Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 30:23-30:38

Why more design time would not simply turn Iowa into Alaska

Additional time and money might have altered Iowa, but infrastructure and other design requirements would still prevent a simple convergence with Alaska.

Alaska Class Large CruisersIowa Class BattleshipsNaval InfrastructureWarship Design
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Question

With more time and money, would the Iowa class have been redesigned to resemble Alaska more closely?

Short answer

Possibly in some respects, but other design requirements and infrastructure limits would still have kept the ships distinct.

Notes

A less hurried Iowa design might have looked more like Alaska in some respects. Other requirements and infrastructure limits would still have shaped the battleship. Iowa also belonged to a different ship type with different demands. Alaska's hull form could not simply be scaled up without changing the surrounding constraints.