On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
BretH
In Newport News, Virginia for a tennis tournament I had an afternoon free to visit the Battleship Wisconsin, berthed across the bay in Norfolk. Being a child born at the end of the 1950s I was fascinated with World War II and its machinery and weapons. Some may recall my earlier visit to the Military Aviation Museum, which houses working aircraft from the two World Wars. This time it was a ship, but not just a ship: a 57,000 ton Iowa class monster commissioned in 1944 and finally decommissioned in 1991.
The Wisconsin served in the Pacific in WWII, was briefly decommissioned then reactivated for the Korean War, decommissioned again for three decades, then reactivated for the Persian Gulf War. Although battleships as superior warships were obsolete by the end of the Korean War (some would argue by the end of WWII as air-to-sea battles showed their vulnerability to arial bombardment) they still had a powerful effect as a tangible demonstration of the might of the US Navy. As our tour guide put it, you could sail into a harbor with these ships and intimidate the heck out of folks there because of its overwhelming presence.
As you will find out I have a personal reason that makes this visit special.

It is really not possible to convey the true size of this ship in a photo, but this one does give a sense of the scale of it. The bow is on an upward angle so it looms overhead while the superstructure seems closer than it is because it is also just so darn big. Two things I learned about the Wisconsin (and the Iowa class battleships in general):
First, the bow is long and narrow, and the hull expands right around the forward guns. This was a design feature that created an effect of partly nullifying the friction of the bow wave because of a secondary wave generated from the widening. This was part of the reason these ships could travel at 33 knots at full speed. This design created an unfortunate side-effect – the vast fuel storage of the battleships allowed them to be used a refueling ships, but the couplings were placed more or less where the bulge (and the bulge wave) occurred, making it more difficult for the smaller ships to stay abreast, especially in rough seas.
Second, the immense size of the hull gave the Wisconsin lots of what our tour guide called “reserve buoyancy”, meaning these ships could support far more weight than they were initially built with, despite their almost over-engineered armor. This allowed the Navy to continually modernize them – originally adding anti-aircraft guns, and later more and more sophisticated radars to the superstructure and things like Tomahawk cruise missiles, some of which could carry nuclear warheads (the guide was mum about whether the ship was ever actually equipped with these warheads but as you will see it had the infrastructure for them.)

This is the bow-most battery of 16 inch guns, one of three such turrets on the ship. It’s hard to tell the scale but the turret is about twice my height, and extends down five stories. They could fire shells at up to 24 miles and took 80 men to operate. Visitors are allowed inside this forward turret, and once inside it was hard for me to imagine what it would be like with 16 people in there, and the guns firing. Note: contrary to popular belief the force of the guns do not move the ship sideways in the water due to the huge mass of the vessel, but the sea is disturbed in a way that makes it look like that has happened.

Visitors even without a special tour (of either the engineering and engines or the command and control centers – the one I took) are allowed into many areas of the ship. It was a bit like a rabbit warren, although I imagine it would take little time for a sailor to know it intimately. Here is a photo of a corridor that extends for quite some distance. I did not suffer from claustrophobia but I can see how it might affect some people.
You will note the oval doorways; I had assumed it was to prevent water from sloshing from one compartment to another but our guide explained this was for strength. The doorways are cut into major support walls, and the oval opening is the strongest, especially with the extra roll of steel encircling it. In general the ship was a head-and-foot trap – there seemed to always be something to trip over or bash your forehead into.

How well would you sleep here? The Wisconsin had a crew of just under 2,000 sailors so the insides are littered with bunk spaces like this. I imagine also they were far fewer than the number of crewmen as there was always a rotating shift of on-duty personnel and the bunks were shared.

