Commissioning
The USS Wisconsin was a member of the Iowa-class of “fast battleships.” She was the third member of the Iowa-class to be completed (even though she’s numerically behind the USS Missouri).
The contract to build the Wisconsin was awarded to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on June 12, 1940. Her keel was laid down on Jan. 25, 1941; she was launched on Dec. 7, 1943, two years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that vaulted the United States into World War II. She was commissioned on April 16, 1944, with Capt. Earl E. Stone in command.
Underway
After a shakedown cruise, the Wisconsin sailed for the Pacific, joining the Third Fleet at the Caroline Islands on Dec. 3, 1944. She was assigned to protect the fleet’s Task Force 38, which was attacking targets on the Philippine island of Mindoro in preparation for an American invasion. Her next assignment was to support American invasion forces landing on Luzon. She supported TF 38’s carriers as they carried out air strikes against Luzon, Formosa and Nansei Shoto from Jan. 3 to Jan. 22, 1945, preventing the enemy from trying to attack the invasion force from the air. Later in the month, she supported air strikes on Hong Kong, Canton, Hainan Island and Okinawa.
The Wisconsin was transferred to the Fifth Fleet in February and was assigned to Task Force 58. On Feb. 16, 1945, the Wisconsin and the rest of TF 58 approached the Japanese coast without detection and routed their opponents, shooting down 322 enemy planes while destroying another 177 on the ground; American bombers also seriously damaged several airfields, ports and shipping.
On Feb. 19, the Wisconsin was stationed off the coast of Iwo Jima to provide fire support for the American invasion of that island. They supported another round of air strikes against Tokyo on Feb. 25, then hit the small island of Hachino the next day, severely damaging the military installations there. In March, the Wisconsin returned to Japanese home island waters to support attacks intended to destroy any airborne opposition to the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. On March 18-19, TF 58 struck enemy airbases on the island of Kyusu while defending against Kamikaze attacks. On the 19th, the USS Franklin was struck by a suicide plane and the Wisconsin helped provide coverage for the damaged carrier as she left the combat zone.
On March 24, 1945, the Wisconsin began bombarding Japanese positions on Okinawa in preparation for the upcoming American invasion, which began on April 1. She would remain on station off Okinawa for most of April, supporting U.S. ground forces and air defense coverage against swarms of Kamikaze attackers. On July 16, the Wisconsin had the opportunity to fire her heavy guns against the Japanese homeland for the first time, destroying steel mills and oil refineries in the city of Muroran on the island of Hokkaido. Two days later, she attacked factories around Hitachi Miro, on the coast of the island of Honshu.
With the formal surrender of the Japanese on Sept. 2, 1945, the Wisconsin left Western Pacific on Sept. 23 and arrived at San Francisco on Oct. 15. By January 1946, the Wisconsin was in Atlantic waters, eventually heading for an overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. She would remain on active duty for two more years, before being decommissioned on July 1, 1948.
Her retirement, however, was short-lived; the start of the Korean War led to the Wisconsin’s recommissioning on March 3, 1951. She arrived in Japan on Nov. 21 and took over as the flagship for Vice Admiral H.M. Martin and the Seventh Fleet. On Dec. 2, she fired her guns at enemy targets for the first time in six years, attacking communist troops in the Kasong-Kosong area. The next day, she provided gunfire support for U.S. Marines near Kangnung. She took part in several other ground support missions through Dec. 6, including a night mission where her star-shells illuminated advancing enemy soldiers, then her guns shattered their advance.
The Wisconsin continued to attack enemy troops and positions through December, striking enemy positions at Kojo on Dec. 14. On Dec. 18, she helped the 11th Republic of Korean division repulse a night assault, with North Korean forces suffering heavy losses in the process. On Dec. 20, the Wisconsin struck the North Korean stronghold of Wonsan, hitting targets on shore and ships in the harbor.
After a brief visit to Japan, the Wisconsin was back in Korean waters by Jan. 10, 1952, when they hosted South Korean President Syngman Rhee. She returned to combat the next day, firing in support of the U.S. 1st Marine Division and the South Korean 1st Corps. She supported the ROK 1st Corps again on Jan. 14, then struck Kojo and bombarded the 15th North Korean Division on Jan. 26. The Wisconsin shelled Hodo Pando before rearming at the end of January. By Feb. 2, she was back on the firing line, striking railyards at Hodo Pando and Kojo.
On March 15, 1952, the Wisconsin attacked enemy rail lines and destroyed a communist troop train at Songjin, but took a hit from an enemy gun battery in the process. Three crewmembers were injured, but the Wisconsin quickly retaliated and destroyed the offending gun site with her 16-inch guns. On April 1, her tour in Korea ended and she began her trip back to the United States. The Wisconsin would remain on active duty for six more years, even enduring a collision with the USS Eaton on May 5, 1955. Eventually, she would be decommissioned for a second time, on March 8, 1958.
It would be 28 years before the Wisconsin would be called on again, when President Ronald Reagan ordered a rapid expansion of the Navy. On Aug. 1, 1986, she was towed to the Avondale Shipyad at New Orleans to begin a massive overhaul and modernization. Her 20mm and 40mm guns were removed, as were four of her 10 five-inch gun batteries. They were replaced with Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Phalanx Gatling Gun anti-aircraft defense gun. She also received eight RQ-2 unmanned aerial vehicles, which would serve as spotter craft. She was formally recommissioned on Oct. 22, 1988 and rejoined the Atlantic Fleet.
