USS Iowa (Battleship No. 4) was the first ship commissioned in honor of the 29th state and is notable for being America's first seagoing battleship. The Iowa saw substantial action in the Spanish-American War. While she was an improvement over the because of a superior design, the warship became obsolescent quickly in the first quarter of the twentieth century, and was used as target practice and sunk in 1923.

Superior Design

The second half of the nineteenth century saw radical changes in shipbuilding design. Wood-built sailing ships with cannons were replaced by steam-powered warships armored with steel. There was great interest in new shipbuilding techniques and a search for stronger metal alloys, and discussion of new designs, centerboards, ventilating techniques, with active participation between private builders and naval designers.

The Congress of the United States authorized a warship on 19 July 1892. Specifically, it was for a 'seagoing coastline battleship', to fill the Navy's desire for a ship that could sail and fight effectively in open waters; the preceding —authorized by Congress as 'coast-defense battleships'—had many problems with endurance and speed.

Iowa had a unique design and did not belong to a specific ship class. She represented an upgrade from Indianas. Iowa s keel was built by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 5 August 1893, who also built the 11,000 horsepower coal-powered vertical reciprocating engines. It had twin above-board torpedo tubes. She carried 1795 tons of coal. Iowa was based on the earlier Indiana class with similar armament layout and four 12" guns in twin turrets fore and aft, supplemented by four twin 8" turrets. There was extensive testing of new armor plating; at one point, the Iowa was subjected was fired on in testing to assess the strength of its steel shell. Like the Indiana, the Iowa was made using "Harveyized steel".

Several design modifications made the Iowa a far more powerful warship than its predecessors. The diameter of the main four largest guns was and were hydraulically powered. The vessel had a larger margin of freeboard and a longer hull and forecastle, which resulted in a more stable and seaworthy ship. Further, the raised height made the gunnery area dryer and further reduced the risk of malfunctions due to wet weather. By utilizing the Harvey process, Iowa s armor was thinner but stronger than the nickel-steel used in the Indianas. Compared to British warships, Iowa had excellent speed (18 knots) but was 3,500 tons lighter. Later, turret diameters were enlarged to .

Launching

Iowa was launched on 28 March 1896, sponsored by the daughter of the Governor of Iowa named Miss Mary Lord Drake. Ms. Drake commissioned the vessel on 16 June 1897, with Captain William T. Sampson in command. Iowa was known as "Battleship No. 4" during her lifespan and called BB-4 after the hull classification symbol system became standard in 1921.

Spanish-American War

When the Spanish-American war broke out, Cuba belonged to Spain. There was some speculation that the Spanish military made a mistake by sending its fleet to Cuba instead of keeping it nearer to Spain where supplies were closer; instead, it was sent to the Americas, and was discovered in the harbor of Santiago.

Spanish warships

Six Spanish warships commanded by Admiral Cervera were the Maria Teresa (flag), Vizcaya, Oquendo, Colon, and two torpedo boat destroyers.

United States warships

After shakedown off the Atlantic coast, Iowa was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and was ordered to blockade duty on 28 May 1898, off Santiago de Cuba. under the command of Captain Robley D. "Fighting Bob" Evans. She participated in a naval bombardment of the fort near Santiago. She joined many other American warships blockading Cuba including the USS Harvard, the Resolute, the New York, Oregon, New Orleans, Mayflower, Porter, Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Texas, Marblehead, Vixen, Suwanee, Dolphin, and St. Paul (a coal supply ship).

Sampson's Blockade

Commander in Chief of the US North Atlantic Station, US Real Admiral Sampson, insisted the blockade be tight; "the escape of the Spanish vessels at this juncture would be a serious blow to our prestige, and to a speedy end to the war," he wrote. He wasn't worried about fire from shore batteries but was concerned about possible attack from a surface-going torpedo boat and urged captains to look for tell-tale signs of attacking boats such as smoke on the water. One issue was having enough coal. Since steam engines take time to build sufficient energy to drive larger turbines, engines were kept running to enable rapid start-up movement despite the usage of precious coal. Luckily, vessels could coal while maintaining a position in the blockade.

