Recently in USS Iowa Category

Check out this 9-minute You Tube video below touring the USS Iowa battleship in the Port of Richmond.

Exterior painting begins today on the ship, which is expected to be towed to Los Angeles sometime this spring. Supporters plan to have it open for tours at Berth 87 on San Pedro's waterfront -- the ship's permanent home between the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and the Vincent Thomas Bridge -- this summer.

The state of Iowa also recently handed over a $3 million donation for the project.

The video was shot in February and gives viewers a close-up look onboard the ship, which has been open for limited public tours on weekends while it's been in Richmond.

We spotted this blog post with photos by Wilhelm Arcturus who recently visited the USS Iowa battleship in the Port of Richmond in Northern California and thought San Pedro readers might be interested since the ship will be here within a few months. It gives you an idea of how the ship looks and what work still needs to be done.

Here's the author standing next to the ship's 16-inch guns.

And, to give you an idea of the work needed on the deck:

Photo by Wilhelm Arcturus

From his post:

Part of the problem, as it was explained to us, was that teak, the traditional wood used for the deck surface, and which holds up well in salt water conditions, was unavailable at some point, and so pine was substituted.  Pine, it seems, rots and lets the water through.  So there is a lot of scraping and painting to be done on the deck.

Check out the full post, it's worth a read -- and there are more photos.

Meanwhile, we reported in a Sunday story in the Daily Breeze that the SS Lane Victory, a World War II merchant ship, will be taking passengers onboard to go meet up with the Iowa (around the Santa Monica Bay area) and escort the ship on the last leg of its tow south.

There are no firm dates yet, but it's looking like the ship could be brought down sometime around late May. The website for Pacific Battleship Center offers updates and news about the ship which will become a permanent tourist attraction in the Port of Los Angeles.

Tickets to ride along on the SS Lane Victory are $250 each (for everyone, adults and kids alike). They think they'll have room for about 650. While tickets aren't being sold yet, Anthony Broude, president of the board, told me today they've been getting a lot of calls (310-519-9545).

Nice story in the Des Moines Register about some kids at Cornell Elementary School in Saylor Township, Iowa, pitching in to help with the plans to restore the USS Iowa as it prepares for a permanent move to the Port of Los Angeles.

It all started when the principal, Deb Chiodo, heard about the efforts on one of her regular morning commute radio programs, Van & Bonnie in the Morning on WHO radio in Des Moines.

From the Jan. 24 story by Lisa Lavia Ryan:

"I thought, 'history is happening right before our eyes, and I need to let our kids know about it,'" Chiodo said. "I thought that we could find a way to perhaps donate some money -- do a good deed for a great cause as a way of 'paying it forward.'"

Teachers and the PTO got involved from that point on, helping the students organize doughnut-and-juice sales with all proceeds going to the battleship fund.

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Abby Rusher, 5, of Des Moines drops coins into a bucket at the USS Iowa battleship display at Cornell Elementary. WHO radio's Van and Bonnie will broadcast from the school Wednesday to help the students raise money for the ship's restoration. / Holly McQueen/The Register

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There's also a coin drive, an anchor-themed reading contest and a "star" of honor wall to hang names of student family members who are or were in the military.

"I don't want to put a dollar amount on how much we'd like to raise, as these are little kids we're dealing with and I don't want them to feel bad if we set an amount and don't reach it," (the principal) said. "But I can see us raising $1,000. This is a great school community and a great community overall, and very generous."

On Wednesday -- Jan. 25 -- the radio show will broadcast from from the school from 5-9 a.m. to further raise awareness of the campaign to save and refurbish the USS Iowa. (Looks like you can listen online here -- remember, Iowa would be two hours ahead of us here on the West Coast, though.)

For now, the ship remains in the Port of Richmond in Northern California where it is undergoing external repairs. It is opened for limited tours on weekends.

