USS Iowa ( BB - 4 ) USS " Iowa " ( Battleship No . 4 ) was the first ship commissioned in honor of Iowa and is notable for being America ' s first seagoing battleship . " Iowa " saw substantial action in the Spanish – American War . While she was an improvement over the because of a superior design , the warship became obsolete quickly in the first quarter of the 20th century , and was used for target practice and sunk on 23 March 1923 in Panama Bay by a salvo of 14 - inch shells . Superior design . The second half of the 19th century saw radical changes in shipbuilding design . Wood - built sailing ships with cannons were replaced by steam - powered warships armored with steel . There was great interest in new shipbuilding techniques and a search for stronger metal alloys , and discussion of new designs , centerboards , ventilating techniques , with active participation between private builders and naval designers . The Congress of the United States authorized a warship on 19 July 1892 . Specifically , it was for a ' seagoing coastline battleship ' , to fill the Navy ' s desire for a ship that could sail and fight effectively in open waters ; the preceding — authorized by Congress as ' coast - defense battleships ' — had many problems with endurance and speed . " Iowa " had a unique design and did not belong to a specific ship class . She represented an upgrade from the " Indiana " s . " Iowa " s keel was built by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania on 5 August 1893 , who also built the coal - powered , vertical reciprocating steam engines . It had twin above - board torpedo tube s . She carried of coal . " Iowa " was based on the earlier " Indiana " - class with similar armament layout and four guns in twin turrets fore and aft , supplemented by four twin turrets . There was extensive testing of new armor plating ; at one point , " Iowa " was fired on in testing to assess the strength of the steel shell . Like " Indiana " , " Iowa " was made using " Harveyized steel " . Several design modifications made " Iowa " a far more powerful warship than its predecessors . The diameter of the main four largest guns was and they were hydraulically powered . The vessel had a larger margin of freeboard and a longer hull and forecastle , which resulted in a more stable and seaworthy ship . The raised height made the gunnery area drier and further reduced the risk of malfunctions due to wet weather . By utilizing the Harvey process , " Iowa " s armor was thinner but stronger than the nickel - steel used in the " Indiana " s . Compared to British warships , " Iowa " had excellent speed ( ) but was lighter . Launching . " Iowa " was launched on 28 March 1896 , sponsored by the daughter of the Governor of Iowa named Mary Lord Drake . Drake commissioned the vessel on 16 June 1897 , with Captain William T . Sampson in command . " Iowa " was known as " Battleship No . 4 " during her lifespan and called BB - 4 after the hull classification symbol system became standard in 1921 . Spanish – American War . When the Spanish - American war broke out , Cuba belonged to Spain . There was some speculation that the Spanish military made a mistake by sending its fleet to Cuba instead of keeping it nearer to Spain where supplies were closer ; instead , it was sent to the Americas , and was discovered in the harbor of Santiago . Spanish warships . Six Spanish warships commanded by Admiral Cervera were " Maria Teresa " ( flag ) , " Vizcaya " , " Oquendo " , " Colon " , and two torpedo boat destroyers . United States warships . After shakedown off the Atlantic coast , " Iowa " was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and was ordered to blockade duty on 28 May 1898 , off Santiago de Cuba . under the command of Captain Robley D . " Fighting Bob " Evans . She participated in a naval bombardment of the fort near Santiago . She joined many other American warships blockading Cuba including the USS " Harvard " , the " Resolute " , the " New York " , " Oregon " , " New Orleans " , " Mayflower " , " Porter " , " Brooklyn " , " Massachusetts " , " Texas " , " Marblehead " , " Vixen " , " Suwanee " , " Dolphin " , and " St . Paul " ( a coal supply ship ) . Sampson ' s blockade . The Commander in Chief of the US North Atlantic Station , Rear Admiral Sampson , insisted the blockade be tight ; " the escape of the Spanish vessels at this juncture would be a serious blow to our prestige , and to a speedy end to the war " , he wrote . He was not worried about fire from shore batteries but was concerned about possible attack from a surface - going torpedo boat and