The Captain’s quarters are substantially larger, although far from luxurious. It also had a precious porthole – which I noticed mostly in areas where officers slept and worked. Our guide stressed the Naval hierarchy – when in port the Captain was not generally on board; the commanding officer was in charge of day-to-day routines, but when underway the Captains really earned their stripes. Also, these ships were meant to be the center of a battle group so they would have an Admiral on board to command all the ships. Captains hated having Admirals on board – like having your boss there 24/7 looking over your shoulder. So the flag officer would have his own bridge below the main one, and the guide pointed out the distinct lack of phones and other means of communication to the “real” bridge so the Captain didn’t have to be second-guessed or ordered about in real time. The Captain also had a ready room next to the control center so when under alert he could nap but be available at a moment’s notice.

The ship of course had to be prepared to take care of all the needs of onboard maintenance and support the crew. There were machine shops, canteens (ship stores where the most popular item was cartons of cigarettes), a library, a chapel and so much more. This is the sewing area with its own washing machine. I did not see but can well imagine the actual laundry space which served the entire crew. Again the spaces were completely without portholes or any indication of outside, but for me the sheer utility and functional feel of the areas made me forget I was two decks down in the middle of the ship.

This is one room in the immense mess hall. There were about three this size an several other smaller rooms like it. Next door were the kitchens where I especially noticed the rows of immense Hobart commercial mixers, each about the size of a small refrigerator.

Earlier I mentioned how the Iowa class battleships armor was almost over-engineered. The navigation silo is a good example. Our guide explained that the ships were built with different levels of armor for all areas. The most sensitive areas in the middle of the ship were enclosed by armor called “the citadel”. This included the magazines, the control and navigation and engineering centers. This was armored to the point where it could withstand a hit from its own largest guns. There were other armor systems too: multiple hulls to guard against torpedos and silos like the navigation silo pictured here. The silo was enclosed by 17 inches of special armor steel (which was also used in varying thicknesses in the citadel and gun turrets). As instructed I rapped my knuckles against it and it was like hitting rock, no vibration or ringing. There was also a lining of other thinner armor in all these areas as they discovered that even though the main armor might withstand a direct hit, the immense forces generated turned the inside layer to molten steel which resulted in lava-like blobs of steel bouncing around inside which was not good for the health of anyone in there. This inner layer was designed to contain the molten metal.
The navigation silo and door were amazing to see with its crazy-thick door and little slit viewports – but the guide pointed out they realized after the fact that such thick armor wasn’t really needed and was just wasted weight high up on the ship because if it were hit with a 16 inch shell the pressure wave that resulted meant that no-one would survive inside anyway. He was a little more graphic about it but I won’t go into that detail here.
This is one reason these battleships are all museum ships today: they would be prohibitively expensive to try and break down and salvage. In reality at some point these will likely end up at the bottom of the ocean.

The Command and Control center was part of our special tour. In here was where battle was controlled. This one had been upgraded to include stations for controlling the cruise missiles – pictured is one such station (actually the one that fired the first missiles in the Gulf War). Of special note are the two keyholes to the right of the lover screen, also shown in an insert. These controlled launching of nuclear warheads – two officers on board had special keys and both had to be inserted and turned at the same time in order to arm the button just below. Scary stuff.

