Photo Originale Du Cuirassé Uss Wisconsin Bb-64

USS  Wisconsin  (BB-64)   is an  Iowa -class   battleship , the second ship of the  United States Navy  to be named in honor of the U.S. state of  Wisconsin . She was built at the  Philadelphia Naval Shipyard  in  Philadelphia , Pennsylvania and  launched  on 7 December 1943 (the second anniversary of the  Pearl Harbor raid ), sponsored by the wife of Governor  Walter Goodland  of Wisconsin.

During her career,  Wisconsin  served in the  Pacific Theater  of  World War II , where she shelled  Japanese   fortifications  and screened United States  aircraft carriers  as they conducted  air raids  against enemy positions. During the  Korean War ,  Wisconsin  shelled  North Korean  targets in support of  United Nations  and  South Korean  ground operations, after which she was  decommissioned . She was reactivated on 1 August 1986; after a modernization program, she participated in  Operation Desert Storm  in January and February 1991.

Wisconsin  was last decommissioned in September 1991 after a total of 14 years of active service in the fleet, and having earned a total of six  battle stars  for service in World War II and Korea, as well as a  Navy Unit Commendation  for service during the January/February 1991  Gulf War . She currently functions as a museum ship operated by  Nauticus, The National Maritime Center  in  Norfolk, Virginia .  Wisconsin  was stricken from the  Naval Vessel Register  (NVR) 17 March 2006, and was donated for permanent use as a  museum ship . On 15 April 2010, the City of Norfolk officially took over ownership of the ship.

Construction [ edit ]

Main articles:  Iowa-class battleship  and  Armament of the Iowa class battleship

Wisconsin  was one of the " fast battleship " designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the  Bureau of Construction and Repair . She was the third of four completed ships of the  Iowa  class  of  battleships . [4]  Her  keel  was laid down on 25 January 1941, at the  Philadelphia Navy Yard . She was  launched  on 7 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Goodland, wife of  Walter S. Goodland , the  Governor of Wisconsin , and  commissioned  on 16 April 1944, with Captain  Earl E. Stone  in command. [5]

Wisconsin 's main battery consisted of nine  16 in (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns , which could fire 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) armor-piercing shells some 20 mi (32 km). The secondary battery consisted of 20  5 in (127 mm)/38 cal guns  in ten twin turrets, which could fire at targets up to 10 mi (16 km) away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain  air superiority  came a need to protect the growing fleet of allied aircraft carriers; to this end,  Wisconsin  was fitted with an array of  Oerlikon 20 mm  and  Bofors 40 mm   anti-aircraft guns  to defend allied carriers from enemy airstrikes. When reactivated in 1986,  Wisconsin  had her 20 mm and 40 mm AA guns removed, and was outfitted with  Phalanx CIWS  mounts for protection against enemy missiles and aircraft, and  Armored Box Launchers  and Quad Cell Launchers designed to fire  Tomahawk missiles  and  Harpoon missiles , respectively. [7]   Wisconsin  and her sister ship  Missouri  were fitted with thicker traverse bulkhead armor, 14.5 inches (368 mm), compared to 11.3 inches (287 mm) in the first two ships of her class, the  Iowa  and  New Jersey . [8]

Wisconsin  is numerically the highest-numbered US battleship built. Although her keel was laid after  USS  Missouri 's, she was commissioned before  Missouri 's commissioning date.Thus,  Wisconsin 's construction began after  Missouri 's, and finished earlier.  Iowa  and  Wisconsin  were finally stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 17 March 2006, making them the last battleships on a navy list in the world.

World War II (1944–1945)

Shakedown and service with 3rd Fleet, Admiral Halsey

After the ship's trials and initial training in the  Chesapeake Bay ,  Wisconsin  departed  Norfolk, Virginia , on 7 July 1944, bound for the  British West Indies . Following her  shakedown cruise  (conducted out of  Trinidad ) she returned to the builder's yard for alterations and repairs.

On 24 September 1944,  Wisconsin  sailed for the west coast, transiting the  Panama Canal , and reporting for duty with the  Pacific Fleet  on 2 October. The battleship later moved to Hawaiian waters for training exercises and then headed for the Western  Caroline Islands . Upon reaching the Caroline Island  Ulithi  she joined  Admiral   William F. Halsey 's  3rd Fleet  on 9 December.

