A home at last for the IOWA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The USS Iowa — the last surviving World War II battleship without a home — will head to the Port of Los Angeles to stand as a permanent museum and memorial to battleships, the Navy said Tuesday.

The nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center, which has been working to bring the ship to Los Angeles, beat out the San Francisco Bay area city of Vallejo. The Navy's decision also comes six years after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted against making a public display of the ship in that city, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things.


Goto:


USS Iowa to be moved to LA to be battleship museum - Yahoo! News

 

I can't wait until they open it to the public. Fortunately, I live about 30 minutes from there!

 

What in the world does a grand old ship from WWII have to do with gays? Can't they beat that dead horse somewhere else? I'm not against it one way or the other, to each their own, but I don't see how it relates to a WWII ship.

 

What was the accident that killed the 47? It mentioned it in the article. I would love to check the ship out, might have to plan a trip that way to see it.

 

What do "gays" have to do with it? The problem was that San Fran. wouldn't/couldn't come up with the money by selling or even offering bonds or anything to establish a "home" for the Iowa. If you think all warships are "banned" from the Bay you really need to visit the area, it was the lack of funding and opposition to the unfunded wars that the populace of Frisco didn't care for and which ended up with the grand old girl being sent south to L.A..

I envy "akf86surf". I was able to do a walk through on the Missouri when I visited Seattle for the 1962 World's Fair and she was "mothballed" over at Bremmerton. They kept a section of the ship available to visitors due to its importance to the end of WW2. I stood there and looked down at the brass plaque embedded in the forward deck, and even at the tender age of 12 going on 13 I knew this was a special place.

 

The explosion in the turret was first blamed on a "gay sailor" who decided to "kill himself" by sabotaging the powder loading. This was widely reported, jumped on by many in the media, and later proven to be simply wrong. It was old powder, incorrectly stored, and improperly handled which caused the turret disaster.

Just google up "Clayton Hartwig Iowa turret explosion", even Wiki has a decent debunking and report on the incident.

 

San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted against making a public display of the ship in that city, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things.

This is where I got the gay comment. I didn't know one way or the other if other warships were there, just irritated that it had anything to do with Iowa being on public display. I am neutral in the issue

 

Ahh, now I see. The S.F. attitude toward the DADT policy has always been a bone of contention ever since it was implemented in the '90s. Then there was the false media coverage of Clay Hartwig for the explosion on the Iowa, and that most likely just added fuel to the fire of "not honoring" the ship in their harbor at their expense. I too am neutral on the issue of sexual orientation, that is a personal not public situation and should have little if any influence on the matter.

The Iowa is in a unique situation in that the explosion that put it out of service was, at one time blamed on a homosexual sailor, which was false. This coupled with the DADT policy was perhaps the "tipping point" for the Bay Area with this ship in particular.

 

Thank you Clint. I didn't want anyone thinking I was judging anyone. Very sad about the loss of life no matter the reason. Will the damages from the explosion be repaired for the ship's display or left as is? I have a cousin in the Navy (used their benefits to go to college to be a Dr). He is soon to repay the debt but we aren't sure where he will be shipped off too. He never seemed like a sea going fella to me, but he should be an asset where ever he goes.

 

For a minute there, I thought I had wandered into the Free Fire Zone.

Anyway, it's great that they have a place for the Iowa where she's wanted. A few years ago, I took a trip to the Carolinas for my son's graduation from BCT. I took a side trip to Wilmington, NC to tour the USS North Carolina. What an amazing tour that was. I spent hours just wandering around from bow to stern.

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This news made my night. I hope all the best for the project, especially in this uncertain economy. It's always nice to see there grand old ladies survive the breakers yard. But even then, it costs so much to preserve them. I always have this fear in the back of my mind that Long Beach will have to get rid of the Queen Mary some day. But I digress, great article Clint.

 

The classics never go out of style!!!!

 

Can we borrow it for a while..We have a little problem of our own over here...
HMS Invincible goes to the knacker's yard: No wonder we can't topple Gaddafi | Mail Online

 

I've been looking for information on the damaged turret, so far what I've found is that: "...#2 turret was damaged by a powder explosion in the center gun 19 April 1989; the damage was partially repaired, but the center gun was not restored to operation."

That was from a portion of the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, online.

Goto:

http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/

At that part of the site use the section titled BATTLESHIPS and search for the section that covers the BB61, IOWA

 

Glad to hear the Iowa finally has a home! I've been following this story for a long time! Good to see it come to a happy conclusion!

 

No, sadly I'm not near one really. The version that is available online isn't too bad for facts, and I believe it is taken from the GovDoc as well. I only read a portion of the investigation, and then found that part about the turret being partially repaired and the center gun left "and not restored". Thanks anyway OP.

 

I feel for your country. It is sad to see a once powerful ship be sold and dismantled for scrap!

 

No matter who pays for the display of the Iowa, at least it will be be preserved and don't forget it's the very last one of it's kind. So thank you to those who paid for the restoration that turned the ship into a museum.