Battleship USS Iowa Not Just a Museum

POSTED 4:12 PM, JANUARY 19, 2015, BY ROGER RILEY

http://whotv.com/2015/01/19/battleship-uss-iowa-not-just-a-museum/

USS Iowa (file photo)

LOS ANGELES, California- It has been over two years since the USS Iowa opened as a museum battleship in Los Angeles.  Iowans and former sailors helped to raise three million dollars to refurbish the ship and move it from northern California to Los Angeles.

Now the ship is becoming an events center for the local community.  On Sunday a first-ever blood drive was held aboard ship, in connection with the Red Cross.  People who gave blood were offered free admission to tour the USS Iowa Museum.  Blood donors were also offered discount tickets to Anaheim Ducks and LA Kings games.

“For us it’s just being a part of the community,and continuing with the USS Iowa’s service to the country,”said Andrew Bossenmeyer, spokesman for the USS Iowa Museum.  “Anytime we can host an event,that provides a service to our local communities,we’re going to do that.”

The USS Iowa will also host “Music Under the Guns” this month, featuring the Long Beach Symphony.  Also there will be an event called “Movies Under the Guns,” showing the Tuskegee Airmen movie.

NTA, LA Waterfront, Candy Machine, Crew Meeting, and Upcoming Posts!

The New Year is off to a solid and exciting start.  The crew is working on our goals for this year as outlined in previous blog posts.  Our two boards are hard at work preparing presentation plans, arranging fundraising meetings, and working towards achieving our goals.

As I write this post, I am on a plane to New Orleans for the National Tour Association conference.  We have numerous meetings with tour operators arranged and will be attending events that include our friends at TourismCares and Visit California.  In addition, we will be visiting the WW2 Museum to view the wonderful work that they have accomplished.  I believe the WW2 and Marine Corps museum has set a high standard to achieve.  We will strive to reach this level in the future and this will take both focus and fundraising to make this a reality.

A large part of our goals coming true is the successful redevelopment of the LA Waterfront.  The past couple of weeks have had a flurry of activity throughout the community.  Our friend, Councilman Joe Buscaino has shown his leadership in the redevelopment with the announcement of the Rancho San Pedro redevelopment feasibility study and his desire to see a vibrant waterfront.  I give kudos to Gene Seroka and the Port of Los Angeles for taking the initiative to present a plan of infrastructure funding to the community.  These are both enormous steps in the right direction.

A successful and vibrant waterfront will require numerous partnerships and relationships to make it a reality.  We value our relationships with our local community and business partners.  On or about March 1st we will be releasing the LA Waterfront Passport program, which provides discounts and admission to our local attractions for one low price.  The community is excited about this innovative package and we are proud to participate in this program.

As we begin the steps towards creating a world class museum, we will be focusing on numerous facets of organization development.  Part of the process is board development and fundraising.  I have to commend Barry Herlihy, Stan Sato, and the rest of our crew and loyal supporter for the recent strong showing on the deck repair campaign.  We have exceeded our goal and continue to reach for the $20,000 number to restore the aft quarterdeck and hopefully a few additional areas requiring repair.  Way to go team!

1980's Candy Machine.  Photo by Derek Cross

Last weekend the crew once again showed its strong team work.  Josh Stutz, Derek Cross, and Stan Sato came together to locate, purchase, pick-up, and install a 1980's era candy machine on the 2nd deck forward of the galley.  This machine is a very close match to the original machine and it is an awesome addition to the collection.  Thank you guys for going above and beyond in the acquisition of this important item.

On Tuesday, January 13th, we had our quarterly crew meeting in the Ward Room.  The management team discussed the 2015 goals and objectives and highlighted the 2014 accomplishments.  We are excited about the direction we are going and are already in the early stages of raising the funds necessary to accomplish this years goals.  For those that have already contributed, thank you!  If you are interested in participating in one of our future fundraising programs, please let us know at development@labattleship.com.

Slides from January 13, 2015 Crew Meeting

In August of 2015, we will welcome home three different decades of USS Iowa veterans and their families.  We are always excited to welcome them home and we will strive to give them a fun and fulfilling experience.

We started working with HNSA (Historic Naval Ships Association) management to plan the annual HNSA conference in San Pedro this year.  We are very excited to host our sister ships crew and have them experience our local community and passion of the IOWA crew.  We will most likely host 3 days of intense focused sessions on important topics for the future of the industry and close out the conference with a banquet.  We are proud to be the host of this years event and look forward to showing off the Battleship IOWA Museum and the LA Waterfront.

In closing, I want to thank the entire crew for everything they do.  These are men and women of an extraordinary desire to tell the IOWA story and be involved in something great and exciting.  Please thanks these folks when you have a chance for the selfless acts to preserve our history.

Please check back soon, as I will be posting some pictures and stories of the WWII Museum, USS Alabama, USS Kidd, and the NTA Conference over the next week.

New Year, 2015 Goals, 2015 Public Events, and a Great Close to 2014!

The New Year begins and so does a fresh slate of mission driven goals.  We are excited about what the future holds for is as a unique platform for education, tourism, and activities.  In fact, our 2015 core goals are primarily focused on these three items.