Due to the length of time it took to build her,  Wisconsin  missed much of the initial thrust into Japanese-held territory, having arrived at a time when the reconquest of the Philippines  was well underway. As a part of that movement, the planners had envisioned landings on the southwest cast of Mindoro south of Luson From that point, American forces could threaten Japanese shipping lanes through the South China sea In preparation for the coming invasion of Mindoro,  Wisconsin  was assigned to protect the 3rd Fleet's Fast Carier Task Force(TF 38), as they conducted air raids at Manila to soften up Japanese positions. [5]

On 18 December, the ships of TF 38 unexpectedly found themselves in a fight for their lives when  Typhoon Cobra  overtook the force–seven fleet and six light carriers, eight battleships, 15 cruisers, and about 50  destroyers –during their attempt to refuel at sea. At the time the ships were operating about 300 mi (480 km) east of Luzon in the  Philippine Sea . [11]  The carriers had just completed three days of heavy raids against Japanese airfields, suppressing enemy aircraft during the American  amphibious operations  against  Mindoro  in the Philippines. The task force rendezvoused with  Captain  Jasper T. Acuff and his fueling group 17 December with the intention of refueling all ships in the task force and replacing lost aircraft. [12]  Although the sea had been growing rougher all day, the nearby cyclonic disturbance gave relatively little warning of its approach. On 18 December, the small but violent typhoon overtook the Task Force while many of the ships were attempting to refuel. Many of the ships were caught near the center of the storm and buffeted by extreme seas and hurricane-force winds. Three destroyers,  Hull ,  Monaghan , and  Spence , capsized and sank with nearly all hands, while a cruiser, five aircraft carriers, and three destroyers suffered serious damage. [11]  Approximately 790 officers and men were lost or killed, with another 80 injured. Fires occurred in three carriers when planes broke loose in their hangars and some 146 planes on various ships were lost or damaged beyond economical repair by fires, impact damage, or by being swept overboard. [12]   Wisconsin  reported two injured sailors as a result of the typhoon, [13]  but otherwise proved her seaworthiness as she escaped the storm unscathed.

Wisconsin 's next operation was to assist with the occupation of Luzon. Bypassing the southern beaches, American amphibious forces went ashore at  Lingayen Gulf , the scene of initial Japanese assaults to take Luzon nearly three years before. [5]

Wisconsin , armed with heavy anti-aircraft batteries, performed escort duty for TF 38's fast carriers during air strikes against  Formosa , Luzon, and the  Nansei Shoto  to neutralize Japanese forces there and to cover the unfolding Allied Lingayen Gulf operations. Those strikes, lasting from 3–22 January 1945, included a thrust into the South China Sea, in the hope that major units of the  Imperial Japanese Navy  could be drawn into battle. [5]

Wisconsin 's carrier group launched air strikes between  Saigon  and  Camranh Bay ,  French Indochina , on 12 January, resulting in severe losses for the enemy. TF 38's warplanes sank 41 ships and heavily damaged docks, storage areas, and aircraft facilities. Formosa, already struck on 3–4 January, was raided again on 9 January 15 January, and 21 January. Throughout January  Wisconsin  shielded the carriers as they conducted air raids at Hong Kong,  Canton ,  Hainan Island , the Canton  oil refineries , the Hong Kong Naval Station, and  Okinawa . [5]

Service with 5th Fleet, Admiral Spruance

Wisconsin  was assigned to the  5th Fleet  when Admiral  Raymond A. Spruance  relieved Admiral Halsey as Commander of the Fleet. She moved northward with the redesignated TF 58 as the carriers headed for the Tokyo area. On 16 February, the task force approached the Japanese coast under cover of adverse weather conditions and achieved complete tactical surprise. As a result,  Wisconsin  and the other ships shot down 322 enemy planes and destroyed 177 more on the ground. Japanese shipping, both naval and merchant, also suffered drastically, as did hangars and aircraft installations. [5]

Wisconsin  and the task force moved to  Iwo Jima  on 17 February to provide direct support for the landings slated to take place on 19 February. They revisited Tokyo on 25 February and hit the island of  Hachino  off the coast of  Honshū  the next day, resulting in heavy damage to ground facilities; additionally, American planes sank five small vessels and destroyed 158 planes. [5]

Wisconsin 's task force stood out of  Ulithi  on 14 March bound for Japan. The mission of that group was to eliminate airborne resistance from the Japanese homeland to American forces off Okinawa. Enemy fleet units at  Kure  and  Kobe , on southern Honshū, reeled under the impact of the explosive blows delivered by TF 58's airmen. On 18–19 March, from a point 100 mi (160 km) southwest of  Kyūshū , TF 58 hit enemy airfields on that island; unfortunately, allied anti-aircraft fire on 19 March failed to stop an attack on the carrier  Franklin . That afternoon,  Wisconsin  and the task force retired from Kyūshū, screening the blazing and battered flattop, and shooting down 48 attackers. [5]

On 24 March,  Wisconsin  trained her 16 in (406 mm) guns on targets ashore on  Okinawa . Together with the other battleships of the task force, she pounded Japanese positions and installations in preparation for the landings. Japanese resistance, while fierce, was doomed to failure by dwindling numbers of aircraft and trained pilots.

