The U.S. Navy is re-opening bids to acquire the USS Iowa as a floating museum somewhere in the state of California, telling a Vallejo-based group it has not made sufficient progress in its efforts to berth the ship to the north.
But the Port of Los Angeles - which is where one competing group wants to bring the ship - will still need convincing if the Iowa is to berthed anywhere along San Pedro's waterfront.
"We still have the same concerns that we expressed when we did our initial assessment," said port spokesman Phillip Sanfield.
"The Port of Los Angeles does not have a viable site. We've approved waterfront plans that are not consistent with berthing a battleship ... (and) we're focusing our efforts on delivering the elements of the waterfront plans that have been approved."
In February, port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz formally quashed further discussion of bringing the Iowa to the port.
Top among the port's concerns was that the group proposing the site had no official standing with the Navy for the donation of the ship.
For the past few years, the Navy has been in exclusive negotiations with the Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square for plans to berth the ship in that area.
But even though that is changing, the port is still not inclined to reconsider, Sanfield said.
In a letter to Elaine Wong, president of the Vallejo group, Navy Vice Admiral David Architzel said the Navy was
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re-opening bids to other competing groups.
"HMSPS has made little progress on completing necessary site agreements with the city of Vallejo ... " the letter states, adding also that the group had so far "not achieved its own fundraising goal and timeline projection."
In a separate letter dated May 6 and written to Robert Kent of the Pacific Battleship Center, the group advocating for the San Pedro site, another Navy official said the "Navy's objective is to donate ex-Iowa as soon as possible to an organization that will display the ship in California, subject to receipt of an application that fully meets the Navy's minimum requirements for ship donation."
Kent said the group has been anticipating the re-opening of bids for three months and is ready to approach the port again about a possible location.
"We are working with a lot of local government people to help us in this effort," he said. "Los Angeles is the best place, no doubt about it."
The battleship has been in mothballs awaiting donation.
Built in 1943, the Iowa was used to transport President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. It was decommissioned for the last time in 1990 and is the only remaining World War II Iowa class battleship that is not yet a museum. The others - the USS Missouri, USS New Jersey and USS Wisconsin - are all permanent floating museums.
The USS Iowa by law has been designated to be berthed somewhere in the state of California.
In his letter to Kent, Glen A. Clark, deputy program manager for the Navy's Inactive Ships Program, indicated the Vallejo group would still be considered but only if it submits an updated application.
"A new Federal Register Notice will be published within the next 30 days which will formally re-open the competition for the ex-Iowa," Clark wrote.
Part of the application Kent's group will have to submit needs to specify where the ship will be berthed. Kent said at this point no other locations are being sought, adding that the group still believes the Port of Los Angeles is the best and most logical site.
But the Port of Los Angeles - which is where one competing group wants to bring the ship - will still need convincing if the Iowa is to berthed anywhere along San Pedro's waterfront.
"We still have the same concerns that we expressed when we did our initial assessment," said port spokesman Phillip Sanfield.
"The Port of Los Angeles does not have a viable site. We've approved waterfront plans that are not consistent with berthing a battleship ... (and) we're focusing our efforts on delivering the elements of the waterfront plans that have been approved."
In February, port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz formally quashed further discussion of bringing the Iowa to the port.
Top among the port's concerns was that the group proposing the site had no official standing with the Navy for the donation of the ship.
For the past few years, the Navy has been in exclusive negotiations with the Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square for plans to berth the ship in that area.
But even though that is changing, the port is still not inclined to reconsider, Sanfield said.
In a letter to Elaine Wong, president of the Vallejo group, Navy Vice Admiral David Architzel said the Navy was
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re-opening bids to other competing groups.
"HMSPS has made little progress on completing necessary site agreements with the city of Vallejo ... " the letter states, adding also that the group had so far "not achieved its own fundraising goal and timeline projection."
In a separate letter dated May 6 and written to Robert Kent of the Pacific Battleship Center, the group advocating for the San Pedro site, another Navy official said the "Navy's objective is to donate ex-Iowa as soon as possible to an organization that will display the ship in California, subject to receipt of an application that fully meets the Navy's minimum requirements for ship donation."
Kent said the group has been anticipating the re-opening of bids for three months and is ready to approach the port again about a possible location.
"We are working with a lot of local government people to help us in this effort," he said. "Los Angeles is the best place, no doubt about it."
The battleship has been in mothballs awaiting donation.
Built in 1943, the Iowa was used to transport President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. It was decommissioned for the last time in 1990 and is the only remaining World War II Iowa class battleship that is not yet a museum. The others - the USS Missouri, USS New Jersey and USS Wisconsin - are all permanent floating museums.
The USS Iowa by law has been designated to be berthed somewhere in the state of California.
In his letter to Kent, Glen A. Clark, deputy program manager for the Navy's Inactive Ships Program, indicated the Vallejo group would still be considered but only if it submits an updated application.
"A new Federal Register Notice will be published within the next 30 days which will formally re-open the competition for the ex-Iowa," Clark wrote.
Part of the application Kent's group will have to submit needs to specify where the ship will be berthed. Kent said at this point no other locations are being sought, adding that the group still believes the Port of Los Angeles is the best and most logical site.
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