The Mark 2 variant of the Iowa Class Heavy Cruiser, rather than being built with salvaged hulls from the Earth-Minbari War, was actually built from the hull up, so to speak. As such, the bridge is located within the rotating mid-section so the command crew can work in gravity. This allowed for two more turrets to be placed on the 'towers'. The engine block is also more powerful than those of the Iowa Mk1. The same can be said for the upgraded sensor package at the front of the ship. The maneuvering thrusters that are found on Hyperion Class Cruiser hulls had been omitted as well, due to the rotating mid-section interfering with their operation.