Iowa surface action groups still depended on carrier aviation

Did the 1982 Iowa-centered surface action groups show that cruisers and battleships could operate independently of carriers?

Only in a limited organizational sense. Nearby carriers probably still provided long-range reconnaissance and air support.

The reactivated Iowa-class battleships and their cruiser radar support provide an American example of a nominally independent surface action group. That arrangement belonged to the particular scale and capabilities of the US Navy, so it does not establish a universal fleet model. Even in the American case, nearby carriers probably supplied long-range reconnaissance and air support. Organizational separation therefore did not remove the group's dependence on aviation beyond its immediate screen.