During a gunnery exercise observed in April of 1989, the USS Iowa suffered a catastrophic explosion in her number two turret (second forward mounting) when five powder bags of the center gun ignited. The result was the loss of 47 souls with the likely culprit later to found to be static electricity of the 1930s-era magazines. This event led to several changes in the handling and storing of the powder for future's sake. With the investigation complete, the Iowa set off once more on the high seas, this time to ports across Europe. By 1990, the USS Iowa was officially decommissioned for good and landed at port in Suisun Bay, San Francisco, California. On July 7th, 2012, the USS Iowa opened to the public as a floating museum in Los Angeles, California.
USS Iowa Update:
The four vessels of the Iowa-class have survived history. The USS Missouri (BB-63), residing in Honolulu, Hawaii, was donated in 1998. The USS New Jersey (BB-62), now in Camden, New Jersey, was donated in 2000. The USS Wisconsin (BB-64), making its home in Norfolk, Virginia, was donated in 2009. USS Iowa (BB-61), in mothballs for the last 21 years, became the last of the four Iowa-class battleships to be donated for preservation.
In 2006, the US Congress, under the National Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 109-163, authorized the Secretary of the Navy to strike USS Iowa (BB-61) from the US Naval Vessel Register and offer the ship for donation to an entity that would display the vessel in a proper military and historical on the waters of the state of California. After a number of proposals were evaluated by the US Navy, the Pacific Battleship Center was selected as the recipient of the ship on Sept. 6th, 2011.
On April 30th, 2012, Vice Admiral Mark Skinner, the military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, formally transferred ownership of the historic Iowa (BB-61) to Robert Kent, president of the Pacific Battleship Center. The ship donation contract documents were signed in the Capitol Hill office of Iowa Representative Tom Latham. Vice Admiral Mark Skinner commented "Today marks the transition from the ship's storied naval career to a brand new career as a museum and memorial that will serve for generations to come. I look forward to seeing her brought back to life for public display, continuing to serve our country and its citizens in a new capacity."
The USS Iowa has since been undergoing final repairs at the Naval Port of Richmond, California to prepare her for museum ship status. On May 20th, 2012, USS Iowa (BB-61) was towed from Richmond to its new permanent home at the Pacific Battleship Center located at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California.
Iowa was the lead ship of the most powerful and heavily armed American fast battleships ever built. The Iowa-class were the last battleships constructed by the US Navy and, in fact, the world. Iowa transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic for the conference with Allied war leaders in Tehran, Iran, in 1943. Iowa also served in fast carrier task forces across the Pacific and received Battle Stars for conducting shore bombardments against Japanese forces at the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and during the Okinawa Invasion of World War 2. She then went on to serve during the Korean War (1950-1953) and participated in US Navy operations to protect Kuwaiti ships from Iranian attacks from 1987 and 1988. The USS Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in 1990.
On July 4th, 2012 the historic battleship was permanently berthed for the formal opening for the Iowa (BB-61) as a floating museum ship, joining her sisters across the country. The US Navy donates some historic ships to promote public interest in American naval heritage and to explain the cost of the defense of the nation. Perhaps it is more to honor the men and women who built and sailed in these fighting ships. Now that Iowa has found a new home, the Iowa-class is the only complete class of warship to have been preserved for public display.
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