recorded, these six MOH recipients, to prevent further danger, most likely had to run through the hot, steamy boiler room to activate the back-up boiler.

The Iowa served as a training vessel throughout World War I. In 1919 the Navy decommissioned the outdated battleship, then sank it during a target practice exercise in 1923.

In 1942 the Navy launched the last Iowa, one of the greatest battleships ever built. This huge vessel packed more fire-power than any other U.S. ship. It was twice the size of its predecessor namesake, and nearly twice as fast. Considering its stature, the Iowa was needed in the war effort against Germany and Japan. Its first assignments were in Atlantic waters, where it hunted for the giant German battleship Tirpitz, and in 1943 carried President Franklin Roosevelt to the Casablanca conference.

In early 1944 the Iowa assumed duties in the Pacific Theater, participating in actions at New Guinea, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan, a month before the A-bombing of Hiroshima. The Iowa saw limited action during the Korean War and was decommissioned in 1958.

Re-commissioned in 1984, the Iowa was rocked by an accidental turret explosion in 1989 that killed 47 service personnel. In 1990 this mighty vessel again was decommissioned, and is now part of the reserve fleet in San Francisco.