The initial plan was for blockading ships to wait six miles out from Santiago harbor during the day, but this was tightened to four miles after a while. At night or in bad weather, the ships were brought in closer to prevent escapes. One squadron blocked the east side, another the west. Picket launches each evening were ordered one mile off shore. The admiral gave specific instructions about how to use search lights at night to sweep the horizon "steadily and slowly" and "not less than three minutes should be employed in sweeping through an arc of 90 degrees." As of 2 June 1898, Sampson headed one squadron which included the New York, Iowa, Oregon, New Orleans, Mayflower, and Porter, while commander Schley headed the Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Texas, Marblehead, and Vixen. One squadron blocked the east side harbor exit; the other, the west. By 10 June, Spanish warships in Cuba's Santiago harbor were "neatly bottled up" according to Iowa sCaptain Evans.

Fierce Battle

On Sunday morning, 3 July 1898, there were partly-cloudy skies with fairly calm water. Six Spanish warships steamed out of Santiago harbor in a southwesterly direction. Iowa was the first to sight black ships Spanish cruisers approaching, telegraphed other American ships at 9:30am, and fired the first shot in the Battle of Santiago. The Iowa along with the Indiana, Texas, Oregon and Brooklyn chased the Spanish cruisers. A second report includes the Gloucester as being part of the chasing squadron and suggests the Vixen s purpose was to protect the Brooklyn from Spanish torpedo boats. A third report lists torpedo boat as participating.

The two fleets engaged in a brief but intense naval battle off the shores of Cuba. There was speculation that two Spanish torpedo destroyers posed a serious risk. In a twenty minute battle with and , her effective fire set both ships aflame and drove them on the beach, according to several reports. Fire from both fleets was continuous and fast and furious. The two Spanish torpedo boats took on the Gloucester which prevailed against both in a tense slugfest. Some reports suggest Iowa suffered from engine trouble during the battle and "limped along at 10 knots", as well as taking two hits from the Spanish warship Colon, which further reduced her speed. But later analysis suggests the Iowa was a significant participant throughout the battle and this is inconsistent with a reduced speed. A dangerous fire in the Iowas lower decks happened during the battle, possibly caused by enemy fire, which threatened lethal explosions, but fast and brave work by Fireman Robert Penn extinguished the blaze, possibly sparing the ship, and he was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. US warships pursued fleeing Spanish cruisers. The Iowa and the Gloucester sank and damaged to the point where the Spanish warship ran aground. The Colon was beached also. Wrecks burned fiercely. Iowa then pursued and ran her aground. Spanish sailors on the beaches were being threatened by Cuban irregulars, but Captain Evans sent a boat ashore to warn them, and protected the captured sailors.

When the Vizcaya exploded and beached at Playa de Aserraderos, the Iowa lowered boats to rescue Spanish crewmen from shark-infested waters. Iowa received on board Spanish Admiral Pascual Cervera and the officers and crews of Vizcaya, Furor, and Pluton. The Vizcaya s Captain Don Antonio Eulate was "soaked in oil and wearing a sooty, bloodstained bandage about the head." The captured captain tried to offer his sword as a gesture of surrender but it was returned to him by Captain Evans. When the Spanish captain cried "Adios, Vizcaya!" almost immediately afterward the flaming ship's magazine exploded and dramatically finished her destruction.

At one point Iowa s Captain Evans directed the Harvard to rescue prisoners. Some accounts suggest that it took twelve hours to rescue all the survivors. And for a while, several American warships were crowded with prisoners, including the Iowa. A pig was rescued from the Colon. There were 1,612 Spanish survivors in total who became U.S. prisoners of war until subsequent release during a prisoner exchange. It was a general victory for the US Navy. One unexpected circumstance was that an Austrian battleship also named the Infanta Maria Theresa was in the vicinity wanting to enter Santiago harbor, but upon outbreak of hostilities, waited for orders from the Americans after seeing the conflict; her presence caused mild confusion at some points but there is no evidence of the Austrian vessel being fired on.

