USS Iowa Battleship to Become a Los Angeles Museum

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission unanimously voted to house the USS Iowa in the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California and open it as a floating museum. When the museum opens to the public on July 7, it will become the only battleship museum on the country's West Coast, according to MSNBC, and the Los Angeles Daily News reported that an estimated 400,000 visitors are expected each year.

The ship, first commissioned in 1943, measures 887 feet long and 175 feet above the water line. It tips the scales at 58,000 tons, according to the Washington Post. Before it was decommissioned in 1990, it had taken a role in several key moments in history. Known as "The Big Stick," The Iowa took President Roosevelt to a summit meeting with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin. The ship is the only one to have a bathtub, which President Roosevelt required. The Iowa fought battles in World War II -- helping the Allied forces land on beaches in the Pacific and taking part in the surrender in Tokyo Bay. Later, it saw battle in the Korean War and helped escort tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war.

In 1989, one year before it was decommissioned, there was an explosion in the ship's number 2 gun turret that killed 47 sailors.

Even in it's retirement, the Iowa has a mission: revitalize LA's port area. Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino told MSNBC that the Iowa would "transform our waterfront in making it a world-class destination" when combined with the new shops and interconnected boardwalks that are developing for the future.

As a museum, the Iowa will feature an interactive tour that lets visitors experience life at sea during active duty. This includes viewing the inside of a gun turret, seeing Roosevelt's stateroom, and looking at the armored conning station on the bridge.

Currently, the Iowa, the lead ship in her battleship class, is undergoing restorations in Richmond, CA, which cost approximately $7 million. The residents of the state for which the ship was named donated $3 million to the restoration. On May 20, it will be towed to it's final port of call in San Pedro, Los Angeles. "San Pedro," said Katherine Gray, vice president of the San Pedro Convention and Visitors Bureau, "your ship is coming in."