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Description
The United States Navy's Iowa-class battleships, which served from World War II until the Gulf War, had well-protected superstructures with thick armor and many anti-aircraft guns. They were much better defended than their Axis counterparts such as the Imperial Japanese Navy's Yamato-class ships, and this defense helped all four Iowas survive WWII. Some of the guns were removed during Cold War upgrades as increasing aircraft speeds made guns less effective than missiles at air defense, but most of them have been kept on USS Iowa (BB-61), now a museum ship in San Pedro, California, and her three sisters, which are also museum ships elsewhere in the U.S.

Description
The United States Navy's Iowa-class battleships, which served from World War II until the Gulf War, had well-protected superstructures with thick armor and many anti-aircraft guns. They were much better defended than their Axis counterparts such as the Imperial Japanese Navy's Yamato-class ships, and this defense helped all four Iowas survive WWII. Some of the guns were removed during Cold War upgrades as increasing aircraft speeds made guns less effective than missiles at air defense, but most of them have been kept on USS Iowa (BB-61), now a museum ship in San Pedro, California, and her three sisters, which are also museum ships elsewhere in the U.S.