San Francisco Shuns Retired USS Iowa

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO

The USS Iowa joined in battles from World War II to Korea to the Persian Gulf. It carried President Franklin Roosevelt home from the Teheran conference of allied leaders, and four decades later, suffered one of the nation's most deadly military accidents.

Veterans groups and history buffs had hoped that tourists in San Francisco could walk the same teak decks where sailors dodged Japanese machine-gun fire and fired 16-inch guns that helped win battles across the South Pacific.

Instead, it appears that the retired battleship is headed about 80 miles inland, to Stockton, a gritty agricultural port town on the San Joaquin River and home of California's annual asparagus festival.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a former San Francisco mayor, helped secure $3 million to tow the Iowa from Rhode Island to the Bay Area in 2001 in hopes of making touristy Fisherman's Wharf its new home.

But city supervisors voted 8-3 last month to oppose taking in the ship, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things.

"If I was going to commit any kind of money in recognition of war, then it should be toward peace, given what our war is in Iraq right now," Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said.

Feinstein called it a "very petty decision."

"This isn't the San Francisco that I've known and loved and grew up in and was born in," Feinstein said.

San Francisco's maritime museum already has one military vessel _ the USS Pampanito, an attack submarine that sank six Japanese ships during World War II and has about 110,000 visitors a year.

Officials in Stockton couldn't be happier. They've offered a dock on the river, a 90,000-square-foot waterfront building and a parking area, and hope to attract at least 125,000 annual visitors.

After the Korean war, the Iowa was decommissioned and placed in reserve in a Philadelphia shipyard for three decades. In 1988, it was recalled to duty escorting oil supply ships safely in and out danger in the Persian Gulf. In 1989, 47 sailors were killed in an explosion that tore through a gun turret during a training exercise.

The warship, decommissioned by the Navy in 1990, is currently anchored with a mothballed fleet in Suisun Bay, near the mouth of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta.

San Francisco's rejection of such a storied battleship is a slap in the nation's face, said Douglass Wilhoit, head of Stockton's Chamber of Commerce.

"We're lucky our men and women have sacrificed their lives ... to protect our freedom," Wilhoit said. "Wherever you stand on the war in Iraq ... you shouldn't make a decision based on philosophy."

Rep. Richard W. Pombo, R-Calif., has sponsored legislation authorizing the ship's permanent move to Stockton. Feinstein has countered with a bill to open bidding to any California city.

The two versions will have to be reconciled by a House-Senate conference committee considering the Pentagon spending bill.

What do any of these 'concerns' have to do with USS Iowa? Its USS IOWA for crying out loud. What a great addition it would've made to a city as historic and vital to the Pacific Theatre as San Francisco...

BTW, is this a recent thing or am I just not caught up with things?

>>"...oppose taking in the ship, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things."<<

WTF is going on out there in CA??? Thank God I've got an entire nation between me and whatever rots people's minds over there.

>>"...oppose taking in the ship, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things."<<

WTF is going on out there in CA??? Thank God I've got an entire nation between me and whatever rots people's minds over there.

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i've got most of the continent to filter their crap..lol i guess the cascades do alot, then the rockies take care of most of the rest...

San Francisco. HA. I really hope it doesn't get the 2016 Olympics.

If they don't want the Iowa there, I'll take the Iowa and park her next to the Alabama in Mobile Bay. I know she'll get respected and visited quite often down there.

Sad. Although I am Canadian, I believe history is history and that this move reflects one of ignorance.

But can they really put it on the West Coast anyway? I doubt Seattle would want it knowing the granolas there...

Or you can sell it to us Canadians. We need a new ship or two .

I'm very anti-military and even I think this is petty.

It's not like it's a new ship, or some military installation. It's just a piece of history.

Its a piece of important history that should be respected for that and that alone, not because of what's happening in today's world. Although I know a lot of people today don't give a flying rats left testicle about what happened in World War II, but I damn well do. So if the crazy, tree hugging Californians don't want it, like I said, I'll gladly park it down in Mobile Bay next to one of its sister ships.

