USS Iowa ( BB - 61 ) USS " Iowa " ( BB - 61 ) was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state . Owing to the cancellation of the s , " Iowa " is the last lead ship of any class of United States battleships and was the only ship of her class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II . USS Iowa is currently on display at the Port of Los Angeles . During World War II , she carried President Franklin D . Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Mers El Kébir , Algeria , en route to a crucial 1943 meeting in Tehran with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin . She has a bathtub — an amenity installed for Roosevelt , along with an elevator to shuttle him between decks . When transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944 , " Iowa " shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carrier s operating in the Marshall Islands . She also served as the Third Fleet flagship , flying Adm . William F . Halsey ' s flag at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay . During the Korean War , " Iowa " was involved in raids on the North Korean coast , after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets , better known as the " mothball fleet . " She was reactivated in 1984 as part of the 600 - ship Navy plan and operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets to counter the recently expanded Soviet Navy . In April 1989 , an explosion of undetermined origin wrecked her No . 2 gun turret , killing 47 sailors . " Iowa " was decommissioned for the last time in 1990 , and was initially stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 1995 . She was reinstated from 1999 to 2006 to comply with federal laws that required retention and maintenance of two " Iowa " - class battleships . In 2011 " Iowa " was donated to the Los Angeles - based non - profit Pacific Battleship Center and was permanently moved to Berth 87 at the Port of Los Angeles in the summer of 2012 , where she was opened to the public to serve as a museum and memorial to battleships . Construction . " Iowa " was the lead ship of her class of " fast battleship " designs planned in 1938 by the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Construction and Repair . She was launched on 27 August 1942 which First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt attended and was sponsored by native Iowan Ilo Wallace ( wife of Vice President Henry Wallace ) , and commissioned on 22 February 1943 with Captain John L . McCrea in command . She was the first ship of her class of battleship to be commissioned by the United States . " Iowa " s main battery consisted of nine 16 " ( 406 . 4mm ) / 50 caliber Mark 7 gun , which could fire armor - piercing shells some . Her secondary battery consisted of 20 / 38 cal gun s in twin mounts , which could fire at targets up to away . With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of Allied aircraft carrier s ; to this end , " Iowa " was fitted with an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti - aircraft guns to defend Allied carriers from enemy airstrikes . World War II ( 1943 – 1945 ) . Shakedown and service with the Atlantic Fleet . On 24 February 1943 , " Iowa " put to sea for a shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast . She got underway on 27 August for Argentia , Newfoundland , to counter the threat of the German battleship which was reportedly operating in Norwegian waters , before returning to the United States on 25 October for two weeks of maintenance at the Norfolk Navy Yard . After refueling and gathering her escorts , " Iowa " carried President Roosevelt , Secretary of State Cordell Hull , and World War II military brass to Mers El Kébir , Algeria , on the first leg of the journey to the Tehran Conference . Among the vessels escorting " Iowa " on this trip was the destroyer which was involved in several mishaps , the most serious of which involved a torpedo drill which went awry when a torpedo from " William D . Porter " discharged from its tube and headed toward " Iowa . " On being warned , " Iowa " turned hard to avoid being hit by the torpedo . and the torpedo detonated in the ship ' s wake . " Iowa " was unhurt and trained her main guns on " William D . Porter " , concerned that the smaller ship may have been involved in some sort of assassination plot . " Iowa " completed her Presidential escort mission on 16 December by returning the President to the United States . Roosevelt addressed the crew of " Iowa " prior to leaving by stating , " . . . from all I have seen and all I have heard , the " Iowa " is a ' happy ship , ' and having served with the Navy for many years , I know — and you know — what that means . " He also touched on the progress made at the conference before concluding his address with " . . . good luck , and remember that I am with you in spirit , each and every one of you . " Service with Battleship Division 7 , Admiral Lee . As flagship of Battleship Division 7 ( BatDiv 7 ) , " Iowa " departed the United States on 2 January 1944 for the Pacific Ocean , transiting the Panama Canal on 7 January in advance of her combat debut in the campaign for the Marshall Islands . From 29 January to 3 February , she supported carrier air strikes made by Rear Admiral Frederick C . Sherman ' s Task Group 38 . 