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!