![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/158466918_6c5a1fec29_b.jpg)
The USS Wisconsin, an Iowa-class battleship with a distinguished history, epitomizes American naval strength and the progression of maritime warfare.
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Commissioned in April 1944, this maritime giant became a pivotal force in U.S. naval operations, participating in significant military engagements from World War II through Operation Desert Storm.
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The battleship joined the Pacific Fleet in October 1944.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NH_78940_USS_Wisconsin_BB-64.jpg)
By December, Wisconsin entered the western Pacific theater, becoming an instrumental force in the Philippines’ liberation, the assaults on Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, and conducting raids against the Japanese homeland.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/WWII_Wisconsin.jpg)
The ship’s robust design was proven when it withstood the violent force of two typhoons, which claimed other vessels but left Wisconsin unharmed.
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The end of the war did not signal the end of Wisconsin’s service.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wisconsin_in_Korea.jpg)
After a brief decommissioning, the battleship was recalled to duty for the Korean War in 1951, serving as the Seventh Fleet’s flagship.
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In the Korean theater, Wisconsin provided critical naval gunfire support that proved devastating to enemy positions along the North Korean coast, earning it further combat accolades.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USS_Wisconson_collision.jpg)
A significant moment came when Wisconsin sustained its only direct hit from enemy fire during the war, a testament to its resilience.
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Retired once more in 1958, the Wisconsin rested until the late 1980s, when global tensions and national defense strategies ushered in a new era for the battleship.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USS_Wisconsin_BB-64_at_sea_c1990.jpg)
Reactivated and modernized, she joined the U.S. Navy’s rapid response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1600px-USS_Wisconsin_BB-64_launching_Tomahawk.jpg)
Wisconsin played a pivotal role in Operation Desert Storm, launching Tomahawk missiles and using its famed 16-inch guns to help liberate Kuwait.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wisconsin_Shoots.jpg)
USS Wisconsin’s contributions to Desert Storm were historic—becoming the last battleship to engage in combat when it fired the final naval gunfire support mission of the war.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USS_Wisconsin_BB-64_decommissioning.jpg)
Post-conflict reductions in defense spending led to Wisconsin’s third and final decommissioning in September 1991, marking the end of an era for these floating fortresses.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/USS_Wisconsin_in_Virginia.jpg)
Today, the USS Wisconsin rests at Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia, serving as a museum ship. Yet, it remains a symbol of American fortitude and military ingenuity—a ship that withstood the test of war and nature’s fury, ensuring its place in the annals of naval history.
Relevant articles:
– Wisconsin (BB 64), Navy (.mil)
– Uss Wisconsin BB-64, USS Wisconsin Association
– The Battleship Wisconsin, Nauticus
– The story of the last battleship to see combat, ill-tempered USS Wisconsin, War Is Boring, Nov 24, 2020