GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Iowa

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Iowa

Beta

U.S.A. · Tier VII · Battleship · Tech Tree: Fast Battleships

Fast flanking battleshipUse speed to take flanks and cross-fire from angles.

Playstyle

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 33 kn to…
Avoid: Using the 33-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

Key characteristics

18 km gun rangeStrong AASpotter planeSluggish rudder

Community Data

Iowa Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Iowa is a Tier VII American fast battleship at 33 kn. Mobility lets her rotate flanks battleship-fast and pick fights where her guns get the first salvo. AA (674 AA DPS at 5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best turret traverse rate in T7 BBs (12) and best DCP duration in T7 BBs (20 s).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 33 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has. Mobility means you can pick which fight you are in; do not waste it by holding center the whole match.

Potato Avoidance

Using the 33-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

The mobility advantage is about picking which cap fight you arrive at, not about leading the brawl line; a fast BB that overextends loses HP that the kit cannot trade back.

Signature Traits

Long DCP window

20.0 s Damage Control duration, best of T7 BBs. Stays fire / flood immune longer per activation.

Hardened superstructure

439.0 mm superstructure, best of T7 BBs. HE farms less.

Heavy armor

439.0 mm max plate, top decile of T7 BBs.

Long gun range

17.7 km main battery reach, top decile of T7 BBs.

Sluggish rudder

25.4 s rudder shift, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Hard to dodge incoming AP; lean on island cover.

Low fire chance secondaries

5.0% best HE fire chance per secondary shell, bottom quartile of T7 BBs. Lights fewer fires in a brawl than peers.

Acquisition

How to get Iowa

Iowa is available in the Fast Battleships branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 3,600,000 credits. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock.

Early AccessOfficial WG line/source notes indicate a temporary Early Access window before normal acquisition.

Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram

U.S. Tech Tree

Iowa sits in the Fast Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. fast battleships trade some of their deep citadel protection for speed, but they remain fully-fledged battleships. Their long-range main battery and adaptability make them suitable for almost any situation.

Advantages: Adaptable, Long-range main battery guns
Disadvantages: Low-velocity shells, Poor maneuverability

3 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.S. lines.

U.S.A.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII

Destroyer

Cruiser

Light cruiser split

Battleship

Alternative battleship

Hybrid battleship

Carrier

Tier IIWickesPASD027 Tier IIIClemsonPASD019 Tier IVFarragutPASD005 Tier VMahanPASD006 Tier VIBensonPASD008 Tier VIIFletcherPASD021 Tier VIIIA. M. SumnerPASD114 Tier IAlbanyPASC003 Tier IISt. LouisPASC004 Tier IIIPhoenixPASC024 Tier IVOmahaPASC005 Tier VPensacolaPASC012 Tier VINew OrleansPASC014 Tier VIIBaltimorePASC017 Tier VIIIBuffaloPASC109 Tier VDallasPASC206 Tier VIHelenaPASC207 Tier VIIClevelandPASC208 Tier VIIISeattlePASC209 Tier IIIWyomingPASB004 Tier IVNew YorkPASB006 Tier IVNevadaPASB105 Tier VNew MexicoPASB034 Tier VIColoradoPASB008 Tier VIIIowaPASB018 Tier VIIIMainePASB118 Tier VTennesseePASB106 Tier VINorth CarolinaPASB012 Tier VIIKansasPASB108 Tier VIIIMinnesotaPASB109 Tier VIConnecticutPASB207 Tier VIINebraskaPASB208 Tier VIIIDelawarePASB209 Tier IIILangleyPASA004 Tier VRangerPASA006 Tier VIILexingtonPASA012

Official WG availability sources

Strike From the Skies: U.S. Hybrids in Early Access and Our July 4th Event Early Access Start: 2024-06-30 · End: 2024-07-31 Official early-access or tech-tree-line article. Tech-tree ships are temporary crate drops during Early Access, then move to the Tech Tree.