Robert Kent, president of the Pacific Battleship Center -- the nonprofit that received the ship donation from the U.S. Navy and is overseeing its transformation into a tourist landmark -- said it looks like the ship will be in L.A. perhaps in April.

They are still hoping for a July 4 grand opening.

In other news, the Port of L.A. this week released its draft EIR on the project.

News this week that the USS Iowa would be coming to San Pedro's waterfront -- probably sometime next year -- brought to mind a harbor commission meeting I covered in October 2005.

Work on the waterfront had already begun a couple years earlier, but the new commissioners -- appointed by L.A.'s newly elected mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa -- were clearly ushering in a period of reassessment, for better or worse.

S. David Freeman, president of the newly seated commission, raised this concern during a discussion about the waterfront during that meeting I wrote about: "I have yet to see the piece de resistance," he said in the story we ran on Oct. 5, 2005. "The waterfront needs to end up being something extraordinary ... "

He said at the time he didn't know exactly what that singular attraction should be.

But something.

Even back then, I thought maybe he had a good point. 

The existing plans for a grand promenade, shops, park space and restaurants were wonderful. That alone offered a big improvement over the industrialized stretch of waterfront the community had grown accustomed to seeing through the years.

But didn't the new waterfront need something unique, something that would sing? An anchor attraction that would bring both tourists and private investment? In short, a "wow" factor, as someone described it.

The waterfront needed, Freeman said six years ago, "something that when you talk about the waterfront at Los Angeles Harbor it would be the first thing you'd mention."

The USS Iowa, an iconic World War II battleship, wasn't even on the radar six years ago.

But I wonder -- while unexpected, maybe the Iowa will turn out to be just the kind of "piece de resistance" attraction Freeman was imagining.

Time will tell.

Sounds like a party's brewing to celebrate the Navy's announcement this week that the USS Iowa would be coming to San Pedro's waterfront.

Apparently a couple of the Iowa supporters will be stopping by Off the Vine Wines between 5 and 8 tonight, so the owners decided to throw a celebration party to boot. And you're all invited.

Off the Vine is at 491 W. Sixth St. (just east of Pacific Avenue, across from the Warner-Grand Theatre), San Pedro.

You can call them at 831-1551.

If you missed the big news, read about it here.

Congressional representatives from Iowa, along with Rep. Janice Hahn from San Pedro, are stepping up the pressure on Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to announce a decision on where the USS Iowa battleship may wind up.

Letters from the lawmakers went out to Mabus in recent days urging him to announce a decision soon.

A recommendation has apparently been sent up to Mabus for a final signature. But there's still no leak on whether it will be Los Angeles/San Pedro or Vallejo.

The timing is important because the ship, now in storage in shallow water at Suisun Bay in northern California, must be towed out during a high tide. The two coming up are at the end of September and the end of October, with October being complicated because of the arrival of Pacific storm weather.

Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles released its Notice of Preparation for the EIR on the ship today. A public meeting is set for 6-8 p.m. Sept. 13.

Expect lots of folks to bring up the traffic jams from Navy Week during that session. The port says traffic and parking will be among key issues that need to be addressed in the 60-day study.

See our story from Sunday for more -- ***UPDATE: and this followup that ran Tuesday 8/30/11.

The decommissioned battleship USS Iowa sits at anchor in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. (Lanz Christian Banes / Times-Herald)

There's been a lot of activity behind the scenes since a standing-room-only crowd urged Los Angeles harbor commissioners on Oct. 7 to find berth space for the USS Iowa World War II battleship.

A final up or down vote is now expected at the commission's 8:30 a.m. Nov. 4 meeting in San Pedro.

Port officials are still awaiting the findings of a $100,000 economic feasibility study by AECOM. The work is not done yet but is expected to be ready for a report at the Nov. 4 meeting.

Meanwhile, members of the Pacific Battleship Center spent several days this month combing the decks of the Iowa, decommissioned for the last time in 1990 and now part of the ghost fleet near San Francisco. From the center's blog:

".... I worried about what we'd find. ... What would it look like after sitting abandoned for 20 years?"

