Of all the warships that have ever sailed, the battleship may be the most imposing. They aren’t the most powerful or versatile (Aircraft carriers are better in those categories), but they are the most impressive to look at or take somewhere. Covered with thick armor and armed with the most powerful guns on the sea, these ships have never been taken lightly. This Video Ordnance presentation (Part of the Fire Power series) takes us aboard the U.S.S Wisconsin during her recommissioning in the 1980’s. The documentary itself is split into four parts. I’ve done an overview on each part, with my personal opinion added in.

Ruler of the Sea
The battleship has existed for centuries, though not necessarily in the form we know today. Since gunpowder and cannons have existed, some genius decided that these would be a perfect match for the deck of a warship. The first armored capital ships were the iron clads of the American Civil War, such as the Union’s Monitor. When that ship provided it’s worth in the battle against the Confederate’s Merrimack, other navies took notice and began building iron warships.

The first modern battleships began appearing in the early 1900’s, with the Royal Navy introducing H.M.S Dreadnought to the sea. Shipbuilding immediately began advancing by leaps and bounds: Each new development had battleships pack in thicker armor and larger guns. By World War I, all the world’s major navies had fleets of mighty battleships. The peak of their usage came at Jutland, where Britain’s Royal Navy clashed with Germany’s high seas fleet in what become the greatest naval engagement of the war, and possibly of all time. The years that followed World War I saw various treaties limit the military forces of the major powers. But every navy still believed that the battleship was the future. That future would be crushed on December 7, 1941. On that day, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a massive aerial bombardment raid against the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. Aircraft carriers had made that attack possible. The carrier was now the primary weapon in the Pacific war because it carried dozens of planes that could strike hundreds of miles away, and could do so from out of nowhere. Very few battleship to battleship engagements were fought in this conflict, though those few were spectacular (The Bismarck sea-chase comes to mind).

Still, a handful of battleships were built and commissioned during the war, including the most perfect dreadnoughts ever built. These were the Iowas of the U.S Navy. This four ship class- Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri and Wisconsin- were the fastest capital ships of World War II, with speeds of up to 33 knots. They also had a equilibrium in firepower and armor. They saw service throughout the end of the conflict- mostly bombarding targets and beach heads before invasions- with the surrender treaty being signed aboard Missouri in September 1945. The post-World War II years were different from those that had followed WWI: Navies knew that the battleship era was over and began focusing more on air power. The majority of U.S Navy capital ships were sunk as targets or dismantled in the years that followed, with a lucky few being turned into floating museums. But the Iowas were retained in the reserve fleet and recommissioned again for use in Korea and Vietnam.

There is an abundance of film footage and photographs included in this section, which basically covers what I just said (Or copied?). This part also gets through the development of the battleship quicker and more economically then this review does. Trust me.

Big Guns
The cornerstone of any battleship, the thing that makes it such a mighty warship, is its big guns. And the Iowa-class boast nine 16-inch, which are the largest currently afloat, though not the largest ever built (Japan’s Yamato class boasted nine 18-inch. And I believe I once read of attempts to design ships that would’ve carried 20-inch). The power of these guns is tremendous: Placed in three triple-gun turrets, they can hurl shells weighing 2,000 pounds miles away (Up to 25 according to the narrator).

The real awesome thing is that we only see part of the turret. The rest of this iron iceberg is hidden inside the ship. Much of this is taken up by a stories high structure that contains gears to rotate the turret, ammunition and powder bags in storage for future use and men to actually load the guns. The process of arming is tedious and very hazardous, with turret explosions not being uncommon (One actually occurred aboard Iowa in 1989, though it's not mentioned here). Noise levels inside the turret are so loud that the crew have to use a series of hand signals to direct the operation. But it’s all worth it when the man says “FIRE!”

In addition to the main armament, there are several 5-inch turrets installed on parts of the ship’s superstructure. These guns are for use against small or “soft” targets where 16-inch ammo is useless. The video didn’t exactly state any examples, but I assume these could include roads or vehicles or maybe bridges. Even more amazing is that all this gunfire is still directed by the Mark 38 fire control system, which uses gyroscopes and other systems to calculate distance and sea conditions so the guns will be coordinated correctly on target. While still effective, it’s a system that had its infancy in the 1930’s. Talk about sticking with what works!

