Thursday, October 14, 2010

USS Iowa Looking for a Home

One of the last four US battleships is currently in San Francisco where groups there are looking to find a way to keep the ship there. In the meantime, a group from Los Angeles is making an effort to get the ship to their town as well.

From the October 13th Log: California Boating and Fishing News by Ambrosia Brody.

The Pacific Battleship Center is a group trying to get the USS Iowa (BB-61) moved from Valencia to Los Angeles in a bad way. This past month, they made a presentation to the Port of Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners. Residents, officials, veterans and others talked for over an hour in support of the move.

The port has hired a consultant to analyze the cost, expected to be $8.5 million, and benefits of having the Iowa berth in Los Angeles at San Pedro.

The Iowa is currently in the national defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay near San Francisco.

The Iowa was the lead ship of her class, probably the mightiest battleships ever built. The three other ships that were launched have already become museums:

USS New Jersey (BB-62) is in Camden, New Jersey
USS Missouri (BB-63) is in pearl Harbor, Hawaii
USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is at Norfolk, Virginia

Two other sister ships, the USS Illinois (BB-65) and USS Kentucky (BB-66) were under construction when the war ended and were scrapped.

So these are the last of our proud fleet of battleships.

Here's Hoping the Iowa Goes Somewhere and is Preserved for the Future. --Cooter

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