While TF 58's planes were dealing with  Yamato  and her escorts, enemy aircraft attacked the American surface units. Combat air patrols (CAP) shot down 15 enemy planes, and ships' gunfire shot down another three, but not before one  kamikaze  attack penetrated the CAP and screen to crash on the flight deck of the fleet carrier  Hancock . On 11 April, the Japanese renewed their  kamikaze  attacks; and only drastic maneuvers and heavy barrages of gunfire saved the task force. Combat air patrols shot down 17 planes, and ships' gunfire shot down 12. The next day, 151 enemy aircraft attacked TF 58, but  Wisconsin , together with other units of the screens for the vital carriers, kept the  kamikaze  pilots at bay and destroyed them before they could reach their targets. Over the days that ensued, Japanese  kamikaze  attacks managed to crash into three carriers— Intrepid ,  Bunker Hill  and  Enterprise —on successive days. [5]

By 4 June, a typhoon was swirling through the Fleet.  Wisconsin  rode out the storm unscathed, but three cruisers, two carriers, and a destroyer suffered serious damage. Offensive operations were resumed on 8 June with a final aerial assault on Kyūshū. Japanese aerial response was virtually nonexistent; 29 planes were located and destroyed. On that day, one of  Wisconsin 's  floatplanes  landed and rescued a downed pilot from the carrier  Shangri-La . [5]

Bombardment of Japan

See also:  Allied naval bombardments of Japan during World War II

Wisconsin  ultimately put into  Leyte Gulf  and dropped anchor there on 13 June for repairs and replenishment. Three weeks later, on 1 July, the battleship and her escorts sailed once more for Japanese home waters for carrier air strikes on the enemy's heartland. Nine days later, carrier planes from TF 38 destroyed 72 enemy aircraft on the ground and smashed industrial sites in the Tokyo area.  Wisconsin  and the other ships made no attempt whatsoever to conceal the location of their armada, due in large part to a weak Japanese response to their presence. [5]

On 16 July,  Wisconsin  fired her 16 in (406 mm) guns at the  steel mills  and  oil refineries  at  Muroran , Hokkaido. Two days later, she wrecked industrial facilities in the  Hitachi Miro  area, on the coast of Honshū-, northeast of Tokyo itself. During that bombardment, British battleships of the  British Pacific Fleet  contributed their heavy shellfire. By that point in the war, Allied warships such as  Wisconsin  were able to shell the Japanese homeland almost at will. [5]

TF 38's planes subsequently blasted the Japanese naval base at  Yokosuka , and put the former fleet flagship  Nagato  out of action, one of the two remaining Japanese battleships. Throughout July and into August, Admiral Halsey's airmen visited destruction upon the Japanese, the last instance being against Tokyo on 13 August. Two days later, the Japanese surrendered, ending World War II. [5]

Wisconsin , as part of the occupying force, arrived at Tokyo Bay on 5 September, three days after the formal surrender occurred on board the battleship  Missouri . During  Wisconsin 's brief career in World War II, she had steamed 105,831 mi (170,318 km) since commissioning; had shot down three enemy planes; had claimed assists on four occasions; and had fueled her screening destroyers on some 250 occasions. [5]

Post World War II (1945–1950)

Shifting subsequently to  Okinawa , the battleship embarked homeward-bound GIs on 22 September 1945, as part of  Operation Magic Carpet  staged to bring soldiers, sailors, and marines home from the far-flung battlefronts of the Pacific. Departing Okinawa on 23 September,  Wisconsin  reached  Pearl Harbor  on 4 October, remaining there for five days before she pushed on for the west coast on the last leg of her state-side bound voyage. She reached San Francisco on 15 October. [5]

Heading for the east coast of the United States soon after the start of the new year, 1946,  Wisconsin  transited the  Panama Canal  from 11–13 January and reached  Hampton Roads ,  Virginia  on 18 January. Following a cruise south to  Guantánamo Bay , Cuba, the battleship entered the  Norfolk Naval Shipyard  for overhaul. After repairs and alterations that consumed the summer months,  Wisconsin  sailed for South American waters. [5]

Over the weeks that ensued, the battleship visited  Valparaíso , Chile, from 1–6 November;  Callao , Peru, from 9–13 November;  Balboa, Canal Zone , from 16–20 November; and  La Guaira, Venezuela , from 22–26 November, before returning to Norfolk on 2 December 1946. [5]

Wisconsin  spent nearly all of 1947 as a training ship, taking naval reservists on two-week cruises throughout the year. Those voyages commenced at  Bayonne, New Jersey , and saw visits conducted at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the Panama Canal Zone. While underway at sea, the ship would perform various drills and exercises before the cruise would end where it had started, at Bayonne. During June and July 1947,  Wisconsin  took  United States Naval Academy  midshipmen on cruises to northern European waters. [5]

In January 1948,  Wisconsin  reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk for inactivation. Placed out of commission, in reserve on 1 July,  Wisconsin  was assigned to the Norfolk group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. [5]

The Korean War (1950–1952)

Her sojourn in "mothballs", however, was comparatively brief, due to the North korian nvasion of South Korea  in late June 1950.  Wisconsin  was recommissioned on 3 March 1951 with Captain Thomas Burrowes in command. [5]  After shakedown training, the revitalized battleship conducted two midshipmen training cruises, taking the officers-to-be to Edinburg Scotland; Lisbon Potugal Halifax Nova Scotia; New York City; and Guantanamo Bay. Cuba, before she returned to Norfolk. While leaving New York,  Wisconsin  was accidentally grounded on mud flats in New York Harbor, but was freed on 23 August 1951 with no damage to the ship. [14]

