Navy to Retire Iowa After Gun Turret Blast
<i> United Press International </i>
NORFOLK, Va. —
Pentagon budget cuts and the cost of repairs from a tragic gun turret explosion led the Navy to decommission the battleship Iowa, a symbol of military sea power since World War II.
The Iowa is being retired along with the battleship New Jersey, based in Long Beach, which is slated to be taken out of service next February. Retirement of the two vessels will leave the United States with two active Iowa-class battleships.
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