The Uncertain Voyage of the USS Iowa
What do you do with an old battleship?
USS Iowa
The USS Iowa is a veteran of World War II. It once ferried President Roosevelt across the Atlantic to meet with Churchill. It also plowed the waters off the Korean peninsula during our war there. It was decomissioned in 1990, and has been looking for a permanent home ever since. Wherever it lands, it is expected to be a major waterfront attraction, potentially bringing in tourist dollars to its host city.
Several years ago, there was talk of bringing the ship to San Francisco. Senator Feinstein, once mayor of SF, secured $3 million in Federal money to tow the ship to the Bay. But in the midst of a war against two countries, anti-millitary sentiment was at a fever pitch in the City by the Bay, and the city supervisors were hostile to the idea. (In fact, then-Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, in defending his city’s opposition to the USS Iowa, claimed on Fox News that the US should do away with its military altogether.) Supervisors also mentioned that their opposition was in part based on the military’s policy of anti-gay discrimination and Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell. To counter this opposition, the Historic Ship Memorial at Pacific Square (the organization lobbying to bring the USS Iowa to San Francisco) proposed turning the ship into a museum about gays in the military. Organization president Merilyn Wong was quoted in the SF Chronicle, saying:
I think the Iowa could be a very powerful teaching tool regarding recruitment and U.S. defense policy…. There’s a tremendous amount of archives documenting the contribution of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) veterans. It’s all part of naval history, and it’s all fact.
Ms. Wong failed to persuade the Board of Supes, and so the USS Iowa sought out other homes, including Stockton and Vallejo. (It is currently docked at the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay, near San Francisco.) But there’s one organization lobbying to bring the USS Iowa down to SoCal.
According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the Pacific Battleship Center has been in discussion with the Port of LA to bring the ship to San Pedro. This location might work well, situated adjacent to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, and near another WWII battleship museum, the SS Lane Victory.
SS Lane Victory, in San Pedro
However, it’s not clear if bringing the USS Iowa (which is nearly twice the size of the SS Lane Victory) would fit with the Port’s harbor expansion plans.
Why did the Pacific Battleship Center not consider Long Beach? After all, the USS Iowa was stationed in Long Beach just after WWII. And doesn’t it make sense to put the USS Iowa in a city that was once known (in pre-Snoop Dogg days) as Iowa-By-The-Sea? According to the PBC, there’s no room left in Long Beach. And we already have our fair share of gigantic, permanently docked maritime themed tourist attractions here.
The Russian Scorpion Sub and The Queen Mary, in Long Beach
Both tourist attractions currently underperform their economic expectations, so perhaps San Pedro should be cautious before accepting the USS Iowa.
It seems unfortunate that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors were so opposed to the USS Iowa. Opposition to the Iraq war and DADT in no way lessens the contributions the USS Iowa made to our history. And I think Ms. Wong’s suggestion of a gay military museum, although a bit goofy on the surface, was in my opinion a brilliant idea. Gay men and women have served in the US military since the Revolutionary War, yet their stories are suppressed and ignored by every military museum I have been to in this country. Our gay meccas (San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles) owe their existence to the strong military presence (especially the Navy) in the 1940s. Because of the SF Board’s opposition, gay and lesbian veterans remain without the recognition such a museum would provide. Although it is unlikely that the USS Iowa will provide the forum for the exploration of GLBT history, I hope that anti-military sentiment within the GLBT and progressive community doesn’t prevent us from exploring this element of our heritage in the future.
First time here? See what we're all about... Get involved... Send us a tip!...
[...] The New Gay » The Uncertain Voyage of the USS Iowa [...]
In fact PBC did first contact Long Beach about a berth for USS Iowa. At first Long Beach was very receptive, but after a year of negotiations for a berth it became clear that the initial enthusiasm was overplayed. The eventual location Long Beach indicated could work for USS Iowa would require dredging running into the $$M range, which made the project unworkable.
San Pedro, the home of the battleship fleet for many years, became a better choice. While Long Beach has a much more developed waterfront, the lack of this in San Pedro means there is more flexibility as to where to berth USS Iowa. In the end I think we’ll have a better place, berth 87 by all indications, which has a prominent view from the VT Bridge as well as being very close to the cruise ship terminal. It’s a win-win for USS Iowa and San Pedro.
Long Beach squandered their opportunity, and as a resident of San Pedro I applaud their short sightedness.
Leave your response!
Recent Coments
Most Commented
Most Viewed - 30 Days