Named after the state of lowa, USS lowa would be the lead ship in the final class of battleships built for the United States in 1940. At the time of their completion, the battleship lowa, along side her sister ships, would be some of the largest and powerful battleships in the world. In comparison to the modern day cruise ship behind her, "Queen Mary", she is still a very large ship at a length of 887 feet and 3 inches. She would also carry 9 x 16 in (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns that had a max range of 24 miles. During her career, she would have one of the most active service records of the entire Navy. In total, Iowa would be commisioned and decommissioned on three separate occasions, all during different era's of conflict in the world. Once she was decommissioned for the final time in October 1990, she would eventually begin a new life as a museum ship in California offering her long history to people around the United States.