RonnieAdventure #0094 - USS Iowa, San Pedro, Los Angeles County, California

The USS Iowa Battleship, “Forged in War - Guardian of Peace,” was constructed more than 70 years ago to defend the American ideas of freedom, liberty, and justice, now serves as a sentry for the Port of Los Angeles.

When the USS Iowa was launched, it was considered to be the “World’s Greatest Naval Ship” because of its large guns, accurate fire control system, heavy armor, and fast speed.  The Iowa still holds the world record for firing the longest ranged 16-inch projectile (26.9 miles). That is really an amazing feat when you consider that a 16-inch projectile weighs over 2,000 pounds. And, contrary to popular belief, the ship does not move sideways when the 16-inch guns are fired. The guns do, however, recoil 47 inches, which is often confused with ship movement.

In addition to the nine 16-inch main guns, the Iowa also has 12 five-inch guns, 4 Phalanx Guns, 32 Tomahawk Cruise Missile Launchers, and 16 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile Launchers. (The missile launchers were installed in the 1980s.) Thus; Iowa’s nickname is “The Big Stick.” Because of its heavy armament, the Iowa was the most feared battleship during WWII. (There were three other Iowa-Class Battleships constructed during the War; but for some reason, the Iowa was the most feared by the enemy.)

Armor on the Iowa is 12 inches thick in many places and up to 19.7 inches thick on the gun turrets. During WWII, at the Marshall Islands, one of the ship’s gun turrets was hit by two Japanese 4.7-inch projectiles; but the explosives didn’t do much more than blacken the paint. Today, you can still see a slight chafing on the turret’s surface armor at the projectiles’ point of impact.

Three US Presidents (Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and George H. Bush), distinguished military figures, foreign dignitaries, and countless sailors have cruised on the Iowa during times of both War and Peace. During WWWII, Roosevelt used the Iowa to attend meetings with Churchill and Stalin in Tehran, before the Battleship was transferred to the Pacific arena. Because Roosevelt was confined to a wheelchair, Iowa is the only Battleship to ever have a bathtub and an elevator amenity. At the end of WWII, Iowa served as the Third Fleet flagship, flying Admiral Halsey’s flag at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.

Following WWII, Iowa served in the Korean War and at various locations around the World during the Cold War era. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Iowa was decommissioned in 1990. However, in 1996 Congress passed a Law requiring the Navy to reinstate two Iowa-Class battleships. The Navy originally selected the New Jersey and Wisconsin for the two positions, but later replaced the New Jersey with the Iowa. The National Defense Authorization Act 2006 requires that both battleships be kept and maintained in a state of readiness should they ever be needed again. Which means that, if needed, the Iowa could be returned to active duty!

Just across the bay from the Iowa are the type of cargo loading structures that gave George Lucas the idea for the land walkers used in the Star Wars movies.  

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