What’s old is new again. The possibility of resurrecting battleships as a potent symbol of naval power is back as a popular topic of discussion in the nation’s capital.
Now decommissioned for over 33 years, the four Iowa-class battleships are for many a powerful, cultural symbol of American power. American naval hero John Paul Jones once said, “Men mean more than guns in the rating of a warship,” but there is also a great love for the big guns of the most powerful battleships commissioned for the U.S. Navy.
Winston Churchill called battleships “Castles of Steel,” and despite advances in naval warfare the great, grey ships invoke for many a mythical quality, like King Arthur’s sword Excalibur, a potent weapon sleeping in wait for a warlord worthy to wield their naval power at sea.
National symbolism aside, what are the real possibilities of restoring the last of the dreadnoughts to active service, and what missions might they fulfill for a 21st century U.S. Navy?
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