Builds Beta

Build for main-battery accuracy, reload/range, survivability, concealment, and fire resistance.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Iowa sits among Tier VII BBs (39 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

Top 10%Main battery range17.7 km (3/39) Top 10%Engine power212,000 hp (3/39) Top 10%AA DPS674 (3/39) Top 10%Max armor439 mm (4/39) Top 25%Hit points70,000 HP (8/39) Top 25%Max speed33 kt (5/39) Top 25%AP shell damage13,100 (9/39) Top 25%Turn-speed retention230.4 hp/m (5/39) Top 25%Power-to-weight4.24 hp/t (7/39) Top 25%AA threat2,158 (5/39) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.78 × (36/39) Bottom 25%AP velocity762 m/s (31/39) Bottom 25%Displacement50,000 t (31/39) Bottom 10%Rudder shift25.4 s (38/39) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 8 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 8 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (27 of 39 in cohort)

See 28 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Iowa -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Concealment15.36 km(23/39) Air detection12.29 km(23/39) Main battery caliber406 mm(15/39) Main battery reload27 s(25/39) Sigma1.8(23/39) HE shell damage5,700(20/38) HE fire chance36%(17/38) Fires per minute7.2(19/38) HE DPM114,000(15/38) AP DPM262,000(16/39) Main dispersion220.9 m(21/39) Secondary DPM (per side)180,000(27/39) HE alpha1,800(27/37) HE velocity820 m/s(20/38) Acceleration8.8 s(17/39) AP arming threshold68 mm(27/39) Secondary range5 km(27/39) AA range5 km(15/39) Repair charges3(19/39) Citadel belt297 mm(23/37) Stern armor32 mm(15/37) Deck armor127 mm(14/36) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(28 of 39 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(31 of 39 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(38 of 39 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(37 of 39 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(27 of 39 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(29 of 37 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 38 peers

Marcantonio Colonna vs

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chart More tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Repair 3Fighter

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 63,900 → 70,000

Displacement50,000 t

Armor range6–439 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 19, 25, 32, 38, 50, 51, 58, 76, 127, 142, 152, 157, 163, 181, 184, 216, 287, 297, 307, 343, 439 mm

Armor material/layer entries61

Fire resistanceInitial: 33.3% → 36.6%

Fire duration60 s

Torp Reduction25%

Magazine HP

The magazine is the module a detonation comes from. Penetrating hits to it raise the detonation chance from 1% toward 30% as its HP is worn down, so a larger magazine pool rides out citadel hits longer before a detonation becomes likely.

35,000

Steering gear HP

Durability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.

21,000

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 406 mm/50 Mk7

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels

Reload time30 s

Firing range (base)16.1 km

Firing range (top fire control)17.7 km

Turret traverse4 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

1.8

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (16089/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 220.9 m

220.9 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 220.9 × 0.6 = 132.5 m

132.5 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 220.9 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 76 m

76 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 132.5 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 45.6 m

45.6 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.

45 s

Base shells/min

9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18.

HE shells

HE Damage5,700

HE Velocity820 m/s

Fire Chance36%

HE penetration

68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

68 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.

51,300

Base HE DPM

51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 102,600.

102,600

Installed HE DPM

51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 114,000.

114,000

Base fires/min

9 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 36% fire chance = 6.48.

6.48

AP shells

AP Damage13,100

AP Velocity762 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold68 mm

AP overmatch

floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

28 mm

AP Pen Close

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2520 × 1225^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 762^1.38 = 847.6 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

847.6 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (22.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 496.2 m/s: 1e-7 × 2520 × 1225^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 496.2^1.38 = 468.9 mm.

468.9 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

13,100 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,900.

117,900

Base AP DPM

117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 235,800.

235,800

Installed AP DPM

117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 262,000.

262,000

AP AOE Radius

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

250

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 35 → 51

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Decoded AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5 km

20 mm Oerlikon Mk20Initial: 20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (21×1) → 20 mm Oerlikon Mk20 (32×2)

40 mm Bofors Mk2Initial: 14×4 → 19×4 40mm

127 mm Mk32 (DP)10×2 127mm

DPS

Includes 50 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range5 km

DPSInitial: 106 → 139

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 50 + Medium 139 = 189

189

DPSInitial: 43 → 108

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 50 + Medium 139 + Near 108 = 297

297

Secondary Battery

Mounts10

Firing range5.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Caliber127 mm

Reload time6 s

HE Damage1,800

Muzzle Velocity792 m/s

Fire Chance5%

Armor Pen21 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Secondary dispersion type

Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.

Standard

Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

315 m

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 212,000 hp

Engine power212,000 hp

Maximum speed33 kt

Turning circle radius920 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio3.8× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea15.36 km

Detectability by air12.29 km

Smoke firing penalty14.81 km

Detect after firing main guns15.36 km

Detect Fire Sea17.36 km

Detect Fire Air15.29 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 20 s active

Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal

Choose one

Catapult Fighter3 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size

Observation Seaplane3 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus

Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost

Module options (2)

Stats above use the fully-upgraded modules. These are the research-tree alternatives; trade-offs are flagged.

