Why an extreme Iowa modernization would overstress the hull

Could an Iowa-class battleship carry an extensive missile, radar, close-in weapon, and gas-turbine modernization?

Much of the equipment could fit, but the proposed machinery power would risk driving the old hull beyond its structural limits.

A large battleship hull can physically absorb many modern weapons and sensors. The proposed number of WR-21 gas turbines, however, would create far more power and speed than the structure was designed to tolerate. A postwar completion might possess enough structural margin, but an older hull could shake or stress itself apart. Equipment lists still have to be tested against propulsion, balance, and hull engineering.