Battleship USS Iowa

The legendary WWII battleship now serves as a walk-through museum in Los Angeles harbor — decades of naval history, accessible on deck.

The USS Iowa is the lead ship of the Iowa-class and one of the most formidable battleships ever to sail under the American flag. Built in the early 1940s, she served first in the Atlantic during World War II before being transferred to the Pacific, where she supported assaults on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After the war she entered the reserve fleet, was reactivated for the Korean War, and played a key role in shore bombardment operations. In the 1980s she underwent an extensive modernization under President Reagan. Since 2012, the Iowa has been anchored as a floating museum in San Pedro, Los Angeles. Visitors can explore gun turrets, engine rooms, and the historic presidential cabin where Franklin D. Roosevelt stayed during his 1943 Atlantic crossing.