USS Iowa
Historical highway marker BB-61 · Norfolk
Commissioned in 1943, USS Iowa (BB-61) led the world's most powerful battleship class. In Oct. 1943, Iowa was modified at the Norfolk Navy Yard, adding the only bathtub on a battleship for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's trans-Atlantic voyage to meet with Allied leaders. Iowa fought in the Pacific and Korea, returned to Norfolk in 1952, and was mothballed in 1958. Recommissioned in 1984 and homeported at Norfolk, Iowa served in multiple operations during the Cold War. Turret Two exploded on 19 Apr. 1989, killing 47 crewmen. This point was dedicated to them on 19 Apr. 1990; Iowa was decommissioned in Oct. 1990.
Department of Historic Resources, 2010