Battleship Iowa Last Voyage - Soon

As for the oldest metal warship, don't forget HMS Warrior.  I have been to the Massachusetts many times (reenlisted onboard once), the Texas (my uncle was a volunteer onboard and took me on tours not generally open to the public) and all of the other American battleships at least once each.  I would love to visit the Mikasa.  And, like MLK, I have a dream . . . since the USS Pennsylvania was scuttled and little damaged, I would love to see her raised. But, it is a dream only.

Bill

Digging this one up, but since there was mention of the Iowa, thought you would appreciate or hate...depending on your view of what he did. The pictures and story here

http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/

The USS Olympia is at the top of my list as well.  I signed up/donated to become a Friend of the Cruiser Olympia earlier in the year immediately following the news she would potentially be sunk.  I make what essentially a pilgrimage to the USS Texas every visit I make to family near Houston.  I have also been to the Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina and rounding the list of big-gun-toting war wagons is the IJN Mikasa.

We are indeed well off for museum ships! For battleships I have been to the North Carolina, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Misouri. (Well, and the Arizona too.)

I think the only museum carrier I have been on is the Yorktown.

As well as countless subs and other small ships. And I know there are Tons out there floating around (pun intended) that I haven't been too.

#1 on my to do list, though, is the Olympia in Philadelphia. Oldest metal warship afloat, flagship of the fleet that attacked manilla, and part of the Great White Fleet. Whoo!

Hopefully she is open for "business" before I depart California late next year. 

Hello,

The cruiser Little Rock is in Buffalo N.Y. along with a DD,SS & PT boat. It's closed in the winter, so plan a trip in the summer is the best time.

Happy Holiday's

eatthis

im very jelous of you lot. we (britain) scrapped EVERYTHING at the end of ww2 :(

even including warspite which fought at jutland (receiving plenty of hits iirc) and fought many times in ww2 HUGE history to that ship she even refused to goto the breakers yard broke her tow and ran aground lol

We are lucky for preserved ships if one wants to travel. Locally within a 30-40 minute drive there is the RMS Queen Mary, a Soviet Foxtrot Class Diesel Sub, and the SS Lane Victory- an operational Vicotry ship soon to be joined by the USS Iowa. Down in San Diego, a two hour drive, is the USS Midway. And nationwide there are more carriers, battleships, subs, destroyers.... but I dont know of any cruisers. And in Boston is our Navy's surviving pride, USS Constition.

  I had the pleasant (well, as pleasant as shipyard work gets) experience of working on Iowa and Wisconsin back in the eighties at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Fortunately for me, I wasn't involved in the cleanup of Iowa's turret 2 after the explosion there. The guys I know that participated in that were very shaken after that unpleasant job. That turret was never used again after that episode. I expect that access to No. 2 turret will be restricted after she goes on display.

im very jelous of you lot. we (britain) scrapped EVERYTHING at the end of ww2 :(

even including warspite which fought at jutland (receiving plenty of hits iirc) and fought many times in ww2 HUGE history to that ship she even refused to goto the breakers yard broke her tow and ran aground lol

So she is coming here to San Pedro? Sweet! I will visit her, just like I did New Jersey when she was refitted in Long Beach in 1981 or so....

At least it isn't going to the breakers. I was fortunate to visit the Missouri 3 years ago. Definitely a bucket-list  for me. That and Pearl Harbor.

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!   The one year in the middle of a five year run that I am not bowling the National Tournament in Reno is this coming March!!  We will be in Baton Rouge instead.  Richmond would have been an easy detour from Reno.    Oh well.  Maybe we can detour to LA in 2013....