For the answer to that, check out the Ship Check post at the center's website blog. 

Among the points of historic interest onboard is the bathtub specially built for former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was taken across the Atlantic on the Iowa.

You can also see some more photos of the ship check on flickr.

As for where the Iowa might be berthed -- if the commission agrees to move it here -- there are a few possibilities, although supporters would prefer Berth 87 rather than the outer harbor option.

That would put the ship in the port's Main Channel (in the general vicinity of between First and Fourth streets along Harbor Boulevard) and next to other attractions including the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, the waterfront promenade, the Red Car line and downtown shops and restaurants. It also would make the ship visible from the Vincent Thomas Bridge and the cruise ship terminal.

The organization on Sunday sent out a list of Berth 87 selling points titled "20 Reasons Iowa should be placed at Berth 87." (see the jump).

 

*** Update: The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council on 7/19/10 approved a resolution backing the proposal to bring the USS Iowa to San Pedro.

San Pedro's waterfront advisory panel Wednesday night (7/14/10) gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to the proposal to bring the USS Iowa battleship to the Port of Los Angeles as a floating museum, saying it will bring jobs, money and tourism to the area..

(See the jump for the full resolution approved by the San Pedro Coordinated Waterfront Plan Subcommittee. The measure will be forwarded to the full PCAC next week with action expected in August.)

So far, the port is standing behind its earlier rejection of the proposal but spokesman Phillip Sanfield said today that no recent discussions have been held on the matter since the U.S. Navy reopened bids for the ship in May. Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz is in China on business this week.

Among the port's concerns: finding a location for the nearly 900-foot-long ship, worries that the process of accepting the ship could slow down the community's overall waterfront plans and the possibility that the port could wind up shouldering financial or maintenance liability should the project not be successful in bringing in enough self-supporting tourist dollars. 

(There is an "exit" plan, according to the group's literature: "To date, no major naval vessel ever donated had to close and give the ship back to the Navy. However, in the event of closing the facility, the Navy requires our organization to hold in escrow resources to tow the ship back to a Navy storage facility. Therefore, there will be no cost or burden to the community or local government entities.")

Judging from the crowd's reaction, this is one project that is fast gaining widespread popular support. (One of those attended joked later that the meeting was unusual in that there was no disagreement voiced.)

Members of the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center gave a presentation on the proposal at the PCAC waterfront subcommittee meeting that included a 4-minute video clip from a Discovery Channel program that named the Iowa class ships as the top warship of all time.

Community members who attended (perhaps 70 or so), including several downtown business owners, expressed strong support for the idea. When those opposed were asked to raise their hands, no one did.

"This will be magic," said Rebecca Trani, who owns Port Gelato Creamery on Seventh Street.

Stephanie Mardesich, founder of the Los Angeles Harbor International Film Festival, urged the community to join forces to go after the ship.

"It could be the shot in the arm we need here to put us back on the map," she said. For more than a year, the Pacific Battleship Center has been working with a team of experts pulled together from various fields on a "24-7" program that would showcase the ship's history through tours, demonstrations, seminars and community service.

Bringing the ship to San Pedro -- a berthing spot on the East Channel is being eyed -- has the support of Councilwoman Janice Hahn and other elected officials.

But supporters said it needs a more proactive push and they're urging that the case be taken directly downtown.

(Photo right: The ship was selected to ferry President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Cairo and Tehran Conferences in World War II. His specially made bathtub -- the president was paralized from polio and could not use a traditional shower -- is still in place on the ship.)

"This isn't a San Pedro thing or a harbor thing," said Doug Epperhart, a board member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, which is scheduled to take up the ship proposal at its Monday night meeting. "It's a city of Los Angeles thing.

"The mayor, the chamber of commerce in downtown L.A., travel organizations -- everybody should be on this," he said. "This really should be viewed as an economic development project."