Up top I mentioned this was a special visit for me. My Grandfather, Henry Chester Bruton was Captain of the Wisconsin for a tour in the Korean War. In the museum next door there is a shot of the entire ship’s crew assembled on the foredeck, and front and center, there he is, with the four stripes on his shoulder bars. As the plaque says, he was a true war hero, having commanded an S-boat before the war traveling between Tsingtao, Manila and Perth on training and pre-war patrols, then later the USS Greenling, a Gato class sub in the actual war. He earned three Navy Crosses during his war patrols; the Navy Cross is an award second only to the Medal of Honor.
He never wanted to talk about the war, and especially of his time on the submarines, something that frustrated me no end when I was younger but which now I fully understand.
Rusty
Thank you for the technical descriptions of the hydrodynamics for the hull shape, armor and more. These were high tech weapons for their time, and continues to be as they were upgraded. You must be very proud of your grandfather, to be able to stand in the same ship he commanded is particularly special.
JPL
Fascinating and thank you for sharing your history with us.
kalakal
Thanks for posting this. I have a fascination with naval history and you’ve given a great overview of the Wisconsin. I must go someday. That armored door is quite something.
is the ship a very popular attraction? I would hope so
You must be very proud of your grandfather, it was no mean achievement to be earn command of a battleship.
raven
Awesome. My old man was a Mustang, enlisted swab on the USS Crosby, DD-164, APD 17 and a Lt JG after he graduated from Illinois and took a commission and served on the USS Lind, DD 703 in the Korean War.. When we visited the Alabama in Mobile in 1996 I was stunned by his knowledge of those ships. I guess if you spent four years in the Pacific you had time to learn a great deal about the fleet. The second photo reveals something I did not know until that visit. The decks of the battlewagons were teak and I don’t know what they replaced them with when they renovated the North Carolina but here’s a piece I have.
Your shot of the porthole is also very interesting to me. When they converted the Crosby to an APD they took the porthole out. The family story is that the old man grabbed one and carried it in his locker for the entire war. The lockers they had on this tin-cans were 24×24 so it would be really something if he did. Away he died almost 20 years ago and left it to me but I just now got it from my stepmom. It’s a beautiful piece and we made a display along with the stadimeter from the ship that he somehow “requisitioned” probably when they broke her up for scrap after the war.
This is a wonderful set of pictures BretH and I could go on and on but I won’t! I’ll just say that your grandfather’s story is wonderful, a real salt!
raven
Here’s the wiki entry for the blockade of Wonsan including a photo of “The Big Wisky” firing.
hrprogressive
Glad to see this area and this attraction get some attention on BJ! Wonderful post.
apieceofpeace
The pictures add to your good narrative. Thank you!
MelissaM
This is a pretty cool OTR. It’s hard to imagine living and working on that floating city. I especially dislike the idea of “hot bunking.”
Back in 2005 we went to Patriot’s Point Naval Museum outside Charleston SC. They have a the Yorktown, an aircraft carrier from WWII, and also the Clamagore, a sub commissioned in 1945. The sub is closed now and being scrapped as it was deteriorating. Going in that was freaky! Just so small and so many men on board.
Dmbeaster
Finest class of battleships ever made.
eclare
These photos are amazing, thank you so much. And to stand on the same ship your grandfather commanded must have been so special.
I have always wanted to tour a big battleship because I’m sure I cannot begin to imagine the size. Now I have!
Benw
Very cool! Thanks for this really unique OTR. I’m a big dork for naval history and it’s really interesting to me that it seems the same concerns that drove battleship designs in the 1800s (e.g. armoring the magazine and where the hell does everyone sleep) were still true with this behemoth was built.
JanieM
Thanks, BretH, great story and pictures. My dad was in the Navy in WWII and sailed on the Great Lakes for a couple of years before that. I don’t think I ever got close to imagining what it was like to live aboard a ship for several years. This post gives a pretty vivid impression.
Steve from Mendocino
Nicely framed photos of a cool subject. Thank you.
VOR
Great story. I visited sister ship USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor about 15 years ago and it is well worth seeing if you ever visit Hawaii.
Mike in NC
I was on active duty in the early 1980s when the Reagan Administration decided to recommission the Iowa class battleships. Terrible waste of money. The technology was so obsolete that finding qualified crew to operate them was a huge problem.
Leslie
Very cool, thanks! My dad was in the Navy for 20 years, but unfortunately I can’t remember the names of any of the ships he served on. My brother has probably got his DD214 somewhere… anyway, very special to be able to see the ship your grandfather commanded.