urged captains to look for tell - tale signs of attacking boats such as smoke on the water . One issue was having enough coal . Since steam engines take time to build sufficient energy to drive larger piston engines , boilers were kept running and steam pressure raised to enable rapid start - up movement despite the usage of precious coal . Luckily , vessels could coal while maintaining a position in the blockade . The initial plan was for blockading ships to wait out from Santiago harbor during the day , but this was tightened to after a while . At night or in bad weather , the ships were brought in closer to prevent escapes . One squadron blocked the east side , another the west . Picket launches each evening were ordered one mile off shore . The admiral gave specific instructions about how to use searchlights at night to sweep the horizon " steadily and slowly " and " not less than three minutes should be employed in sweeping through an arc of 90 degrees . " As of 2 June 1898 , Sampson headed one squadron which included " New York " , " Iowa " , " Oregon " , " New Orleans " , " Mayflower " , and " Porter " , while commander Schley headed the " Brooklyn " , " Massachusetts " , " Texas " , " Marblehead " , and " Vixen " . One squadron blocked the east side harbor exit ; the other , the west . By 10 June , Spanish warships in Cuba ' s Santiago harbor were " neatly bottled up " according to " Iowa " s Captain Evans . Battle . On Sunday morning , 3 July 1898 , there were partly cloudy skies with fairly calm water . Six Spanish warships steamed out of Santiago harbor in a southwesterly direction . " Iowa " was the first to sight black ships Spanish cruisers approaching , telegraphed other American ships at 09 : 30 , and fired the first shot in the Battle of Santiago . " Iowa " along with " Indiana " , " Texas " , " Oregon " and " Brooklyn " chased the Spanish cruisers . A second report includes " Gloucester " as being part of the chasing squadron and suggests " Vixen " s purpose was to protect " Brooklyn " from Spanish torpedo boats . A third report lists torpedo boat as participating . The two fleets engaged in a brief but intense naval battle off the shore of Cuba . There was speculation that two Spanish torpedo destroyers posed a serious risk . In a 20 - minute battle with and , Iowa ' s effective fire set both ships aflame and drove them on the beach , according to several reports . Fire from both fleets was continuous and fast and furious . The two Spanish torpedo boats took on " Gloucester " which prevailed against both in a tense slugfest . Some reports suggest " Iowa " suffered from engine trouble during the battle and " limped along at 10 knots " , as well as taking two hits from the Spanish warship Colon , which further reduced her speed . But later analysis suggests " Iowa " was a significant participant throughout the battle and this is inconsistent with a reduced speed . A dangerous fire in " Iowa " s lower decks happened during the battle , possibly caused by enemy fire , which threatened lethal explosions , but fast and brave work by Fireman Robert Penn extinguished the blaze , possibly sparing the ship , and he was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism . US warships pursued fleeing Spanish cruisers . " Iowa " and " Gloucester " sank and damaged to the point where the Spanish warship ran aground . " Colon " was beached also . Wrecks burned fiercely . " Iowa " then pursued and ran her aground . Spanish sailors on the beaches were being threatened by Cuban irregulars , but Captain Evans sent a boat ashore to warn them , and protected the captured sailors . When " Vizcaya " exploded and beached at Playa de Aserraderos , " Iowa " lowered boats to rescue Spanish crewmen from shark - infested waters . " Iowa " received on board Spanish Admiral Pascual Cervera and the officers and crews of " Vizcaya " , " Furor " , and " Pluton " . " Vizcayas " Captain Don Antonio Eulate was " soaked in oil and wearing a sooty , bloodstained bandage about the head . " The captured captain tried to offer his sword as a gesture of surrender but it was returned to him by Captain Evans . When the Spanish captain cried " Adios , Vizcaya ! " almost immediately afterward the flaming ship ' s magazine exploded and dramatically finished her destruction . At one point " Iowa " s ' Captain Evans directed " Harvard " to rescue prisoners . Some accounts suggest that it took 12 hours to rescue all the survivors . For a while , several American warships were crowded with prisoners , including " Iowa " . A pig was rescued from " Colon " . There were 1 , 612 Spanish