In the end, he said, everything entails a certain amount of risk.

"Do we never take a chance?" Epperhart said. "It's a situation where you do all your due diligence, get everything lined up as best you can going in, and then at some point you make that leap of faith."

You can sign up to receive regular updates on the project by emailing Robert Kent at ussiowasupport@gmail.com

 

See the resolution passed Wednesday by clicking on the jump below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A model of the USS Iowa is shown above. Robert Casillas/Daily Breeze staff photographer

 

Those of you following efforts to berth the USS Iowa, the World War II battleship, in Los Angeles harbor as a floating museum might find this article interesting. It appeared in Saturday's Des Moines Register.

Marc Hansen writes that Merylin Wong, who has been trying to get the vessel for the Vallejo area, is acknowledging that fundraising for that group has not gone so well.

The U.S. Navy concluded as much earlier this year when they put the ship back out to bid, giving a new group, Pacific Battleship Center, a crack at pushing its alternative proposal for berthing the ship in L.A.

From the Register article: 

Last year, the execuitve vice president and director of the nonprofit organization that had been trying to turn it into a floating museum (for Vallejo) told the Register that the USS Iowa was finally getting what it deserved -- a makeover and a permanent home in the former Mare Island naval shipyard about 30 miles from San Francisco.

All they had to do was raise the money. The USS Iowa, as former Register columnist John Carlson noted, was too important to die. Now, it looked as if it was going to live forever. Exciting news.

That's why it was alarming to hear what Merylin Wong told a Bay Area television reporter earlier this week: The money-raising isn't going too well.

Wong, president of the nonprofit Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square, said much of the same in Des Moines last spring when she showed up to make her pitch to Iowans.

.... I called Wong in California to ask her about her dire words of warning. She blamed the economy and said it isn't easy getting people to donate in this climate.

Then I called Craig Hooper in San Francisco to find out what he thought about Wong's warning. Hooper, a Grinnell College graduate who went on to get his doctorate degree at Harvard, writes about national security issues.

He's also a big fan of the Big Stick (the USS Iowa): "It's a link to a great past where a lot of Iowans contributed. For the nation, it's a great piece of history that speaks to a less-complicated time when American power was used in a particularly important and viable way."

Hooper goes on to criticize Wong's group for doing a "terrible job" at reaching out effectively to the community.

Now, a new group -- Pacific Battleship Center -- is pushing a new effort to bring the ship to San Pedro. The group does not have a website up yet, but does have a Facebook page.  

The big question is whether they'll be able to succeed where Wong and her group (so far) have failed. Remains to be seen. The economy is still in bad shape, never a good climate for seeking donations.

The Pacific Battleship Center will give a presentation on the proposal at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the POLA Charter High School, 250 W. Sixth St., San Pedro. The meeting is open to the public and there probably will be time for questions and answers.

For more, see today's Daily Breeze article .

For those of you following the effort to berth the USS Iowa, a World War II battleship, in the Port of Los Angeles as a permanent floating museum:

• Port officials are expected to get back to members of the Pacific Battleship Center -- the group heading up the campaign -- on Tuesday with more specific ideas on locations either in San Pedro or Wilmington. The group then will analyze those suggestions as the behind-the-scenes negotiations continue.
• Supporters are expected to launch a Web site soon as the movement gains more public interest and momentum.
• The issue could reach the Harbor Commission as early as the Feb. 11 meeting -- but that date is tentative.
• Look for more possibly high-profile political endorsements to be announced in the next few weeks.

Essentially, the group needs to convince the Navy to reopen bids for donation of the ship. To do that, they need a firm commitment of a home port in the Port of Los Angeles. That's also what's needed, supporters say, to jumpstart financial contributions. Two professional fundraisers -- one in California and the other in Iowa -- came on board this month to assist in the fundraising.

 The USS Iowa comes through the Panama Canal in 1990 being towed to the West Coast without a crew.