SAN PEDRO (CNS) - A Southland congresswoman and Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced today they've re-introduced legislation to designate the battleship U.S.S. Iowa Museum as the National Museum of the Surface Navy.
If passed, the bill would make the vessel, which is docked at the Port of Los Angeles, the first and only museum in the nation dedicated solely to the men and women who have served in the surface forces of the U.S. Navy.
“This bill honors the men and women who have served – and continue to serve -- in the surface forces of the United States by designating this museum as a monument to their sacrifice,'' said Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan, D-San Pedro.
“In decades past, the Iowa defended our nation. Today, it serves our community here in San Pedro by educating the next generation,'' she said. “The U.S.S. Iowa is now not only a hallmark of California's 44th Congressional District, but also a living monument to the surface forces of the U.S. Navy.''
Commissioned in 1943, the U.S.S. Iowa was the most powerful American warship of her time. The ship saw action across much of the Pacific during World War II and transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the first transatlantic leg of his journey to the 1943 Tehran Conference with the other Allied leaders. The Iowa was present during the Japanese surrender at Tokyo Bay 75 years ago and continued to serve our country throughout the Cold War.
“The U.S.S. Iowa has a storied history,'' said Feinstein, D-Calif. “She was active in World War II and the Korean War, and later supported NATO in the 1980s after she was recommissioned. She also famously carried President Roosevelt to meet with Churchill and Stalin in 1943. Her life as a museum in the Port of Los Angeles has taught millions of Americans the importance of our surface navy. I'm proud to again partner with Congresswoman Barragan to introduce a bill designating the U.S.S. Iowa as the National Museum of the Surface Navy.''
Since 2012, the battleship has been berthed in San Pedro, acting as a museum and monument to those who have served.
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