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Marcus' tour of the USS Iowa

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Saturday morning I decided to skip my usual pickup game at the Braun courts to spend some quality time with Marcus. I asked Erin if she had any good ideas for something Marcus would like and she suggested a tour of the USS Iowa which is docked down in Long Beach, about 30 minutes south of Pasadena. So I bought an adult ticket online (kids under 6 are fee), and the boy and I got dressed, hopped in the race car, and took the 110 south.

Marcus took a power nap in the car, and when I pulled up to the docks I woke him up to a view of the massive USS Iowa battle ship.


We handed the attendant our ticket at the entrance and walked up the gangplank to begin our tour. The path is marked out clearly and it meanders back and forth, yet steadily up one deck after another. I had a lot of childhood memories from reading military books, and I was proud to recognize about half of what the various tour guides and plaques said. It's a lot of fun to have Marcus becoming intensely interested in all of the same things I loved as a kid: battle ships, carriers, jets, helicopters, guns, soldiers, etc.

We wrapped up our tour with a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and a shared bottle of Sprite in the chow hall below decks. While we ate, Marcus looked up at me and said, "Dad, today I am so happy!" That day, I certainly was, too.
Dad, this water is pretty dirty.
Dad, this is where they load the ammo. 
Long-arm shot.
Dad, we're WAY bigger than that boat. 
The USS Iowa's various anti-missile defenses: chaff mortars (foreground) and "R2-D2" 20mm radar-guided Gatling gun (background)
Dr. Strangelove...
...or, How I came to love the 16-inch main-gun shells. Yeeee HAW!


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Anonymous said…
Great pictures! Looks like you had a fun time. That last picture is a hoot -- looks like something my husband would set up.
March 11, 2013 at 7:40 AM
mama mia said…
Bernie would have loved this...we can go to the old battleship Texas next time you guys are in town!
March 14, 2013 at 10:40 AM
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