3 ( TG 38 . 3 ) against Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls . Her next assignment was to support air strikes against the major Japanese naval and logistics base at Truk , Caroline Islands . " Iowa " , in company with other ships , was detached from the support group on 16 February 1944 to conduct an anti - shipping sweep around Truk , with the objective of destroying enemy naval vessels escaping to the north . On 21 February , she was underway with the Fast Carrier Task Force ( TF 58 or TF 38 , depending on whether it was part of the 5th Fleet or 3rd Fleet ) while it conducted the first strikes against Saipan , Tinian , Rota , and Guam in the Mariana Islands . During this action , " Iowa " , along with her sister " New Jersey " , sank the Japanese light cruiser , having escaped Truk the day before following Operation Hailstone , the US air attack on Truk . On 18 March 1944 , " Iowa " , flying the flag of Vice Admiral Willis A . Lee ( Commander Battleships , Pacific ) , joined in the bombardment of Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands . Although struck by two Japanese projectiles , " Iowa " suffered negligible damage . She then rejoined TF 58 on 30 March , and supported air strikes against the Palau Islands and Woleai of the Carolines for several days . From 22 – 28 April , " Iowa " supported air raids on Hollandia ( now known as Jayapura ) , Aitape , and Wakde Islands to support Army forces on Aitape and at Tanahmerah and Humboldt Bays in New Guinea . She then joined the Task Force ' s second strike on Truk , on 29 and 30 April , and bombarded Japanese facilities on Ponape in the Carolines on 1 May . In the opening phases of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign , " Iowa " protected the American carriers during air strikes on the islands of Saipan , Tinian , Guam , Rota , and Pagan Island on 12 June . " Iowa " was then detached to bombard enemy installations on Saipan and Tinian on 13 – 14 June , which resulted in the destruction of a Japanese ammunition dump . On 19 June , in an engagement known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea , " Iowa " , as part of the battle line of TF 58 , helped repel four massive air raids launched by the Japanese Middle Fleet . This resulted in the almost complete destruction of Japanese carrier - based air - forces , with " Iowa " claiming the destruction of three enemy aircraft . " Iowa " then joined in the pursuit of the fleeing enemy fleet , shooting down one torpedo plane and assisting in splashing another . Throughout July , " Iowa " remained off the Marianas supporting air strikes on the Palaus and landings on Guam . After a month ' s rest , " Iowa " sailed from Eniwetok as part of the Third Fleet , and helped support the landings on Peleliu on 17 September . She then protected the carriers during air strikes against the Central Philippines to neutralize enemy air power for the long awaited invasion of the Philippines . On 10 October , " Iowa " arrived off Okinawa for a series of air strikes on the Ryukyu Islands and Formosa . She then supported air strikes against Luzon on 18 October and continued this duty during General Douglas MacArthur ' s landing on Leyte on 20 October . In a last - ditch attempt to halt the United States campaign to recapture the Philippines , the Imperial Japanese Navy struck back with " Shō - Gō " 1 , a three - pronged attack aimed at the destruction of American amphibious forces in Leyte Gulf . The plan called for Vice - Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa to use the surviving Japanese carriers as bait to draw US carriers of TF 38 away from the Philippine beachheads , allowing Imperial Japanese Admirals Takeo Kurita , Kiyohide Shima , and Shōji Nishimura to take surface task forces through the San Bernardino Strait and Surigao Strait , where they would rendezvous and attack the US beachheads . " Iowa " accompanied TF 38 during attacks against the Japanese Central Force under the command of Admiral Kurita as it steamed through the Sibuyan Sea toward San Bernardino Strait . The reported results of these attacks and the apparent retreat of the Japanese Central Force led Admiral William " Bull " Halsey to believe that this force had been ruined as an effective fighting group ; as a result , " Iowa " , with TF 38 , steamed after the Japanese Northern Force off Cape Engaño , Luzon . On 25 October 1944 , when the ships of the Northern Force were almost within range of " Iowa " s guns , word arrived that the Japanese Central Force was attacking a group of American escort carriers off Samar . This threat to the American beachheads forced TF 38 to reverse course and steam to support the vulnerable escort carrier fleet . However , the fierce resistance put up by the 7th Fleet in the Battle off Samar had already caused the Japanese to retire and " Iowa " was denied a surface action . Following the Battle of Leyte Gulf , " Iowa " remained in the waters off the Philippines screening carriers during strikes against Luzon and Formosa . She sailed for the West Coast late in December 1944 . On 18 December , the ships of TF 38 unexpectedly found themselves in a fight for their lives when Typhoon Cobra overtook the force — seven fleet carriers , six light carriers , eight battleships , 15 cruisers , and about 50 destroyers — during their attempt to refuel at sea . At the time , the ships were operating about east of Luzon in the Philippine Sea . The carriers had just completed three days of heavy raids against Japanese airfields , suppressing enemy aircraft during the American amphibious operations against Mindoro in the Philippines . The task force rendezvoused with Captain Jasper T . Acuff and his fueling group on 17 December with the intention of refueling all ships in the task force and replacing lost aircraft . Although the sea had been growing rougher all day , the nearby cyclonic disturbance gave relatively little warning of its approach . On 18 December , the small but violent typhoon overtook the task force while many of the ships were attempting to refuel . Many of the vessels were caught near the center of the storm and buffeted by extreme seas and hurricane - force winds . Three destroyers – , , and – capsized and sank with nearly all hands , while a cruiser , five aircraft carriers , and three destroyers suffered serious damage . Approximately 790 officers and men were lost or killed , with another 80 injured . Fires occurred in three carriers when planes broke loose in their hangars , and some 146 planes on various ships were swept overboard or damaged beyond economical repair by fires or impacts . " Iowa " reported zero injured sailors as a result of the typhoon , but suffered a loss of one of her float planes , and damage to one of her shafts . The damaged shaft required " Iowa " to return to the US , and she arrived at San Francisco on 15 January 1945 , for repairs . During the course of the overhaul " Iowa " had her bridge area enclosed , and was outfitted with new search radars and fire - control systems . Bombardment of Japan . " Iowa " sailed on 19 March 1945 for Okinawa , arriving on 15 April to relieve her sister ship . From 24 April , " Iowa " supported carrier operations which aimed to establish and maintain air superiority for ground forces during their struggle for the island . She then supported air strikes off southern Kyūshū from 25 May to 13 June . Afterward , she sailed toward northern Honshū and Hokkaidō , and participated in strikes on the Japanese home islands on 14 – 15 July by bombarding Muroran , Hokkaidō , destroying steel mills and other targets . The city of Hitachi on Honshū was shelled beginning the night of 17 July and lasting to 18 July . On 29 and 30 July , " Iowa " trained her guns on Kahoolawe for a bombardment and continued to support fast carrier strikes until the cessation of hostilities on 15 August as a result of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . On 27 August , " Iowa " and her sister ship entered Sagami Bay to oversee the surrender of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal . Two days later , she entered Tokyo Bay with the occupation forces . Here , a number of sailors from the " Missouri " were temporarily stationed on " Iowa " for the duration of the surrender ceremony which took place aboard the " Missouri " . After serving as Admiral Halsey ' s flagship for the surrender ceremony on 2 September , " Iowa " remained in the bay as part of the occupying force . As part of the ongoing Operation Magic Carpet , she received homeward bound GIs and liberated US prisoners of war before departing Tokyo Bay on 20 September , bound for the United States . Post World War II ( 1945 – 1949 ) . " Iowa " arrived in Seattle , Washington , on 15 October 1945 , then sailed for Long Beach , California , where she engaged in training operations until returning to Japan in 1946 to serve as flagship for the 5th Fleet . She returned to the United States on 25 March 1946 and resumed her role as a training ship . During her usual routine of drills and maneuvers she also embarked Naval Reserve elements and midshipmen for training . In October , " Iowa " underwent a period of overhaul and modernization , which resulted in the addition of the SK - 2 Radar and the loss of a number of 20 mm and 40 mm gun mounts . In July , following the Bikini atomic experiments , the old battleship