LOL, it got the point across, i knew what you meant.
I figured it my duty to give you the correct spelling so you'd know- for the next time you feel the need to type forecastle.
"I don't know why I keep forgetting the RAM launchers."
If RAM is ANYWHERE near as effective in real life battle as it was in it's sea trials(an astounding 95+% skin to skin kill rate), the Goalkeepers won't have much to do, which is just fine. With four SeaRAM mounts the Iowa will be able to engage multiple vampires closing simultaneously from all directions. With four more GoalKeepers to boot, the BBG would be a very, very hard ship to hit.
"What kind of load-out would you recommend for the VLS? ESSM or Standard SAMs?"
Well, the loadout would no doubt be mission driven, so it could vary from cruise to cruise quite considerably(the real beauty of VLS IMHO).
You could do anything from 384 quad pack ESSM(WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Imagine what it would take to get a missile hit with that loadout!), to 96 TACTOM, throw in some VLS ASROC if you like, whatever. SM-2 would only be able to be guided by an Aegis, but since the introduction of FCEC, and the inevetable presence of an Aegis warship in the BBBG, you could carry 96 SM-2ER IV, if you wanted to.
If i were to stab at a 'typical' loadout, i'd break it down like this...
96 ESSM(24 cells)
48 TACTOM(48 cells)
24 SM-2MR/ER(24 cells)
6 ASROC VLS(just in case)
Total, 96 cells, 154 missiles, plus the 44 ready RAM missiles gives a total missile load of 199.
And of course 1300+ 16" rounds(11" SALH Sabot, 16" HC, 16" AP), 12,000 5" rds(EX-148 5" extended range and 5" ERGM), and some 4700+ 30mm ready rounds(I'd be sure to make sure to have a backup drum for each Goalkeeper with party-mix for those visits to not so friendly ports...like Yemen).
Put all that in a 33knot dreadnaught with utterly unmatched armor and a flight deck that will handle 4 Ospreys or 6 MH-60's at once, and that there's some serious, serious asswhooping.
I should think in a strait up battle an Iowa BBBG so equipped, and composed as Rick described, would anhilate any surface fleet on earth in quite short order.