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YES! They decided to save the USS IOWA into a museum!!!

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  • Member since
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  • From: Lacombe, LA.
YES! They decided to save the USS IOWA into a museum!!!
Posted by Big Jake on Sunday, May 13, 2012 11:42 AM

http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9UNH2AO0%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1018

RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — Firing its 16-inch guns in the Arabian Sea, the U.S.S. Iowa shuddered. As the sky turned orange, a blast of heat from the massive guns washed over the battleship. This was the Iowa of the late 1980s, at the end of its active duty as it escorted reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq war.

Some 25 years later, following years of aging in the San Francisco Bay area's "mothball fleet," the 887-foot long ship that once carried President Franklin Roosevelt to a World War II summit to meet with Churchill, Stalin and Chiang Kai Shek is coming to life once again as it is being prepared for what is most likely its final voyage.

Not far from where "Rosie the Riveters" built ships in the 1940s at the Port of Richmond, the 58,000-ton battlewagon is undergoing restoration for towing May 20 through the Golden Gate, then several hundred miles south to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. There it is to be transformed into an interactive naval museum.

On May 1, ownership of the Iowa was officially transferred from the U.S. Navy to the Pacific Battleship Center, the nonprofit organization that has been restoring the boat for its new mission.

"This means everything — it's going to be saved," John Wolfinbarger, 87, of San Martin, Calif., who served aboard the USS Iowa for almost two years in the mid-1940s and recently began giving public tours of the old ship during repairs here.

"When it gets down to San Pedro, it's going to be the happiest day of my life, like coming home!" he said, watching the mast being reattached.

For the past decade, the lead ship of her battleship class known as "The Big Stick" has sat in the cold and fog, anchored with other mothballed ships in nearby Suisun Bay. This spring, workers began scrubbing and painting the Iowa's exterior, replacing the teak deck and reattaching the mast in preparation for the museum commissioning on July 4.

Jonathan Williams, executive officer of Pacific Battleship Group, has been overseeing the project, which will exceed $4 million upon completion. Williams credited his dedicated his staff and volunteers, along with the financial contributions from the state of Iowa, for making the restoration possible.

"The U.S. Navy, MARAD (United States Maritime Administration) and the crew that mothballed the battleship over the past 22 years did an excellent job and kept the heart and soul of Iowa alive," said Williams.

"Things are on track and we are following our schedule as planned," he added. "We are trying to make sure nothing is missed as the process is complex."

The fast Iowa-class battleships, ordered by the Navy in 1939 and 1940, could travel at a speed of 33 knots. The Iowa, first commissioned in 1943 and again in 1951 and 1984, saw duty in World War II and the Korean War. It took part in escorting tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war before being decommissioned in 1990.

During World War II, when transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944, the ship shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carriers operating in the Marshall Islands.

It was one of two ships of its class camouflaged during World War II— and it also was the only one with a bathtub, which was put in for President Roosevelt. The Iowa also served as the Third Fleet flagship, flying Adm. William F. Halsey's flag as it accompanied the Missouri at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

A dark part of the ship's history took place in 1989, when 47 sailors were killed in an explosion in the No. 2 gun turret. After the blast, the Navy alleged a crewmember caused the explosion as a result of a failed relationship with another male crewmember. A follow-up investigation found the explosion was most likely the result of human error.

Most visitors are immediately drawn to the sight and firepower of the Iowa's nine16-inch guns, which could send an armor-piercing shell the weight of a small car 24 miles. When the ship was modernized during the 1980s, it was outfitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Phalanx gun mounts. It was also one of the first ships outfitted to carry a drone for reconnaissance flights.

Future plans for the Iowa include an interactive tour experience that will allow the visitor to experience what life at sea was like during active duty. Among the highlights will be viewing the inside of one of the main gun turrets, seeing the 17.5-inch armored conning station on the bridge and viewing Roosevelt's stateroom.

There will also be tours of secondary weapons, missiles, engineering, armor and special spaces. An ADA accessibility plan calls for an elevator to be installed from the main deck to one below for access to the main exhibit areas. The museum is scheduled to open on July 7.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Sunday, May 13, 2012 8:58 PM

Sweet! I know where I will be going this summer. San Pedro is only about 40 minutes away. Wink

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Bent River, IA
Posted by Reasoned on Sunday, May 13, 2012 9:07 PM

There is just something about a BS and seeing a 16" gun lob a shell..... now that would be worth a tour.  I had a college buddy serve on the MO back in the mid 80's, he gave me tour and man those are big impressive boats.

Science is the pursiut of knowledge, faith is the pursuit of wisdom.  Peace be with you.