was selected as a target for a live fire exercise to be carried out by " Iowa " and other sea and air assets of the navy . The exercise began with separate shellings from a destroyer , heavy cruiser , and " Iowa " , but this did not sink the ship , and so " Nevada " was finished off with one aerial torpedo hit amidships , sinking her from Pearl Harbor on 31 July 1948 . In September 1948 , as part of the post World War II draw down of the armed forces , " Iowa " was inactivated at San Francisco and formally decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets on 24 March 1949 . Korean War ( 1951 – 1952 ) . In 1950 , North Korea invaded South Korea , prompting NATO members , including the United States , to intervene in the name of the United Nations . President Harry S . Truman was caught off guard when the invasion struck , but he quickly ordered US forces stationed in Japan to transfer to South Korea . Truman also sent US based troops , tanks , fighter and bomber aircraft , and a strong naval force to the area to support South Korea . As part of the naval mobilization , " Iowa " was reactivated on 14 July 1951 , and formally recommissioned on 25 August , with Captain William R . Smedberg , III , in command . " Iowa " sailed for Korean waters in March 1952 . On 1 April she relieved her sister ship and became the flagship of Vice Admiral Robert P . Briscoe , Commander of the Seventh Fleet . In her first combat operation of the Korean War , " Iowa " fired her main guns near Wonsan - Sŏngjin on 8 April 1952 , with the goal of striking North Korean supply lines . In the company of other naval vessels " Iowa " again engaged North Korean forces the following day , this time against enemy troop concentrations , supply areas , and suspected gun positions in and around Suwon Dan and Kojo . In support of South Korea ' s I Corps , " Iowa " shelled enemy positions on 13 April , killing 100 enemy soldiers , destroying six gun emplacements , and wrecking a division headquarters . The next day she entered Wonsan Harbor and shelled warehouses , observation posts and railroad marshaling yards before moving out to rejoin the UN flotilla aiding ground forces around Kosong . On 20 April , in her first combat action above the 38th parallel , " Iowa " shelled railroad lines at Tanchon , where four railroad tunnels were destroyed , before sailing to Chindong and Kosong for a two - day bombardment of North Korean positions . On 25 May " Iowa " , following her sister ship " Missouri " s example , arrived in the waters off Chongjin , a North Korean industrial center approximately from the Russian border . Upon arrival , " Iowa " proceeded to shell the industrial and rail transportation centers in Chongjin , after which she moved south to aid the US X Corps . " En route " to US positions , " Iowa " again bombarded Sŏngjin , destroying several railroad tunnels and bridges in the area . On 28 May , " Iowa " rejoined the main body of the US fleet supporting the X Corps , heavily shelling several islands in Wonsan Harbor . Throughout June , " Iowa " trained her guns on targets at Mayang - do , Tanchon , Chongjin , Chodo - Sokcho and the ports of Hŭngnam and Wonsan in support of the UN and South Korean forces . On 9 June , a helicopter from " Iowa " rescued a downed pilot from the carrier . At the time , " Princeton " was operating with TF 77 , and with other carriers in the task force who were involved in a bombing campaign against North Korean supply lines , troop concentrations , and infrastructure ; additionally , the carriers were flying close air support missions for ground forces fighting against the North Korean forces . In July , " Iowa " received a new skipper , Captain Joshua W . Cooper , who assumed command of the battleship for the remainder of her Korean War tour . On 20 August , " Iowa " took aboard nine wounded men from the destroyer after " Thompson " was hit by a Chinese artillery battery while shelling enemy positions at Sŏngjin . At the time , " Iowa " was operating south of Sŏngjin , and after receiving the wounded destroyer crewmen , " Iowa " covered " Thompson " as she retreated into safer waters . On 23 September , General Mark Wayne Clark , the Commander - In - Chief of United Nations Forces in Korea , came aboard " Iowa " . Clark observed " Iowa " in action as her guns shelled the Wonsan area for a third time , accounting for the destruction of a major enemy ammunition dump . On 25 September , " Iowa " fired her guns at an enemy railroad and 30 - car train . The following month , " Iowa " was part of the force involved in Operation Decoy , a feint to draw enemy troops into Kojo and bring them within striking distance of the battleships ' big guns . During the operation , " Iowa " provided anti - aircraft support to , an amphibious force command ship . Post - Korean War ( 1953 – 1957 ) . " Iowa " embarked midshipmen for at - sea training