Wisconsin  departed Norfolk on 25 October, bound for the Pacific. She transited the  Panama Canal  on 29 October and reached  Yokosuka, Japan , on 21 November. There, she relieved  New Jersey  as  flagship  for Vice Admiral H. M. Martin, Commander,  7th Fleet . [5]

On 26 November, with Vice Admiral Martin and Rear Admiral F.P. Denebrink, Commander, Service Force, Pacific, embarked,  Wisconsin  departed Yokosuka for Korean waters to support the fast carrier operations of TF 77. She left the company of the carrier force on 2 December and, screened by the destroyer  Wiltsie , provided gunfire support for the  Republic of Korea  (ROK) Corps in the  Kasong - Kosong  area. After disembarking Admiral Denebrink on 3 December at  Kangnung , the battleship resumed station on the Korean "bombline", providing gunfire support for the American 1st Marine Division.  Wisconsin 's shelling accounted for a tank, two gun emplacements, and a building. [5]  She continued her gunfire support task for the 1st Marine Division and 1st ROK Corps through 6 December, accounting for enemy bunkers, artillery positions, and troop concentrations. [5]  On one occasion during that time, the battleship received a request for call-fire support and provided three star-shells for the 1st ROK Corps, illuminating an enemy attack that was consequently repulsed with considerable enemy casualties. [5]

After being relieved on the gunline by the  heavy cruiser   Saint Paul  on 6 December,  Wisconsin  briefly retired from gunfire support duties. She resumed them, however, in the Kasong-Kosong area on 11 December screened by the destroyer  Twining . The following day, 12 December, saw the  helicopter  embarkation on  Wisconsin  of Rear Admiral H. R. Thurber, Commander, Battleship Division 2 (BatDiv 2), as part of his inspection trip in the Far East. [5]

Wisconsin  continued her naval gunfire support duties on the "bombline," shelling enemy bunkers, command posts, artillery positions, and trench systems through 14 December. She departed the "bombline" on that day to render special gunfire support duties in the  Kojo  area shelling coastal targets in support of United Nations (UN) troops ashore. That same day,  Wisconsin  returned to the Kasong-Kosong area. On 15 December, she disembarked Admiral Thurber by helicopter. The next day,  Wisconsin  departed Korean waters, heading for  Sasebo  to rearm. [5]

Returning to the combat zone on 17 December,  Wisconsin  embarked United States Senator  Homer Ferguson  of  Michigan  on 18 December. That day, the battleship supported the 11th ROK invasion with night illumination fire that enabled the ROK troops to repulse a North Korean assault with heavy enemy casualties. Departing the "bombline" on 19 December, the battleship transferred Ferguson by helicopter to the carrier  Valley Forge . [5]

On 20 December,  Wisconsin  participated in a coordinated air-surface bombardment of  Wonsan  to neutralize pre-selected targets in its area. The ship shifted its bombardment station to the western end of Wonsan harbor, hitting boats and small craft in the inner swept channel with her 5-inch (127mm) guns during the afternoon and helping forestall attempts to assault the friendly-held islands nearby.  Wisconsin  then made an anti-boat sweep to the north, firing her 5-inch batteries on suspected boat concentrations. She then provided gunfire support to UN troops operating at the "bombline" until 22 December, when she rejoined the carrier task force. [5]

On 28 December, Cardinal Francis Spellman. on a Korean tour over the Christmas holidays, helicoptered aboard the ship to celebrate Mass for the Catholic members of the crew. He left as he came, off Pohang. On New Year's Eve day  Wisconsin  put into Yokosuka. [5]

Wisconsin  departed that port on 8 January 1952 and returned to Korean waters. She reached  Pusan  the following day and entertained the  President of South Korea ,  Syngman Rhee , and his wife, on 10 January. The couple received full military honors as they came on board, which Rhee reciprocated by awarding Vice Admiral Martin the ROK Order of the Military Merit.

Wisconsin  returned to the "bombline" on 11 January, and over the ensuing days delivered heavy gunfire support for the 1st Marine Division and the 1st ROK Corps. As before, her primary targets were command posts, shelters, bunkers, troop concentrations and mortar positions. As before, she stood ready to deliver call-fire support as needed, shelling enemy troops in the open on 14 January at the request of the ROK 1st Corps. [5]

Rearming once more at Sasebo, she shortly joined TF 77 off the coast of Korea and resumed support at the "bombline" on 23 January. Three days later, she shifted again to the Kojo region, to participate in a coordinated air and gun strike. That same day, the battleship returned to the "bombline" and shelled the command post and communications center for the 15th North Korean Division during call-fire missions for the 1st Marine Division.