survivors in total who became U . S . prisoners of war until subsequent release during a prisoner exchange . It was a general victory for the US Navy . One unexpected circumstance was that an Austrian battleship also named " Infanta Maria Theresa " was in the vicinity wanting to enter Santiago harbor , but upon outbreak of hostilities , waited for orders from the Americans after seeing the conflict ; her presence caused mild confusion at some points but there is no evidence of the Austrian vessel being fired on . Competing claims for credit . After the battle a mini - drama played itself out which sometimes erupted in opposing newspaper accounts . Reports by several captains were published including detailed accounts from " Brooklyn " s Captain Cook who reported his ship was hit 20 times , with one sailor killed and another wounded . Reports were also filed by commanders of " Resolute " , " Harvard " , " Ericsson " , " Vixen " , and later " Gloucester " and published in the New York Times . There was no newspaper - published report of the battle from the perspective of " Iowa " s Captain Evans . After Admiral Sampson released his report , " Indiana " s Captain H . C . Taylor felt slighted and wrote " If the official record should be referred to in future it will appear from its general tone that the Indiana was less deserving than all of her consorts . " The admiral replied that " Indiana " began in the east , as instructed , which made it harder for it to join the battle ; later , " Indiana " was ordered back to guard the harbor entrance since there was speculation that other Spanish ships might have been trying to escape , and deserved commendation for her contribution . An assessment revealed the squadron guarding the westerly side of the harbor was closest to the fleeing ships and therefore saw more action . Special investigators were dispatched to examine beached Spanish warships as well as consider possibly re - floating sunken boats for further analysis . Detailed diagrams were made of the destroyed ships with measurements , sometimes disputed , of the diameters of shell holes , along with counts of ammunition expended and reports by each captain . ( see diagram showing battle damage . ) There was speculation about repairing some of the damaged Spanish warships at one point . One analyst described the " Maria Teresa " a month after the battle as follows : " the metal was broken and twisted into a mass of junk iron " and reported that the " Oquendo " was " broken in two on the rocks " . Analysis . After competing claims appeared in newspapers , a more definitive report emerged which gave substantial credit to " Iowa " and " Brooklyn " for inflicting " seven - tenths " of the damage to the opposing fleet . Both ships were closest to the battle ; " Iowa " expended 1 , 473 separate pieces of ammunition ( big shells plus smaller rounds ) and " Brooklyn " expended 1 , 973 . Other conclusions which emerged : Early twentieth century . After the battle , " Iowa " left Cuban waters for New York City , arriving on 20 August . While being towed by four tugboats to the Brooklyn Navy yard , " Iowa " came " very near colliding with the cruiser " Chicago " " after a hawser attached to one tugboat broke ; a new hawser was hurriedly run out to " Iowa " s bow , preventing a collision . On 12 October , she departed for the Pacific , sailed through the Straits of Magellan at Cape Horn . A reporter on board describing the passage wrote " snow - capped mountains rising out of the sea , barren and gray just below the snow " along with " furious squalls called williwaws " which " picks up the water in masses of foam . " While stationed in Valparaíso , Chile around 17 December , and later at Callao , Peru around 26 December , the sailors of " Iowa " along with gave on - board self - created performances for audiences including select sailors from the navies of Chile and Peru as a way to ease tensions following the conflict over Cuba ( some South Americans sided with Spain . ) The self - described " Iowa Minstrels " made a " melange of music , melody , and mirth " featuring a written program which included such entertainment as an overture , juggling , acrobatics , a " gifted Hibernian orator " , comic sketches , singing , and banjo playing . She arrived at San Francisco , California on 7 February 1899 . While in port , the crew presented Captain Evans with a different sword bearing the inscription " To our hero — Too just to take a fallen foe ' s — We give this sword instead . " The captain thanked his crew for their bravery and respect in a published reply . The