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USS Wisconsin (BB 64)

- decommissioned -

WISCONSIN was the fourth IOWA - class battleship and the second ship in the Navy to bear the name of the state. Stricken from the Navy list on March 17, 2006, the WISCONSIN is now preserved at the Nauticus Maritime Center in Norfolk, Va. Click here for a photo tour of the USS WISCONSIN museum.

General Characteristics:Keel laid: January 25, 1941
Launched: December 7, 1943
Commissioned: April 16, 1944
Decommissioned: July 1, 1948
Second commissioning: March 3, 1951
Second decommissioning: March 8, 1958
Third commissioning: October 22, 1988
Third decommissioning: September 30, 1991
Builder: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA
Propulsion system: eight boilers, four geared turbines
Propellers: four
Length: 889 feet (271 meters)
Beam: 108 feet (32.9 meters)
Draft: 35,7 feet (10.9 meters)
Displacement: Light: approx. 46,000 tons
Full: approx. 57,000 tons
Speed: 33 knots
Aircraft: no hangar, but parking area for four SH-3 or four SH-60
Crew 1988 - 1991: 65 officers and 1,501 enlisted
WWII Crew: 134 officers and 2,400 enlisted
Last armament: eight armored box launchers for Tomahawk, four Mk 141 Harpoon missile launchers, nine 16-inch / 50 caliber guns, twelve 5-inch / 38 caliber guns, four 20mm Phalanx CIWS


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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS WISCONSIN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.


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USS WISCONSIN Cruise Books:


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Accidents aboard USS WISCONSIN:

DateWhereEvents
August 23, 1951New York HarborWISCONSIN is freed after grounding on mud flats in New York Harbor.
October 19, 1955New York HarborWISCONSIN is grounded for one hour in the East River, New York Harbor.
May 6, 1956Chesapeake Bay
off Virginia
During an exercise the battleship collided with the destroyer EATON (DDE 510) in heavy fog. The collision caused heavy damage to both ships. The situation of the destroyer can be seen on the images below.

WISCONSIN put into Norfolk with extensive damage to her bow and, one week later, entered drydock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. A novel expedient speeded her repairs and enabled the ship to carry out her scheduled midshipman training cruise that summer. A 120-ton, 68-foot long section of the bow of the uncompleted battleship KENTUCKY was transported by barge, in one section, from Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp., Newport News, Va., across Hampton Roads to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Working round-the clock, WISCONSIN’s ship's force and shipyard personnel completed the operation which grafted the new bow on the old battleship in a mere 16 days. On 28 June 1956, the ship was ready for sea.

Commander Varley of the EATON is later court-martialed and found negligent.




August 19, 1957off Cape Henry, VirginiaWISCONSIN scrapes its bottom near a sea buoy off Cape Henry, Va., during a storm..


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USS WISCONSIN Patch Gallery:

Persian Gulf Cruise 1991


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