This battleship was the lead
ship of her class of battleships and became San Pedro’s second floating museum
in 2012.
Built in 1940 and serving
through WWII, it was placed out of commission in March of 1949.
Reactivated and decommissioned
several times.
She served the Korean Conflict and was modernized in 1982 for the Cold War.
Off the coast of Puerto Rico in April of 1989, she had an explosion within Turret Two, killing 47 crewmen.
She was decommissioned for the last time in 1990.
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| Firepower Demonstration - 15 AUG 1984 |
She was host to more US Presidents than any other battleship in our nation’s history: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1943), Ronald Reagan (1986), George W Bush (1989).
It was a dark and rainy day, so unless I wanted to use flash, the best photos were outside.
Tinky Winky stayed home but my sister and her husband (who have always been willing to pose when I point a
camera at them and give directions) acted as my models:
This was the first time I got to see a large tanker being pushed up to the loading dock. The Iowa provided the best seat in the house.
Also the best view I've seen of Fire Boat No 2:
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| Fire Boat No 2 |
Fire Boat No 2 was built in 1925. It is in the process of being restored and will eventually be housed in a multi-million dollar facility. It is listed as a historic artifact and is on the U.S. Register of Historic Places.
The guns are pointed toward our historic Municipal Ferry Terminal, built in 1941. It transported people to the canneries, shipyards and military bases on Terminal Island. It ceased operation in 1963 due to the building of the Vincent Thomas Bridge:
