The other amazing thing about battleships like this is the craftsmanship that went into their construction. They were built with next to no electronics by today's standards, yet they were very, very mechanically sophisticated. For instance, I was told on board that the steel industry of the US has deteriorated to such a degree that we couldn't rebuild the armored conning tower of the Iowa class again, absent significant capital re-investment in steel plants. The mechanical Mark 1A Fire Control Computer and Mark 8 Rangekeeper were sights to behold in their own right. By touring a ship like this, you definitely gain a new appreciation for the skilled trades which kept them afloat and operational, not to mention under wartime conditions.
The Iowa is dwarfed by the huge container cargo vessels which pass by it on a regular basis; however, it's worth considering that pretty much all ships larger than the Iowa class are cavernous. Carrier hull space is significantly consumed by the hangar deck and cargo vessels their cargo holds. The Iowa is jam-packed with machinery; very few internal areas are what I'd call 'spacious' - even the bridge isn't that spacious... the center of it is consumed by the aforementioned armored conning tower. The boiler rooms, mess halls, and Admiral's quarters are some of the few areas that come to mind that give any impression of spaciousness... and a 5" turret were removed to make room for the Admiral's quarters. The rest of the ship is jam-packed with machinery and steel.
As museums, only a fraction of these vessels are open to the public - yet it takes the better part of an afternoon just to take a cursory glance at what is available to be seen. I can easily imagine that crew stationed on opposite ends of the ship probably rarely if ever saw each other on months-long cruises - they perhaps only had the opportunity to see each other when the ship's crew was mustered before/after a tour.
EDIT: to get a hint of the amount (and thickness) of steel on board a ship like this... see that minor dent that needs an arrow to point it out? That's the effect of a 6" (light cruiser main battery equivalent) shell from a shore battery during the Marshall Islands campaign. No bothers given.