On the Tarmac: 1/48 Revell P-38

In the Hanger: A bunch of kits

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Sunday, May 13, 2012 10:59 PM

Great news indeed. I had the honor of visiting the Missouri at Pearl back in 2008. That made up for me missing the New Jersey that came through our city back in the early 80's

   http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/wing_nut_5o/PANZERJAGERGB.jpg

 Eric 

  • Member since
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  • From: San Francisco Bay Area
Posted by bufflehead on Sunday, May 13, 2012 11:31 PM

I only live a dozen or so miles away from where they're restoring her in Richmond!  I already drove by the dock one afternoon a few weeks back and got to see my first full size battleship from the street!  Hopefully I'll get to see her again (up close) before she leaves for Los Angeles.

Ernest

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  • Member since
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  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Monday, May 14, 2012 1:31 AM

Get some pictures Ernest and post them.  Cool

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 Eric 

  • Member since
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  • From: San Francisco, CA
Posted by telsono on Monday, May 14, 2012 5:36 PM

Those 16" guns are awesome. And quite destructive even if they didn't hit the target. If I had the time I would like to go see her.

You really know when Hollywood gets it wrong. In Steven Segal's movie "Under Siege" when the shell landed alongside the sub, that should have cracked the sub's hull. Near misses could be as devastating or more so than a direct hit. the plates would have been buckled or even warped from the concussion wave. But that doesn't make good action picture scenes if you have to explain it, such as even though we didn't hit the sub, its sinking. although, they did get the concussion wave from firing correct.

Mike T.

Beware the hobby that eats.  - Ben Franklin

Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out. - Ben Franklin

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  • Member since
    January 2012
Posted by Fuddy Duddy on Monday, May 14, 2012 5:56 PM

I live in Long Beach (actually near where the Iowa class BS's were overhauled and based at Long Beach Naval Station) 15 minutes from where the Iowa will be in San Pedro. This has been in the news hear for several months. I have previously toured the Missouri and the New Jersey (when she was an active BS here in Long Beach). I'm looking forward to seeing the Iowa here.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Bloomsburg PA
Posted by Dr. Hu on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 10:38 PM

So clue me in. I know that the USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, now the USS Iowa are all museum ships . Are any of the other "Iowa" class ships preserved as museums and not just "mothballed"?

 

Jack

  • Member since
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  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 5:19 PM

The last of the class, Wisconsin, is a museum ship in Norfolk, Virginia.

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Thursday, May 17, 2012 5:16 PM

All this fuss! If you really want something preserved then support efforts to save one of the predecessors! The U.S.S. OLYMPIA has actually MORE significance as a ship to be saved.What was said on her decks has been immortalized AND sh,e of a type that,s extremely rare anywhere.

We already heve the MISSOURI,NEW JERSEY and my favorite,The WISCONSIN(.I worked on the presentation model of her). That makes four IOWA class ships saved.but the TEXAS is in fair to poor shape and the OLYMPIA even worse.Don,t those examples of the armored,big gun ships of their time deserve some interest too.Oh , that,s right ,most couldn,t see them do their jobs cause we didn,t have T.V. then.           TANKERbuilder

  • Member since
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  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Friday, May 18, 2012 8:54 AM

 The thing about the modernized Iowa class ships is that they are still in a state of preservation that would allow recall into active service if required.

 It is a shame that the Olympia and Texas are in the shape they are in but that is the responsibility of their respective museum foundations. Other foundations are doing much better with their charges such as the ones for the Alabama, North Carolina, Lexington, Intrepid, Yorktown, Midway, Massachusetts, etc.. Maybe a fire is needed to be lighted under their butts. 

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
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  • From: Guam
Posted by sub revolution on Friday, May 18, 2012 9:29 AM

Yorktown's not doing much better. In fact they used to have 4 ships down there, but they had to get rid of two of them due to lack of funding.

NEW SIG

  • Member since
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  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Friday, May 18, 2012 9:54 AM

subfixer

 The thing about the modernized Iowa class ships is that they are still in a state of preservation that would allow recall into active service if required.

 It is a shame that the Olympia and Texas are in the shape they are in but that is the responsibility of their respective museum foundations. Other foundations are doing much better with their charges such as the ones for the Alabama, North Carolina, Lexington, Intrepid, Yorktown, Midway, Massachusetts, etc.. Maybe a fire is needed to be lighted under their butts. 

Don't underestimate the enormous financial problems that inevitably are associated with preserving any ship.  So far as I know, every warship preservation organization has money trouble of one sort or another.

The problem is especially acute right now, as WWII-vintage hull plating is reaching the end of its useful life and starting to rust badly.  My near neighbor, the North Carolina, for instance, is currently experiencing significant, and worsening, problems with hull leakage.  So much Cape Fear River mud has settled under her that she probably can't actually sink, but nobody wants to find out what would happen if the hull flooded.  For a time there was talk about towing her up to a drydock in Newport News, but that turned out to be cost-prohibitive.  The current plan is to build a cofferdam, so the experts can patch the hull while leaving her open to the public, so she can continue generating income. 