Returning to Wonsan at the end of January,  Wisconsin  bombarded enemy guns at  Hodo Pando  before she was rearmed at Sasebo. The battleship rejoined TF 77 on 2 February, and the next day blasted railway buildings and marshaling yards at Hodo Pando and Kojo before rejoining TF 77. After replenishment at Yokosuka a few days later, she returned to the Kosong area and resumed gunfire support. During that time, she destroyed railway bridges and a small shipyard while conducting call-fire missions on enemy command posts, bunkers, and personnel shelters, making numerous cuts on enemy trench lines in the process. [5]

On 26 February,  Wisconsin  arrived at Pusan where Vice Admiral Shon, the ROK Chief of Naval Operations; United States Ambassador J.J. Muccio; and Rear Admiral Scott-Montcrief,  Royal Navy , Commander, Task Group 95.12 (TG 95.12), visited the battleship. Departing that South Korean port the following day,  Wisconsin  reached Yokosuka on 2 March, and a week later she shifted to Sasebo to prepare to return to Korean waters. [5]

Wisconsin  arrived off  Songjin , Korea on 15 March and concentrated her gunfire on enemy railway transport. Early that morning, she destroyed a communist troop train trapped outside a destroyed tunnel. That afternoon, she received the first direct hit in her history, when one of four shells from a North Korean 152mm gun battery struck the shield of a starboard 40 mm mount; although little material damage resulted, three men were injured. Wisconsin  subsequently destroyed that battery with a full 16-inch (406 mm) salvo before continuing her mission.After lending a hand to support once more the 1st Marine Division with her heavy rifles, the battleship returned to Japan on 19 March. [5]

Relieved as flagship of the 7th Fleet on 1 April by sister ship  Iowa ,  Wisconsin  departed Yokosuka, bound for the United States. En route home, she touched briefly at  Guam , where she took part in the successful test of the Navy's largest floating dry-dock on 4–5 April, the first ever to accommodate an  Iowa -class  battleship. She continued her homeward-bound voyage via Pearl Harbor and arrived at  Long Beach, California , on 19 April before continuing on for Norfolk. [5]

Post Korean War (1952–1981)

On 9 June,  Wisconsin  resumed her role as a training ship, taking midshipmen to Greenock Scotland; Brest France and Guantanam Bay. Cuba, before returning to Norfolk. She departed Hampton Roads on 25 August and participated in the NATO  exercise Operation Manibrace which was held out of Greenock, Scotland. After her return to Norfolk,  Wisconsin  underwent an overhaul in the naval shipyard there.  Wisconsin  remained in the Atlantic fleet throughout 1952 and into 1953, training midshipmen and conducting exercises. After a month of routine maintenance  Wisconsin  departed Norfolk on 9 September 1953, bound for the Far East. [5]

Sailing via the  Panama Canal  to Japan,  Wisconsin  relieved  New Jersey  as 7th Fleet flagship on 12 October. During the months that followed,  Wisconsin  visited the Japanese ports of  Kobe ,  Sasebo Navy Yard ,  Yokosuka ,  Otaru , and  Nagasaki . She spent Christmas at Hong Kong and was ultimately relieved of flagship duties on 1 April 1954 and returned to the United States soon thereafter, reaching Norfolk, via Long Beach and the Panama Canal, on 4 May. [5]

Entering the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 11 June,  Wisconsin  underwent a brief overhaul and commenced a midshipman training cruise on 12 July. After revisiting Greenock, Brest, and Guantánamo Bay, the ship returned to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for repairs. Shortly thereafter,  Wisconsin  participated in Atlantic Fleet exercises as flagship for Commander, Second Fleet. Departing Norfolk in January 1955,  Wisconsin  took part in Operation Springboard, during which time she visited Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Then, upon returning to Norfolk, the battleship conducted another midshipman's cruise that summer, visiting Edinburgh;  Copenhagen, Denmark ; and Guantánamo Bay before returning to the United States. [5]

Upon completion of a major overhaul at the  New York Naval Shipyard ,  Wisconsin  headed south for refresher training in the  Caribbean Sea , later taking part in another Springboard exercise. During that cruise, she again visited Port-au-Prince and added  Tampico, Mexico , and  Cartagena, Colombia , to her list of ports of call. She returned to Norfolk on the last day of March 1955 for local operations. [5]  On 19 October, while operating in the  East River  in New York Harbor,  Wisconsin  was accidentally grounded. However, the ship was freed in about an hour without any serious damage.

Throughout April 1956 and into May,  Wisconsin  operated locally off the Virginia Capes. On 6 May, the battleship collided with the destroyer  Eaton  in a heavy fog;  Wisconsin  put into Norfolk with extensive damage to her  bow , and one week later entered dry dock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. [14]  A novel experiment sped her repairs and enabled the ship to carry out her scheduled midshipman training cruise that summer. A 120-ton, 68 foot (21 m) section of the bow of  Wisconsin 's incomplete sister ship  Kentucky  was transported by barge, in one section, from  Newport News Shipbuilding  and Drydock Corporation of  Newport News, Virginia , across  Hampton Roads  to the  Norfolk Naval Shipyard . [5]  Working around the clock,  Wisconsin 's ship's force and shipyard personnel completed the operation which grafted on the new bow in 16 days. On 28 June 1956, the ship was ready for sea.