Every December, the leadership team gathers to discuss what our primary objectives for the following year will be.  The objectives generally fall within the predefined role of our overall 5 year capital improvement goals as approved by the Board of Directors.  We also review our previous year crew feedback, actual critical needs, and our customer reviews to determine the best possible next steps.

New Years Eve at the Battleship IOWA.  The final close to 2014!

This coming year will have a focus on fundraising and implementation of:

• Public & Youth Education programs to engage our visitors, community, and students in an authentic hands on experience at the IOWA.
• Tour & Museum improvements that are interactive and enjoyable for guests of all ages.  A few specific projects are the IOWA Veterans Association exhibit, 2nd deck expansion, Wardroom movie, aviation and missile exhibit.
• Ship Maintenance, Preservation, and Refurbishment that include aft quarterdeck wood replacement, possible waterline work, and electrical infrastructure.
   

As you can see, we have an exciting 2015 ahead of us.  We will need everyone's assistance in pulling off these goals, so please consider how you may be able to contribute.

Where's Vicky???

We had a great holiday season at the IOWA!  Our attendance was stabilized, our Events team pulled off a couple of great programs, our OPS team completed Camp Battleship, our Tour team accommodating the increase in kids and guests, and our Security team provided a safe experience.  There are many unsung heroes behind the scenes that include ticketing, accounting, administration, volunteer services, donors, and many others that deserve recognition.  Please thank these folks for there service when you see them.

Our stabilized attendance is enormous progress for us.  As many of you know, we have had the typical second year blues for most for most of 2014.  To see our attendance finally stabilize and now start building on is a sign of relief and forward progress as an institution.  The number of families and children that visited during the holiday season was noticeably higher in comparison to earlier in the year.  Key to our future success will include engaging programs and services for all of our guests to enjoy.

The Security Team hard at work shoveling dirt for the trench.

During the holiday season the everyday work of operating Battleship IOWA continued.  The crew worked on closing out the Camp Battleship program including filling in the trench for the fire line.  Even the security team stepped in and helped shovel the dirt and a nice change of pace for me personally to operate the track loader during the work.  I am proud of the tremendous effort and teamwork that the crew put into bringing Camp Battleship and the heads alive by the end of 2014.

The recent storms tore up many of our tents and awnings.  It also caused a temporary down period with our gunnery video on the side of Turret 1 (it is now up and running again). But the awnings are still missing.  We are hoping to get those fixed sooner then later and could use some funding assistance to repair these.

Our education programs are actively in development with a focus on youth and public education.  Our core youth education programs include Victory STEAM Field Trip Program, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV's), and Camp Battleship Overnight program.  The public education experience will include enhanced exhibits and tour improvements to create a innovative hands on experience.

With the strong youth attendance, we will focus on providing more engaging hands on activities for our guests throughout the future.  As a hint of our direction, we will be combining the natural STEAM activities and history on board to create a hands on experience.  We are excited about the opportunity to serve our community and advance our mission!

The wonderful job the ship's carpenter performed on bringing
back the deck on the Signal Bridge during 2014.  More to come
in 2015 with our deck restoration campaign!

Of course, the regular maintenance will be required to keep the entire operation progressing.  We are focused on raising funds and working on decks, hull and waterline, and preservation / restoration.  A major goal for us in the future is raising the necessary restoration capital over the next couple of years and are looking at numerous opportunities and resources.  Our recent deck fundraising campaign for the aft quarterdeck has raised over $15,000 as of January 5, 2015.  To participate in this campaign, please click here or donate on our website at http://www.pacificbattleship.com.

We have received a lot of assistance in participation by our crew and loyal supporters in marketing the Battleship IOWA museum.  The new posters have arrived with the purpose of our supporting businesses and individuals to show their pride in our veterans and Battleship IOWA museum.  Please feel free to pick up posters to distribute at our ticketing booth or in the tour office.  In addition to the posters, we will continue our BOGO campaign into 2015.  We encourage everyone to grab a handful and handout and/or place at local retailers, restaurants, clubs, buildings, businesses, etc.  Help us spread the word of the importance of the IOWA to the community.

Our first community outreach program of the
year is the Battleship IOWA Blood Drive.

Our 2015 public events calendar has been released at http://www.pacificbattleship.com/page/eventcalendar.  A new addition for 2015 is our popular Movie & Music Under programs in partnership with community performers and sponsors.  This is part of our public outreach program to increase engagement with the community and strengthen our community relationships.  Please consider attending or sponsoring one of these fun events on board the IOWA.  For more information or to sponsor, please email tcaleca@labattleship.com.

In addition to our public programs, we also will once again offer the "Curator Tour" beginning again in February 2015.  This special tour is led by David Way, IOWA's curator and includes lunch, conversation, and areas off of the normal tour route.  It is an exciting behind the scenes opportunity not usually offered to the public.  For more information, visit our website at http://www.pacificbattleship.com.

In closing, I would like to personally thank our entire crew and supporters for a wild ride since the award of the ship in 2011.  Each and everyone of you have played an important role in the history of our beloved battleship.  Your pride, perseverance, dedication, and contributions are tremendous and has shown what it means to be a proud patriot.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do!