Competing claims for credit

After the battle a mini-drama played itself out which sometimes erupted in opposing newspaper accounts. Reports by several captains were published including detailed accounts from Brooklyn s Captain Cook who reported his ship was hit twenty times, with one sailor killed and another wounded. Reports were also filed by commanders of the Resolute, Harvard, Ericsson, Vixen, and later the Gloucester and published in the New York Times. There was no newspaper-published report of the battle from the perspective of Iowa s Captain Evans. After Admiral Sampson released his report, Indiana s captain H.C. Taylor felt slighted and wrote "If the official record should be referred to in future it will appear from its general tone that the Indiana was less deserving than all of her consorts." The admiral replied that Indiana began in the east, as instructed, which made it harder for it to join the battle; later, Indiana was ordered back to guard the harbor entrance since there was speculation that other Spanish ships might have been trying to escape, and deserved commendation for her contribution. An assessment revealed the squadron guarding the westerly side of the harbor was closest to the fleeing ships and therefore saw more action. Special investigators were dispatched to examine beached Spanish warships as well as consider possibly re-floating sunken boats for further analysis. Detailed diagrams were made of the destroyed ships with measurements, sometimes disputed, of the diameters of shell holes, along with counts of ammunition expended and reports by each captain. (see diagram showing battle damage.) There was speculation about repairing some of the damaged Spanish warships at one point. One analyst described the Maria Teresa a month after the battle as follows: "the metal was broken and twisted into a mass of junk iron" and reported that the Oquendo was "broken in two on the rocks".

Analysis

After competing claims appeared in newspapers, a more definitive report emerged which gave substantial credit to the Iowa and Brooklyn for inflicting "seven-tenths" of the damage to the opposing fleet. Both ships were closest to the battle; the Iowa expended 1,473 separate pieces of ammunition (big shells plus smaller rounds) and the Brooklyn expended 1,973. Other conclusions which emerged:

• The American ships were generally faster. The engines of the Resolute made 81 revolutions per minute allowing the boat to speed through the water at 16 knots. Naval engineers got significant credit for making fast seagoing boats. Ship's engineers were honored in a dinner in New York on 1 September 1898 at the Engineers' Club, including USS Iowa Chief Engineer Charles W. Rae. The Oregon might not have even made it to the battle, but it arrived on time from San Francisco because of its speed as well as perseverance by its ships engineers and machinists.

• Admiral Sampson's earlier estimate not to worry about fire from shore batteries proved correct; there was little damage to US forces from the land as well as reports of land-fired shells whizzing overhead but not striking anything. A reporter aboard the Gloucester said shells from a nearby Spanish fort whizzed overhead.

• Spanish gunnery was poor, according to one report.

Early Twentieth Century

After the battle, Iowa left Cuban waters for New York City, arriving on 20 August. While being towed by four tugboats to the Brooklyn Navy yard, the Iowa came "very near colliding with the cruiser Chicago" after a hawser attached to one tugboat broke; a new hawser was hurriedly run out to the Iowa s bow, preventing a collision. On 12 October, she departed for the Pacific, sailed through the Straits of Magellan at Cape Horn. A reporter on board describing the passage wrote "snow-capped mountains rising out of the sea, barren and gray just below the snow" along with "furious squalls called williwaws" which "picks up the water in masses of foam." While stationed in Valparaiso, Chile around 17 December, and later at Callao, Peru around 26 December, the sailors of the Iowa along with the USS Oregon gave on-board self-created performances for audiences including select sailors from the navies of Chile and Peru as a way to ease tensions following the conflict over Cuba (some South Americans sided with Spain.) The self-described "Iowa Minstrels" made a "melange of music, melody, and mirth" featuring a written program which included such entertainment as an overture, juggling, acrobatics, a "gifted Hibernian orator", comic sketches, singing, and banjo playing. She arrived at San Francisco, California on 7 February 1899. While in port, the crew presented Captain Evans with a different sword bearing the inscription "To our hero -- Too just to take a fallen foe's -- We give this sword instead." The captain thanked his crew for their bravery and respect in a published reply. The battleship then steamed to Bremerton, Washington, where she entered drydock on 11 June. After refit, Iowa served in the Pacific Squadron for 2 years under the command of Captain Goodrich, conducting training cruises, drills, and target practice. On 1 August 1900, the British cruiser narrowly avoided colliding with Iowa in the straits near Victoria during a dense fog. At another point during these years a manhole plate of a boiler blew open and the determined actions of five crewmen (see below) spared the ship from further disaster. Iowa left the Pacific in 1902 to become flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. She went to New York arriving February 1903 and was again decommissioned in June.