Wisconsin  resumed her midshipman training on 9 July 1956. That autumn,  Wisconsin  participated in Atlantic Fleet exercises off the coast of the Carolinas, returning to port on 8 November 1956. Entering the Norfolk Naval Shipyard a week later, the battleship underwent major repairs that were not finished until 2 January 1957. [5]

After local operations off the Virginia capes on 3–4 January 1957 and from 9–11 January,  Wisconsin  departed Norfolk on 16 January, reporting to Commander, Fleet Training Group, at  Naval Station Guantánamo Bay , Cuba.  Wisconsin  served as Admiral  Henry Crommelin 's flagship during the ensuing shore bombardment practices and other exercises held off the isle of  Culebra, Puerto Rico , from 2–4 February. Sailing for Norfolk upon completion of the training period, the battleship arrived on 7 February and resumed local operations off Norfolk. On 27 March,  Wisconsin  sailed for the  Mediterranean Sea , reaching  Gibraltar  on 6 April, she pushed on that day to rendezvous with TF 60 in the  Aegean Sea  before reporting to  Turkey  for the NATO Exercise Red Pivot. [5]

Departing Xeros Bay on 14 April, she arrived at  Naples  four days later,  Wisconsin  conducted exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. In the course of those operational training evolutions, she rescued a pilot and crewman who survived the crash of a plane from the aircraft carrier  Forrestal . [6]   Wisconsin  reached  Valencia, Spain , on 10 May and, three days later, entertained prominent civilian and military officials of the city. [5]

Departing Valencia on 17 April,  Wisconsin  reached Norfolk on 27 May. En route, she was called upon to sink a  Boeing KC-97F-55-BO Stratofreighter ,  51-0258 , which had ditched in the  Atlantic  on 9 May, 550 km (343.8 mls) SE of the  Azores Islands  following a double engine failure, and subsequently floated for ten days.

On 27 May, Rear Admiral L.S. Parks relieved Rear Admiral Crommelin as Commander, BatDiv 2. Departing Norfolk on 19 June, the battleship, over the ensuing weeks, conducted a midshipman training cruise through the Panama Canal to South American waters, and reached Valparaiso on 3 July. Eight days later, the battleship headed back to the Panama Canal and the Atlantic. [5]

After exercises at Guantánamo Bay and off Culebra,  Wisconsin  reached Norfolk on 5 August and conducted local operations that lasted into September. She then participated in  NATO exercises  which took her across the North Atlantic to the  British Isles . [5]

Wisconsin 's days as an active fleet unit were numbered, and she prepared to make her last cruise. On 4 November, she departed Norfolk with a large group of prominent guests on board. Reaching New York City on 6 November, the battleship disembarked her guests and, on 8 November, headed for Bayonne, New Jersey, to commence a pre-inactivation overhaul. She was placed out of commission at Bayonne on 8 March 1958, and joined the  United States Navy reserve fleet  (better known as the "Mothball Fleet") there, leaving the  United States Navy  without an active battleship for the first time since 1895. [5]  Subsequently, taken to the  Philadelphia Naval Shipyard ,  Wisconsin  remained there with her sister ship  Iowa  into the 1980s. [5]  While berthed in the Philadelphia Naval Yard, an electrical fire damaged the ship and left her as the  Iowa -class battleship in the worst material condition prior to her 1980s reactivation. [16]

Reactivation (1986–1990)

As part of  President   Ronald Reagan 's  Navy Secretary   John F. Lehman 's effort to create a " 600-ship Navy ,"  Wisconsin   was reactivated 1 August 1986, a  Pre-Commissioning Unit   (PCU) crew established, and the ship moved under tow to the  Avondale Shipyard   in  New Orleans , Louisiana, to commence pre-recommissioning workups. The battleship was then towed from the Avondale Shipyard and arrived at  Ingalls Shipbuilding   in  Pascagoula, Mississippi , on 2 January 1987 to receive weapons system upgrades for her modernization.During the modernization,  Wisconsin   had all of her remaining  20 mm Oerlikon   and  40 mm Bofors   anti-aircraft guns removed, due to their ineffectiveness against modern  jet fighters   and enemy anti-ship missiles; additionally, the two 5 in (127 mm) gun mounts located at mid-ship and in the  aft   on the  port   and  starboard   side of the battleship were removed.

Over the next several months, the ship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available. Among the new weapon systems installed were four MK 141 quad cell launchers for 16 AGM_84 harpoon anti-ship missiles, eight Armored Box Launcher (ABL)mounts for 32 BCM_109Tomahawk missiles , and a quartet of the United States Navy's Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS)20 MM Gatling gunsor defense against enemy anti-ship missiles  and enemy aircraft. Wisconsin  also received eight RQ_2 Pioneer Unmanned Areal Vehicles which are remotely controlled drones that replaced the helicopters previously used to spot for her nine 16 in (406 mm) guns. [20]  Also included in her modernization were upgrades to radar and fire controlsystem for her guns and missiles, and improved  electronic warefare capabilities. [17]  Armed as such,  Wisconsin  was formally recommissioned on 22 October 1988 in Pascagula Mississippi under the command of Captain Jerry M. Blesch, USN. Assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet.she was subsequently homeported at navalStation Norfolk Virginia, where she became the centerpiece of her own surface action group (SAG), also referred to as a battleship battle group  (BBBG).

