Just stumbled across this and hada couple of thoughts. It's all academic since the Alaskas are gone and the Iowas have been deliberately rendered unrestorable.
The Iowas were designed to survive (not unscathed, or course) repeated hits from the Yamato and Mushahi's 3200 lb. shells arriving at probably supersonic speed. . No non-nuclear antiship weapon today has any kind of impact like that. They were far better protected than the Roma. There used to be a joke, Q: What do you do if an Exocet hits the New Jersey? A: Send a out Boatswain's mate with a broom to sweep the missile fragments off the deck.
VLS would be vulnerable unless you placed them within a separate armored structure. However, there would be another way to go: If the Navy ever got permission to continue its work on rail guns, mount them instead of VLS launched missiles. Far more support firepower, much easier to protect. Oh well...
Regarding the crew numbers, one of the proposals was that since there was no longer any need to sustain 33+knots, mothball half the plant with the consequent manpower savings. When that half reached its overhaul time, mothball it and run on the other half, then overhaul them both after that.
The Alaskas' armor was nowhere near as protective as the Iowas.. They were intended for a different mission.