to Northern Europe in July 1953 , and shortly afterwards took part in Operation Mariner , a major NATO exercise , serving as flagship of Vice Admiral Edmund T . Wooldridge , commander of the 2nd Fleet . Upon completion of this exercise , " Iowa " operated in the Virginia Capes area . Later , in September 1954 , she became the flagship of Rear Admiral R . E . Libby , Commander , Battleship Cruiser Force , United States Atlantic Fleet . From January – April 1955 , " Iowa " made an extended cruise to the Mediterranean Sea as the flagship of the Commander , 6th Fleet . She departed on a midshipman training cruise on 1 June , and upon her return entered Norfolk for a four - month overhaul . Afterward , " Iowa " continued intermittent training cruises and operational exercises , until 4 January 1957 when she departed Norfolk for duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean . Upon completion , " Iowa " embarked midshipmen for a South American training cruise and joined in the International Naval Review off Hampton Roads , Virginia on 13 June . On 3 September , " Iowa " sailed for Scotland for NATO ' s Operation Strikeback . She returned to Norfolk on 28 September , and departed Hampton Roads for the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 22 October . She was decommissioned on 24 February 1958 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia . Reactivation ( 1982 – 1984 ) . As part of President Ronald Reagan ’ s and Secretary of the Navy John F . Lehman ’ s effort to create an expanded 600 - ship Navy , " Iowa " was reactivated and moved under tow to Avondale Shipyard near New Orleans , Louisiana , for refitting and equipment modernization in advance of her planned recommissioning . During the refit , " Iowa " had all of her remaining Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti - aircraft guns removed , due to their ineffectiveness against modern fighter jets and anti - ship missile s . Additionally , the two gun mounts located at mid - ship and in the aft on the port and starboard sides of the battleship were removed . " Iowa " was then towed to Ingalls Shipbuilding , Pascagoula , Mississippi , where over the next several months the battleship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available . Among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141 quad cell launchers for 16 AGM - 84 Harpoon anti - ship missiles , eight Armored Box Launcher mounts for 32 BGM - 109 Tomahawk missiles , and a quartet of Phalanx Close - in weapon system Gatling gun s for defense against enemy anti - ship missiles and enemy aircraft . " Iowa " was the first battleship to receive the RQ - 2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle . She could carry up to eight of the remotely controlled drones , which replaced the helicopters previously used to spot for her nine 16 inch ( 410 mm ) / 50 cal Mark 7 guns . Also included in her modernization were upgrades to radar and fire - control system s for her guns and missiles , and improved electronic warfare capabilities . Armed as such , " Iowa " was formally recommissioned on 28 April 1984 , ahead of schedule , within her budget at a cost of $ 500 million , and under the command of Captain Gerald E . Gneckow . In order to expedite the schedule , many necessary repairs to " Iowa " engines and guns were not completed and the mandatory US Navy Board of Inspection and Survey ( InSurv ) inspection was skipped . Shakedown and NATO exercises ( 1984 – 1989 ) . From April – August 1984 , " Iowa " underwent refresher training and naval gunfire support qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean . She spent the rest of 1984 on a shakedown cruise in the area around Central America . During this cruise she aided in several humanitarian operations , including in Costa Rica and Honduras , before returning to the United States in April 1985 for a period of routine maintenance . In August 1985 , " Iowa " joined 160 other ships for Exercise Ocean Safari , a NATO naval exercise aimed at testing NATO ' s ability to control sea lanes and maintain free passage of shipping . Owing to bad weather , " Iowa " and the other ships were forced to ride out rough seas , but " Iowa " made use of the time to practice hiding herself from enemy forces . While serving with the exercise force , " Iowa " crossed the Arctic Circle . In October , she took part in Baltic operations , and fired her phalanx guns , guns , and guns in the Baltic Sea on 17 October while operating with US and other allied ships . After these operations she returned to the United States . Beginning on 17 March 1986 , " Iowa " underwent her overdue InSurv inspection . The inspection , which " Iowa " ultimately failed , was conducted under the supervision of Rear Admiral John D . Bulkeley . Bulkeley found that the ship was unable to achieve her top speed of during a full - power engine run , and recommended to