During the renovation, pieces of the teak deck were removed and made into commemorative pieces, but they were not marked with an edition number indicating how many were actually created. A brass plaque with the ships name appears on the left and an inscription reading:

Mobile Council of Navy League Celebrates Recommissioning USS Wisconsin BB-64 This teak was removed from original deck during 1987–1988 reactivation.

Wisconsin  spent the first part of 1989 conducting training exercises in the Atlantic Ocean and off the coast of Porto Rico  before returning to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a post recommissioning shakedown that lasted the rest of the year. In mid-1990 the battleship participated in a fleet exercise. [6]

Gulf War (January/February 1991)

On 2 August 1990,  Iraq   invaded  Kuwait . In the middle of the month,  President   George H. W. Bush , in keeping with the  Carter Doctrine , sent the first of several hundred thousand troops, along with a strong force of naval support to  Saudi Arabia   and the Persian Gulf area to support a multi-national force in a standoff with Iraqi dictator  Saddam Hussein . On 7 August,  Wisconsin   and her battle group were ordered to deploy in defense of Kuwait for  Operation Desert Shield , and they arrived in the Persian Gulf on 23 August.On 15 January 1991,  Operation Desert Storm   commenced operations, and  Wisconsin   found herself serving alongside her sister  Missouri , just as she had done in Korea forty years previously. Both  Wisconsin   and  Missouri   launched  Tomahawk Missile   attacks against Iraq; they were among the first ships to fire cruise missiles during the 1991 Gulf War.  Wisconsin   served as the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) strike commander for the Persian Gulf, directing the sequence of launches that marked the opening of Operation Desert Storm and firing a total of 24 of her own TLAMs during the first two days of the campaign.   Wisconsin   also assumed the responsibility of the local anti-surface warfare coordinator for the Northern Persian Gulf Surface Action Group.

Wisconsin , escorted by  Nicholas , relieved  Missouri   on 6 February, then answered her first combat call for gunfire support since March 1952. The most recently recommissioned battleship sent 11 shells across 19 mi (31 km) of space to destroy an Iraqi  artillery   battery in southern Kuwait during a mission called in by  USMC   OV-10 Bronco   aircraft. Using an  Unmanned Aerial Vehicle   ( UAV ) as a spotter in combat for the first time,  Wisconsin   pounded an Iraqi communications compound on 7 February. Her main guns lobbed 24 shells on Iraqi artillery sites, missile facilities, and electronic warfare sites along the coast. That evening she targeted naval sites with her 16 in (406 mm) guns, firing 50 rounds which severely damaged or sunk 15 Iraqi boats, and destroyed several piers at the Khawr al-Mufattah  marina .   In response to calls for fire support from US and coalition forces,  Wisconsin 's turrets boomed again on 9 February, blasting bunkers and artillery sites, and shelling Iraqi troop positions near  Khafji   after the Iraqis were ousted from the city by Saudi and  Qatari   armor.On 21 February, one of  Wisconsin 's UAVs observed several trucks resupplying an Iraqi command post; in response,  Wisconsin   trained her 16 in (406 mm) guns on the complex, leveling or heavily damaging 10 of the buildings ]   Wisconsin   and  Missouri   alternated positions on the gun line, using their 16 in (406 mm) guns to destroy enemy targets and soften defenses along the Kuwait coastline for a possible  amphibious assault .

On the night of 23 February,  Missouri  and  Wisconsin  turned their big guns on Kuwait's faylaka island to support the US-led coalition ground offensive to free Kuwait from the Iraqi occupation forces. The two ships were to conduct a diversonary assault  aimed at convincing the Iraqi forces arrayed along the shores of Faylaka Island that Coalition forces were preparing to launch an amphibious invasion. [21]  As part of this attack,  Missouri  and  Wisconsin  were directed to shell known Iraqi defensive positions on the island. Shortly after  Missouri  completed her shelling of Faylaka Island,  Wisconsin , while still over the horizon (and thus out of visual range of the Iraqi forces) launched her RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to spot for her 16 in (406 mm) guns. As  Wisconsin 's drone approached Faylaka Island, the pilot of the drone was instructed to fly the vehicle low over Iraqi positions so that the soldiers would know that they were once again being targeted by a battleship. [20]  Iraqi troops on the ground heard the Pioneer's distinctive buzzing sound, and having witnessed the effects of  Missouri 's artillery strike on their trench line, the Iraqi troops decided to signal their willingness to  surender  by waving makeshift white flags an action dutifully noted aboard  Wisconsin . Amused at this sudden development, the men assigned to the drone's aircrew called  Wisconsin 's commanding officer, Captain David S. Bill III, and asked, "Sir, they want to surrender, what should I do with them?" [20]  This surrender to  Wisconsin 's Pioneer has since become one of the most remembered moments of the Gulf War; the incident was also the first-ever surrender of enemy troops to an unmanned aircraft controlled by a ship. ]   Wisconsin  drone also carried out a number of reconnaissance missions on occupied Kuwait before the coalition's ground offensive. [6]

