Battleship USS Iowa Museum

Having served the United States with distinction for more than five decades, the decommissioned USS Iowa is now a permanent museum moored on the San Pedro waterfront in LA.

It lives up to its nickname of the “Big Stick” thanks to its colossal size, this 270-metre long vessel is the length of three football fields. Its defining features include its three 41-centimetre guns, which took at least 77 men to operate. The massive guns were the biggest ever sent to sea in US history.

Having seen action in World War II and the Korean War, the ship has earned a total of 11 battle stars and once carried President Franklin Delano Roosevelt across the Atlantic to a wartime summit with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin. The original bathtub that FDR had installed on the ship on his crossing is still there and is one of the highlights of the ships official tour. The USS Iowa is not only a treasure in LA but a national emblem of military achievement for the last century.

The ship has a grand total of 19 decks, 7 of which are open to the public. Visitors can get a real feel for life on board and experience first-hand the awesome firepower the ship carries. You can even stand on a replica of the bridge and imagine you are taking part in the American landings at Okinawa, Japan in 1945 where the Iowa played a supporting role.

The tour of the ship takes you past the missile decks and into FDR’s and the Captain’s cabins where foreign dignitaries were once entertained. After climbing a network of ladders, you will come to the armoured bridge area where many important combat decisions were made.

Located in San Pedro 40 kilometres south of downtown LA, the Iowa is open every day except for Thanksgiving and Christmas day. There is paid parking available on First Street and Harbour Boulevard.