the Chief of Naval Operations and Lehman that " Iowa " be taken out of service immediately . Rejecting this advice , Lehman instead instructed the leaders of the Atlantic Fleet to ensure that " Iowa " s deficiencies were corrected . Afterward , " Iowa " returned to the waters around Central America and conducted drills and exercises while providing a military presence to friendly nations . On 4 July , President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan boarded " Iowa " for the International Naval Review , which was held in the Hudson River . On 25 April , CAPT Larry Ray Seaquist assumed command of the battleship and her crew . On 17 August , " Iowa " set sail for the North Atlantic , and in September she participated in Exercise Northern Wedding by ferrying Marines ashore and assisting helicopter gunships . During the exercise " Iowa " fired her main guns at Cape Wrath range in Scotland in support of a simulated amphibious assault on 5 – 6 September , firing a total of 19 shells and 32 shells during a 10 - hour period and operating in rough seas . During the live fire exercise , a small number of " Iowa " marines were put ashore to monitor the fall of shot and advise the battleship of gunnery corrections . Afterward , " Iowa " visited ports in England and Germany before returning to the United States in October . In December , the ship became the testbed for the Navy ' s RQ - 2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ) . The drone was designed to serve as an aerial spotter for the battleship ' s guns , thereby allowing the guns to be used against an enemy without the need for an airplane or helicopter spotter . Pioneer passed its tests and made its first deployment that same month aboard " Iowa " . From January – September 1987 " Iowa " operated in the waters in and around Central America and participated in several exercises until sailing for the Mediterranean Sea on 10 September to join the 6th Fleet based there . She remained in the Mediterranean until 22 October , when she was detached from the 6th Fleet and departed for operations in the North Sea . On 25 November , as part of Operation Earnest Will , " Iowa " transited the Suez Canal and set sail for the Persian Gulf , which at the time was one of the battlefields of the first Gulf War ( also referred to as the Iran – Iraq War ) . The presence of US naval vessels in the gulf was in response to a formal petition from Kuwait , whose ships were being raided by Iranian forces who were attempting to cut off weapons shipments from the United States and Europe to Saddam Hussein ' s regime in Iraq , via Kuwaiti territory . This phase of the war would later be called the " Tanker War " phase of the Iran - Iraq War . " Iowa " and other vessels operating in the gulf were assigned to escort Kuwaiti tankers from Kuwaiti ports to the open sea , but because US law forbade military escorts for civilian ships flying a foreign flag , the tankers escorted by the United States were reflagged as US merchant vessels and assigned American names . For the remainder of the year " Iowa " escorted Kuwaiti gas and oil tankers reflagged as US merchant ships from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz . On 20 February 1988 , " Iowa " departed from the Persian Gulf , transited the Suez Canal , and set sail for the United States , arriving at Norfolk on 10 March for routine maintenance . In April , she participated in the annual Fleet Week celebrations before returning to Norfolk for an overhaul . On 26 May , Fred Moosally replaced Larry Seaquist as Captain of the " Iowa " . After the overhaul , Moosally took " Iowa " on a shakedown cruise around Chesapeake Bay on 25 August . Encountering difficulty in conning the ship through shallow water , Moosally narrowly missed colliding with the frigate , destroyer , and the cruiser before running aground in soft mud outside the bay ' s main ship channel near the Thimble Shoals . After one hour , " Iowa " was able to extricate herself without damage and return to port . " Iowa " continued with sea trials throughout August and September , then began refresher training in the waters around Florida and Puerto Rico in October , during which the ship passed an Operation Propulsion Program Evaluation . On 20 January 1989 , during an improperly authorized gunnery experiment off Vieques Island , " Iowa " fired a shell , setting a record for the longest - ranged shell ever fired . In February , the battleship sailed for New Orleans for a port visit before departing for Norfolk . On 10 April , the battleship was visited by the commander of the 2nd Fleet , and on 13 April she sailed to participate in a fleet exercise . 1989 turret explosion . During a gunnery exercise , at 0955 on 19 April 1989 , an explosion ripped through the Number Two gun turret , killing 47 crewmen . A gunner ' s mate in the powder magazine room quickly flooded the No . 