HullUpgrade

Hit points63,900 → 70,000
Rudder shift33.4 → 25.4 s
AA mounts35 → 51
Close-range AA DPS149 → 247
Turret traverse4 → 12 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range16,089 → 17697.9 m

See all derived stats

Show ▾

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)1.8

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp220.9 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (16089/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 220.9 m

Max Vert Disp132.5 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 220.9 × 0.6 = 132.5 m

Med Horiz Disp76 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 220.9 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 76 m

Med Vert Disp45.6 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 132.5 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 45.6 m

Dispersion familyUS/UK BB Disp.

2.5% overall improvement compared to EU BB Disp.

AP Pen Close847.6 mm

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2520 × 1225^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 762^1.38 = 847.6 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far468.9 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (22.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 496.2 m/s: 1e-7 × 2520 × 1225^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 496.2^1.38 = 468.9 mm.

HE penetration68 mm

68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch28 mm

floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius250

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

Broadside guns used for alpha9

All 9 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time45 s

180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.

HE full-salvo alpha51,300

5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.

AP full-salvo alpha117,900

13,100 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,900.

Base HE DPM102,600

51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 102,600.

Base AP DPM235,800

117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 235,800.

Installed HE DPM114,000

51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 114,000.

Installed AP DPM262,000

117,900 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 262,000.

Base shells/min18

9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18.

Installed shells/min20

9 broadside guns x 60 / 27 s installed Artillery reload = 20.

Base fires/min6.48

9 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 36% fire chance = 6.48.

Installed fires/min7.2

9 HE shells x 60 / 27 s installed reload x 36% fire chance = 7.2.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range131

Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 127mm 10x2 -> 131 DPS @ 5 km; 40mm ?x? -> 278 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm ?x? -> 265 DPS @ 2 km.

Maximum AA range5 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Decoded AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range131 DPS @ 5 km, 409 DPS @ 3.5 km, 674 DPS @ 2 km

Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.

AA DPS at point-blank674

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).

AA threat index2158

SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.

Near aura range2 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard

Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.

Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)180,000

Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 10×2 127 mm (10/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 180,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1800

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.

Max HE fire chance5%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% from the 127 mm family.

Max HE pen21 mm

Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 63,900 → 70,000 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	32 mm primary (range 32–50 mm)	4,500 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)	19 mm primary (range 16–439 mm)	52,500 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	32 mm primary (range 6–343 mm)	5,300 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	297 mm primary (range 25–297 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.10 damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage	Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. Damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead (×0.10 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	439 mm	5,600 (8% of HP)	Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage	Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP).
Turret (module, per magazine)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	35,000 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
Secondary mount (127 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	800 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (40 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast.
Engine (module, research)	engine coefficient (unconfirmed)	-0.128 research estimate	Largest on BB/BC; zero on destroyers	Engine durability isn't a per-ship HP field in the binary. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the decoded deceleration fields; exact meaning unconfirmed in the current decoder.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	21,000 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Iowa. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×2Torpedo ×1

2025-06-26

Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes

Stock and upgraded hull maximum speed increased from 30 to 33 knots.
Stock and upgraded hull side plating of the torpedo protection increased from 25 to 38 mm.

Read the full official post

Historical context

The real USS Iowa (BB-61) that gave this ship her name. Facts cross-checked against the linked Wikipedia article.

ClassIowa-class battleship (lead ship)

OperatorUnited States Navy

Era1943–1990

WarsWorld War II, Korean War, Cold War

BuilderNew York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn

Launched27 August 1942

Commissioned22 February 1943

DeploymentsThree active eras: WWII commissioning (1943–1949), Korean War recommissioning (1951–1958), and Reagan-era 600-ship-Navy recommissioning (1984–1990) with Tomahawk and Harpoon missiles added.

Notable engagements

Tehran Conference transit (November 1943) — Carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic en route to the Tehran Conference.
Pacific shore bombardment (1944–1945) — Saipan, Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and mainland Japan.
Korean War deployments (1952–1953) — Shore bombardment of North Korean targets.

Fate

Decommissioned 1990 following the 1989 Turret 2 explosion that killed 47 sailors. Now a museum ship at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California.

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Iowa can equip, from in-game data.

Primary official WG sources

Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.

2022-07-14 · Official ship feature / stats Strive for Greatness: Tier VIII development blog Official source 2020-06-18 · Patch notes Update: June 2020 Patch notes 2021-05-13 · Patch notes May Update: Things Are Heating Up! Patch notes 2025-06-26 · Patch notes July Update: Of Stars and Freedom Patch notes