That's the sort of headache that conscientious professionals have to wrestle with all the time - and always will.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
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  • From: Exeter, MO
Posted by kustommodeler1 on Friday, May 18, 2012 1:57 PM

I say the Iowa HAD to be saved. It's historical significance is just as important as the Missouri's, but in a different flavor.

See, back in 1941, the President didn't have Air Force One at his beck and call to travel overseas, he had to choose a different mode.....

FDR wanted the first of the new "fast" battleships to be his ship of state for his travels. That meant Iowa not only had flag quarters as built, but presidential quality quarters as well. Because of his paralysis, FDR had special needs, and they were seen to in many ways on Iowa, and to this day, she is the ONLY U.S. Navy ship to ever carry a bathtub. It remains on board to this day.

If that seems a funny reason to save a ship from the scrapper's torches, at least it's a legitimate one LOL

 

Darrin

Setting new standards for painfully slow buildsDead

  • Member since
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  • From: Austin, TX
Posted by DoogsATX on Friday, May 18, 2012 2:13 PM

Nice to read. Seen some shots of the Iowa in the mothball fleet, and they're heartbreaking.

I agree that the Olympia and Texas need much better attention, but this isn't an either/or situation. I'd love to see them all saved, but it's happy news that the Iowa will get a more honorable resting place it so richly deserves.

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  • Member since
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  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Sunday, May 20, 2012 1:15 AM

I cannot speak to Olympia, but I can to Texas, as she and I have a long history.

Many of Texas' present problems stem back to some poor (other adjectives, and expletive ones apply) decisions made when she was first made into a display.  Foolish things like flooding her until she sank to the bottom of the "berth" there on the east side of the Houston Ship Channel.  Covering the wood decks with concrete was of similar brilliance. (this was to stop rainwater from getting through rotted deck timber, and then to unrepaired deck overhead leaks.

Okay, some of that also stems from Texas being the first battleship ever made into a permanent museum display ship.  So, mistakes were made.  And, in some fairness, far worse mistakes were made in Galveston at "Seawolf Park" <shudder>.

Much of this was corrected by transferring the ship to Texas Parks and Wildlife, which manages many of the historical sites in Texas.  The dry-docking in '88 repaired much of the hull problems (and exposed many more, from silt having eaten away at hull voids and the like.  The "hazard mitigation" turned out to be two or three times what was expected, too.

But, when they were done, the changes were for the better.  Gone was the monochrome gray of a vaguely haze color, and a mix of 20mm and 1,1" quads.  Instead, she was in a beautiful rendition of all-over Sea Blue, with a correct fit-out of 20mm & 40mm.  Sadly, the two OS2U were gone, too.  But, she was afloat.  You could actually feel the motion of the ship again.  Sadly, many of the mechanical spaces were no longer open, but, genuine historical and preservation people are around to do their best.  The "Hardhat Tours" let the interested get further in the ship, and generate useful funds.    TP&W also is doing things like arranging for scouting groups to come and 'camp' on board, generating ongoing youth interest.   They even have a "slop chest" with various uniform parts for the kids to 'dress up" too.

Having been lucky enough to contribute some historical artifacts to the ship, and having met with the ship's director and curator, their largest concern is paint.  They need a paint which is many things:  Historically accurate; Long-lasting; Easy to apply; has no (or few) bio interactions; is also "environmentally sensitive"; oh, and inexpensive, too.

Here, very soon, Texas will get a brand new, "dry berth."  While this will be a shame in one sense.  A ship just does not feel "alive" unless afloat.  But will lower the maintenance requirements no end (and increase the paint overhead).   Minor things like a burned-out pump will not lower a known plate leak below the waterline--which happened not so long ago.  It will be a change, but one that could see the engine rooms reopened to public view in the decade.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Monday, May 21, 2012 10:38 AM

Good luck on the preservation of the Texas. Would love to visit one day.

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 Eric 

  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Monday, May 21, 2012 3:19 PM

I will definitely agree with that sir.The HORNET was at her first year or two a handful.Now as far as maintenance is concerned,I have often wondered,If ENGLAND,a smaller country, can get up the pounds to save her ships why can,t we.Oh I get it our politicians don,t care! No really,on the steel thing you,re correct so here,s an idea.

 Build a cofferdam around all of them and fill it with concrete and construction(demolition) scrap.This way the sinking issue would be partially resolved.They could incorporate a french drain system and seal the existing hull,sans props etc. with the same tarry stuff they seal foundations with.

