Established June 10, 2000, one of the stated purposes of the club is set forth in our constitution: "to install and operate... a licensed amateur radio station aboard the battleship USS Wisconsin or at Nauticus Maritime Center... to publicize the presence of the great warship in our historic seaport."

We enjoyed a warm welcome from Nauticus National Maritime Center and held our first special event operation starting on Pearl Harbor Day, 2000, when the USS Wisconsin arrived at her new home in Norfolk.

The battleship Wisconsin (BB-64), one of the famous Iowa-class ships was launched on December 7, 1943 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and commissioned on April 16, 1944. The warship reported for duty in the Pacific with the 3rd Fleet when the liberation of the Phillipine Islands was underway.

Wisconsin helped neutralize Japanese sea, air and ground forces occupying the islands. BB-64 was reassigned to the 5th Fleet in February 1945 and supported the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The battleship's World War II career concluded with the transport of war-weary GI's back to the US.

Wisconsin entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in 1948, only to be re-commissioned in March 1951 for the Korean War. She steamed to the Pacific and assumed her station as flagship for the US 7th Fleet. The Battleship provided gunfire support for American, Korean and other United Nations Troops on the Korean Peninsula until relieved in April 1952.

Wisconsin embarked on a series of training missions in ensuing years. She once again entered the inactive fleet in 1958, where she remained until 1988, when she was reactivated The ship carried new Tomohawk and Harpoon missiles in addition to her 16-inch guns when she steamed to the Persian Gulf in 1990 for Operation Desert Storm. After effective use of missiles and high explosives in the desert conflict, the battleship returned home to be decommissioned for the third time in September 1991. Wisconsin remains in the Inactive Fleet, reserved for national emergencies. She is permanently berthed at Norfolk's Nauticus National Maritime Center.

Length: 887 feet, 3 inches Beam: 108 feet, 2 Inches Draft: 37 feet, 9 inches Displacement: 57,500 tons Armament: Nine 16-inch/50 caliber guns, twelve 5-inch/38 caliber guns 32 armored Tomohawk missile launchers, 16 Harpoon missile launchers and four Phalanx CIWS

USS Wisconsin Radio Club first operated from the Nauticus Maritime Center from Dec 7- Dec 10, 2000 to welcome USS Wisconsin (BB-64) to her new home in Norfolk, VA.

Unlike many museum ships, BB-64 remained in the Inactive Fleet, reserved for national emergencies until early 2006 when the navy changed the status making the ship available as a permanent Museum Ship.  The navy has requested the City of Norfolk prepare a plan that will ensure funds and procedures are in place to support the USS Wisconsin as a permanent Museum Ship. Because of the earlier status and now the  transition period we have been unable to establish a permanent station inside the ship. We initially operated from inside Nauticus Maritime Center, later from the deck of the USS Wisconsin (weather permitting) and finally in 2005 we gained access to the “Educational Space” the only compartment open. 

The club will activate the club call N4WIS for Museum Ships on the Air and other special events as they occur. 

USS Wisconsin facts provided courtesy of Hampton Roads Naval Museum.