Would 18-inch Iowa variants be retained after the war?

Would the US Navy have retained 18-inch Kentucky and Illinois instead of its 16-inch battleships?

The panel offers competing views: retain the biggest-gun ships for status, or keep them in reserve while using the four 16-inch ships for ordinary service.

The panel disagrees about whether hypothetical 18-inch Kentucky and Illinois would be retained in preference to the 16-inch Iowas. One argument favors the largest guns because retained battleships also serve as status symbols. Another favors keeping the two 18-inch ships in reserve while operating the other four, with the larger-gun pair available for later reactivation against Soviet Kirovs. The bombardment discussion questions how often targets would need the larger shell, while allowing that extra concrete protection could make a difference. Any prestige or reserve advantage still depends on the gun mounting being practical rather than a cramped triple installation.