battleship then steamed to Bremerton , Washington , where she entered drydock on 11 June . After refit , " Iowa " served in the Pacific Squadron for 2 years under the command of Captain Goodrich , conducting training cruises , drills , and target practice . On 1 August 1900 , the British cruiser narrowly avoided colliding with " Iowa " in the straits near Victoria ( British Columbia ) during a dense fog . At another point during these years , a manhole plate of a boiler blew open and the determined actions of five crewmen ( see below ) spared the ship from further disaster . " Iowa " left the Pacific in 1902 to become flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron . She went to New York arriving February 1903 and was again decommissioned in June . " Iowa " recommissioned in 23 December 1903 and joined the North Atlantic Squadron . She participated in the John Paul Jones Commemoration ceremonies on 30 June 1905 . On 23 June , " Iowa " was serviced in the newly built floating dry dock " Dewey " . " Iowa " remained in the North Atlantic until she was placed in reserve on 6 July 1907 . Future - Admiral Raymond A . Spruance served on " Iowa " in 1906 and 1907 . " Iowa " decommissioned at Philadelphia on 23 July 1908 . " Iowa " recommissioned on 2 May 1910 with a new " cage " mainmast , and served as an at - sea training ship of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for Naval Academy Midshipmen . On 13 May 1911 , at sea east of Cape Charles , Virginia , she and another vessel rescued passengers from the sinking Ward liner " Merida " after it collided with the United Fruit Company ' s steamship " Admiral Farragut " in dense fog ; all 319 passengers on " Merida " remained alive . During the next four years , she made training cruises to Northern Europe and participated in the Naval Review at Philadelphia from 10 – 15 October 1912 . She decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 27 May 1914 . World War I . " Iowa " was placed in limited commission on 28 April 1917 . After serving as Receiving Ship at Philadelphia for six months , she was sent to Hampton Roads and remained there for the duration of the war , training men for other ships of the Fleet , and doing guard duty at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay . She was decommissioned for the final time on 31 March 1919 . Post – war . On 30 April 1919 , " Iowa " was renamed " Coast Battleship No . 4 " to free her name for one of the six new battleships As " Coast Battleship No . 4 " she became the first radio - controlled target ship to be used in a fleet exercise . At the Philadelphia Navy Yard , workers removed the ship ' s guns , sealed compartments , and installed water pumps to slow the sinking process and enable a longer target session . They also installed radio control gear , developed by the well known radio engineer , John Hays Hammond Jr . She ran trials off Chesapeake Bay in 1920 with the battleship serving as control ship . Once under way , the crew left in small boats and she was fully controlled by radio signals . She returned to active service in April 1922 to Hampton Roads , Virginia to take part in gunfire exercises with the minelayer as control ship . In 1923 she went through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean to take part in combined fleet maneuvers . A party of high - ranking navy officials as well as members of Congress and newspaper correspondents sailed to Panama aboard to watch the experimental firing . The target ship was bombarded by batteries from away by . ( Incidentally , " Mississippi " later endured a deadly on - board explosion accident which took the lives of 48 crew members . ) " Iowa " was then pounded by 30 shells from a greater distance . Finally , she was bombarded by nearly three dozen heavier projectiles ( weighing each ) , by a salvo of shells and she sank in the Gulf of Panama . Honors . The ornate silver service of " Iowa " was commissioned by the Iowa legislature and produced by J . E . Caldwell & Co . of Philadelphia for $ 5 , 000 . It is now on long - term loan to the Iowa State Historical Society museum and occasionally put on display . On 25 January 1905 , five of her crew — Fireman 1st Class Frederick Behne , Seaman 1st Class Heinrich Behnke , Fireman 1st Class DeMetri Corahorgi , Watertender Patrick Bresnahan , Boilermaker Edward Floyd , and Chief Watertender Johannes J . Johannessen — received the Medal of Honor for " extraordinary heroism in the resulting action " after a manhole plate of a main boiler blew open . References . Footnotes Print sources Online sources The New York Times