Being from California, I think it's a dumb move on SF's part, but I think it will find a great home in Stockton, where they actually want the ship. Hopefully, they can tie into the museum the fact that deep water ports used to go as far in as Fresno on the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers and that ships like that were able to come into valley cities before they damed them up to make farm canals and water for SoCal.

I wouldn't mind seeing it in Stockton, but they've gotta get past SF first apparently.

Hey idiots in San Fran, that ship is part of the reason you have a right to protest, how about some respect. I swear, it's like people burning the flag and then bitching because the first admendmant say's they can. Hypocrites get under my skin like nothing else and they all need to suffer the fate of a communist country, I bet China could use more sweatshop workers.

This is just one more example to prove my theory that when people get elected to public office, something happens to them. They must get taken into a secret room and get whacked in the head or force fed stupidity drugs.

Sad. Although I am Canadian, I believe history is history and that this move reflects one of ignorance.

But can they really put it on the West Coast anyway? I doubt Seattle would want it knowing the granolas there...

Or you can sell it to us Canadians. We need a new ship or two  .

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This one has been slightly used.

This is just one more example to prove my theory that when people get elected to public office, something happens to them.  They must get taken into a secret room and get whacked in the head or force fed stupidity drugs.

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Maybe this is what happens....

Hey idiots in San Fran, that ship is part of the reason you have a right to protest, how about some respect.

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True. Hey, Bring it to Boston or Portsmouth, NH. I'd love to

see that ship top to bottom. What a great historical artifact.

The USS Intrepid is a great sight in NY, NY. I should go

back and see it all again. When I went to NYIAS I think I

saw the SR71 on top still.

They should have left it here in Philly, it would look great moored just across the river from its sister ship the New Jersey.

SF nutjobs

You know what they say about California... "It's the land of Fruits and Nuts."

Maybe they should take the Iowa to Iowa...moor it somewhere on the Mississippi River.

You guys crack me up. Great posts. Now to further view this...."the militarys stance on gays". Well, lets see, they apparently lack the spine to make rational decisions on somewhat important issues by getting all petty. Refuse to recognize and celebrate vitally important pieces of American survival and history. Yet, at the same time find it important to parade through the streets once a year humping each others backs..............gee wiz, just cant understand it.

No offence to any "gays" who have self dignity, honest fortitude as well as respect and awareness for just exactly what it took to make this world we live in today.

I say good for Stockton, gotta wonder about the journalist that seemed to want to degrade the area for being a productive part of American socioty............is it possible to say this about San Fran ? I guess there was quite a drug culture there.............I'm sure thats passed now...................no wait.........seems like they have a counsel full of "crack heads"............bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

City politics are the same everywhere: the Lib-left loonies control everything. They'd rather get into a froth about banning a piece of military history, rather than actually doing anything real about crime, the homeless, etc.

We had a similarily looney council here in Vancouver barely a year ago which, get this, voted to oppose the Iraq war...

They joined other cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C...

Ok, my city is Canadian, which means they have no involvement in U.S. politics whatsoever. And maybe cities should wake up to the fact that they have no control foreign policy!

And now Chicago is going to regulate trans fats and foods deemed "unhealthy" .

They are wasting days of city business that would be better spent on... city business!!!...

Like maybe figuring out why the bike I had stolen 3 years ago has still not shown up, or why people's cars don't seem to come equipped with signal lights because they sure ain't using them.

And now Chicago is going to regulate trans fats and foods deemed "unhealthy"  .

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I heard Chicago is also or has upped the minimum wage to $10/hour for people who work in "big box" retail (ie. Wal-Mart, Target, etc.). Now, I do not know how many of those types of stores are located within the Chicago city limits but if any are, they will be moving fairly shortly and people will be out of a job. Which is better: making $6/hour or not having a job at all?

I heard Chicago is also or has upped the minimum wage to $10/hour for people who work in "big box" retail (ie. Wal-Mart, Target, etc.).  Now, I do not know how many of those types of stores are located within the Chicago city limits but if any are, they will be moving fairly shortly and people will be out of a job.  Which is better: making $6/hour or not having a job at all?

