March 28, 1896 – The first U.S.S. battleship Iowa was launched from Philadelphia.
This U.S.S. Iowa saw action during the Spanish-American War and is notable for being America’s first seagoing battleship. Launched on March 28, 1896, the Iowa was known as “Battleship No. 4” during her lifespan and called BB-4 after the hull classification symbol system became standard in 1921.
When the Spanish-American war broke out, Cuba belonged to Spain. There was some speculation that the Spanish military made a mistake by sending its fleet to Cuba instead of keeping it nearer to Spain where supplies were closer. Once it was discovered by the United States that the Spanish fleet was in the harbor of Santiago. the Iowa was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and was ordered to blockade duty on May 28, 1898. Under the command of Captain Robley D. “Fighting Bob” Evans the Iowa participated in a naval bombardment of the fort near Santiago, and joined many other American warships blockading Cuba.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 33
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