The U.S. Navy's Best Decision: $100,000,000 for An Iowa-Class Battleship

Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Navy's Ford-class aircraft carriers have cost $120 billion to date, making them the most expensive warships ever built at over $13 billion each. Historically, battleships were the most expensive vessels, with the Iowa-class being the most significant and costly of its time. Constructed between 1940 and 1944, each Iowa-class battleship cost around $100 million (over $1.65 billion today).

-The design and construction of these 860-foot-long ships required immense financial and manpower investments.