On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraq invaded its smaller neighbor Kuwait, sending the Middle East into crisis. On Aug. 7, President George H.W. Bush ordered the Wisconsin and other U.S. ships to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield, the defense of Saudi Arabia. Desert Shield became Desert Storm when the forced ouster of Iraq from Kuwait began on Jan. 17, 1991, the Wisconsin fired a number of her Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi targets in one of the first salvos of the war. The Wisconsin served as the Tomahawk strike commander for the Persian Gulf, directing launches while firing 24 cruise missiles of her own during the first 48 hours of the conflict.
On Feb. 6, 1991, the Wisconsin’s 16-inch guns fired in anger for the first time in nearly 40 years. She fired 11 shells in destroying an Iraqi artillery battery in Kuwait, some 19 miles away. She also struck at several other Iraqi targets and ships found out in the open. The next day, the Wisconsin attacked Iraqi artillery and missile sites, as well as several naval facilities. She sank or damaged 15 Iraqi boats and destroyed the Khawr al-Mufattah Marina. When Iraqi forces invaded Saudi Arabia near the town of Khafji on Feb. 9, the Wisconsin bombarded Iraqi troops while supporting a coalition counterattack to force the Iraqis back.
As allied forces prepared for an invasion of Kuwait and Iraq, the Wisconsin was ordered to continue shelling Iraqi shore positions to help convince Saddam Hussein that an amphibious invasion was imminent. She continued to hammer Iraqi positions on the Kuwaiti coast, as well as Faylaka Island. On Feb. 23, after several days of relentless attacking from the Wisconsin and her sister ship USS Missouri, beleaguered Iraqi forces attempted to surrender to her RQ-2 drone when it overflew their position. By the end of the war on Feb. 28, the Wisconsin had fired more than one million pounds of ordinance; a final salvo from her 16-inch guns marked the last fire-support mission of the conflict. On March 28, 1991, she returned home to Norfolk.
Decommissioning
The Wisconsin was decommissioned for the final time on Sept. 30, 1991 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 12, 1995. She was restored to the register by an act of Congress on Oct. 15, 1996, but remained inactive. She has been berthed at the Hampton Roads (Va.) Naval Museum since April 2001, where she serves as a floating museum—but one that could be recalled to active duty at any time.
Characteristics of the USS Wisconsin (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):
Class and type: Iowa-class battleship
Displacement: 45,000 tons (45,722 tonnes)
Length: 887 ft 3 in (270 m)
Beam: 108 ft 2 in (32.9 m)
Draft: 37 ft 2 in (11.3 m)
Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement: 151 officers, 2647 enlisted
Armament: 1943:
9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
20 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
80 x 40 mm 56 cal. anti-aircraft guns
49 x 20 mm 70 cal. anti-aircraft guns
1984:
9 x 16 in (406 mm) 50 cal. Mark 7 guns
12 × 5 in (127 mm) 38 cal. Mark 12 guns
32 x BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles
16 x RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles
4 x 20 mm/76 cal. Phalanx CIWS
Armor: Belt: 12.1 in (307 mm)
Bulkheads: 11.3 in (287 mm)
Barbettes: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 439 mm)
Turrets: 19.7 in (500 mm)
Decks: 7.5 in (190 mm)
Aircraft carried: floatplanes, helicopters, UAVs
Aviation facilities: none
Career:
Ordered: 12 June 1940
Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 25 January 1941
Launched: 7 December 1943
Commissioned: 16 April 1944
Recommissioned: 22 October 1988
Decommissioned: 30 September 1991 (final)
Struck: 17 March 2006
Motto: Forward for Freedom
Nickname: “Wisky” or “WisKy”
Honours and awards: 6 Battle Stars
Fate: Museum ship
Timeline:
June 1940: USS Wisconsin ordered
January 1941: Keel of USS Wisconsin laid down
December 1943: USS Wisconsin launched
April 1944: USS Wisconsin commissioned
December 1944: USS Wisconsin sees first action in World War II
February 1945: USS Wisconsin supports invasion of Iwo Jima
April 1945: USS Wisconsin supports invasion of Okinawa
July 1948: USS Wisconsin decommissioned
March 1951: USS Wisconsin recommissioned
December 1951: USS Wisconsin sees first action in Korean War
March 1958: USS Wisconsin decommissioned
October 1988: USS Wisconsin recommissioned
January-February 1991: USS Wisconsin takes part in Operation Desert Storm
September 1991: USS Wisconsin decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Wisconsin:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Wisconsin can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=65
Jonathan Warford (served October 1988—November 1991):”Greatest ship in the Fleet! A WARRIOR’s Ship!”
Jesus Ortiz (served October 1988-May 1990): “From all of the naval ships I have been, USS Wisconsin is one finest naval ship I have ever been. I’m still visiting her from time through time in Norfolk VA.”
David Frick (served April 1989—April 1992): “Some of the best times in my life were aboard the finest ship in the Navy.”
