The USS Wisconsin was the final battleship to be removed from active naval service.

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Commissioned in 1944, this Iowa-class titan served across three major conflicts, from the Pacific Theater of World War II to the Gulf War. As the last battleship to be officially retired from the United States Navy, it remains a massive testament to a bygone era of naval warfare.

Designed in the late 1930s, the Iowa-class battleships were the United States Navy's response to the perceived threat of the Japanese fleet. Planners needed vessels fast enough to engage Japanese carriers and battlecruisers, while still maintaining heavy armor and firepower. Because Japan refused to sign the 1936 Second London Naval Treaty, the US was permitted to increase the displacement of these ships to 45,000 long tons. The resulting design was the largest and fastest battleship class ever built by the United States.

The Wisconsin, hull number BB-64, was commissioned on April 16, 1944. Spanning over 887 feet, the ship was powered by four steam turbines capable of reaching speeds of roughly 34 knots. Her primary armament consisted of nine 16-inch guns housed in three massive turrets. Beyond her firepower, she was heavily protected by an internal armor belt and a complex underwater system designed to absorb torpedo impacts. By the end of World War II, her crew had expanded to 173 officers and 2,738 sailors.

Throughout her career, the Wisconsin participated in the Philippines campaign and the bombardment of Japanese home islands. After a brief period in reserve, she was reactivated for the Korean War, where she provided critical gunfire support for United Nations and South Korean forces. Following a modernization program in the 1980s, she saw action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. After serving a total of 14 years in active duty, she was finally decommissioned in September 1991 and officially removed from the Naval Vessel Register in 2006.

Today, the Wisconsin serves as a museum ship in Norfolk, Virginia. Her legacy is defined by her status as the highest-numbered battleship ever constructed by the US Navy and her distinction as the last of her kind to be taken out of service. She stands as a physical record of the transition from the era of the great gun-armed capital ship to the modern age of carrier-based power.

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