2 powder magazine , likely preventing catastrophic damage to the ship . At first , Naval Investigative Service ( N . I . S . , later renamed Naval Criminal Investigative Service or NCIS ) investigators theorized that one of the dead crewmen , Clayton Hartwig , had detonated an explosive device in a suicide attempt after the end of an alleged affair with another sailor . To support this claim , naval officials pointed to several different factors , including Hartwig ' s life insurance policy , which named Kendall Truitt as the sole beneficiary in the event of his death , the presence of unexplained materials inside Turret II , and his mental state , which was alleged to be unstable . Although the Navy was satisfied with the investigation and its results , others were unconvinced , and in October 1991 , amid increasing criticism , Congress forced the Navy to reopen the investigation . This second investigation , handled by independent investigators , was hampered by the fact that most of the original debris from " Iowa " had been cleaned up or otherwise disposed of by the Navy before and after the first investigation , but it did uncover evidence pointing to an accidental powder explosion rather than an intentional act of sabotage . While " Iowa " was undergoing modernization in the early 1980s , her sister ship had been dispatched to Lebanon to provide offshore fire support . At the time , " New Jersey " was the only commissioned battleship anywhere in the world , and it was found that , in an effort to get another battleship commissioned to relieve " New Jersey " , the modernization of " Iowa " was stepped up , leaving her in poor condition when she recommissioned in 1984 . It was also determined that Captain Fred Moosally was more concerned with the maintenance of the missiles than the training and manning of guns . Powder from the same lot as the one under investigation was tested at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division . Spontaneous combustion was achieved with the powder , which had been originally milled in the 1930s and improperly stored in a barge at the Navy ' s Yorktown , Virginia Naval Weapons Station during a 1988 dry - docking of " Iowa " . As it degrades , gunpowder gives off ether gas , which is highly flammable and could be ignited by a spark . This revelation resulted in a shift in the Navy ' s position on the incident , and Admiral Frank Kelso , the Chief of Naval Operations at the time , publicly apologized to the Hartwig family , concluding that there was no real evidence to support the claim that he had intentionally killed the other sailors . " Iowa " captain Fred Moosally was severely criticized for his handling of the matter , and as a result of the incident the Navy changed the powder - handling procedures for its battleships . The incident remains the surface Navy ' s worst loss of life during peacetime operations , surpassing the loss of life incurred from the attack of an Iraqi Air Force jet on the guided missile frigate . Reserve Fleet and museum ship ( from 1990 ) . With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the lack of a perceived threat against the United States came drastic cuts to the defense budget , and the high cost of maintaining battleships as part of the active fleet became uneconomical ; as a result , " Iowa " was decommissioned again on 26 October 1990 . She was the first of the reactivated battleships to be decommissioned , and this was done earlier than originally planned as a result of the damaged turret . " Iowa " was berthed at the Naval Education and Training Center in Newport from 24 September 1998 to 8 March 2001 , when the ship began her journey under tow to California . The ship arrived in Suisun Bay near San Francisco on 21 April 2001 and joined the reserve fleet there , where she remained in reserve until struck again from the Naval Vessel Register in March 2006 . She and her sister ships had been struck previously in 1995 . Section 1011 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996 required the United States Navy to reinstate to the Naval Vessel Register two of the " Iowa " - class battleships that had been struck by the Navy in 1995 ; these ships were to be maintained in the United States Navy reserve fleets ( or " mothball fleet " ) . The Navy was to ensure that both of the reinstated battleships were in good condition and could be reactivated for use in the Marine Corps ' amphibious operations . Due to " Iowa " ’ s damaged turret , the Navy selected " New Jersey " for placement into the mothball fleet , even though the training mechanisms on " New Jersey " ' s guns had been welded down . The cost to fix " New Jersey " was considered less than the cost to fix " Iowa " ; as a result , " New Jersey " and " Wisconsin " were reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register and placed back in the reserve fleet . " New Jersey " remained there