USS Illinois - Iowa class battleship

The USS Illinois was the fifth of the six Iowa class battleships ordered for the US Navy in World War II. As with the USS Kentucky, the ship was cancelled before construction was complete due to the Japanese surrender. Had the atomic bomb not been deployed, it was envisioned an invasion of mainland Japan required naval bombardment for the proposed marine landings and fighting well into 1947 and possibly 1948.

Originally designated to be the first of the Montana class battleships, BB-65 was reordered as an Iowa class battleship due to concerns of navigation of the Panama Canal before construction began. The shift in naval doctrine to air supremacy saw the aircraft carrier given preference over the battleship with the South Dakota class battleships throughout the war.