Btw – if you ever want to play the refitted USS Iowa per the 1990s proposal, here are the Harpoon V stats. Played this once in a scenario years back in which Iowa and an Arleigh Burke FFG do a "Freedom of Navigation" transit through the Taiwan straights and it turns into a rolling engagement in which PLAN/PLAA lost over 100 aircraft and 8 surface vessels in exchange for the Burke lost and the USS Iowa damaged but retreating under weigh into CAP coverage from a Carrier Group:
Here's the PDF: PDF link
Ship Data Summary — USS Iowa BB-61 (Strike Battleship 1990s Proposal)
Category Specification
Displacement ~63,000 tons full load (similar to 1980s config; aft weight redistributed for VLS & hangar)
Propulsion 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 4 GE turbines, 212,000 shp → 33 kts
Range 15,000 nm @ 15 kts
Crew ~900–1,000 (personnel reduction due to automation)
Sensors (Aegis/NTU fit) AN/SPY-1A/B (Aegis), AN/SPG-62 (illuminators), AN/SPS-49(V)5 (air search), AN/SPS-67(V) (surface), AN/SQR-19 (VDS), AN/SLQ-32(V)3 (EW suite)
ECM / Decoys SLQ-32(V)3, SRBOC × 4, Nulka × 4, TAC-EW suite
Helicopters / UAVs 2–4 × SH-60B Seahawk or UAVs (Fire Scout / Pioneer type)
Aircraft Facilities Aft hangar + pad (extended); optional "battlecarrier" V/STOL deck variant
Command Role Flag/AAW Command & Control Node for fleet group
🔱 Armament Suite (Proposed)
System Quantity Function Notes
16″/50 Mk 7 guns 6 (2 × 3 turrets forward) Surface NGFS Retained; same stats as 1980s (range 23 nm HE or 38 nm ER AP)
VLS cells (Mk 41) 128–256 (cited range 64–320) Multi-role Mix: Tomahawk BGM-109C/D, SM-2MR/ER, ASROC (VL)
5″/54 Mk 45 guns 2 (1 fwd P/S) Secondary battery Many plans kept 1–2 mounts for shore fire support
Phalanx CIWS Blk 1B 4–6 CIWS Replaced older mounts; some concepts added RAM
RAM launchers 2–4 × 21 cells Point defense 1990s option; paired with CIWS zones
Harpoon RGM-84D 8 – 16 (4 × quad canisters or VLS loadout)** ASuW May be absorbed into VLS Tomahawk ASM mix
Torpedo Defense SLQ-25 Nixie, no ship-mounted tubes
🛰️ Combat System Integration
Primary Air-Defense:
Aegis SPY-1B controlling SM-2 MR/ER missiles from VLS.
Equivalent to a Ticonderoga-class CG, but with greater magazine depth.
Surface Strike:
Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM-C/D) for deep strike;
Harpoon or Maritime Tomahawk for anti-ship.
ASW:
ASROC (VL) + 2–4 SH-60B helicopters; hull sonar (SQS-53) optional fit.
🧭 Harpoon Stats (Representative Game Conversion)
Parameter 1990s Strike Battleship (USS Iowa Concept)
Speed (kts) 33
Endurance (hrs) 1,000 (15 kts cruise)
Def Rating 200 (armor + ECM)
Armor Belt (mm eq.) 310 – 370
Radar Cross-Section Large (8 + modifier); reduced for VLS superstructure variants
Fire Control Channels 8–12 missile channels (Aegis); 2 gun FC (16″ + 5″)
VLS Load Example (192 cells) 64 SM-2, 32 ASROC, 64 Tomahawk, 32 spare reload mix
Helos / UAVs 2–4 (ASW / recon)
CIWS Coverage 6 mounts = full 360° point defense
RAM Coverage 2–4 launchers = overlapping AAW zones
Sensors Range (kyds) SPY-1B (Air 300+), SPS-67 (Surface 80), SQR-19 (VDS 50 ASW)
Combat Systems Note Equivalent Aegis Baseline 4.0 / NTU combat suite
Crew 900 (automated)
🛠 Automation Impact (Game Narrative)
Reduced Damage Control & Crew Fatigue modifiers:
Treat as "Modern Automated Battleship" (+1 to DC rolls, −1 to Crew Casualty effect).
Weapon Readiness:
Turrets 1 & 2 require traditional warm-up, but VLS weapons "instant ready."
Re-arm 16″ guns every 2 turns; missiles per launcher rate as per Harpoon VLS rules.
Combat Doctrine:
Acts as Fleet AAW Flagship / Strike Platform—comparable to a CGN + BB hybrid.
Can operate independently or lead a Surface Action Group.
🧩 Comparative Reference
Ship Type Missiles (VLS/Canisters) Helos AAW System Crew
USS Iowa (1989) 32 Tomahawk + 16 Harpoon (box launchers) 0 (pad only) Mk 37/51 radars (legacy) 1,550
USS Iowa (1990s Concept) 128 – 256 VLS (SM-2/TLAM/ASROC mix) 2–4 Aegis SPY-1 or NTU ~900
CG-47 Ticonderoga 122 VLS 2 Aegis SPY-1A 340
BBG Battlecarrier (Extreme Proposal) 64–128 VLS + V/STOL deck 6 (plus Harriers) Aegis + Deck Ops 1,000 – 1,200
⚙️ Summary: Iowa 1990s Reactivation Value (Harpoon Context)
Firepower: unmatched—dual 16″ turrets + cruiser-level missile armament.
Survivability: heavy armor + modern ECM = resilient missile node.
Fleet Utility: high cost / crew but provides flagship and deep magazine role in littoral or strike groups.
Game Balance Note: roughly equivalent to two Ticonderoga CGs in AAW/Strike capacity, but with unique gun support and armor resilience.
