USS Iowa Begins Journey 'Back to Life'

[Kanastrous]

The USS Iowa will begin its trek to Richmond Thursday where the initial restoration of the ship will begin before it becomes an interactive museum at the Port of LA.

The battleship will be towed from Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet to the Benecia Car Dock. The ship will then be moved at 9 a.m. Friday to Richmond Pier 3.

The ship will stay there for three months for refurbishment until moving to Los Angeles. Its final home will be in San Pedro.

“We are bringing it back to life,” Pacific Battleship Center spokesman David Oates said. “We are honoring the sailors and the impact of the ship.”

The U.S. Navy awarded the USS Iowa to the Pacific Battleship Center, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, in September.

"It is an incredible honor that the Navy has entrusted us (with the USS IOWA),” Oates said.

It is an honor to be trusted with the memories of those who have sacrificed in the 50 years of its work, Oates said.

Congresswoman Janice Hahn (CA-36) was invovled in bringing the USS Iowa to San Pedro.

"Restoration work on the USS Iowa will begin this week, bringing us another step closer to having this remarkable piece of history in the Los Angeles area," said Hahn. "Not only will the ship educate thousands of visitors each year, it will spark local business creating new jobs.”

Once it is in Los Angeles, the ship will undergo additional refurbishment to bring it to the state of an interactive experience for guests. The opening is scheduled for July 4, 2012, but to meet that deadline the center is in need of more funds.

Center officials are hoping receive more donations to fully restore the ship to its original state. The center has already received 10 million from various groups such as the state of Iowa, Torrey Pines Bank, the USS Iowa Veteran’s Association and business and civic leaders

The center is calling on "plank owners” to make a donation of $25.

“Plank owners were the first crew of a new ship,” Oates said.

These members will receive special insights and behind the scene access of the ship before the general public.

The USS Iowa was commissioned in 1943 and served in battles dating from World War II to Desert Storm in the early 1990s.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45036882/ns ... qcuzuzfZnA

This is cool. Now there will be something Navy to keep the Jeremiah O'Brien company.

Mmm. Maybe this is more something for 'History.' Mods, please determine.

[Thanas]

Agreed, this belongs in history.

I always liked the lines of the Iowa class, so I hope I can see her in person someday.

[Kanastrous]

To expand your options just a bit - USS Alabama, moored in Mobile Alabama is a South Dakota-class ship (the class before Iowa's, IIRC) and very similar overall (we considered shooting her instead of USS Missouri, but wound up shooting aboard Missouri in the end). Just to add one extra possibility, should you visit that part of the country.

They have a pretty decent collection of militaria there, next to the ship - a bunch of aircraft and some armor, too.

[TC27]

I always wanted to see a real life Dreadnought battleship so USS Texas and USS Iowa will have to be done one day.

[Thanas]

To expand your options just a bit - USS Alabama, moored in Mobile Alabama is a South Dakota-class ship (the class before Iowa's, IIRC) and very similar overall (we considered shooting her instead of USS Missouri, but wound up shooting aboard Missouri in the end). Just to add one extra possibility, should you visit that part of the country.

Already saw her, but thanks.

[Kanastrous]

This USS Texas?

http://www.usstexasbb35.com/

[Kanastrous]

To expand your options just a bit - USS Alabama, moored in Mobile Alabama is a South Dakota-class ship (the class before Iowa's, IIRC) and very similar overall (we considered shooting her instead of USS Missouri, but wound up shooting aboard Missouri in the end). Just to add one extra possibility, should you visit that part of the country.

Already saw her, but thanks.

We had a *blast* surveying that ship. We got access to all the dark dirty greasy toxic spaces (that weren't chest-deep in water and fuel oil...)

The 'B' turret and gunnery ring were particularly impressive.

When did you visit?

[Thanas]

2000 or 2001, I think. It was on one of my two "drive through the USA and see how much stuff you can see" tours.

[Simon_Jester]

I always wanted to see a real life Dreadnought battleship so USS Texas and USS Iowa will have to be done one day.

Texas is a WWI-style dreadnought, a few design generations evolved from the early ones. Iowa reflects a lot of design evolution and changing technology and roles- the main reason she's so much faster, for one.

