Battleship USS Iowa Museum

After almost 70 years of service, the USS Iowa has now reached its final destination - the San Pedro waterfront where it was reopened as a floating naval museum in 2012. The ship is almost the length of three football fields so there is plenty to see for anyone interested in military history.The 270-metre long vessel saw action in World War II and the Korean War, earning 11 battle stars in these conflicts in total. On other historic occasions, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sailed across the Atlantic on the USS Iowa to a wartime summit with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Russian Premier Josef Stalin. This gave the ship its name of the Battleship of Presidents. One of the highlights of the museum today is seeing the bath that FDR had installed for the journey.Visitors can climb on board and tour the ship's deck, stand beside the massive 41-centimetre guns which took at least 77 men to fire, view the armoured bridge conning tower, scene of many pivotal combat decisions, and the captain's quarters where foreign dignitaries were entertained. Seven of the vessel's 19 decks are open to the public, with displays on the ship's heavy artillery a highlight. The ship's missile decks are also interesting, as is seeing the mess deck area where sailors took their meals.It's not all static displays. In the digital theatre, visitors can stand on a copy of the bridge and be part of the American landings at Okinawa, Japan in 1945, where the Iowa played a vital role.USS Iowa is located in San Pedro, 40 kilometres south of downtown LA. There is parking nearby at First Street and Harbor Boulevard. The Iowa is open every day from 10 am – 5 pm except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.