Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:23:02-4:23:48

All four Iowa-class battleships in Vietnam

A naval-gunfire answer distinguishes the local value of battleship artillery from the strategic necessity of activating an entire class.

Iowa Class BattleshipsNaval Gunfire SupportUS Marine CorpsUS NavyVietnam War
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Question

Should the United States have used all four Iowa-class battleships in Vietnam?

Short answer

Their gunfire would have been welcome in some coastal and delta operations, especially to Marines ashore, but the war did not require all four ships.

Notes

An Iowa close offshore could deliver formidable fire support in selected coastal areas and would be especially attractive to ground forces within range. Four reactivations were unnecessary. The additional ships would be useful but were not required for the missions the United States needed to perform.