until the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act of 1999 required the United States Secretary of the Navy to list and maintain " Iowa " and " Wisconsin " on the Naval Vessel Register . The Act also required the Secretary of the Navy to strike " New Jersey " from the Naval Vessel Register and transfer the battleship to a not - for - profit entity in accordance with section 7306 of Title 10 , United States Code . It also required the transferee to locate the battleship in the State of New Jersey . The Navy made the switch in January 1999 , allowing " New Jersey " to open as a museum ship in her namesake state . On 17 March 2006 , the Secretary of the Navy exercised his authority to strike " Iowa " and " Wisconsin " from the NVR , which cleared the way for both ships to be donated for use as museum ships , but the United States Congress remained " deeply concerned " over the loss of the naval surface gunfire support that the battleships provided , and noted that " navy efforts to improve upon , much less replace , this capability have been highly problematic . " As a partial consequence , Congress passed , the National Defense Authorization Act 2006 , requiring that the battleships be kept and maintained in a state of readiness should they ever be needed again . Congress ordered that measures be implemented to ensure that , if need be , " Iowa " could be returned to active duty . These measures closely mirrored the original three conditions that the National Defense Authorization Act of 1996 laid out for the maintenance of " Iowa " while she was in the " mothball fleet " . In March 2007 , the Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square ( HSMPS ) of Vallejo , site of the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard , and a Stockton group submitted proposals . The HSMPS , which had attempted to place the ship in San Francisco , supported the Mare Island — Vallejo site . In October 2007 the Navy informed HSMPS that they were the only viable candidate to acquire " Iowa " , and their application would be further reviewed after evidence was presented that financing was in place , and when the Stockton and San Francisco groups withdrew or failed to submit a final application respectively . On 25 April 2009 , Iowa Senate Resolution No . 19 was approved , endorsing HSMPS as USS " Iowa " ' s custodian and supporting the battleship ' s placement at Mare Island . In February 2010 , the Pacific Battleship Center ( PBC ) was behind efforts to have the ship berthed in San Pedro , Los Angeles , California . In late February the Port of Los Angeles ( which includes the San Pedro area ) rejected a proposal by the PBC to berth the battleship at its facilities because the battleship was not yet available . On 12 April 2010 , the Governor of Iowa signed into law Bill SJR2007 , which officially formed a 10 - member committee to raise about $ 5 million for the group awarded the USS " Iowa " . The statement supporting the Vallejo group in the original Iowa State Senate ' s version SR19 was struck in favor of supporting any group actually awarded the battleship . On 13 May 2010 , the Navy announced it would reopen the bidding process , citing HSMPS ' s lack of progress as the reason . On 24 May 2010 the Federal Register officially reopened the bidding process for the USS Iowa to a California - based city or non - profit organization . On 18 November 2010 , the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Commissioners voted unanimously on a resolution to support Berth 87 as the future home of the USS " Iowa " , clearing the way for The Pacific Battleship Center to send its completed application to the Navy . On 6 September 2011 , the USS " Iowa " was awarded to Pacific Battleship Center for placement at the Port of Los Angeles . After rehabilitation at the Port of Richmond , California , ( beginning in October 2011 ) , the ship was designated to be towed to and berthed in the Port of Los Angeles . Starting 10 December 2011 , the USS " Iowa " was open for weekend tours . The Battleship Expo at the Port of Richmond included shipboard access and other exhibits such as 16 - inch shells , a short film about the battleship , and other exhibits . On 30 April 2012 , the USS " Iowa " was officially donated to the Pacific Battleship Center in Los Angeles by the United States Navy . The USS " Iowa " began her journey to the Port of Los Angeles on 26 May 2012 under tow by tugboats . After being anchored off the Southern California coast to have her hull scrubbed to remove any invasive species or contaminants , she was permanently anchored on 9 June 2012 in San Pedro at Berth 87 , along the Main Channel , directly south of the World Cruise Center . The museum opened to the public on 7 July . Awards . " Iowa " earned nine battle star s for World War II service and two for Korean War service . She has also earned the following awards :