The next day,  Wisconsin  answered two separate call fire support missions for coalition forces by suppressing Iraqi troops barricaded in a pair of bunkers. After witnessing the effects of  Wisconsin 's strike against the Iraqi positions an elated Saudi marine commander commented over the radio, "I wish we had a battleship in our navy." [6]

Both  Wisconsin  and  Missouri  passed the million-pound mark of ordnance delivered on Iraqi targets by the time president George H. W. Bush ended hostilities on 28 February. With one last salvo from her big guns,  Wisconsin  fired the last naval gunfire support mission of the war, [21]  and thus was the final battleship in world history to see action.  Wisconsin  remained in the Persian Gulf after the cease-fire took effect, and returned home on 28 March 1991. During the eight months  Wisconsin  spent in the Persian Gulf, she had flown 348 UAV hours, recorded 661 safe helicopter landings, steamed 46,000 nmi (53,000 mi; 85,000 km), fired 319 16 in (406 mm) rounds, [24]  881 5-inch (127 mm) rounds, 5,200 20 mm Phalanx CIWS rounds., [6]  and launched 24  Tomahawk cruise missiles . [24]  Since all four remaining battleships were decommissioned and stricken following the Gulf War, this was the last time that United States battleships actively participated in a war. [18]

Museum ship (1992–present)

With the  collapse of the Soviet Union   in the early 1990s and the absence of a perceived threat to the United States came drastic cuts in the defense budget. The high cost of maintaining and operating battleships as part of the United States Navy's active fleet became uneconomical; as a result,  Wisconsin   was decommissioned on 30 September 1991 after 14 total years of active service, and joined the  Reserve Fleet   at the  Philadelphia Naval Shipyard . She was stricken from the  Naval Vessel Register   (NVR) on 12 January 1995, then on 15 October 1996, she was moved to the  Norfolk Naval Shipyard , and on 12 February 1998, she was restored to the Naval Vessel Register. On 7 December 2000, the battleship was towed from Portsmouth, Virginia and berthed adjacent to  Nauticus, The National Maritime Center   in Norfolk. On 16 April 2001 the battleship's weather decks were opened to the public by the  Hampton Roads Naval Museum , a U.S. Navy museum charged with  Wisconsin 's interpretation and public visitation. The ship was still owned by the Navy and was considered part of the  mothball fleet .

Wisconsin   was named (along with  Iowa ) as one of two US Navy battleships to be maintained in the  United States Navy reserve fleets   in accordance with the  National Defense Authorization Act   of 1996   as shore bombardment vessels. However,  Wisconsin   was then over 60 years old and would have required extensive modernization to return to the fleet since most of her technology dated back to World War II, and the missile and electronic warfare equipment added to the battleship during her 1988–89 modernization were considered obsolete.   Furthermore, during the 1991  Gulf War , she was said to be hindered by  Iraqi   naval mines , and reports on the Internet suggest that the majority of the shore bombardments were successfully carried out by US  Oliver Hazard Perry -class   frigates and their 3 in (76 mm) guns.In addition, the cost of modernizing the battleships was estimated to be around $500 million for reactivation and $1.5 billion for a full modernization program.

On 17 March 2006, the Secretary of Navy exercised his authority to strike  Iowa  and  Wisconsin  from the NVR, which cleared the way for both ships to be donated for use as museums however, the Untied States Congress  remained "deeply concerned" over the loss of naval surface gunfire support that the battleships provided, and noted that "...navy efforts to improve upon, much less replace, this capability have been highly problematic." [28]  Partially as a consequence, Congress passed Pub-L 109–163 , the National Defense Authorization Act 2006, requiring that the battleships be kept and maintained in a state of readiness should they ever be needed again. [29]  Congress had ordered that the following measures be implemented to ensure that  Wisconsin  could be returned to active duty if needed:

1. She must not be altered in any way that would impair her military utility;

2. The battleship must be preserved in her present condition through the continued use of  cathodic protection , dehumidification systems, and any other preservation methods as needed;

3. Spare parts and unique equipment such as the 16 in (406 mm) gun barrels and projectiles be preserved in adequate numbers to support Wisconsin , if reactivated;

4. The Navy must prepare plans for the rapid reactivation of  Wisconsin  should she be returned to the Navy in the event of a national emergency. [29]

These four conditions closely mirror the original three conditions that the Nation Defense Authorization Act of 1996 laid out for the maintenance of  Wisconsin  while she was in the  Mothball Fleet . It was unlikely that these conditions would impede a plan to turn  Wisconsin  into a permanent museum ship at her berth in Norfolk.

On 14 December 2009 the US Navy officially transferred  Wisconsin  to the city of Norfolk, ending the requirement for the ship to be preserved for possible recall to active duty. The US Navy had paid the city of Norfolk $2.8 million between 2000 and 2009 to maintain the ship. [30]  A formal ceremony transferring the ship to the city of Norfolk took place on 16 April 2010. [31]   Wisconsin  was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 28 March 2012.