USS IOWA

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mklotz

mklotz

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Some of you may be aware that the USS IOWA (BB 61), namesake of the Iowa class battleships of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam fame, is to become a permanent museum ship here in the San Pedro harbor of Los Angeles.

Recently renovated in Richmond, CA (a port city in the upper San Francisco Bay), she was recently towed down the coast and is now safely moored at a temporary mooring here in the harbor. My wife and I were out to a restaurant in San Pedro and stopped by one of the harbor overlooks where I snapped this picture from about a mile away.

USS_IOWA.jpg


As you can see from the boats in the marina in the foreground she's really a big 'un. I'm really looking forward to the time when she's open for inspection and the crowds have tapered off to the point where one can get aboard.

You can read more about her history and the museum at the museum website...

http://www.pacificbattleship.com/
 
Couldn't agree more Marv!

I went on board the USS Massachusetts about 25 years ago on a very quite and rainy Saturday. My then girl friend and I got a personal tour from a very bored museum staffer..as there wasn't anybody there.

I sweet talked my way down to the engine room.....Holy Crap!

The HP turbine looked like it could be carried off in the bed of a full size pickup!.....but it was sitting on top of a gear reduction box the size of a 3 story building!...and what looked like about a 36" diameter prop shaft

Something like inlet of 900 psi @ 1100F .....WOW...

If you get the chance by all means do it! It's great seeing first principles of Engineering and Physics in use at huge scales!

I'm told you can't get to the engine room of the Massachusetts any more as they're scared of exposing the public to Asbestos.....

Still glad I did it!

Dave
 
Good one, Marv! Lucky you!

I got to see the New Jersey in San Pedro back about '81 the last time they pulled her out of mothballs and refitted for the "modern" navy.
Them's some big boats, that Iowa class! She was wet docked and floating, saw her from the sea as we headed into Long Beach. Couldn't miss it, biggest thing around, except the Queen Mary way off in the distance.
 
I was on a Destroyer attached to the USS New Jersey (BB-62) Battle group after President Reagan reactivated her on 28-December-1982. I had the opportunity to visit the New Jersey several times in port and under way after her refitting. We also got to watch her big guns in action. Watching all nine 16 inch guns firing at once even several miles away is indescribable. Our job was part of anti-submarine and Anti-Air screen operations while under way and during shore bombardments.
 
I also went through the New Jersey when in the Trenton/Philly area 5 or 6 years ago. The scale of everything (except the sleeping berths) was staggering. It would have been nice to get a more detailed tour with someone who knew the ship but still worth the visit.

Paul
 
I stayed over night in the new Jersey a few years back. SHe still has most of the machines in the machine shop and they are operational. I visited the USS Alabama when I was in Pensacola for the summer in "01. bigger machine shop but not accessible to the public and not particularly restored.
Tin
 
Whilst we don't have things as big as battleships in our museums here, we still have the same set of problems regarding access to the inner workings of such items.

Mostly we can thank the plethora of legislation covering such things as the angle of ladders from one deck/level to another, the size of the ladder steps etc. etc. The interesting thing is that this sort of thing is relevant to the passengers/visitors but not to the crew/guides.

In Oz, the biggest deterrent to showing visitors the inner workings is "Personal Liability," i.e. if you take a visitor to a place they're not supposed to be, you are personally liable should they have an accident.

I worked too hard for my home to put it on the line for someone I don't or hardly know.

Best Regards
Bob
 
gotta agree with you there Bob! I was 25 years younger at the time...

I still think fondly of it though!

Dave
 
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