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you'll know the answer to that question when you grow up, at which time you will move on to more important issues

Why is so much of America f@#king stupid? It's a piece of our history, it has nothing to do with Iraq or gay movements.

City politics are the same everywhere: the Lib-left loonies control everything.  They'd rather get into a froth about banning a piece of military history, rather than actually doing anything real about crime,  the homeless, etc.

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Do you know the city of Cambridge Mass is run by such crazy super-left

idiots that their agenda for the meetings regularly consists of issues

such as global warming, deforestation of the amazon & even random

endangered species, none of which are/were/will ever be found in their

little slab of concrete jungle. Nevermind that NONE of those issues impact

the real problems of Cambridge Mass. Like... you know, pot holes, crime,

traffic, overpopulation, corruption and other slightly more relevant stuff.

This state is off its rocker entirely.

The mayor of Avon Park, Florida tried to get the city council to pass two ordinances making English the city's official language and making it criminal to hire or harbor illegal immigrants.

Several problems here. First, the second 'ordinance' is a federal law; try enforcing it, moron. Second, the state and country still print publications in multiple languages. Third, probably 25% of Avon Park's population is Hispanic, mainly Mexican of God-knows-what citizenship. Fourth, the entire population of Avon Park is 8800. We're talking about a destitute hick town that lies abutting an Air Force bombing range taking some meaningful stand against immigration? Hoo boy!

What exactly are we trying to prove here?

Uninfluential towns need to stop taking empty 'stands' on global issues and focus on more 'domestic' concerns, like getting Zed to stop lettin' his durn hogs out after dark or taking down the dinosaur from the Sinclair gas station or something.

...or taking down the dinosaur from the Sinclair gas station or something.

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You had me up until you said that. I'd vote to keep it up.

That's one of the coolest relics ever. God I'd love to

have one in my front yard.

Well, there's not really one. There could be, though, given the general decrepitness of the town.

Uninfluential towns need to stop taking empty 'stands' on global issues and focus on more 'domestic' concerns, like getting Zed to stop lettin' his durn hogs out after dark or taking down the dinosaur from the Sinclair gas station or something.

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Or maybe they should figure out the difference between a hoedown and a hootenanny once and for all.

But can they really put it on the West Coast anyway? I doubt Seattle would want it knowing the granolas there...

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It would fit in perfectly up here near Seattle. Bremerton, WA (right across the sound, and a ferry trip away) has a Naval Base & a Naval Museum. The entire area has several Naval operations.

We're well protected up here.

It would fit in perfectly up here near Seattle. Bremerton, WA (right across the sound, and a ferry trip away) has a Naval Base & a Naval Museum. The entire area has several Naval operations.

We're well protected up here. 

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Nice. Unfortunately, 2 hours North of you, us Vancouverites could easily get pushed around by the Denmark fleet if they wanted to take our city.

I also think the Swiss are plotting to get us. But I'll leave that speech for another day, unless you want to be frightened. :AH-HA_wink:

Maybe they should take the Iowa to Iowa...moor it somewhere on the Mississippi River.

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I know the Quad Cities would love it.

This is stupid. San Fransisco is full of nothing but a bunch of stupid whiny hippies and fruits who have absolutely no idea what they're bitching about when they DO bitch. It's like they bitch and do stupid crap like this just to get attention, or just to be contrary.

I say, if SF wants to voluntarily lose out on having a great real veritable piece of American history docked on its shores then let 'em. Let's put it at the Naval base in Seal Beach or SD so it can be appreciated better by people who actually respect what the military has done for them to let them keep the right to parade through the streets and bitch about how "evil wars are". That ship is a little piece of what seperates you from being openly gay and proud or able to protest the war in Iraq today and being shot executioner-style just for even looking at someone of the same sex funny or even thinking about questioning authority--which very well might have been the case if not for THAT freaking boat and the brave men who served on it and all the other ships and battlefields during WW2. San Fransisco should bow their collective heads in humble respect, rather than turning their absolutely ignorant backs to it.

You suck, San Fransisco City Council.

That's my piece.

Edited August 4, 200619 yr by Turbojett