{"nrhp_refnum":"12000178","name":"USS WISCONSIN (BB-64) battleship","other_names":["\"Wisky\"","VDHR No. 122-5414"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"1 Waterside Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Norfolk (Independent City)","county":"Norfolk","state":"VA","lat":36.85029459100008,"lon":-76.29495110399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-03-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Maritime History","Military","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-class fast battleship built at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, laid down in 1941 and launched December 7, 1943. She is now a museum ship at One Waterside Drive in Norfolk, Virginia, with a 40-foot utility boat counted as a second contributing structure.","why_significant":"The nomination argues for national significance under Criterion A in Maritime and Military History for service in World War II, the Korean War and the Persian Gulf War, especially her role as strike director for Tomahawk missile attacks in 1991. It also cites Criterion C for engineering as a late example of American battleship design. Criteria Consideration G is addressed because her greatest significance dates from 1986 to 1991.","narrative":"USS Wisconsin is an Iowa-class battleship, 887 feet long, laid down in 1941 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and launched on December 7, 1943. Today she serves as a museum ship in Norfolk, Virginia. Her main armament is three triple 16-inch gun turrets, protected by an armored citadel, and she retains her original hull, profile and power plant. Her bow came from the unfinished USS Kentucky after a 1956 collision with the destroyer Eaton. A 1986-1988 modernization added Tomahawk and Harpoon missile launchers and altered much of the interior and equipment. Wisconsin served in World War II, the Korean War and the Persian Gulf War, providing gunfire support in each. In 1991 her commanding officer served as the Navy's strike warfare commander for Tomahawk missile attacks on Iraq, and she fired 26 missiles. The listing recognizes her role in maritime and military history and her engineering as one of the last four American battleships built.","period_of_significance":"January 25, 1941-July 1, 1948; March 3, 1951-March 8, 1958; July 1, 1986-September 30, 1991","architect_builder":"Hull designed by the United States Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair; weapons and armor by Bureau of Ordnance; machinery by Bureau of Engineering. Constructed at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania","architectural_style":"Iowa-class battleship","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as a museum (recreation and culture); the ship is stripped of modern weapons and electronics, with some mounts remaining.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.797403-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/6822/41682211/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/12000178.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000178/03b612f13e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000178/03b612f13e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Wisconsin_(BB-64)_underway_at_sea,_circa_1988-1991_(NH_97206-KN).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682211","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wisconsin_(BB-64)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1265287"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/norfolk/uss-wisconsin-bb-64-battleship-12000178/"}