[Night_stalker]

To expand your options just a bit - USS Alabama, moored in Mobile Alabama is a South Dakota-class ship (the class before Iowa's, IIRC) and very similar overall (we considered shooting her instead of USS Missouri, but wound up shooting aboard Missouri in the end). Just to add one extra possibility, should you visit that part of the country.

They have a pretty decent collection of militaria there, next to the ship - a bunch of aircraft and some armor, too.

If you want to see a ship similar to the Iowa, but can't get to her new resting place, then you could try looking at the Iowa's sisters. There's the USS new Jersey, BB-62, which is in Camden, the USS Missouri BB-63, which is out at Pearl Harbor, and the USS Wisconsin, BB-64, which is at Norfolk.

I can't say that I've been on any of them, but I've seen her from in Philly, on the decks of the USS Olympia, and the contrast between the two from a distance, is... striking to say the least.

[Tsyroc]

Wasn't the Alabama used as the Missouri for the movie Under Siege? At least the parts that were filmed on or around a ship.

[Kanastrous]

Yes. And of course they chose to film her from angles guaranteed to highlight the differences between the two (there was some actual Missouri footage in there too but Alabama was the primary ship used for filming).

[Tsyroc]

Yes. And of course they chose to film her from angles guaranteed to highlight the differences between the two (there was some actual Missouri footage in there too but Alabama was the primary ship used for filming).

The only part to me where it was obviously not the Missouri was when they were showing the stern of the ship. I'm not familiar enough with the ships to catch everything else. The look for CDC and missile controls drove my last Chief crazy since he'd visited a buddy of his on the Missouri and seen everything first hand.

I don't know if the galley was accurate or not but it did resemble the what I had seen on the Saratoga, which was built in the 1950s. So I figured that was at least in the ballpark to being accurate.

[Sea Skimmer]

Kind of pointless to make the command spaces accurate anyway, since the XO would never be allowed to remove the marine guards on that compartment while live nuclear warheads were on board. This was an important part of the movie, and deliberately ignored by the makers.

[Kanastrous]

Film makers do have that tendency to ignore any pesky real-world considerations that would bring an end to the story they're trying to tell, even before it gets started...

[Tsyroc]

Film makers do have that tendency to ignore any pesky real-world considerations that would bring an end to the story they're trying to tell, even before it gets started...

At least they got the part about the Chief of the galley being a bad ass former SEAL right. That and his military regulation hair cut. Looked just like the hair cuts of some guys I knew who were always hiding under a hat.

It took me about 10 years post Navy before I could stand to watch NCIS. JAG still bugs the shit out of me if I see it in reruns.

[Kanastrous]

When we scouted aboard Sterett and Reagan I went out of my way to be nice to the galley crew. Just in case.

[LaCroix]

At least they got the part about the Chief of the galley being a bad ass former SEAL right.

Is this an usual career? Grunt - SEAL - galley?

[Tsyroc]

At least they got the part about the Chief of the galley being a bad ass former SEAL right.

Is this an usual career? Grunt - SEAL - galley?

It would be extremely unusual. There are a lot of other jobs he could have done after losing his security clearance. Several of which would have made more sense given his prior work. I'm guessing, based on him having a restaurant in Under Siege 2, that being a cook was something he'd always been interested in.

[Kanastrous]

IIRC - and I'm not too proud that I recall this - I think there was some minor dialog about a kindly-disposed admiral or someone pulling strings to get him the galley assignment, instead of something...well, worse.

[LaCroix]

IIRC - and I'm not too proud that I recall this - I think there was some minor dialog about a kindly-disposed admiral or someone pulling strings to get him the galley assignment, instead of something...well, worse.

He punched his commanding officer out after a disastrous mission that failed due to bad recon and got all killed except for him, and the Admiral intervened to get him the galley spot... (It was on tv a few weeks ago and I had nothing better to do...)

[Eternal_Freedom]

I think it was the Captain rather than an Admiral.

Something like:

"After he got back he punched out his commanding officer. Captain Adams took him abaord as his personal cook to finish out his 20"