Missile Age Battleship
When the Reagan administration came into office in 1981, they began a massive military build-up aimed at bringing down the Soviet Union. One part of this build-up was the return of the Iowa battleships to naval service. This might seem like a surprise, considering that these ships were then nearly forty years old, and made with technology even older. But since they had spent much of that time in mothballs, their aging had been slower and they were actually quite young. The ships were also ideal platforms to place aboard new weapon systems that would increase their firepower tremendously.

The most obvious additions were the Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles. These weapons extended the battleship’s reach to hundreds of miles and made them an even more effective strike platform. Housed in metal box launchers to protect from the elements, they could hit land or sea-based targets. The decks of Wisconsin launched something like 200 Tomahawks during the opening rounds of Desert Storm, providing for some spectacular footage.

Another significant addition was an air defense system known as “Sea Whiz” (I've also heard it called "Phalanx"). Previous air-defense systems aboard battleships consisted of hundreds of anti-aircraft guns, which needed dozens of men to operate them. This is one reason for the high cost of operating these ships. But Sea Whiz was different. It consists of a rapid fire mini-gun fitted in what looks like a shell casing. The gun contains 1500 armor piercing rounds and is a last resort weapon for use against anti-shipping missiles. There are four aboard and they’re very potent.

Changes were also made to the ship’s reconnaissance systems. No longer are spotter aircraft used. Instead, a remote control drone is utilized. Launched from the rear of the ship, this drone can be used for intelligence gathering, targeting and spotting, among other things. What's even more important is that they record real-time data, no matter what the conditions, which makes the information even more valuable.

To handle all these changes, a new nerve center had to be put aboard ship. This is the job of the Combat Information Center, which directs operations aboard ship and gives up to date reports on battle progress. Plotting and decision making is also made here on spot.

This updating actually cost less money then it takes to build a new warship, like a destroyer or cruiser. This may not seem like much, considering that shipbuilding usually cost hundreds of millions of dollars nowadays. But to take an existing, proven hull and refit it, it's something of a bargain.

Persian Gulf Station
Just as it seemed its days were over, the battleship was called upon again. In 1990, Kuwait was overrun by the armies of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Wisconsin and one of her sisters (The Missouri I believe) were ordered to the Persian Gulf from Norfolk, Virginia and, according to one of Wisconsin’s officers, were on station and ready 16 days later. When Saddam refused to back down, collation forces began fighting in January 1991 in an operation called “Desert Storm”. The Wisconsin opened up with Tomahawk cruise missiles, in addition to the usual armament of the 5 and 16-inch guns. The battleships performed tremendously, and were applauded for their efforts.

Later in 1991, with hostilities ended in Iraq (Or at least at the time), the Iowa and her sisters were again mothballed. The end of the Cold War meant that military funding had to be curtailed, which equaled a downsizing in forces. There was just not justification for retaining the battleship in today’s navy, a navy that it had helped built. Of the four ships, Missouri and New Jersey have since been turned into museum ships. Iowa and Wisconsin though still remain on the registry, awaiting their order to return. The order may never come, and those ships might end their days at the breakers instead of in combat. But they would have carved out a legacy of dominance never to be matched.

The documentary overall is nearly flawless: There are many beautiful shots of Wisconsin at sea, much information to be had from the interviewees, and plenty of action (Though some shots are used repeatedly). If there is one problem, it’s that this program was overpriced: I’m not completely sure, but I remember paying about $10 or more at a museum gift shop. This documentary is too short and not comprehensive enough to warrant such. I’ve also noticed that some other tapes in the Fire Power series have a few problems with their sound mixes: There are times during the program where the background noise or music is louder than the narration. But I noted no such things in this program.

If I’ve touched your interest on the battleship, you should locate a good book on the topic. The best I know about the Iowas, or at least the most detailed, is Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design, Weapons, & Equipment by Robert Sumrall. One can found out information on it at http://www.epinions.com/book_mu-2763920. This book can be found at about any library or bookstore (Though it’s slightly old, dating back to 1988), and I’m sure you can also find other books about these mighty warships.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review despite the risk of losing your sanity.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS