One proposal would reuse Iowa rear turrets removed during a carrier conversion to arm four monitors. A separate proposal for new heavy-gun ships faced the difficulty of restarting large-gun manufacture. The later six-ship figure refers to the design with two triple 16-inch turrets. An estimated arrival around 1995 would leave those ships seeking roles after the Cold War. A proposed use was visible naval presence when a carrier group was excessive but a smaller combatant insufficient. Heavy gunfire support for the Marine Corps offered another rationale, although opinions differ over whether existing 5-inch weapons met or merely bridged that requirement.
Notable Point · 2:50:05-2:54:31
Iowa turret monitors and the future of heavy-gun presence ships
Reusing Iowa turrets raises different industrial questions from building a new heavy-gun fleet, with post-Cold War presence as a possible later role.