Iowa recommissioned in 23 December 1903 and joined the North Atlantic Squadron. She participated in the John Paul Jones Commemoration ceremonies on 30 June 1905. On 23 June, Iowa was serviced in the newly-built floating dry dock Dewey. Iowa remained in the North Atlantic until she was placed in reserve on 6 July 1907. Admiral Spruance served in the Iowa in 1906 and 1907.She decommissioned at Philadelphia on 23 July 1908.

Iowa recommissioned on 2 May 1910 with a new "cage" mainmast, and served as an at-sea training ship of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for Naval Academy Midshipmen. On 13 May 1911, at sea fifty-five miles east of Cape Charles, Virginia, she and another vessel rescued passengers from the sinking Ward liner Merida after it collided with the United Fruit Company's steamship Admiral Farragut in dense fog; all 319 passengers on the Merida remained alive. During the next four years she made training cruises to Northern Europe and participated in the Naval Review at Philadelphia from 10-15 October 1912. She decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 27 May 1914.

World War I

Iowa was placed in limited commission on 28 April 1917. After serving as Receiving Ship at Philadelphia for six months, she was sent to Hampton Roads and remained there for the duration of the war, training men for other ships of the Fleet, and doing guard duty at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. She was decommissioned for the final time on 31 March 1919.

Target Ship Years 1921-1923

On 30 April 1919, Iowa was renamed "Coast Battleship No. 4" to free her name for a new South Dakota class battleship, and was the first radio-controlled target ship to be used in a fleet exercise. At the Philadelphia Navy Yard, workers removed the ship's guns, installed remote control navigation equipment, sealed compartments, and installed water pumps to slow the sinking process and enable a longer target session. As "Coast Battleship No. 4", she ran trials off Chesapeake Bay in 1920 with the battleship serving as control ship. Once underway, the crew left in small boats and she was fully controlled by radio signals. She returned to active service in April 1922 to Hampton Roads, Virginia to take part in gunfire exercises with the minelayer Shawmut as control ship. In 1923 she went through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean to take part in combined fleet maneuvers. A party of high-ranking navy officials as well as members of Congress and newspaper correspondents sailed to Panama aboard the USS Henderson to watch the experimental firing. The target ship was bombarded by five-inch batteries from 8000 yards away by the . (Incidentally, the USS Mississippi later endured a deadly on-board explosion accident which took the lives of 48 crew members.) Iowa was then pounded by three hundred fourteen-inch shells from a greater distance. Finally, she was bombarded by nearly three dozen heavier projectiles (weighing three quarters of a ton each), by a salvo of 14 in (356 mm) shells and she sank in the Gulf of Panama.

Honors

The ornate silver service of Iowa was commissioned by the Iowa legislature and produced by J.E. Caldwell & Co. of Philadelphia for $5,000. It is now on long-term loan to the Iowa State Historical Society museum and occasionally put on display.

On 25 January 1905, five of her crew - Fireman 1st Class Frederick Behne, Seaman 1st Class Heinrich Behnke, Fireman 1st Class DeMetri Corahorgi ,Watertender Patrick Bresnahan, Boilermaker Edward Floyd, and Chief Watertender Johannes J. Johannessen - received the Medal of Honor for "extraordinary heroism in the resulting action" after a manhole plate of a main boiler blew open.

See also

References

1. Friedman (1985), pp. 29–30
2. Friedman (1985), p. 30
3. New York Times, Warships Nearly Collide; H.M.S. Phaeton and the Iowa Only Just Escape a Disaster., 2 August 1900.
4. Johnson, William (1992) The USS Iowa Silver Service Comes Home. Palimpsest: Iowa's Popular History Magazine 73(4)161-169.

• Alden, John D. American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise of the Great White Fleet. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989. ISBN 0870212486
• Friedman, Norman. U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985. ISBN 0870217151
• Reilly, John C. and Robert L. Scheina. American Battleships 1996-1923: Predreadnought Design and Construction. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1980. ISBN 0870215248

External links

• Maritimequest USS Iowa BB-4 Photo Gallery
• NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive BB-4 USS IOWA 1893 - 1900
• NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER USS Iowa (Battleship # 4), 1897 1923.Later renamed Coast Battleship # 4