Real USS Iowa Maybe a floating Museum

Subject: Real USS Iowa Maybe a floating Museum Sat Jul 31, 2010 3:18 pm

The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council on 7/19/10 approved a resolution backing the proposal to bring the USS Iowa to San Pedro.

San Pedro's waterfront advisory panel Wednesday night (7/14/10) gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to the proposal to bring the USS Iowa battleship to the Port of Los Angeles as a floating museum, saying it will bring jobs, money and tourism to the area..

(See the jump for the full resolution approved by the San Pedro Coordinated Waterfront Plan Subcommittee. The measure will be forwarded to the full PCAC next week with action expected in August.)

So far, the port is standing behind its earlier rejection of the proposal but spokesman Phillip Sanfield said today that no recent discussions have been held on the matter since the U.S. Navy reopened bids for the ship in May. Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz is in China on business this week.

Among the port's concerns: finding a location for the nearly 900-foot-long ship, worries that the process of accepting the ship could slow down the community's overall waterfront plans and the possibility that the port could wind up shouldering financial or maintenance liability should the project not be successful in bringing in enough self-supporting tourist dollars.

(There is an "exit" plan, according to the group's literature: "To date, no major naval vessel ever donated had to close and give the ship back to the Navy. However, in the event of closing the facility, the Navy requires our organization to hold in escrow resources to tow the ship back to a Navy storage facility. Therefore, there will be no cost or burden to the community or local government entities.")

Judging from the crowd's reaction, this is one project that is fast gaining widespread popular support. (One of those attended joked later that the meeting was unusual in that there was no disagreement voiced.)

Members of the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center gave a presentation on the proposal at the PCAC waterfront subcommittee meeting that included a 4-minute video clip from a Discovery Channel program that named the Iowa class ships as the top warship of all time.

Community members who attended (perhaps 70 or so), including several downtown business owners, expressed strong support for the idea. When those opposed were asked to raise their hands, no one did.

"This will be magic," said Rebecca Trani, who owns Port Gelato Creamery on Seventh Street.

Stephanie Mardesich, founder of the Los Angeles Harbor International Film Festival, urged the community to join forces to go after the ship.

"It could be the shot in the arm we need here to put us back on the map," she said. For more than a year, the Pacific Battleship Center has been working with a team of experts pulled together from various fields on a "24-7" program that would showcase the ship's history through tours, demonstrations, seminars and community service.

Bringing the ship to San Pedro -- a berthing spot on the East Channel is being eyed -- has the support of Councilwoman Janice Hahn and other elected officials.

But supporters said it needs a more proactive push and they're urging that the case be taken directly downtown.

(Photo right: The ship was selected to ferry President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Cairo and Tehran Conferences in World War II. His specially made bathtub -- the president was paralized from polio and could not use a traditional shower -- is still in place on the ship.)

"This isn't a San Pedro thing or a harbor thing," said Doug Epperhart, a board member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, which is scheduled to take up the ship proposal at its Monday night meeting. "It's a city of Los Angeles thing.

"The mayor, the chamber of commerce in downtown L.A., travel organizations -- everybody should be on this," he said. "This really should be viewed as an economic development project."

In the end, he said, everything entails a certain amount of risk.

"Do we never take a chance?" Epperhart said. "It's a situation where you do all your due diligence, get everything lined up as best you can going in, and then at some point you make that leap of faith."
[img]http://www.insidesocal.com/southbay/2010/07/uss-iowa-gains-more-community.html[/img]

Subject: Re: Real USS Iowa Maybe a floating Museum Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:14 am

That is indeed a good news since the other 3 Iowa class battleships are museums now.
Last winter when I was on BB-64 Wisconsin, I over heard that navy is doing some project on Iowa. So, I guess that was just a rumor.