Commissioned on June 16, 1897, the first USS Iowa (BB 4) was a pre-dreadnought battleship who saw most of her action during the Spanish-American War, playing an important role in the Battle of Santiago. After the war, she served with the Pacific and Atlantic Squadrons before being placed in reserve, modernized and recommissioned in 1910. BB 4 spent four years on training service, and after being decommissioned a second time in 1914, was reactivated when the U.S. entered WWI, serving as a receiving ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and training and guard ship in the Chesapeake Bay area before her final decommissioning in March 1919. BB 4 was renamed Coast Battleship No. 4 to free the Iowa name for BB 53—a South Dakota-class battleship whose construction was suspended along with the other five ships of the class.
Dubbed the "Battleship of the Presidents," the third USS Iowa (BB 61) served as the flagship for President Franklin Roosevelt, carrying him across the Atlantic for conferences during her initial service in 1943. While in the Pacific in 1944, she participated in the Marshalls Campaign among several others, returning to the Pacific after an overhaul and involved in the Okinawa campaign and the Japanese Surrender at Tokyo Bay. Decommissioned in March 1949, she returned to service in 1951 as a result of the Korean War, later transferred to the Atlantic fleet where she made several cruises before being decommissioned into the U.S. Navy reserve fleet in 1958. BB 61 was later modernized, returning to service for the last time in April 1984. An explosion of her second 16-inch gun turret killed 47 crewman on April 19, 1989, but she would still deploy before ending her service for the final time in October 1990. BB 61 currently serves as a museum battleship at the Port of Los Angeles.
"Lush, green and fertile" is how French explorers Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette described what would later be known as the state of Iowa as they traveled down the Mississippi River in 1673. Although new territory for these explorers, the region had long been home to several Native American tribes. In 1803, the United States acquired the land that makes up the state of Iowa today as part of the Louisiana Purchase, and permanent settlement began in the 1830s. Iowa became the 29th state on December 28, 1846.
Nestled between the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers on the west and Mississippi River on the east, Iowa is the only U.S. state bordered by parallel rivers. Most of the state’s terrain consists of rolling hills and flat plains with rich soil that offer "Fields of Opportunities," making it one of the leading U.S. states in number of farms and agriculture. Iowa produces the most corn in the nation and is the number-one producer of pork.
Located in the largest city and capital of Iowa, Des Moines, is the Iowa State Capitol building, the only capitol in the country with five domes, one of which is crowned in 23-karat gold. Des Moines, Iowa, draws in over one million people from across the country annually for the state’s largest event, the Iowa State Fair.
From the covered bridges throughout Iowa’s Madison County that inspired the popular movie and novel, “Bridges of Madison County,” to the baseball diamond built for the 1989 film “Field of Dreams,” the state of Iowa offers landmarks that are not only scenic, but rooted in history. In Sioux City, Iowa, the Sergeant Floyd Monument is the first registered National Historic Landmark in the United States. The 1856 Reverend George B. Hitchcock House still stands in Lewis, Iowa, which once served as a station on the Underground Railroad, providing shelter for escaping slaves.
A few famous Iowans include 31st U.S. President Herbert Hoover; 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Norman Borlaug; Peggie Whitson, first female commander of the International Space Station (ISS); World-renowned Opera Singer Simon Estes; actors Johnny Carson, Ashton Kutcher, Donna Reed and Elijah Wood; among others.
The submarine Iowa (SSN 797) is the 24th ship of the Virginia class, which has been designed for the full range of 21st-century mission requirements, including anti-submarine and surface ship warfare and special operations support. While women first started serving onboard submarines back in 2010, Iowa is unique as one of the first fast-attack submarines specifically designed and built to accommodate both male and female service members onboard.
These submarines excel in littoral and open-ocean environments and collect intelligence critical to irregular warfare efforts with advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Unobtrusive, non-provocative and connected with land, air, sea and space-based assets, these versatile and powerful vessels are a core component of the Navy fleet.
Ships of the Virginia class embody the commitment by the Navy and industry to reduce costs without decreasing capabilities through a multi-year procurement strategy, continuous improvements in construction practices and cost-reduction design changes.
Electric Boat, its construction partner Newport News Shipbuilding and the U.S. Navy continue collaborating to reduce the cost of future ships while introducing new capabilities to ensure the ongoing relevance of Iowa and the Virginia class. Electric Boat’s goal remains unchanged—to provide the U.S. Navy with the most sophisticated undersea warships in the world.