It could also provide jobs(ALA-WPA ?) for out of work or newbies that need to learn these skills.How many bodyshop employees can this country absorb from those GOV,T training  programs?Here,s a way to save our maritime history and train a bunch of folks a new trade too.

The  other thing is this,If all these companies want some credit such as royalties for their stuff,why don,t they chip in some dough for the ideal advertising coup ?       TANKER-builder

  • Member since
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  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Monday, May 21, 2012 4:28 PM

I feel obliged to point out that the U.S. has a far better record in the field of ship preservation than Great Britain does. 

All of the British battleships, battle cruisers, and aircraft carriers of the two World Wars are gone.  (The biggest surviving British WWII warship is the Belfast, a light cruiser.  And only a small handful of destroyers and other small combatants are left.)  The British have only one sailing merchantman:  the Cutty Sark.  (She seems to have survived a recent, extremely competent restoration project that was interrupted by a terrible fire.  For a while it looked like the money to save her couldn't be raised; if not for the expected influx of tourists for the 2012 London Olympics, I suspect we might have lost her for good.  England has one preserved eighteenth-century warship, the Victory; we have one too, the Constitution.  The British have raised and are preserving the Mary Rose, and they've saved the Warrior and a couple of early steam passenger vessels.  There are a few others.  But if you look at the British ship modeling sites you'll find just as much griping about lack of public interest and unappreciative politicians as you'll find here.  (By the way, let's not blame the politicians for too much.  You can count on one hand the preserved ships that are still the responsibility of the U.S. federal government - starting with the Constitution and ending with the Missouri.  The others are operated by state and-or private organizations.  If a member of congress proposed committing several million dollars a year from the federal budget to maintain old warships, he'd be run out of Washington.)

I wish more American warships had been saved.  I wish for a lot of things I'll never get.  But let's not give other countries more credit than ours - unless they deserve it, which I don't think any of them do.  (Off the top of my head, the only other countries I can think of that have preserved ships at all are Britain, the Netherlands (lots - particularly from the medieval period), Japan (the Mikasa), Russia (the Aurora, and probably a few we don't hear about),  Norway (the Gokstad and Oseberg ships), Germany (a U-boat or two and a Hanseatic cog), and Sweden (the Wasa).  I think there are a couple of preserved sailing merchantmen, and a former Soviet submarine (bought at auction) in Australia.  I'm probably leaving out a few; can anybody add to the list?

The bottom line is that, not withstanding the number of great ships we've sent to the scrapheap (or Davy Jones's Locker), the U.S. has the biggest and most successful historic ship preservation record in the world.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
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  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Monday, May 21, 2012 5:41 PM

The US also has the Balclutha, Jeremiah O'Brien and the USS Pampanito right here, and the Hornet across the Bay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museum_ships

Add to the list, that I've seen:

 

Amundsens Gjoa and Nansen's Fram in Oslo.

A series of remarkable if partial viking ships in Roskilde, Denmark.

A fishing boat from the first century at the Sea of Gallilee.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 9:14 AM

That's a fascinating list; I didn't know it existed, and it's longer than I expected.  I haven't actually done the arithmetic, but it looks to me like, as I suggested earlier, the U.S. is ahead of everybody else.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
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Posted by ddp59 on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 5:18 PM

canada has at least ww2 warships(Haida & Sackville) plus the sailing schooner Bluenose II

  • Member since
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Posted by Harquebus on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 4:47 AM

I'm glad to hear that all are in an advanced state of preservation and could be reactivated if the need arose. I am saddened when warships or weapons are deactivated and can no longer serve their purpose. Many have said the BB's of the Iowa class had very little mileage, wear and tear since they were deployed near the end of WWII; that and their value of placing 16" shells with pinpoint accuracy anywhere within 23 miles made them indispensable in the postwar years. I knew the USMC always made a strong case for their retention in the Navy over the years.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Friday, July 6, 2012 6:00 PM

Well she is here now. This is when she arrived in San Pedro a few weeks ago.

This past Tuesday July 3rd I had a few hours to kill and was in the neighborhood so I had to take a cruise by her. I did not have my camera with me, and she is not yet open to the general public until tomorrow. But she was just about ready and all decked out in Red, White, and Blue bunting for the holiday. What a sight to see in person! I can not wait to go aboard.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    February 2011
  • From: Bent River, IA
Posted by Reasoned on Saturday, July 7, 2012 1:51 PM

I understand our Gov. (Terry Brandstad) choked on a carrot while there on tour, now that's strange.

Science is the pursiut of knowledge, faith is the pursuit of wisdom.  Peace be with you.

On the Tarmac: 1/48 Revell P-38

In the Hanger: A bunch of kits

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