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    I have now been allowed to let the cat out of the bag.

    The Pacific Battleship Center is applying to bring the USS Iowa (BB-61) into San Pedro (Los Angeles County), California.

    We have been closely working with the Ports of both Long Beach and Los Angeles. L.A. already has a couple of suggested sites of existing piers.

    We have been working on this for quite sometime. The HSMSPS group up in the San Franciso area has more going against them than for them. The city of Vallejo has withdrawn its support. The city of San Francisco does not want "a weapon of war" (their words, not mine) anywhere near them. They lost their proposed berthing site that is being leased out to ship scrappers. Dredging companies are fearful of live ammo still lying on the bottom.


    Need a favor from all you WABERS. Punch up Daily Breeze.com and read the article. Please write positive responses to the article. The more we can get, the better.

    We have a Board of Directors established that includes Delano Roosevelt, the grandson of FDR who used the Iowa as his flagship for his conference in Teheran.

    I am the Technical Director and have over a dozen people joined me who worked on the New Jersey and Missouri at LBNSY. So we have the expertise at hand.

    With the Iowa in the L.A. area, ship affectionaros will find it as a compliment museum ship for the Midway just a 2 hour drive to San Diego.


    PS: Been having computer virus problems so don't expect any answers to your emails until after tomorrow (hopefully the tech I've hired can clean it up).
    Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

  • #2
    Great news.

    If this goes ahead, would she be drydocked? If so where?

    Would she be put on show in her current state or somewhat reverted back to her WW2 configuration?

    Maybe they can fire the engines up and sail her there under her own power. If so I'm booking tickets to LA. Its nice to dream.

    Thanks.

    Comment


    • #3
      Well I hope Iowa finally finds her home, it's been long enough!
      "If a man does his best, what else is there?"
      -General George Patton Jr.

      Comment


      • #4
        The article in question is here:

        Group wants WWII battleship moved to San Pedro - The Daily Breeze
        “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Gun Boat View Post
          Great news.

          If this goes ahead, would she be drydocked? If so where?

          Would she be put on show in her current state or somewhat reverted back to her WW2 configuration?

          Maybe they can fire the engines up and sail her there under her own power. If so I'm booking tickets to LA. Its nice to dream.

          Thanks.
          Of course we are going to dry dock her. That's first order of technical business. We are studying the possible use of a couple of dry docks already. Unless the Navy decides to tow their old AFDL's from Galveston and/or Pearl to the Navy Fuel pier in Long Beach's West Basin.

          We are going to restore her to the 1980's configuration. But I need a real tall and real strong crane to put the mast back together for me. Also we need four ABL's to replace those taken off at amidships. Also need four CIWS mounts.

          By Navy rules (that were just rescinded for the Wisconsin), we cannot activate the propellers. Sorry. But we can have a couple of boilers prepared for emergency power for electricity. Technically we cannot reactivate her navigation system. But if she's not going anywhere, we can still turn on the motors to turn the RADAR antennas around. Nor can we reactivate the Galley BUT we can put in our own food prep eqpt, vending machines, etc.

          Ironically, the rules do NOT say we cannot reactivate the guns.

          Hmmmm. I don't think we can afford the ammunition though. With the new stupid law in California that starting Feb 1, 2010 we have to get fingerprinted to buy ammo, all of the gun shops I know have sold out all of their 5"/38 and 16"/50 ammo.
          Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
            But we can have a couple of boilers prepared for emergency power for electricity.

            Yikes!!!!!

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Ytlas View Post
              Yikes!!!!!
              Don't worry old friend. I will not bring back the draft to have you fix up the piping insulation. But if you want to be a topside supervisor and instructor, you got the job.
              Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

              Comment


              • #8
                Hi guys,

                Rusty what will you be doing about turret 2? Any plans to repair the insides or will the turret be locked off? Have you seen inside of the turret and if so how bad is it in there?

                Thanks.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                  Don't worry old friend. I will not bring back the draft to have you fix up the piping insulation. But if you want to be a topside supervisor and instructor, you got the job.
                  No thanks, I don't think I'd ever go out to see it in person.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                    I have now been allowed to let the cat out of the bag.

                    The Pacific Battleship Center is applying to bring the USS Iowa (BB-61) into San Pedro (Los Angeles County), California.

                    We have been closely working with the Ports of both Long Beach and Los Angeles. L.A. already has a couple of suggested sites of existing piers.

                    We have been working on this for quite sometime. The HSMSPS group up in the San Franciso area has more going against them than for them. The city of Vallejo has withdrawn its support. The city of San Francisco does not want "a weapon of war" (their words, not mine) anywhere near them. They lost their proposed berthing site that is being leased out to ship scrappers. Dredging companies are fearful of live ammo still lying on the bottom.


                    Need a favor from all you WABERS. Punch up Daily Breeze.com and read the article. Please write positive responses to the article. The more we can get, the better.

                    We have a Board of Directors established that includes Delano Roosevelt, the grandson of FDR who used the Iowa as his flagship for his conference in Teheran.

                    I am the Technical Director and have over a dozen people joined me who worked on the New Jersey and Missouri at LBNSY. So we have the expertise at hand.

                    With the Iowa in the L.A. area, ship affectionaros will find it as a compliment museum ship for the Midway just a 2 hour drive to San Diego.


                    PS: Been having computer virus problems so don't expect any answers to your emails until after tomorrow (hopefully the tech I've hired can clean it up).
                    *Glad to see this come about. I know you have worked much on making this become a reality and I'm glad to see this taking shape. As always Rusty, Im at you service if I can be of any help you have my number. As far as the crane goes, why not consider a "skycrane" little expensive, but very fast. I will see the article and comment. Cheers Rusty, your getting there. And when shes finished I cant wait to come see her. Its been over 20 years since last we met and I walked those decks when she was tucked in beside her sisters here in Philly.:)
                    Last edited by Dreadnought; 22 Dec 09,, 14:59.
                    Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I have been working with Rusty on Battleships since Aug-11-1981, We do not call him Mr. Battleship for nothing. Not too many people have worked on these ships as much as Rusty has....lets see....since 1954 on and off, since 1980 more on then off.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Any idea what the Navy is doing with all those 5-inch mounts that were removed from the battleships that are where, at NAVSEA? Must be nothing as they don't have that type of gun onboard ships now do they? What could they be testing? Must be sitting there rusting away. They would make decent museum pieces if they are in OK shape. Just need to transport them from source to destination?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I'd love to volunteer time to come out there and do some work on the Iowa. Do they even do that?
                          "If a man does his best, what else is there?"
                          -General George Patton Jr.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I was a volunteer with the NJ. They used alot of people to scrape and paint the interior among other things. I brought alot of teak wood down to the machine shop that was going to replace sections of the deck. I had a blast helping out.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Ken_NJ View Post
                              Any idea what the Navy is doing with all those 5-inch mounts that were removed from the battleships that are where, at NAVSEA? Must be nothing as they don't have that type of gun onboard ships now do they? What could they be testing? Must be sitting there rusting away. They would make decent museum pieces if they are in OK shape. Just need to transport them from source to destination?
                              We took four mounts of of each ship to make way for the Tomahawk deckhouses. They were all sent back (at 85 tons each) to Crane.
                              Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

                              Comment

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