Unless they put a precipitator or scrubber on her stack, the Iowa will be visible and can be targeted from space.
Does al-qaeda have satelites?
The days of a Pearl Harbor type surprise are over.
Even if al-qaeda could see it was coming what are they going to do about it.
They don't have a fleet of battleships to go out and meet it.
It's not as though we are going to surprise their fleet in port somewhere unless tipped off by the smoke.
If they find out we are heading to some hot spot they are in and they leave then we won without firing a shot.