J R in WV
Anyone who earned 3 Navy Crosses during WW II in a Sub deserves all the credits! I’ve been on later (late ’50s) Navy diesel subs, and they are hard to imagine compared to today’s Nuke super boats. Then to become skipper of a battle wagon… that’s pretty tops as a surface warfare Navy officer.
Thanks for sharing the photos… I’ll have to try to get over there and see the old girl some day.
StringOnAStick
Very cool photos! My grandfather was also a Captain in the Navy, did time in the Pacific as well as running the training facilities in Dearborn, MI. They retired to Coronado, CA and as kids we got a personal tour of the USA Enterprise when it was docked there. I had a fear of water then so I was concerned it would feel wobbly like a boat; with all that mass and the huge size, it felt like being on land.
eddie blake
really great article, just one minor quibble:
though battleships had been sunk in port, naval planners knew for certain the class was obsolete by 1941 when the japanese shocked the world by sinking repulse and the state-of-the-art (for its day) prince of wales in under an hour while they were at sea and evading, something that wasn’t thought possible at the time.
raven
@StringOnAStick: Was the the captain of a ship or the rank of captain?
raven
@MelissaM: And the PBR base!
raven
@Leslie: I wonder if his 214 will show it. I’m looking at mine (Army) and it does not list duty stations. You may have to go to the records center and get all of his records.
BretH
@eddie blake: One minor quibble with your quibble :) The British ships had no air cover and its aiming system for the anti-aircraft guns was faulty. Use of the Iowa class battleships in a battle group called for air cover and supporting ships for anti-submarine and anti-aircraft use. They were by no means unsinkable by air but it was going to be a lot harder.
They really became fully obsolete when ship-launched missiles could outperform the 16 inch main guns for shore bombardment – missiles which could be carried on smaller and far cheaper ships.
Ruckus
BretH
“He never wanted to talk about the war, and especially of his time on the submarines, something that frustrated me no end when I was younger but which now I fully understand.”
My dad was in the navy in WWII and never uttered a word about it. He didn’t when I joined, nor the rest of his life. I’m not sure but I think he did not utter a word so that I wouldn’t think I had to follow his footsteps.
The ridge around the doors is also because of the water tight hatches, it is what the door seal hits on to make it water tight. It is off the deck so that water in one compartment has to get over the transom to get the next compartment wet, even if the door is open. Gives a chance to get the door closed if water is coming in the next compartment. A vertical hatch has the same lip for the same reasons.
A battleship is a lot bigger than the DDG I served on and dramatically bigger than a WWII sub. You really can not be in one of those if you are claustrophobic at any level. I’d bet that no one on a battleship shared a bunk, but on a WWII sub, I believe every enlisted man shared a bunk. There is literally not a square inch that isn’t being used, often for more than one purpose. I gave guided tours on a WWII sub in San Diego when I was in training school there. Over 50 yrs ago.
dibert dogbert
@raven: One of my college friends was a engine tender on one of the minesweepers in Wonson.
He said the sharp report of the destroyers guns hurt his ears. The battleship guns not so much.
Ruckus
@BretH:
Those guided missile destroyers, called DDG was what I served on and you are correct the missiles could do a lot of damage, longer range and the better systems for aiming 25 yrs after WWII meant they could not just hit a plane, they could hit a designated part of it. We humans like to keep improving the methods for killing each other and I’d imagine what is in use today is far superior to what was in use 50 yrs ago in my day. And as you point out a far smaller ship is far less expensive so far more of them could be built for the same money.
Ruckus
@dibert dogbert:
I’m not disputing your friend but I once had to man a firehose about 30 ft from a 5 in gun mount during firing practice in case of a misfire and I managed to sleep through part of it. I did have on sound powered headset though if I got called to cool down that misfire. Good times. And you may ask why. I was the guy that had to stand near the barrel and cool down that hot barrel with a high explosive shell inside that managed to get stuck. Before said shell exploded and blew up the barrel and anyone standing nearby. The military can be fun.
BretH
For those interested (sorry this wasn’t in the main post) I self-published a book of my grandfather’s anecdotes as a gift to my family for Christmas. I believe this link wiki take you to a preview where you can read it:
https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/8990322/1178d717470c9a625c0ebe82e658ce303b03a79c
raven
@BretH: Thanks! His mention of Mariveles Bay and Corregidor resonate with me. The Crosby was one of the ships involved in the the “Rock Force Assault”, the retaking of Corregidor.