The Bismarck and Tirpitz were bad enough for the North Atlantic, but good for them that the United States kept the Iowa’s in the Pacific where they were needed. The Iowa’s were much larger and had much more armor and fire power. That being said, even the Iowa’s were outgunned by the big Japanese ships Yamato and Mushashi. The United States Navy not be outdone designed and planned to build the giant Montana class (5 were planned), they were designed specifically to destroy those Japanese ships, however just before the keel of the USS Montana was to be laid down at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Battle of Midway demonstrated the importance of aircraft carriers to win the Pacific War, and the Montana’s were cancelled. Actually the keel of the USS Montana became the keel of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier.